A 1990 miniseries by Malcom Bradbury, The Gravy Train follows the adventures of Dr Hans Joachim Dorfmann, a newly-appointed official in the European department of agriculture. The series stars Ian Richardson and Christoph Waltz.
The Gravy Train provides examples of:
- Beleaguered Bureaucrat: Hans must juggle multiple international crises, all without much knowledge of what's going on around him. Spearpoint is left back at head office trying to clear up the departmental chaos.
The Gravy Train Goes East provides examples of:
- Interservice Rivalry: The Foreign & Commonwealth Office considers its "traditional enemies" to be France, Germany, and the Department of Trade & Industry.
- Ruritania: Slaka is a very small country recently liberated from communism. Even the country's leaders joke about not finding themselves on a map.
- The Alleged Car: In episode 3 we see that pretty much all the cars in Slaka are like this, complete with alleged drivers and alleged pedestrians.
- Fictional Country: Slaka is a fictional country that is in Eastern Europe. It has been said to have been conquered by the Ottomans and Russians. It is in the Balkans.
- Secret Police: Slaka has a secret police that is similar to the Stasi and employs half of the population as informers. They follow Dorfmann around.
- Sleazy Politician: Tankic wants to steal money from the Swiss bank account of the former dictator of Slaka.
- United Europe: Slaka's President wants Slaka to be admitted to the European Union.
- Vetinari Job Security: Tankic worked as Minister for International Trade for the former dictator of Slaka and now works for the new President. The President is an author and does not understand international trade.
- Why We Are Bummed Communism Fell:
