Gimme another chance to see it
Relive the outrageous antics of Lynda and Tom as sitcom Gimme Gimme Gimme gets a re-run on BBC iPlayer
THEY were the ultimate odd couple sharing a London flat and having absolutely nothing in common with one another. Gimme Gimme Gimme saw Kathy Burke as the outrageous and loud-mouthed Linda La Hughes, while James Dreyfus played gay actor Tom Farrell, whose main claim to fame was that he had once spoken a line in EastEnders.
The gleefully chaotic sitcom began on BBC2, at the start of 1999, and was written by Jonathan Harvey, who developed the series with Kathy.
Linda believed she was a drop-dead gorgeous and irresistible to men and described herself as “the auburn Jerry Hall.”
The pair lived in a Kentish town flat owned by landlady
Beryl Merit (Rosalind Knight), while their neighbours were married couple Jez and Suze, played by Brian Bovell and Beth Goddard.
Both Linda and Tom had hopes of seducing Jez, but he only had eyes for Suze and always seemed oblivious of their efforts to attract his attention.
Linda also nursed a number of celebrity crushes. Her heart was set on Liam Gallagher in the first series, but he was replaced by Robbie Williams in the second, while the third saw her infatuated by both the male singers in Hear’Say.
The sitcom ran until 2001 and is now among the comedy box sets being shown on BBC iPlayer with every episode available from November 12.
Guest stars who featured in Gimme Gimme Gimme included Phil Daniels, Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins, while writer Jonathan Harvey appeared in three episodes as a wedding guest, a make-up artist and a customer in a sofa store.
The comedy was filmed before a live studio audience with exterior shots of Tom and Linda’s flat filmed at Warwick Row in Ealing. The third series received a Bafta nomination in the Best Scripted Comedy category and Kathy’s performance earned her two Bafta nominations. She said of the show: “We had a great time doing Gimme Gimme Gimme, but the critics absolutely hated it.” The sitcom ended with Tom landing an acting job in Crossroads and leaving Linda alone in the flat.