About this season
James Shelley, an educated, sardonic, permanently unemployed "professional freelance layabout," has many battles with authority, the tax-man, his landlady, and his girlfriend Fran.
Episodes (6)
1. Dry Dreams
Aired 1 December 1983 • 30 min
Shelley gets a surprise invite to his mum Isobel's place for lunch and not only that, Fran is invited too. Will Isobel's attempts to get the estranged couple back together over the meal table bear fruit or will Shelley talk his way back into singledom?
2. It Nearly Always Happens to Somebody Else
Aired 8 December 1983 • 30 min
Shelley comes home from a rare hard day's work to find his apartment has been burgled. Despite the ever-presence of Desmond the security guard no one seems to have seen or heard anything.
3. Of Cabbages and Kings
Aired 15 December 1983 • 30 min
Taking refuge in the local library, whom should Shelley run into but his old temping-job mucker Malcolm. The two intellectual layabouts soon pick up where they left off, and start putting the world to rights with their verbal sparring.
4. The Party
Aired 22 December 1983 • 30 min
Shelley's peace is disturbed by noise from a neighboring apartment, it appears there's a party going on. Desmond comes upstairs to check what's going on but seems to be in more of a party mood than Shelley.
5. Owed to the Electrician
Aired 5 January 1984 • 30 min
Shelley's back in 'advertising', although it appears he may have to work his way back up. But that's the least of his problems, he's been overcharged for his electric bill and finds himself in a highly-charged situation.
6. Brief Encounter
Aired 12 January 1984 • 30 min
Desmond's rather attractive young niece Anne-Marie comes to visit and Shelley takes rather a shine to her. Could love be in the air for the old cynic or will this possibly romantic encounter end up all-too-brief?