''Empty'' is a six-episode

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream a ...

sitcom A sitcom, a Portmanteau, portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troup ...

first broadcast on 28 February 2008. It stars Gregor Fisher and Billy Boyd as Jacky Allen and Tony MacBryan respectively, two men who work for a property maintenance company 'Greater Glasgow Building Services'.

Situation and plot

Each

episode An episode is a narrative unit within a larger dramatic work or documentary production, such as a series intended for radio, television or streaming consumption. The noun ''episode'' is derived from the Greek term ''epeisodion'' (), meaning th ...

mostly revolves around the dialogue of the two main characters as they discuss their lives (and unseen wives) and the things they find in the houses they clear. Jacky and Tony are also given to re-enacting

silent comedy Silent comedy is a style of film, related to but distinct from mime, invented to bring comedy into the medium of film in the silent film era (1900s–1920s) before a synchronized soundtrack which could include talking was technologically a ...

and

music hall Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as variety. Perceptions of a distinction in B ...

routines, and always take a polaroid photo of themselves which they date and hide in a crevice somewhere. The pair also like to guess what they will find behind each door before they open it. As befits their personalities, Jacky's guesses are usually amusing and fanciful, while Tony's are often gruesome, even macabre. Although the main duo interact with various other characters over the course of the series, the only supporting character to appear in more than one episode is Barry, a plumber who dresses like

Super Mario (also known as and ) is a platform game series created by Nintendo starring their mascot, Mario. It is the central series of the greater ''Mario'' franchise. At least one ''Super Mario'' game has been released for every major Nintendo vi ...

and is nicknamed "Super Barrio" by Jacky and Tony (though he has never heard of the character and doesn't understand the joke). Barry is played by Tom Urie. The series is written by

Robert Florence Robert Luke McBrian Florence (born 29 July 1977) is a Scottish presenter, comedian and writer who starred in the BBC comedy sketch show '' Burnistoun''. Early life Robert Florence was born on 29 July 1977 and was raised in a working-class fa ...

and Iain Connell, who wrote the series '' Burnistoun'', '' Legit'' and sketches for '' Chewin' the Fat'', also produced by

BBC Scotland BBC Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: ''BBC Alba'') is a division of the BBC and the main public broadcaster in Scotland. It is one of the four BBC national regions, together with the BBC English Regions, BBC Cymru Wales and BBC Northern Ireland. ...

Episode list

#"Nobody knows what goes on behind closed doors" – Tony and Jacky clear a house in which they discover a room full of elegant hand-crafted models of sailing ships, and are shocked by the callous attitude of a woman to comes to "collect" one. #"Is is" – The duo clear a house in which they find a number of curious objects, including a

dada Dada () or Dadaism was an art movement of the European avant-garde in the early 20th century, with early centres in Zürich, Switzerland, at the Cabaret Voltaire (Zurich), Cabaret Voltaire (in 1916). New York Dada began c. 1915, and after 192 ...

mural and a motorcycle in the bath, prompting a competition to provide the best explanation of what had been going on in there. There is a cameo appearance by writer Iain Connell. #"Happiness" – Tony and Jacky do repairs at the home of an elderly woman and become concerned that her dementia may put her in danger, but cannot agree on whether to tell her son. #"Protection" – The pair are sent to clear a crime scene, but are surprised to find it has been taken over by squatters. #"Night Moves" – Tony and Jacky spend the night in the office, setting practical jokes on their new boss. #"Ghosties" – While carrying out repairs in an old theatre, Tony tries to persuade Jacky that they should leave the company and go into business together.

Theme Changes

The show signature theme by The Jam was changed for syndication, but when the show was uploaded to popular broadcasting platform

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...

it was noted to be a generic theme which merely sounded similar to the original, somewhat akin to how the

Still Game ''Still Game'' is a Scottish sitcom, produced by The Comedy Unit with BBC Scotland. It was created by Ford Kiernan and Greg Hemphill, who played the lead characters, Jack Jarvis (Still Game character), Jack Jarvis, Esq and Victor McDade, two G ...

main theme was changed to avoid royalties issues.

References

External links

* * *{{British Comedy Guide, sitcom, empty, Empty 2000s British sitcoms 2008 Scottish television series debuts 2008 Scottish television series endings BBC television sitcoms Scottish television sitcoms Television shows set in Glasgow 2000s Scottish television series