Debby's Wedding. Interfering mothers have press-ganged Derek and Debby into getting married, and the cold feet are apparent well in advance of the big day. Meanwhile, a hot dog stand has set up shop right outside the restaurant, leaving TJ with the job of both dealing with that and writing a best man's speech. This episode was originally broadcast on Thursday, 21st February, 1991.
For a CITV sitcom, this one doesn't half touch on some pretty adult issues. Not in too advanced a fashion, of course, but nevertheless, you don't expect the lesson of getting married for your own reasons versus pressure from your family to be raised in the very same show that pulls off a fantastically daft 'stag night' joke at 17:45. It works very well, though, doesn't it? (The seriousness, I mean, not the gag.) Stephanie Charles is excellent as she takes centre stage and runs the full gamut of emotions.
Unusually for Spatz, this episode seems to take place over the course of two weeks - and there's even a really weird "time passes" screen around 18:35 to avoid having to show any sort of ceremony. But all this time, we don't see Karen at all. How strange. Back to the plot, and it's only fitting that the on-again/off-again relationship between Debby and Derek quickly turns into an on-again/off-again wedding, and meeting the warring mothers who can't agree on anything is a great added dimension. Vince's conniving and self-serving speech against the dangers of selfishness mark a fantastically low point for the character, but you can't help but laugh at his own reaction at 16:52. (Incidentally, can any lip-readers make out what's going on with that overdub at 17:20?)
The multiple twists in the story make for a nicely tied-up ending out of nowhere, and all round there's enough humour to contrast the heavy stuff and make the episode work. The brilliant motherly double-act are played by Sally Sagoe and Dona Croll - Sally's done a lot of stage work, and her final IMDB credit is for The Tomorrow People (from the same writers) not long after this; Dona, meanwhile, is still very busy on the screen, and as recently as last year bagged the recurring role of Emerald Fox in EastEnders. The Vicar of Dibley's Trevor Peacock guests as the hot dog seller, and of course a year on he appeared in the final series of T-Bag. Also, one of the extras entering the restaurant near the end looks quite a lot like one of the League of Gentlemen to me, but I can't believe for a second it's actually him.
One final thing: do you think they deliberately sneaked in an "F-off" at 14:20, or am I hearing things that aren't there?
Stay tuned at the beginning and end for some CITV continuity featuring Jeanne Downs, Scally, and a make-up artist showing off her graphic wound-creation skills.
Many thanks to Lee for providing this recording.
(To the best of my knowledge, the contents of this video have never been available commercially anywhere in the world. Please also note that I don't monetise any of my uploads. Nevertheless, if you are a copyright holder and have an objection, please don't hesitate to contact me.)
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