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Only When I Laugh

Only When I Laugh

★ 6.7/10•1979•30m•Comedy
Similars

Only When I Laugh is an ITV1 sitcom broadcast from 29 October 1979 to 16 December 1982 for four series with seven episodes each, and a Christmas special in 1981. The title is the answer to the question, "Does it hurt?" A naïve middle-class man is admitted to an NHS hospital ward, shared with a working-class layabout and an upper-class hypochondriac. The trio never fail to cause a nuisance for the poor, unsuspecting staff.

StatusEnded
Runtime30m
LanguageEN
First Air DateOct 29, 1979

Episodes

E130m

A Bed with a View

Young Norman Binns is admitted to Dr Thorpe's ward and is tricked by pessimistic Roy Figgis into swapping beds so that Figgis can have the bed with the window view. As a result, Thorpe and staff nurse Gupte confuse the two men's symptoms.

Oct 29, 1979

E230m

Operation Norman

Norman has to have an appendectomy but Figgis' doom-laden description of operations and Thorpe's wariness do not give him confidence, so he hides in the toilet, having to be coaxed out.

Nov 5, 1979

E330m

The Rumour

Thorpe is telling Gupte that his dog Victor is unwell but Gupte misunderstands and thinks he's talking about his son. The patients also fall prey to the misunderstanding, for various reasons each believing that they are going to die.

Nov 12, 1979

E430m

The Man with the Face

Glover has been seeing a Greek girl and panics when her violent boyfriend comes looking for him so Figgis wraps his head in bandages, claiming that he is a burn victim, setting up a series of confusions.

Nov 19, 1979

E530m

Let Them Eat Cake

Fed up with the quality of the hospital buffet, the patients go on strike but are soon defeated. However, server Clegg decides to go on strike himself, but has his foot run over whilst on picket outside the hospital.

Nov 26, 1979

E630m

Tangled Web

Norman is reading a hospital romance, when he sees new nurse Sally, who is exactly like the fictional heroine. He wants to express his feelings but finds rivalry in Glover, Thorpe and Gupte, all keen to pursue.

Dec 3, 1979

E730m

Is There a Doctor in the House?

When Glover is discharged, an unhappy Figgis, without someone to quarrel with, goes to the pub, pretending to be a doctor and diagnosing people with terrible illnesses, filling the ward.

Dec 10, 1979

Actors

James Bolam

James Bolam

Roy Figgis

Peter Bowles

Peter Bowles

Archie Glover

Christopher Strauli

Christopher Strauli

Norman Binns

Richard Wilson

Richard Wilson

Gordon Thorpe

Recommendations

Carol's Second Act
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Empty Nest
Childrens Hospital
Green Wing
The Cosby Show
The Jeffersons
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Scrubs
Too Close for Comfort
The Carol Burnett Show
The Bob Newhart Show
All That
St. Denis Medical
My Family
Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!
Nick Cannon Presents: Wild 'N Out
Cosby
Good Times
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In

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