Gimme Gimme Gimme

Gimme Gimme Gimme (A Man After Midnight) is a song by ABBA.

Gimme Gimme Gimme was a BBC television comedy by Tiger Productions that ran for 3 series between 1999 and 2001.

Spoiler warning: Plot or ending details follow.

Gimme Gimme Gimme stars comedienne and director Kathy Burke as loudmouthed Londoner Linda LaHughes. Linda is characterised by her red perm, white glasses, and lycra clad figure. While being boorish and unattractive Linda is convinced she is a "stunner". Linda shares a flat with homosexual actor Tom, played by James Dreyfus. Tom is melodramatic yet fails in his desire to get acting roles.

Although they appear to loathe each other Tom and Linda are beholden to each other due to the simple fact that nobody else can stand them. They are in many ways very alike, selfish, unsuccessful, and unattractive whether physically or personally. The hapless duo live in a Kentish Town flat rented from elderly prostitute Beryl Merit (Rosalind Knight). Other regular characters are: Jez (Brian Bovell), a man who both Tom and Linda lust after, and his wife Suze (Beth Goddard), a corny couple. Another returning character (though not featuring in every episode) is Sugar Walls (Elaine Lordan), Linda's superstar sister.

Guest appearances have been made by Simon Shepherd, Su Pollard and Rose Keegan.

Much of Gimme Gimme Gimme's humour sprang from its lubricious innuendo subplot, which sprung from the mouths of both Tom and Linda.

SERIES 1 (8 January - 12 February 1999)

  1. Who's That Boy?
  2. The Big Break?
  3. Legs and Co
  4. Do They Take Sugar?
  5. Saturday Night Diva
  6. I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do

SERIES 2 (14 January - 18 February 2000)

  1. Teacher's Pet
  2. Stiff
  3. Prison Visitor
  4. Dirty
  5. Glad To Be Gay?
  6. Sofa Man?

SERIES 3 (2 November - 14 December 2001)

  1. Down and Out
  2. The Lollipop Man
  3. Secrets and Flies
  4. Trauma
  5. Singing In the Drain
  6. Decoy

At the end of Series 3, Tom left the flat having finally got his big break in TV soap opera Crossroads. Right at the end of the episode Linda revealed she was bald.

Apparently a Series 4 was written but never shown due to Kathy Burke's stage commitments.

See also: Gimme Gimme Gimme, 12 February, 14 December, 14 January, 18 February, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2 November