Lee Evans: So What Now?

Thrown out by his wife Eileen, the hapless Lee seeks refuge with his disorganised friend Stuart, who reluctantly allows him to stay. This is a grave mistake: Lee is a walking disaster area, an accident that doesn't wait long to happen. Within seconds he has contrived to destroy Stuart's place in a gas explosion and the two find themselves apartment hunting. Though they have no intention of sharing lodgings, they eventually tip up at the house of Heather Aldenshaw, a one-time well-to-do lady fallen on hard times and in need of rent money. She is a spaced-out, sexually frustrated woman whose rather overbearing manner has frightened off many would-be tenants. Desperation drives the three ill-matched characters into living together.

This sitcom, like a modern spin on Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em, seemed designed solely to exploit Evans' considerable prowess as a physical comedian. Like Michael Crawford before him, he demonstrated his unquestioned artistry in a number of brilliantly realised set-pieces in which his character could create chaos out of thin air. And, again like Frank Spencer, it was those who had the misfortune to come into contact with Evans that suffered the most. The characterisation was a little thin, though, and O'Donnell and Thompson had to work hard to make their characters effective.