Who would have thought retirement could be so chaotic? Certainly not querulous Victor Meldrew, one of tree-lined suburbia's perennial complainers, or his long suffering wife Margaret.
When he's forced to take early retirement, Victor suddenly has plenty of time on his hands to rage against the petty annoyances of life. But there's one thing to remember in the Meldrew household - whatever can go wrong always does and it usually spells disaster for Victor...
Alive and Buried: The audacity of it! To be replaced after 26 years loyal service by a box and a recorded message! Victor Meldrew, ex-security guard for Mycroft, Watts and Associates is outraged. Still, at least he'll be free to do as he pleases - sort out the car, do the shopping, compile The Observer Book of Crap in Your Front Garden. Then, to top it all, the man from the Outward Bound Scheme for the Elderly calls...
The Big Sleep: What with the neighbours' noisy party, more mess in his garden and a new outbreak of Jehova's witnesses in the area, Victor's cheesed off. He definitely needs something positive with which to occupy his time. Something like exercise classes for the elderly...
The Valley of Fear: Having been attacked by soccer hooligans while photographing the sunset in Bluebell Wood, Victor's had a spell in casualty. Now is the time for positive action and so he calls a special meeting of the residents and arms himself with a starting pistol. Neighbour Jean follows suit, with a grenade...
I'll Retire to Bedlam: What a week it's been for Victor! He's been trapped in his garden shed by a swarm of 'killer' bees, stuck in the opticians for the whole day with his eyes shut and now the greatest horror of all awaits him: a day spent babysitting Iris' children...
The Eternal Quadrangle: Margaret has found an empty packet of "You-Know-Whats" in Victor's pocket and she's giving him the cold shoulder, convinced that he's having an affair with Doreen, his life class' nude model. Trouble is, Victor doesn't know what Margaret knows about the "You-Know-Whats" and he's just about to bare his all to Doreen...
The Return of the Speckled Band: The annual Meldrew holiday is fast approaching and Victor is terrified of flying. After all, there's no space for him to lie flat on his back in the toilet. But the way to Athens could prove slippery as the reptiles invade Meldrew's suburbia...