A Bit Of A Do

Set in a small Yorkshire town where everyone knows everyone else’s business, A Bit of a Do is a sharply observed comedy-drama that skewers one of Britain’s favourite social obsessions: class distinction. But this isn’t just another sitcom about snobbery and social climbing—it’s penned by none other than David Nobbs, the brilliant mind behind The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin. With David Jason leading an exceptional cast, the series is every bit the treat its pedigree promises.

Jason stars as Ted Simcock, a blunt, self-made businessman who owns Jupiter Foundry—manufacturers of such down-to-earth ironmongery as toasting forks, coal scuttles, fire-irons, boot scrapers, and door knockers. Ted is every inch the working-class grafter, comfortable with his place in the world, but that world is about to be turned on its head when his scruffy son Paul marries the daughter of upwardly mobile dentist Laurence Rodenhurst.

The opening episode introduces us to this newly bound set of in-laws during the first “do”: the wedding reception of Paul and Jenny. Jenny, as it turns out, is already pregnant, and while Laurence busies himself projecting smug superiority over Ted and his family, his wife Liz is busy elsewhere—dragging Ted into a private room for a bit of extra-marital rough-and-tumble. The result? Liz ends up pregnant again… but this time, it’s Ted’s.

The fallout from this scandalous liaison ripples through both families, tearing apart marriages, friendships, and social pretensions. For Ted’s long-suffering wife Rita (played with heartbreaking realism by Gwen Taylor), Liz’s pregnancy is the final straw. Ted’s previous infidelities may have been tolerated, but this one finally brings their marriage to an end.

The clash between the self-made Simcocks and the high-minded Rodenhursts is only the beginning. Nobbs, adapting the series from his own novels A Bit of a Do and Fair Do’s, ensures no aspect of British hypocrisy or middle-class aspiration is spared. From the Angling Club’s Christmas bash to the gloriously absurd Miss Frozen Chicken contest hosted by Cock-a-Doodle Chickens, each social function becomes a backdrop for a new scandal, a new revelation, or a fresh disaster.

The strength of the series lies in its ensemble cast. Alongside Jason’s award-winning performance—he won Best Actor at the 1990 British Comedy Awards—are Nicola Pagett (Upstairs, Downstairs), Paul Chapman (Colditz, As Time Goes By), and the ever-excellent Stephanie Cole (Waiting for God). Tim Wylton and boozy party regulars Rodney and Betty Stillitoe add even more comic colour to an already vivid tapestry of characters.

Nobbs’ writing is as sharp as ever. Having cut his teeth on That Was the Week That Was, The Frost Report, and The Two Ronnies, before going on to collaborate with the likes of Barry Cryer, Les Dawson, and Ken Dodd, his flair for mixing character-driven humour with biting social commentary is on full display here. He tackles all the juicy human sins—lust, envy, hypocrisy, greed—with glee and precision.

A Bit of a Do isn’t just a comedy of manners—it’s a rich, funny, and sometimes painfully honest look at Britain in flux. It captures a world where old values clash with new freedoms, and where class remains the elephant in every over-decorated function room. This is a must-watch for fans of character-driven comedy with a Northern soul and a wickedly satirical bite.