In a week when the world gushed over the impact of 'Friends,' another sitcom on the other side of the Atlantic garnered some attention.
For six series, Robert Popper's 'Friday Night Dinner' has taken Channel 4 viewers into the home of a north London Jewish family.
Paul Ritter's eccentric fiftysomething dad Martin Goodman and his kind-hearted wife Jackie host dinner for their sons, Tom Rosenthal's estate agent Johnny and Simon Bird's advertising jingle composer Adam.
Nothing ever goes according to plan, with Mark Heap's neighbour Jim and his German Shepherd, Wilson often adding to the mayhem.
Add into the mix Jackie's fiercely loyal friend Auntie Val played by Tracy Ann Oberman, Rosalind Knight's Horrible Grandma, Frances Cuka's Nice Grandma and her bonkers boyfriend, Harry Landis's Mr Morris and you have one of the most consistently funny British sitcoms of the past decade.
'Friday Night Dinner' is old school farce, brilliantly delivered by a top notch cast.
However the death of Paul Ritter in April at the age of 54 has almost certainly killed off the show after a run of 37 episodes.
As Channel 4 this week celebrated the sitcom with a special featuring the cast and some famous fans reflecting on the show, footage of a very ill Ritter talking about its success gave 'Friday Night Dinner: 10 Years and A Lovely Bit of Squirrel' added poignancy.
The documentary, narrated by Matt Lucas, began with a clearly gutted Tamsin Greig, who played his onscreen wife Jackie, talking about Ritter's death and the fact that he insisted on being interviewed about playing Martin while receiving treatment for a brain tumour.
Describing him as a dear friend, she explained: "We all miss him terribly - an incredible actor, a true friend and a lovely human being.
"Sadly at the time of making the documentary, Paul was pretty unwell.
"And to be honest - don't tell the producers this - I did try to persuade him not to do the interview.
"But it is a testament to Paul's dignity, courage and complete lack of vanity that he wanted to participate in the documentary and to really celebrate this little world he's been a part of..
"I know Paul would also want us to sit back and laugh and enjoy this celebration of the 'Friday Night Dinner' universe and say as we do in his memory, shalom."
Over the course of 95 minutes that is exactly what viewers did, with a documentary that analysed and revelled in every aspect of the show.
Simon Bird revealed its creator Robert Popper had told him 'Friday Night Dinner' was based on two universal truths - all dads start to behave weirdly after they turn 50 and every adult regresses to being a child when they return to their family home.
Popper showed the real life inspirations for the show's characters and how many of its best moments were drawn from his own family.
He admitted he and his brother often sabotaged their family's Friday night meal before Shabbat by putting salt in their water just like Johnny and Adam.
The character of Martin and his best loved catchphrase "shit on it" was directly lifted from his own father, who also had a tendency to wander around the house naked from the waist up.
Popper admitted the optimistic Jackie was based on his own mum who he credited with giving him his sense of humour.
A scene where Nice Grandma runs around the house in a bikini was also lifted from seeing his own grandmother do it, while a row with Jackie telling her mother rather confusingly to "go to her own room" also happened.
While these autobiographical elements shed light on the origins of the comedy, the documentary also showed what the cast brought to the show.
Mark Heap, in particular, came in for praise for the sheer physicality of his performance as the desperately lonely neighbour Jim - particularly in the scenes where he flinches with his dog Wilson.
Celebrity fan Claudia Winkelman observed how Jim, who clearly is in love with Jackie and whose sole aim seems to be to get inside the house to join the Goodmans, probably spent the week planning these moments.
His gaucheness about Judaism and his tendency to get it wrong while trying to genuinely connect with the Goodmans was also celebrated by David Baddiel and Popper.
(SPOILERS ALERT!!!)
An episode where Jim brings a girlfriend, Rosie Cavaliero's Jackie on a first date to dinner at the Goodmans' house, only for her to make a shocking anti-Semitic comment was also drawn from real life.
Ritter generously paid tribute to Heap, claiming the climactic episode of the fifth series where Jim's dog dies was his favourite because of its poignancy and how it drew out the deep affection the Goodmans actually have for their rather weird neighbour.
Just like 'The Friends: Reunion,' there were also celebrity fans to celebrate the show - although not quite on the level of stardom as David Beckham, Kit Harrington, Mindy Kalling and Malala Yousafzai.
Nevertheless the BBC Radio Five presenter Nihal Arthanayake, Channel 4 News presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy, comic actress Jessica Hynes, Baddiel and Winkelman made much more pithy observations in five minutes about the show than those more famous faces did in the entire 'Friends' special.
It was lovely to see Popper, Bird, Rosenthal, Greig, Ritter and Oberman celebrate the contribution of the actresses who played both grandmas, Rosalind Knight and Frances Cuka who also passed away in 2020.
Harry Landis' appearances as the monstrous Mr Morris came in for particular praise and it was also good to see the cast acknowledging the impact of other guest stars like Cavaliero, Sally Phillips, Jason Wadkins, Jamie Demetriou, Paul Kaye, Frances Barber, Tuppence Middleton, Matthew Holness, Kiell Smith-Bynoe and the late John Sessions.
There was an amusing anecdote about one guest star, Skye Bennett not realising the cast spent a lot of time cutting up their vegetables in the dinner table sequencces and ending up consuming her body weight in roast potatoes.
Just like 'The Friends Reunion' a blooper reel was inevitably dissected, with Greig's tendency to corpse every time Jackie opened the door to Heap featuring heavily and also footage of the cast struggling not to laugh as Jim got covered in red paint in one episode.
Also like 'The Friends Reunion,' the impact of the show on ordinary fans was acknowledged with footage of student flats with 'Shalom Jackie' and 'Shit On It' signs on the windows during lockdown, tattoos of Jim and Wilson and video of people of all ages mimicking Martin and Jim's catchphrases.
Unlike 'The Friends Reunion,' the documentary was focused and every interviewee was allowed to speak
Inevitably, though, it was Ritter who had the most impact in the documentary, with the show very much feeling like a lowering of the curtain on Friday nights with the Goodmans.
"People like Martin," he acknowledged.
"There's something about him that reminds them of their half dressed dad, possibly with a hanky over his head and Eric Morcambe specs.
"I've loved playing him."
We've adored him too which is why it is impossible to imagine 'Friday Night Dinner' continuing without him.
Like 'Fr Ted,' 'Friday Night Dinner' bowed out on a high - although it had a much longer run than Graham Linehan and Arthur Matthews' classic Irish sitcom.
And it's a testament to Popper's writing that he sustained the show as long as he did.
Over six years, it really has been a blast.
Shalom Jackie, Adam, Johnny and especially Martin.
It has been a pleasure. Thanks for sharing your lovely bit of squirrel.
('Friday Night Dinner - 10 Years and A Lovely Bit of Squirrel' was broadcast on Channel 4 on May 28, 2021)
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