Shelley (TV Series) Gainfully Employed (1979) User Reviews

"He came in a meteor and they can't find the antidote!"

[ShadeGrenade · 8/10 · 27 January 2008]

When Shelley fails to come home one night after working behind the bar of 'The Victory', Mrs.Hawkins tells Fran not to worry. "Wherever he is, he won't be with a woman!".

But that's just where he is - in bed with the sexy Angie. They have not had sex though.

Shelley goes home and comes clean with Fran. She accepts his story, far fetched as it sounds, but when he jokes about it she loses her temper and hits him in the groin. Cue invective from Shelley...

A notch or two down from previous episodes, 'Gainfully Employed' throws away an interesting comic situation. It cheats too. We never get to see Shelley in his Nelson gear for one thing. Nor is it explained why Angie took him home and let him sleep in her bed just to do nothing with him. On finding that his clothes are back at 'The Victory', Shelley panics as all he has is his 'Nelson' costume. Yet when he next see him ( walking into a newsagent ) he is wearing normal clothes. Where did they come from? Luckily, Josephine Tewson saves the day as the trouble-making landlady. Her excitement at the thought of a big bust-up between Shelley and Fran is hilarious.

Unfortunately, the episode climaxes with a posh dinner party. 'Shelley' was never very funny when he became upwardly mobile. Nice to see John Barron - 'C.J.' in the 'Reginald Perrin' series - as 'Cyril' though.

ADDENDA In the novelisation, it says Shelley borrowed t-shirt, jeans and a mackintosh off Angie. So that's cleared that one up.

Gainfully Employed

[Prismark10 · 6/10 · 12 August 2019]

Shelly got a job at his local pub, The Victory dressed up as Admiral Nelson. Unfortunately he did not come home, he got too drunk and found himself waking up next to Angie.

Luckily he did not get up to any hanky panky and he is loyal to Fran. He was also drummed guilt into him by teachers at school. He finds out Angie is a teacher.

Fran and Mrs Hawkins are not pleased with Shelley's potential philandering.

Also Shelley has a prospective job offer in advertising. He even gets up to date with his rent.

A drop in quality, we know Shelley has an eye for the ladies but it seems a bit too much that he might end up in bed with a stranger. However this was a well worn trope in sitcoms in the 1970s and 80s. Even Quasimodo could easily pull on a night out.

The language was a bit strong as well, I recall this was an early evening sitcom. We even have a skit at the newsagent where Shelly ends up looking at the adult magazines as some naughty school kids browse through one. Shelley thinks it would be ok for school kids as it had a someone dressed as a schoolgirl.

John Baron turns up as the advertising agency boss. Well he did not get where he is today....