List of My Hero episodes
My Hero is a BBC sitcom set in Northolt, west London. It starred Ardal O'Hanlon as Ultronian superhero George Sunday and Emily Joyce as his human wife, Janet. Six series were broadcast between 2000 and 2006.[1] Each series featured a varying number of episodes, with the first and second series containing six episodes, series three through five containing ten episodes each and series six containing eight episodes.[2]
The first series was the only series to include a Christmas special.[3] Although the series gathered consistent viewing figures, figures for the sixth series declined heavily following the appointment of James Dreyfus to replace outgoing lead actor O'Hanlon.[4] The series was subsequently axed in 2006.[5]
Three of the six series have been released on DVD; two on Region 1 DVD and one on Region 2.[6] Fans have since petitioned the BBC to release the complete series on DVD.[7]
Series overview
Series | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
First aired | Last aired | |||
1 | 7 | 4 February 2000 | 22 December 2000 | |
2 | 6 | 14 May 2001 | 18 June 2001 | |
3 | 10 | 7 June 2002 | 23 August 2002 | |
4 | 10 | 8 August 2003 | 10 October 2003 | |
5 | 10 | 7 January 2005 | 25 March 2005 | |
6 | 8 | 21 July 2006 | 10 September 2006 |
Episodes
Series 1 (2000)
No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | UK viewers (millions) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "My Hero" | John Stroud | Paul Mayhew-Archer & Paul Mendelson | 4 February 2000 | 7.13[citation needed] | |
Northolt nurse Janet Dawkins attempts to return to a bit of normality after being rescued by Thermoman, after falling into the Grand Canyon when a strong gust of wind caught her off-guard. However, when hypochondriac Irishman George Sunday drops into the health centre, little does she know that he is in fact her saviour. Unconvinced that he is who he says he is, Janet asks George to prove his identity, which he does by completing a variety of various superhero acts. He wants to begin a relationship with Janet, but she is reluctant to become involved with a superhero. | ||||||
2 | "Guess Who's Coming to Lunch" | John Stroud | Paul Mayhew-Archer & Paul Mendelson | 11 February 2000 | 8.93[citation needed] | |
Janet invites George to move in with her, despite not receiving the blessing of her mother and father, Ella and Stanley. Meanwhile, as Janet prepares to cook the family Sunday lunch, Thermoman is called away to a natural disaster, leaving his chance meeting with Janet's parents hanging in the balance. Meanwhile, Janet's colleagues at the health centre are puzzled as to why she is attracted to the peculiar Irishman, and Piers concocts a plan to attempt to nab Janet for himself. | ||||||
3 | "Mission Impossible" | John Stroud | Paul Mayhew-Archer & Paul Mendelson | 18 February 2000 | 8.07[citation needed] | |
Thermoman's rescue mission to save Grimsby from being destroyed by an abandoned Russian space station is hampered by an accident involving Marmite. Janet offers to wash his costume, but it results in George suffering an allergic reaction to the washing powder. When he goes for a medical examination, Piers discovers his real identity - and blackmails George into leaving Janet if he wishes to keep his identity secret. However, before he can do so, George erases his memory, which also results in the doctor's hair falling out. | ||||||
4 | "Thermoman's Greatest Challenge" | John Stroud | Paul Mayhew-Archer | 25 February 2000 | 7.92[citation needed] | |
Patients and staff at the health centre become suspicious when Thermoman makes a number of repeated visits to save Janet from the smallest of things, including a wasp sting and a large spider. Piers believes that has made a new celebrity friend, and invites Thermoman to be guest of honour at the fund-raising party he has organized, to boost his own public image. Janet's parents insist that both George and Janet attend the party, so that George can personally thank Thermoman for saving Janet from falling into the Grand Canyon. However, it is as easy as they thought. | ||||||
5 | "Old Man Riverdance" | John Stroud | Paul Mayhew-Archer | 3 March 2000 | 8.23[citation needed] | |
George is surprised when he receives a visit from his father, Seamus, the original Thermoman, who now resides in a nursing home for retired superheroes in Florida. However, he soon discovers that all is not as clear as it is made out to be — Seamus is unhappy that his son is cohabiting with an Earth girl, and that it is interfering with his work. Having given the couple two days to try and prove him wrong, Janet hatches a plan - Seamus has to meet her parents. | ||||||
6 | "The Party's Over" | John Stroud | Paul Mayhew-Archer | 10 March 2000 | 8.79[citation needed] | |
George plans a surprise birthday party for Janet's 30th birthday, which proves to be a slightly confusing concept for the superhero — and he struggles to keep the party a secret. Meanwhile, Janet begins to enjoy spending time with George's cousin Arnie, Tyler attempts to chat up Mrs. Raven, and Piers hires a girl from the TV studio to be his date, however, claiming that the night out is part of his next television project - but little does she know that the firesome doctor has a couple of tricks up his sleeve. | ||||||
7 | "Christmas" | John Stroud | Paul Mayhew-Archer & Paul Mendelson | 22 December 2000 | N/A | |
Thermoman tries to get into the spirit of Christmas by dressing up as Santa Claus, and delivering presents to his nearest and dearest — Janet's parents, Stanley and Ella, Mrs. Raven, Piers, Arnie and Tyler. However, his special treat fails to go as well as planned, as his recipients begin to suspect a trickster is at work. In an attempt to rectify a miserable Christmas dinner, George persuades the real Father Christmas to visit, and give everybody a special present. Piers, however, is skeptical — and thinking it is a joke, asks for a jigsaw puzzle. |
Series 2 (2001)
No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | UK viewers (millions) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
8 | "Parents" | John Stroud | Paul Mayhew-Archer & Paul Mendelson | 14 May 2001 | 8.63[citation needed] | |
When George's actions ruin an amateur dramatics production, held by the Northolt Amateur Dramatic Society, that Janet's parents, Stanley and Ella, are participating in, Janet finally snaps, and in an attempt to deflect their anger, admits to them that George is Thermoman. Although George enjoys his new relationship with the in-laws, their inability to keep his secret results in him being forced to erase the memories of most of their friends, culminating in Mrs. Raven attempting to seduce him, dressed as Marilyn Monroe. | ||||||
9 | "Girlfriend" | John Stroud | Paul Alexander & Simon Braithwaite | 21 May 2001 | 7.60[citation needed] | |
George is horrified when a woman from Ultron, claiming to be his fiancée, turns up at the flat. Little does Janet know that her would-be boyfriend is already engaged — to six-foot warrior princess Xil back on Ultron. When she arrives to claim him as her rightful husband, Janet, who had just been complaining things were getting predictable, is mortified — and extremely upset. Her mother, Ella, misinformed that Xil is from Ireland, is ecstatic - believing that Janet will end her relationship with George. | ||||||
10 | "Car" | John Stroud | Paul Alexander & Simon Braithwaite | 28 May 2001 | 7.59[citation needed] | |
George takes time out from his superhero duties to continue working hard in the health shop, to save up some money to buy Janet a much-needed car. Thus, he arranges for Arnie to be given his powers back, to help out with his superhero work. But when Arnie steals the crown jewels on his first day at work, George realises that he can't be trusted. Can he save his cousin from certain imprisonment? Meanwhile, Mrs. Raven realises that she is attracted to the American hunk, and attempts to ask Arnie out on date. But things do not quite go to plan. | ||||||
11 | "Nemesis" | John Stroud | Gary Lawson & John Phelps | 4 June 2001 | 7.73[citation needed] | |
George has to contend with an old school rival who takes over Piers' body, to create an Earth-born superhero who will put him out of business. "Miracle Man" manages to ruin George's life, taking away all of his clients, and even attempting to seduce his girlfriend. Arnie realises that there is only one way that George can regain his crown — and that is to challenge Miracle Man to the ancient rite of 'Chong-Ching' — known here on Earth as rock paper scissors – to force him to leave Earth. But will his plan go off without a hitch? | ||||||
12 | "Pregnant" | John Stroud | Paul Mayhew-Archer & Paul Mendelson | 11 June 2001 | 8.54[citation needed] | |
When Janet discovers that she is pregnant, George is over the moon — and gives her special powers to protect herself and the unborn baby. However, he begins to regret his decision when Janet's enthusiasm with her new powers changes her into a woman he barely recognises. In an attempt to change Janet back into the woman she once was, George revokes her powers — but not before Mrs. Raven accidentally lets slip to Janet's mother Ella that she is pregnant. Janet forcibly denies that she is pregnant, until a growth spurt reveals a surprising large baby bump. | ||||||
13 | "Wedding" | John Stroud | Paul Mayhew-Archer & Paul Mendelson | 18 June 2001 | 9.17[citation needed] | |
Janet's father, Stanley, insists that her and George's baby must not be born out of wedlock, and due to Ultronian law, George's bosses are somewhat agreed, claiming that George will get in trouble with the Ultron Council for failing to set a good example for humans, a matter made more difficult by the fact that Ultronian pregnancies only last six days. But just as Janet is walking down the aisle, her waters break — will the vicar manage to complete the ceremony before the baby arrives, or will George be condemned to a life under Ultronian ruling? |
Series 3 (2002)
No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | UK viewers (millions) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
14 | "Baby Talk" | John Stroud | Paul Mayhew-Archer & Paul Mendelson | 7 June 2002 | 5.94[citation needed] | |
George and Janet are struggling to cope after the birth of their first child, Ollie. And to make matters worse, George is teaching him to sniff out tidal waves and forest fires. Janet's parents are also due for a visit, to meet their first grandchild, so how will they keep the secret from them? Meanwhile, Tyler attempts to teach Ollie about his version of the Solar System — but Ollie is already intelligent enough to know that Tyler's tales are nothing by fantasy, rather than fact. As George and Janet battle with Ella and Stanley over the raising of their child, Ollie escapes. | ||||||
15 | "Zero Tolerance" | John Stroud | Paul Mayhew-Archer & Paul Mendelson | 14 June 2002 | 5.51[citation needed] | |
Life at the health centre takes an unexpected turn when a gun-wielding maniac shows up, demanding access to the drug cabinet. Mrs. Raven isn't given the chance to deal with this addict, as George enters to save the day, and doesn't even have to call on Thermoman to do so. Soon, George becomes known as the local hero, rather than a superhero. He is being celebrated all over town, and is even asked to join the local neighborhood watch scheme by Janet's father, Stanley. Will his new-found popularity with his in-laws last? | ||||||
16 | "Pet Rescue" | John Stroud | Paul Mayhew-Archer | 21 June 2002 | 5.99[citation needed] | |
Janet's parents, Ella and Stanley, have the decorators in to redecorate their living room, so Janet offers to watch their dog, Biggles, something that George isn't too thrilled about. But George is committed to bonding with Biggles, so he buys an ear-piece from Ultron which allows him to talk to animals. George discovers that Biggles, whose real name is Malcolm, dislikes Ella and Stanley — and he also explains the other reason as to why dogs sniff bottoms. Thus, Thermoman goes on a mission to reunite Biggles with his mum - and rescue him from a one-way trip to the vet. | ||||||
17 | "The Older Man" | John Stroud | Paul Mayhew-Archer & Paul Mendelson | 28 June 2002 | 4.96[citation needed] | |
It's George's 327th birthday, and on his home planet, he's a mere spring chicken. However, the lease on his earthly alias begins to expire, and he starts to age rapidly. In a state of desperation, George resorts to extreme measures in a bid to turn back the clock, including using time-bending tunnels to try to regress his age. Eventually, however, he is forced to get a new body from the Ultron council. Meanwhile, Piers hires a new nurse at the health centre, Hayley, but her lack of knowledge about medicine, and attempts to make the centre more youth-orientated with music posters fail to impress. | ||||||
18 | "Puttin' on the Writs" | John Stroud | Paul Alexander & Simon Braithwaite | 5 July 2002 | 5.23[citation needed] | |
Mrs. Raven has a run-in with a stack of wayward trolleys at the supermarket, and is pushed over the edge of a multi-story building. Once again, it's Thermoman to the rescue. But when he refuses Mrs Raven's kind offer of Battenberg cake in return for saving her life, retribution is swift — she claims to have been badly injured in his 'rescue attempt' and threatens to sue him. Meanwhile, Janet's father, Stanley, has had enough of Ella's nagging and has decided to move in with Tyler. It appears to be a perfect arrangement, but Ella misses the old fool. Will that be enough to make her apologize for the first time? | ||||||
19 | "Shock, Horror!" | John Stroud | Paul Mayhew-Archer, Paul Mendelson & Paul Alexander | 12 July 2002 | 5.02[citation needed] | |
Baby Ollie has a fever, so George has to turn his attention away from saving the world to come home and check on his son. All of the dashing about begins to turn George a little bit careless, and before long, a journalist called Kevin Trent takes advantage of the situation, and takes a picture of George as Thermoman, believing that Janet is having an affair with Thermoman. Meanwhile, Mrs. Raven keeps falling asleep at work, because the triplets are suffering from insomnia. In a desperate attempt to get some rest, she plans to build a shed in her garden so she can lock them up when it gets too much. The problem is, that the shed costs money, and she needs a reference from Piers for a part-time job. | ||||||
20 | "Little Green Man" | John Stroud | Ian Brown & James Hendrie | 2 August 2002 | 5.27[citation needed] | |
Janet thinks George is taking her for granted after he catches her in a compromising position with the handyman, and appears not to be bothered by the issue. Thus, Mrs. Raven advises Janet that she needs to work harder at making George jealous. But it turns out that all Janet needs to do is share a bit of Arnie's carrot cake - part of the wedding rituals on another planet, and George is beside himself. He literally turns green with envy, and now even Mrs. Raven thinks Arnie has been unfaithful to her. | ||||||
21 | "Mine's a Double" | John Stroud | Paul Alexander & Simon Braithwaite | 9 August 2002 | 5.55[citation needed] | |
George has to attend a superheroes conference, which means leaving Janet home alone with the baby. The Ultron Council provides Janet with "George clone", with the unlikely name of Hilary, to keep her company. While Hilary looks like the real thing, his character couldn't be more different. Hilary talks and dresses like a gangsta rapper, and is given to nights out on the town with Piers and, oddly enough, romantic dinners with Ella. Suspicious of Hilary's actions and behaviour and embarrassment towards Janet, George has Arnie to check up on him while he writes a report on him, but Hilary, hearing this, subsequently frames George for theft. | ||||||
22 | "A Little Learning" | John Stroud | Paul Mayhew-Archer & Paul Mendelson | 16 August 2002 | 5.64[citation needed] | |
George is devastated when Ella and Stanley ban him from their anniversary party. Quite reasonably, they don't want him embarrassing them in front of their friends with his stupidity. Admittedly, George's attempts to make new friends — via the calling cards he finds in telephone booths — backfire somewhat, but when he eats some magic pork scratchings, which increase his brain power, miraculous effects occur. Suddenly George is an intellectual genius, and can charm the birds off the trees—so much so that not only do Ella and Stanley invite him to their party, they ask him to make a speech. For Janet, however, the new thoughtful George is insufferable, constantly correcting grammar and acting too superior to her. | ||||||
23 | "A Day to Remember" | John Stroud | Paul Mayhew-Archer & Paul Mendelson | 23 August 2002 | 4.81[citation needed] | |
It's a bad day for Earth when George accidentally erases his own memory, and fails to remember that he is Thermoman. For Janet, however, it is a dream come true. George is now the model husband, who volunteers to change nappies and takes the baby for walks in the park. However, their new domestic bliss isn't set to last. A meteor is headed straight for Earth, and in twenty-four hours, all life will be obliterated. It's up to Arnie, Janet and Tyler to retrain George to use his powers to prevent disaster. But it is a frantic race against time — will Thermoman return to save the Earth? |
Series 4 (2003)
No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | UK viewers (millions) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
24 | "A Sporting Chance" | John Stroud | Paul Mayhew-Archer | 8 August 2003 | 5.19[citation needed] | |
George is asked to join the local cricket team, but little does he know what he's let himself in for. After a crash course on the rules of cricket from Janet, George takes to the field and decimates his own team with his over-zealous fielding, then surprises everyone by scoring a near-impossible twenty-four runs off the last four balls. Jealous Piers then challenges him to a series of other sporting events, only for George to become hooked on the sweet taste of victory — and become horribly attracted to it. | ||||||
25 | "The Living Dead" | John Stroud | Paul Mayhew-Archer | 15 August 2003 | 6.26[citation needed] | |
George is tricked into buying a life insurance policy, so to insure a quick payout, he walks under a bus, knowing full well that due to his superpowers, he will return to life immediately. However, his plan starts to crumble when he suffers a minor heart attack - leaving Janet to explain to everyone that her husband is dead. George begins to feel trapped by his non-existence, but soon hatches a plan to bring himself back to life, and discredit Piers at the same time. Meanwhile, Mrs. Raven beings to experiment with hypnotherapy. | ||||||
26 | "Taking the Credit" | John Stroud | James Cary | 22 August 2003 | 6.40[citation needed] | |
George believes he has hit the jackpot when he discovers the wonder that is the 'Credit Card' — but little does he realise that he has to repay all of the money he has spent. When the bills arrive, Janet discovers what has been going on, and devises a plan to win the money on the lottery, with the help of Ollie's ubertalent and mind reading abilities. However, George isn't out of the woods yet — as he has drawn the attention of the Lord High Arbiter of Abuses of Power. | ||||||
27 | "It's All in the Mind" | John Stroud | Paul Mayhew-Archer | 29 August 2003 | 6.19[citation needed] | |
George is asked by the Ultronian Council to write a progress report on humanity. All seems to be going well, until his new mind-reading powers reveal the true nature of human thought. The unpleasant thoughts of Stanley, Ella, and Mrs. Raven leave George in a state of despair. His sense of honesty forces him to write a damning report, and the Ultronian Council condemns the human race to death by laser. Only Janet can save the world — by convincing the four worst people in George's report to donate money to a good cause. | ||||||
28 | "Space Virus" | John Stroud | Paul Mayhew-Archer & Paul Mendelson | 5 September 2003 | 6.49[citation needed] | |
On the way back from a trip to his home planet, George picks up a rather nasty parasitic disease, which is fatal to humans. It isn't long before his close friends and family catch the disease, and George is forced to administer the kiss of life to all of his nearest and dearest. Meanwhile, Piers has secured himself a new television series, Crispin, but his friends and family soon object to him exploiting Tyler live on air due to his mental health problems. However, this soon proves the least of anyone's problems, when George discovers he has passed on his super-powers through the kiss of life. | ||||||
29 | "The Mayor of Northolt" | John Stroud | Trevelyan Evans & Pete Sinclair | 12 September 2003 | 6.32[citation needed] | |
A faulty streetlight outside Stanley and Ella's bedroom is keeping them awake at night, and getting the Council to mend it proves impossible. George decides to stand for Mayor, promising to fix the streetlight if elected, only to find that his opponent is none other than Piers. George wins unanimous approval when the voters respond positively to his refreshingly honest approach, but unfortunately, the pressures of Mayoral Office put an unreasonable strain on his marriage, causing Janet to move out. And matters are made even worse when Piers tries to sabotage his campaign. | ||||||
30 | "Big" | John Stroud | Gary Lawson & John Phelps | 19 September 2003 | 6.19[citation needed] | |
Ollie's half-human, half Ultronian physiology begins to cause problems when he starts to grow at an accelerated rate. In twenty-four hours, he grows from a nine-month-old baby into a nineteen-year-old boy, with a 'serious' girlfriend. Janet and George are distraught at being robbed of the pleasure of watching their only son grow up. They employ the services of an eminent Ultronian doctor to cure their son, but things turn from bad to worse when Ollie turns into an eighteen-year-old girl. | ||||||
31 | "The Consultant" | John Stroud | James Cary | 26 September 2003 | 6.21[citation needed] | |
Arnie is forced to turn consultant when the Ultronian Council send him to check up on Thermoman's performance. He begins by conducting a Time and Motion study, and begins to make some changes. However, a plethora of customer satisfaction forms quickly hamper Thermoman's ability to rescue the victims of natural disasters. Fearing for the world's safety, George retires, but soon changes his mind when his replacement, Work Experience Boy, is unable to save Janet, who is trapped in the burning health centre. | ||||||
32 | "The Family Way" | John Stroud | Trevelyan Evans & Pete Sinclair | 3 October 2003 | 6.51[citation needed] | |
George discovers that he has accidentally agreed to be a surrogate parent for a couple living on Ultron. Janet is forced to claim that George has been putting on weight — but when he gives birth, they discover that he has been carrying the son of an Ape couple, who have taken the form of what they believed to be the most intelligent beings on the planet. Meanwhile, Piers embarrasses himself, when having found the sonogram of the baby, he concludes that Stanley is actually the pregnant man, when in reality he is just suffering from kidney stones. Arnie wears a FDNY t-shirt in respect of the events of September 11 2001. | ||||||
33 | "Time and Time Again" | John Stroud | Paul Mayhew-Archer | 10 October 2003 | 7.17[citation needed] | |
George's April Fools joke backfires on him, and forces him to leave Janet to spend some time alone. However, when he returns, he discovers that he has been away seven years. He and Arnie decide to go back in time, using a dangerous series of time portals, to return everything to normal. However, George soon decides to use this to his advantage, and make little adjustments to life. However, as usual, his plans fail to work, and it soon results in Janet becoming bald, falling in love with Piers, having ten children, and Arnie becoming the father of Janet's brother 'Arnold'. |
Series 5 (2005)
No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | UK viewers (millions) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
34 | "The Foresight Saga" | John Stroud | Paul Mayhew-Archer & Paul Mendelson | 7 January 2005 | 5.66[citation needed] | |
Janet gives birth to a baby girl, which decides to name itself Cassie, short for Cassandra. However, her birth is far from normal, leading to an incorrect prediction that Janet's close friends and family are all going to die. George, believing that Ultronian powers of foresight are never wrong, prepares to move everyone in the Northern Hemisphere to safety. However, he leaves himself open to humiliation when Cassie's powers prove to be less than perfect. | ||||||
35 | "Illegal Aliens" | John Stroud | Paul Mayhew-Archer | 14 January 2005 | 5.42[citation needed] | |
George and Arnie find themselves under intense scrutiny when an immigration officer turns up, looking for evidence of illegal aliens. George creates a fake accident in order to sway the officer away from his investigation, but will it be successful enough to get the charges against George and Arnie dropped? Meanwhile, Mrs. Raven scams Piers into believing that he has a secret love child, which in turn results in payments of money that Mrs. Raven agrees to 'hand over' to the child, but is in turn keeping for herself. | ||||||
36 | "The First Husbands' Club" | John Stroud | Paul Mayhew-Archer | 21 January 2005 | 4.76[citation needed] | |
After being conned by Piers into paying for a car accident which he did not cause, George decides to organise a militant men's group, with Arnie, Tyler and Stanley. However, his motto of 'A woman's place is in the kitchen' soon begins to cause outrage amongst the female population, and begins to give men the confidence to regain authority over their women. Soon enough, the majority of female population find themselves enslaved to men — but not Mrs. Raven, who continues to delight in making Piers's life a living hell, without him realising she is responsible. | ||||||
37 | "Cassie Come Home" | John Stroud | Daniel Peak | 28 January 2005 | 4.63[citation needed] | |
George and Janet find themselves in a sticky situation when Ella becomes a Justice of the Peace — and a Magistrate — and decides to monitor the children, to see the way they are being brought up and educated. Things go disastrously wrong when Arnie plies the children with cans of alcohol, and Tyler is left to muddle their brains during a babysitting session — leaving Ella no choice but to take the children into care. However, the children are left unimpressed by the decision — and decide to "escape". The bad news comes when Cassie fails to return home... | ||||||
38 | "Nothing to Hide" | John Stroud | James Cary | 4 February 2005 | 4.83[citation needed] | |
George finds himself in an impossible situation when he rescues the stolen Mona Lisa from the clutches of an art thief - but is unable to explain to Scotland Yard detectives why the painting has ended up in his flat. Things turn from bad to worse when George is given an electronic tag, to track him at all times. How will he be able to explain his activities? In an attempt to save George's bacon, Janet, Arnie and Tyler hatch a plan to return the painting to its owners - but Stanley scuppers their chance when he punches a hole through the picture in an attempt to make Janet see the real George. | ||||||
39 | "Brain Drain" | John Stroud | Daniel Peak | 11 February 2005 | 4.89[citation needed] | |
George attempts to make the internet safer for his children to use, only to result in himself suffering from a bout of "pop-ups" syndrome. To solve the problem, Arnie uses a mind filter to remove the "pop-ups", and any other useless information and prejudices caught in George's mind. However, George begins to use the mind filter to his advantage, removing any reference of Ella and Stanley from his memory. However, the mind filter becomes overloaded — leaving the minds of his friends and family all scrambled up. | ||||||
40 | "Fear and Clothing" | John Stroud | Trevelyan Evans & Pete Sinclair | 25 February 2005 | Under 4.77[citation needed] | |
George's superstitions regarding Friday the thirteenth begin to come true, causing him to doubt his invincibility — which in turn, affects his ability to rescue people. He soon turns into a nervous wreck, and starts disappearing when ever he is scared. Can Janet and Arnie find a way to cure George of his fears before it is too late? Meanwhile, Piers jumps on another bandwagon, by launching his own diet — The Crispin Diet, no less — and health drink. But little does he know that the diet may be hazardous to his own health. | ||||||
41 | "How Green Was My Ollie?" | John Stroud | James Cary | 4 March 2005 | 5.17[citation needed] | |
In an attempt to get Ollie to eat his vegetables, George brings back some genetically modified vegetables from Ultron. However, these vegetables soon begin to create some unfortunate side-effects, for both Ollie and George. George, whose mind is scrambled, accidentally makes the mink whale extinct by using it to plug a volcano. Thus, Piers sees an opportunity to ruin Thermoman's career — and starts a campaign against his abuse of nature. And things soon turn from bad to worse when Ella jumps on the bandwagon. | ||||||
42 | "Big Bother" | John Stroud | Paul Mayhew-Archer | 18 March 2005 | 5.32[citation needed] | |
George decides to treat Janet on their five year anniversary, attempting to give her the perfect day. However, their peace is soon shattered when an Ultronian television producer arrives at the flat, and announces that the last six months of their lives have been filmed and beamed across the galaxy in a reality television show entitled Thermowatch. George and Janet decide to stick with the show, until Arnie decides to create his own show, Filth, and his nocturnal activities with Mrs. Raven begin to attract more viewers. | ||||||
43 | "Night Fever" | John Stroud | Daniel Peak | 25 March 2005 | 5.48[citation needed] | |
George receives the shock of his life when he wakes up in bed next to Mrs. Raven. Little does he know that it is only a dream — and that he has lost his ability to distinguish dreams from reality, due to his love of Brussel sprouts. Unable to get the idea of him and Mrs. Raven sleeping together out of his head, he decides that he must leave Janet, and instead start a new life with Mrs. Raven and her triplets. It's up to Janet, Arnie and Tyler to make him see sense, before it is too late — and he has runaway with a madwoman. |
Series 6 (2006)
Series six was the first and only series to feature James Dreyfus in the lead role, taking over from the outgoing Ardal O'Hanlon. Due to declining ratings, and the poor public reception to Dreyfus, the series was axed, leading to the final two episodes being broadcast on Sunday lunchtimes, rather than the prime-time slot on Friday evenings.
No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | UK viewers (millions) [8] | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
44 | "Footloose" | John Stroud | Paul Mayhew-Archer & Daniel Peak | 21 July 2006 | 4.80 | |
George is introduced to poker by Arnie after falling on hard times when his health shop is forced to close down. However, unable to grasp the basic rules of the game, he ends up losing his body to a pair of big Ultronian gamblers. With only his soul remaining, the Ultronian council are forced to give him a new body. Janet is allowed to pick the new alias of her husband, but fails to click with the two initial disguises. She is forced to keep the third, but struggles to accept George in his new form. | ||||||
45 | "Here's One I Made Earlier" | John Stroud | Paul Mayhew-Archer & Andrea Solomons | 28 July 2006 | 3.20 | |
Janet is still finding it hard to adjust to George's new disguise, and wonders if this means that they have to start their relationship all over again. The task is made more difficult by some well-kept secrets finding their way out of the closet: George has a love-child, which is living on Ultron with his step-father, and Janet's old boyfriend, who has managed to track her down through a dating site. Meanwhile, Piers finds himself engaged to a stunningly beautiful woman who loves him unconditionally. Until he dies, that is. | ||||||
46 | "My Kingdom for a Cat" | John Stroud | Katie Douglas | 4 August 2006 | 2.74 | |
After attempting to help Janet get used to his new disguise, George finds himself desperately trying to get Janet to fall back in love with him. In an effort to endear himself to Janet, and to at last get back in the bedroom, rather than sleeping on the sofa, George seeks advice on what really makes a woman happy. George decides to pay a visit to the cat king of Ultron, only to find himself so deeply involved with cat-like tendencies that he begins coughing up hairballs, and grows a tail and whiskers to watch. | ||||||
47 | "Sidekick" | John Stroud | Jon Brown | 11 August 2006 | 2.72 | |
George agrees to take on some of Piers's patients, so that he can practise his golf swing. But with his duties as Thermoman continues, he decides to reduce his workload by finding a sidekick, with a little help from Arnie. His choice is a beautiful, statuesque, six foot tall blonde called Lula, a choice which leaves Janet even less impressed than before. When George is demoted to Sticky Tape Boy as a result of Lula's efficiency at her job, he realises something has to be done, as he's at risk of losing his livelihood — and his wife. | ||||||
48 | "Dermoman" | John Stroud | Daniel Peak | 25 August 2006 | 2.43 | |
George is caught breaking the speed limit by the Ultronian Police, and thus, has to re-sit his superhero theory test. Janet tells him he has to pass, otherwise he will lose his licence and will be sent back to Ultron forever. Tyler attempts to persuade George to join a gym, in order to burn off some of the vigour that he has been collecting in the bedroom department. Meanwhile, Ella believes that Stanley is turning into a homosexual, and attempts to restore his body to its previous state by secretly slipping him some of Arnie's reverse steroids — which a catastrophic effect. | ||||||
49 | "Top of the Table" | John Stroud | James Cary | 1 September 2006 | 2.56 | |
George's position as the second-best superhero in the Galaxy sparks him into creating a brand of his own Thermoman merchandise, with a little help from Arnie. He soon begins to believe that his mass-market idea will help him take the crown of ultimate superhero — but he soon discovers that his idea has gone catastrophically wrong, and he is now only fourteenth in the table. In an attempt to boost his ratings, he attempts to complete a number of 'good deeds'. However, allowing Tyler to fall from a multi-storey balcony and ruining the Northolt Players production of 'Othello' soon begin to dent his table position even more. | ||||||
50 | "Not for Prophet" | John Stroud | James Cary | 3 September 2006 | 2.67 | |
George becomes determined to prove his devotion as a father, and thus, decides to set up an Ultronian faith school to give Cassie a taste of Ultronian culture – much to Janet's despair. However, before he can do so, he must decide on the name of the faith he is going to invent. His efforts to convert Northolt to Wa-Tu-Ma-Hey-Go-Fla lead to George convincing himself — and an impressive crowd of followers — that he must be the chosen one. However, Tyler's impromptu announcement regarding the chosen one being a virgin leads to a rooftop fight between George and Piers. | ||||||
51 | "Believe" | John Stroud | Gary Lawson & John Phelps | 10 September 2006 | 2.86 | |
George finds himself turning into a one-man wrecking ball after his super powers appear to have deserted him. Janet insists he sorts himself out, but he doesn’t know what is wrong, and hopes it’s just a temporary blip. In an attempt to return himself to his former glory, George asks Arnie to give him an MOT performance test, which reveals that his confidence is completely shot. After helping Piers promote his new book, Arnie realises that George has gone from having no confidence, to being completely arrogant — and thus decides that the only way to save him is to give him a new head. |
References
- ^ My Hero at the BBC Comedy Guide.
- ^ My Hero at Big Bear Films home page
- ^ "My Hero". TV.com. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
- ^ "My Hero (Summary)". Phill.co.uk. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
- ^ "My Hero - BBC1 Sitcom - British Comedy Guide". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
- ^ My Hero at BBC America.
- ^ My Hero News, episode guide and interviews at downthetubes.net
- ^ "Weekly top 30 programmes - BARB". Barb.co.uk. Retrieved 26 July 2018.