1986 Production The series was created by writers Ian Davidson and Peter Vincent. Although inspired by the-then possible threat of a Soviet takeover of the United Kingdom, the series also reflected the writers' experiences of rationing during World War II. The writers claimed that George Cole did not get on well with the rest of the cast. David Garlick, who played Bob Dudgeon, remembered Cole more favourably, but noted that he appeared to struggle with the process of filming a sitcom for a live audience. Garlick also recalls deliberately fluffing his own lines in order to generate bigger laughs from the studio audience. The show was not renewed for a second series. Ian Davidson claims that the BBC lost interest in making further series when George Cole declined to appear in a second series, while Peter Vincent says that the rise to power of Mikhail Gorbachev in the Soviet Union rendered the show's subject matter irrelevant. The rotating red star on top of Nelson's Column in the show's opening titles was a rendered 3D model added onto the filmed footage. The show's theme music is a version of "It's a Long Way to Tipperary" sung in the style of the Red Army Choir. Reception The show received a mixed reception from critics, while then-deputy Soviet foreign minister Nikita Ryzhov, visiting Britain at the time of the show's broadcast, criticised the show for being "unfriendly" and "not conducive to an improvement in Anglo-Soviet relations". References BBC television sitcoms 1984 British television series debuts 1986 British television series endings 1980s British sitcoms Communism in fiction Dystopian television series Television series set in 1999