"cultural influences" that helped set the tone of the series. Controller of BBC Four Janice Hadlow stated the series was in the "same ballpark" as Curb, though it is not quite as autobiographical. The name Lead Balloon comes from the expression "To go down like a lead balloon", meaning to be received badly by an audience. Filming The never-broadcast pilot features a scene with Omid Djalili as a dry cleaner, which was reused in the fifth episode, "Pistachio". Location filming for the first two series, particularly Rick and Mel's house, was done in Willesden. Michael's cafe used Gracelands Cafe in Kensal Green for the first two series, and Hugo's restaurant in Lonsdale Road, Queen's Park, London for the third. Most moped shots in the third series were filmed in Ladbroke Grove. Scenes are separated by the insertion of a person writing ideas for comedy material on a writing pad. Characters Dee's character Rick Spleen (born Richard Shaw) is a stand-up comedian living in London who struggles to get decent gigs and makes ends meet by hosting corporate events such as the Frozen Goods Awards Evening. Dee and Sinclair based the character on the "comedians who hated being comedians" who performed alongside Dee in his early years of stand-up. Rick is a habitual and incompetent liar who often attempts practical tasks himself in an attempt to avoid paying professionals. His partner Mel (Raquel Cassidy) is a talent agent whose clientele of everyday people getting their 15 minutes of fame serves to highlight Rick's failing career. Her calm, perceptive and considerate personality contrasts strongly with Rick's. Rick's American co-writer, Marty (Sean Power), writes the majority of Rick's material, often working with him at Rick's home or Michael's café. Though he tries to moderate Rick's desperate behaviour, he is quietly frustrated with him, and conspires against Rick's interests. Michael (Tony Gardner) owns and runs the café that Rick and Marty frequently visit to escape the chaos of Rick's home. He is socially awkward, possibly to the extent of having a mental disorder, although he was actually a high-flying city banker who suffered from burn-out. His father turns out to be gay in later series, to which Michael reacts negatively. Rick's daughter Sam (Antonia Campbell-Hughes) attends sixth form college and regularly extracts money from her father, often by expressing sympathy at his misfortunes. This money is always around forty pounds, and is possibly being