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7 Episodes 2011 - 2013
Episode 0
23 mins
1914 and in the village of Rittle-on-sea only three young men have not answered the call to fight - conscientious objector George, Cecil, patriotic but turned down because of his flat feet and stupid, selfish Bert, too dim to know there is a war on. With George facing dismissal and rejection by girlfriend Winky and Cecil's sister Agnes leading the women against the trio - especially after Bert has hit on a war widow and Cecil accidentally urinated on a memorial - they are ostracized in the shops and nobody cares that their tap-water is brown.
Episode 1
21 mins
George joins fiancée Winky in writing letters to lonely soldiers whilst Cecil joins the Needlework Guild to send them warm clothes and Bert fails to impress Agnes by trying to get in on the act since all the women are on sex strike in solidarity with the fighters at the front. Cecil however is dismayed to find that his is the effigy on the Guy Fawkes night bonfire.
Episode 2
22 mins
Bert finds himself in disgrace when he tries to take advantage of Gwyneth, Rittle-on-Sea's first war widow under the guise of comforting her and Cecil does something that the villagers believe to be even more disgusting. Pacifist George is horrified when his bullying headmaster, supported by Winky, forces him to thrash a naughty pupil or else get the sack.
Episode 3
21 mins
With their graffiti-daubed cottage still suffering from brown tap water and nobody in the village anxious to help rectify George is especially angry when the stupid Bert takes all the toilet paper to write a love poem and kicks him out though he lands on his feet and ends up in a house belonging to a serving soldier. Cecil, as ever, comes unstuck when the lovely Penny who appears to take a shine to him proves to have an ulterior motive and the women increase their hate campaign with a noise rota.
Episode 4
21 mins
Dismayed that nobody in the village will accept that his flat feet are responsible for his non-combatant status Cecil is thrilled to meet Constance, the one woman who seems to believe him and who he hopes will enable him to assert his masculinity once and for all. George meanwhile rashly resigns from his teaching post as a protest against German being removed from the curriculum. In desperation the headmaster finds a replacement - Bert, whose bizarre teaching methods are a hit with everybody, including , to George's annoyance, Winky.
Episode 5
19 mins
George has news for his housemates - he has invited Miss Trimble for dinner. Unlike Bert, who even has a bath in brown water for the occasion, Cecil is horrified as Miss Trimble is the village leper. He is even more annoyed when she fails to show up, believing that she considers herself above him. He makes it his job to seek out and befriend her to show her his true worth.
Episode 6
21 mins
The soldiers return to the village and the three chickens are initially pleased to have other men to talk to. However Cecil finds that his unfair reputation has spread to the men as well as the women whilst George not only finds a rival for Winky's attentions but an unfortunate result having advised another - would-be - conscientious objector and Bert must pay the price for enjoying another man's wife.