A Sharp Intake of Breath is a British sitcom starring David Jason, Jacqueline Clarke with Richard Wilson and Alun Armstrong for series 1–3, which ran between 28 July 1977 and 15 February 1981, when Jason took up the role of Del Trotter in Only Fools & Horses. It was made for the ITV network by ATV and recorded at ATV Elstree Studios. The opening titles featured cartoons by Mel Calman. Series 1-3 were written by Ronnie Taylor, series 4 by Vince Powell following the death of Taylor in 1979.

Plot

Jason played an everyman character called Peter Barnes and Jacqueline Clarke played his wife Sheila. Wilson and Armstrong played a range of petty officials and bureaucrats whose actions frustrated Barnes's attempts to deal with the necessities of everyday life. The title A Sharp Intake of Breath refers to the reactions of various characters to seemingly simple requests by Peter, generally followed by a denial. The show made use of the fourth wall plot device.

Cast

• David Jason as Peter Barnes

• Jacqueline Clarke as Sheila Barnes

• Richard Wilson as various characters

• Alun Armstrong as various characters

• Maggie Jones as Jean

• Malcolm Storry as Cyril Potts

• Bella Emberg as Doris

• Margaret Courtenay as Sheila's Mother

• Bunny May as Terry

• Gerald Flood, as the Doctor, in 'Rear Window' .

Episodes

Pilot (1977)

Series 1 (1978)

Series 2 (1979)

Series 3 (1980)

Series 4 (1981)

Home media

The complete series was released on DVD by Network Distributing Limited on 4 May 2015.

External links