Lead Balloon Episode Guide

Episode Guide

Lead Balloon: Season 3

• Season 3 Episode 7: Nuts

  Special festive edition of the comedy series. Rick agrees to appear as Mr Smee in a local pantomime, much to the horror of his Christmas-hating co-writer Marty. Meanwhile, Sam busies herself making suspect mince pies for her boyfriend Ben, and Michael reveals he will not be celebrating the yuletide alone this year. Jack Dee, Sean Power and Tony Gardner star. Last in the series

• Season 3 Episode 6: Mistake

  Mel banishes Rick to the kitchen when she is forced to work from home, but he takes issue with Magda's cleaning activities and Ben and Sam's cooking. However, things start to look up when he overhears Mel talking about a presenting opportunity for one of her clients, and decides the job should be his. Last in the series

• Season 3 Episode 5: Spikey

  Rick is invited to see a play written by a former stand-up he used to share the bill with, but the experience turns out to be more humiliating than he could possibly have imagined. Meanwhile, Rick is unconcerned by Sam and Ben's break-up, until he notices his daughter spending more time with Spikey

• Season 3 Episode 4: Karma

  After a near-death experience, Rick becomes a new man, determined to embrace the positive and only see the good in people. Marty predicts his new attitude will not last, but the comedian manages to forgive Magda for selling some of his prized possessions, and it looks as if fate has rewarded him when he lands the title role in a TV drama

• Season 3 Episode 3: Fax

  Rick is a guest on a radio panel show, and manages to get the lowest score of all time. He encounters more problems on the work front when his e-mail crashes, leading to a hunt for someone who still has a fax machine. Meanwhile, Sam forms a band with her boyfriend Ben, and though Rick objects to their loud rehearsals, he changes his mind when it looks as if they may be on the verge of success

• Season 3 Episode 2: Panda

  Rick is invited to take part in a TV series that traces celebrities' family trees, which leads to his real name being revealed, and the reason why it caused him so much misery at school. Things only get worse when the researchers unveil their findings, and reveal the devastating truth about his ancestors

• Season 3 Episode 1: Gas

  New series of the sitcom, starring Jack Dee as Rick Spleen, a world-weary stand-up comedian. Magda's boiler has broken down, so Mel agrees she can move in with them, though Rick worries it will turn into a permanent arrangement. He also discovers a secret concerning cafe owner Michael, and agonises over whether to tell him

Lead Balloon: Season 2

• Season 2 Episode 8: Lucky

  A fed-up Rick accuses writer Marty of lacking ambition, but a phone call from Hollywood changes everything. Meanwhile, one of Mel's clients is going through a divorce, Ben and Sam set up their own dog-walking business, and Michael starts to attend cuddle parties. Last in series

• Season 2 Episode 7: Rita

  It seems unlikely comedian Rick Spleen will be filled with goodwill to all men, no matter what the time of year, but he does have a reason to be cheerful when he lands a cameo role in a movie starring a major Hollywood actress. In fact, he's feeling so generous, he even promises to get the leading lady's autograph for her self-confessed biggest fan, cafe owner Michael's father - but the task proves to be easier said than done. Meanwhile, Mel experiences the less glamorous side of showbiz when one of her clients gets a job presenting the new series of Geriatric Ward. Jack Dee and Raquel Cassidy star

• Season 2 Episode 6: Debacle

  Rick hosts an event for a pharmaceutical company, where his stand-up goes down well but some of his gags have far-reaching consequences. Meanwhile, one of Mel's clients is presenting a new holiday show - What Not to Pack - and Rick suggests a local cafe owner should be on it before he embarks on his metal-detecting weekend

• Season 2 Episode 5: Sick

  Mel is confined to bed with flu and Rick offers to take care of her work calls, but finds himself out of his depth. Michael holds a Third World Awareness Day at his cafe, while Sam and Ben try to persuade the comedian to buy a T-shirt for the same cause

• Season 2 Episode 4: Idiot

  Rick agrees to front a TV appeal for a good cause, but is in a less charitable mood when Mel reveals one of her clients, champion ice skater Gina Therese, has landed her own chat show - until he finds out he is being lined up as the first guest. Meanwhile, Magda asks for advice on planning a sightseeing trip for a visiting friend

• Season 2 Episode 3: Points

  Rick fears he's about to be handed a driving ban when caught speeding, and decides his only course of action is to persuade someone else to say they were behind the wheel. Meanwhile, cafe owner Michael thinks the campaign to save the local library would benefit from the comedian's involvement

• Season 2 Episode 2: Hero

  Rick becomes a local hero when he stops someone from committing suicide, and gets even more excited when he bumps into a TV executive who agrees to come to dinner and discuss his future as a comedian. Meanwhile, Magda prepares a traditional dish from her country for the big evening - but there's a nasty surprise in store

• Season 2 Episode 1: Giraffe

  Sitcom, starring Jack Dee as self-deluded comedian Rick Spleen. Rick appears as a 'Celebrity Oracle', on day-time quiz show Trick or Treat. Meanwhile, back at home, trouble is brewing as Magda, his surly Eastern European help, finally hands in her notice

Lead Balloon: Season 1

• Season 1 Episode 6: Fatty

  Rick takes up exercise after a daytime chat show host suggests he has put on weight, prompting jibes from Magda and Marty and an angry encounter at the gym. Meanwhile, Ben manages to break the comic's new DVD player. Last in series, starring Jack Dee and Rasmus Hardiker

• Season 1 Episode 5: Pistachio

  Rick buys a scooter but worries about his image, and gets into a heated argument while at the local dry cleaner's. Later, things go horribly wrong when he hosts the Air Conditioning and Climate Control awards. Sitcom, starring Jack Dee

• Season 1 Episode 4: Allergic

  Rick worries he may have killed one of the country's favourite entertainers, and Marty helps the comedian prepare for his appearance on news panel show Bullet in the News - with unwelcome input from Michael. Jack Dee, Sean Power and Tony Gardner star

• Season 1 Episode 3: £5,000

  Rick gets into a fight at an awards ceremony, but finds little sympathy for his black eye outside of Magda's suggestion to put vodka on it. Meanwhile, the comic struggles to get out of mistakenly pledging £5,000 to a sponsored charity event at the cafe. Jack Dee, Anna Crilly and Tony Gardner star

• Season 1 Episode 2: Wayne

  Rick is unimpressed to get work writing the links for a DVD of home video gaffes, while his decision to steal teaspoons from the cafe rather than buy his own proves expensive when Michael exacts revenge. Comedy, starring Jack Dee, Sean Power, Anna Crilly and Raquel Cassidy

• Season 1 Episode 1: Rubbish

  Sitcom, starring Jack Dee as Rick Spleen, a world-weary stand-up comedian who hosts too many corporate events. In the first episode, he fronts a disastrous TV recycling campaign and is invited with wife Mel to the christening of an ugly baby. With Sean Power, Anna Crilly and Raquel Cassidy