Lead Balloon

Jack Dee stars as a disillusioned comic stumbling through life

Comedy

Smart comedy starring Jack Dee stars as a disillusioned comedian, who stumbles through cringey corporate gigs while lying his way out of nearly everything.

lead-balloon

A lame government TV recycling campaign backfires spectacularly for Rick.

Rubbish

Rick fronts a lame government TV recycling campaign which backfires spectacularly. He falls out with café-owner Michael over a homemade fruitcake, and has a full-on row with unhinged baby-present shopkeeper Maureen.

Rick's sleep is disturbed by the paperboy Wayne, who is very punctual and very noisy.

Wayne

A teaspoon crisis in the Spleen household leads Rick to petty theft. Meanwhile, Rick's sleep is disturbed by the paperboy Wayne, who is very punctual, very noisy and has a brain the size of a walnut.

A punch-up at an awards ceremony results in  a black eye for Rick.

5000 Pounds

Rick gets in a punch-up at an awards ceremony and ends up with a black eye. Marty is preparing to pitch a programme to the BBC and Michael is delighted that Rick has accidentally sponsored him a small fortune for his 'Skipathon'.

Rick discovers he may have inadvertently killed one of Britain's best-loved entertainers.

Allergic

Rick discovers he may have inadvertently killed one of Britain's best-loved entertainers, but he's preoccupied by a missing shoe-organiser. Then Rick has to prepare for his upcoming appearance on topical news panel show 'Bullet in the News'.

Rick buys himself a scooter but worries that it makes him look gay.

Pistachio

Rick buys himself a scooter but worries that it makes him look gay. Hosting the Air Conditioning and Climate Control Awards goes disastrously, and a trip to the local dry cleaner ends in a heated argument.

An appearance on daytime TV results in public humiliation for Rick.

Fatty

Rick is publicly humiliated on TV by daytime chat-show host Adam Green. He also has an unfortunate encounter with an acquaintance at the gym, and Ben manages to destroy Rick's brand new DVD player by taking the back off.

Magda, Rick's surly Eastern European help, has finally handed in her notice.

Giraffe

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, has finally handed in her notice.

Rick becomes a local hero when he stops someone from committing suicide.

Hero

Rick becomes a local hero when he stops someone from committing suicide. He gets even more excited when, as a result, he bumps into an important TV executive who agrees to come to dinner to talk about Rick's career.

Michael manages to talk Rick into a fund-raiser to save their local library from closure.

Points

Rick gets caught speeding, and not for the first time. He tries to persuade first Mel, then Marty and Madga, into saying they were driving his car.

Rick scoffs at the idea of a new celebrity chat show, until he's invited to appear.

Idiot

Rick agrees to front a TV charity appeal for a worthy cause. Meanwhile, one of Mel's C-list celebrity clients, ex-ice-skating champ Gina Therese, has a new series coming up.

Mel is laid up in bed, so Rick offers to field her work calls with disastrous results.

Sick

With Mel confined to bed with flu, Rick offers to field her work calls but he soon finds himself spectacularly out of his depth.

Some of Rick's ill-advised gags at a corporate event have far-reaching consequences.

Debacle

Rick hosts an event for a pharmaceutical company. Some of his ill-advised gags have far-reaching consequences.

Rick lands a cameo role in a film, appearing alongside a Hollywood legend.

Rita

Rick lands a cameo role in a film, appearing alongside a Hollywood legend. When it turns out that Michael's father is her biggest fan, Rick promises to get an autograph for him.

A call from Hollywood changes Rick's miserable mood for the better.

Lucky

Rick is even more fed-up than usual. He is sick and tired of doing endless corporate gigs. But a call from Hollywood changes everything.

Rick discovers a secret concerning Michael, the cafe owner.

Mel announces that Magda, their surly East-European help, is moving in with them until her boiler is fixed.

Rick is invited to feature in a TV series that traces celebrities' family trees.

Panda

Rick is invited to feature in a TV series that traces celebrities' family trees. When Marty asks him if they know that Rick Spleen is a stage name, we finally discover what Rick's real name is - and why it caused him so much misery at school.

Rick is a guest on a radio panel show, and gets the worst score of all time.

Rick is a guest on a much-loved radio panel show - and manages to get the worst score of all time.

After a near-death experience, Rick is a changed man.

Karma

After a near-death experience, Rick is a changed man. From now on, he plans to embrace the positive and see only the good in people.

Rick and Mel are invited to the theatre by one of her clients.

Spikey

Rick and Mel are invited to the theatre by one of her clients. Rick's reluctance increases when he realises that the hit play they are about to see was written by an ex stand-up who used to appear on the same bill as him.

Mel is working from home, so Rick and Marty are banished to the kitchen.

Mistake

Mel has to run her agency from home while the office is done up. Rick and Marty are banished to the kitchen.

Rick is looking forward to spending a quiet Christmas at home.

Nuts

Rick is looking forward to spending a quiet Christmas at home with Mel, while Marty heads to warmer climes and Sam makes some special mince pies.

Rick's career is at an all-time low: even his idea of writing a novel gets stuck on page one. So when a Sunday newspaper wants to do an 'At Home With' feature about his partner Mel, Rick naturally tries to muscle in on the action.

Rick lands a job as a presenter on Britain's premier shopping channel.

Dead

Rick lands a job as a presenter on the Bargain Channel - it's Britain's premier shopping channel, as he points out to anyone who will listen. For once, his new job impresses surly East-European help Magda, who is a big fan of the show.

Rick's new job is going from strength to strength.

Shoddy

Rick's going from strength to strength in his new job as a presenter on the Bargain Channel, but he's not best pleased when Marty takes a shine to his co-presenter, Donna.

Rick decides to set up his own stand-up comedy workshop.

Rick is at his lowest ebb. With no other work on offer, he decides to set up his own stand-up comedy workshop.

Rick reluctantly agrees to teach a Workshop in Belford Prison.

Blade

Having accepted funding from the local council, Rick reluctantly agrees to teach a Stand-up Comedy Workshop in Belford Prison.

Rick has found the fame and success he so desperately craved.

In the concluding episode, Rick has at last found the fame and success he so desperately craved. Thanks to his ordeal as a hostage, the 'Prison Siege Comic', as he is now known in the tabloids, is on an all-time high.

Lead Balloon

Lead Balloon

Series 1

1. Rubbish

1. Rubbish

2. Wayne

2. Wayne

3. 5000 Pounds

3. 5000 Pounds

4. Allergic

4. Allergic

5. Pistachio

5. Pistachio

6. Fatty

6. Fatty