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The Armstrongs

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by MadGuy7023 (talk | contribs) at 16:17, 26 June 2019 (per MOS:TVNOW "References to the show, and its characters and locations, should always be in the present tense, as the show will still exist even after it is no longer airing new episodes"). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

The Armstrongs
Created byFergus O'Brien
StarringAnn Armstrong
John Armstrong
Michael Handel
Basil Mienie
Country of originUnited Kingdom
No. of episodes8 (Series 1); and a Christmas special
Production
Running time30 minutes
Christmas Special: 90 minutes
Original release
NetworkBBC
Release22 February –
10 May 2006; and a Christmas special December 2006

The Armstrongs s a British television drama/documentary series broadcast on the BBC in the UK. The Armstrongs s an access-all-areas insight into the unorthodox and sometimes ruthless business antics that are routine at "U-Fit", Coventry's third-biggest double glazing company. The show is narrated by actor Bill Nighy.

This was the second TV outing for the Armstrongs. The first was in a one-off documentary in 2003 called "The Office Christmas Party", which showed the preparations for U-Fit's Christmas party.

There is some discussion as to whether it is a true fly-on-the wall documentary, a fictional comedy with an elaborately constructed presence on the internet, or a mixture of the two.[citation needed]

In July 2014, Ann Armstrong announced on Facebook that she and John had split up[1].

Overview

Driven by the desire for profit, management team John and Ann Armstrong are constantly spying on their unwieldy sales force with CCTV cameras and phone taps. But motivating the team is an uphill struggle and John and Ann must resort to ever-more desperate measures to boost sales. Despite their best endeavours, their plans backfire with alarming frequency. However, woe betide anyone who gets in the way of their dream of becoming multi-millionaires.

The idea is a kind of all-too-real-life version of The Office, set in Coventry. Ann is the more talkative of the two, a mixture of starry-eyed optimist and petty disciplinarian. John mostly just swears a lot and criticises Ann's schemes for improving the company - such as hiring a Zimbabwean motivational guru called Basil Mienie (pronounced 'meanie').

The Armstrongs: The Movie

A film length special was made for Christmas in 2006. It was compiled from material from the series.

References