Only When I Laugh

1. S01E01A Bed with a ViewOctober 29, 1979—Young Norman Binns is admitted to Dr Thorpe's ward and is tricked by pessimistic Roy Figgis into swapping beds so that Figgis can have the b
2. S01E02Operation NormanNovember 5, 1979—Norman has to have an appendectomy but Figgis' doom-laden description of operations and Thorpe's wariness do not give him confidence, so he
3. S01E03The RumourNovember 12, 1979—Thorpe is telling Gupte that his dog Victor is unwell but Gupte misunderstands and thinks he's talking about his son. The patients also fall
4. S01E04The Man with the FaceNovember 19, 1979—Glover has been seeing a Greek girl and panics when her violent boyfriend comes looking for him so Figgis wraps his head in bandages, claimi
5. S01E05Let Them Eat CakeNovember 26, 1979—Fed up with the quality of the hospital buffet, the patients go on strike but are soon defeated. However, server Clegg decides to go on stri
6. S01E06Tangled WebDecember 3, 1979—Norman is reading a hospital romance, when he sees new nurse Sally, who is exactly like the fictional heroine. He wants to express his feeli
7. S01E07Is There a Doctor in the House?December 10, 1979—When Glover is discharged, an unhappy Figgis, without someone to quarrel with, goes to the pub, pretending to be a doctor and diagnosing peo

Season 1 ranked & reviewed

1. S02E01Whatever Happened to Gloria Robins?April 29, 1980—Glover is thrilled when glamourous starlet Gloria Robins is admitted to a woman's ward and is before long romancing her with flowers. Charac
2. S02E02Where There's a WillMay 6, 1980—Glover does not take kindly to eccentric new patient Joe Perkins – with his invisible dog – due to his lack of hygiene and use of Glover's d
3. S02E03It Can Damage Your HealthMay 13, 1980—Norman has recently taken up smoking but long-term smokers Glover and Figgis are feeling the ill-effects of the habit and try, respectively,
4. S02E04The Cosmic InfluenceMay 20, 1980—When Figgis becomes obsessed with tabloid astrology, the others are sceptical — that is, until Norman's luck at cards takes an upturn. Howev
5. S02E05The VisitorsMay 27, 1980—Norman's overbearing, hypochondriac mother comes to visit and he's initially scared to tell her he is romancing Nurse Jenny. Norman's coward
6. S02E06The Lost SheepJune 3, 1980—When the vicar comes to discuss Norman and Jenny's impending nuptials, agnostic Figgis gets into a religious argument but ultimately fears f
7. S02E07Last TangoJune 10, 1980—Feeling wistful that they're unable to attend the staff dance with its majority of females, the patients decide to have a party of their own

Season 2 ranked & reviewed

1. S03E01A Day in the Life OfSeptember 2, 1981—A TV crew arrive to shadow Thorpe for a day. He has primed Norman to give a glowing report but Norman keeps fluffing his lines, leaving Glov
2. S03E02Adam's RibSeptember 9, 1981—When new doctor Amy Glossop starts on the ward, Thorpe is initially hostile due to her gender, though both Glover and Norman have fallen in
3. S03E03The Right Honourable GentlemanSeptember 16, 1981—Extreme right-wing MP Sir Julian Briggs is admitted to the ward, angering socialist Figgis, though Thorpe is anxious to get him on side as t
4. S03E04Postman's KnockSeptember 23, 1981—Believing that Glover is lonely, Figgis writes an anonymous letter in character as Glover to agony aunt Clare Butterfield, who is annoyed by
5. S03E05AccidentSeptember 30, 1981—Norman witnesses an accident outside the hospital gates involving Thorpe and young speed freak Ronnie, though it is the doctor who would app
6. S03E06Dear DiaryOctober 7, 1981—Norman has been keeping a diary and Figgis and Glover are anxious to see what he's written about them. Upon stealing the diary, they find th
7. S03E07These You Have LovedOctober 14, 1981—Figgis takes exception to the hospital radio run by Nurse Victoria and, when she accidentally leaves her recording equipment, spices things
8. S03E08Away for ChristmasDecember 24, 1981—On Christmas Eve, the ward gets a new patient, eight-year-old elected mute Danny, a known arsonist whose parents are abroad. Figgis dresses

Season 3 ranked & reviewed

1. S04E01Blood BrothersNovember 4, 1982—Thorpe believes that Glover needs a blood transfusion and Figgis is the same blood group but Glover, being a snob, is not happy to be the re
2. S04E02Conduct UnbecomingNovember 11, 1982—Thorpe becomes an unlikely sex object when nymphomaniac patient Fiona demands they run off together and has written a complaint letter to th
3. S04E03All in the MindNovember 18, 1982—Having borrowed a book on psychiatry, Figgis takes it upon himself to analyse his fellow patients, alleging that Glover has a persecution co
4. S04E04In Sickness & in HealthNovember 25, 1982—A most reluctant Norman is to marry the dull and plain Deirdre, rather than Jenny. Glover decides to flatter Deirdre in order that she might
5. S04E05EscapeDecember 2, 1982—Glover is charmed by new admission Harry Bridgewater - until it transpires that he is a prisoner who has come in for an operation with a gua
6. S04E06When Did You Last See Your Father?December 9, 1982—An elderly drunk named Charlie arrives, claiming to be looking for his son, from whom he has long been estranged. The assumption is that his
7. S04E07The ReunionDecember 16, 1982—The patients are discharged on the same day – somewhat reluctantly given their lengths of stay – and decide to have a reunion the same eveni

Season 4 ranked & reviewed