Howard Molsen has a new shovel. Its a lovely shovel. It has a great big brass handle. Know what he is going to do? He’s going to put it next to the other one.
The Testing of Eric Olthwaite
Denley Moor, 1934. Eric Olthwaite (Palin) is interested in precipitation patterns in West Yorkshire, shovels and black pudding (his mother makes pudding so black, that even the white bits are black). His family avoids him. His mother (Barbara New) always gives him something to do the moment he starts talking, his sister Irene (Anita Carey) simply tells him to shut up, his father (John Barrett) pretends to be French in the hope that Eric won’t talk to him. One morning, Eric discovers that his family has left him. He tries to talk about it with his girlfriend, Enid Bag (Petra Markham), but she’s too busy having an affair with another man. Her father (Reg Lye), a vulture keeper, tells Eric what his problem is: He’s boring. He advises him to make something out of his life. Eric tries to start at a bank, but the manager (Palin again) tells him that he’s too boring for the job. Eric’s about to leave when the bank is robbed by a man called Arthur (Kenneth Colley), who takes Eric with him. They run for it and manage to escape. Arthur is about to shoot Eric, when the two of them discover how much they’ve got in common: They’re both interested in rain, shovels and black pudding. They decide to form a gang together. Their new fame actually makes Eric interesting. Enid joins them, Eric’s mother and father are interviewed about him and in the end, Eric Olthwaite is appointed mayor of Denley Moor.
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