Eyes Down

Seasons

2003

UK

7.2

"Eyes Down" is set in a bingo hall and presents the poignant, yet funny adventures of its hardworking staff, who know how to have fun while they're on their breaks. Paul O'Grady is wonderful as the unflappable and sarcastic manager overlooking his staff, and the place is blessed with a hilarious cleaning lady.

Episode List

S1 • E1

Holiday Rota

Ray is trying to sort out the holiday rota, which is not easy with his staff. Sandy is in the middle of a crisis: she and boyfriend Terry have just been to the hospital for her first scan, but there was one thing she'd overlooked - she hadn't told Terry she was actually pregnant. Meanwhile Martin is trying to pluck up the courage to tell Christine his feelings for her, and Bobby could be in big trouble: Pamela's been doing wheelies with him all night. Her husband knows she's been entertaining someone from the Bingo Hall, and he wants to know who.

S1 • E2

Indecency

Ray will not tolerate his staff consorting with the punters so he's determined to photograph Bobby at it with Pamela. Unfortunately he photographs the wrong person, is accused of indecency and has to ask the staff to be character witnesses for him. Martin decides to impress Christine by trying to look like her favourite pop star and Sandy enlists Mary's help in practising for a water birth.

S1 • E3

Stars in Their eyes

Ray has to give the punters his "Tony Christie" during the interval when the PA system breaks down. A talent scout for Stars in Their Eyes hears him and offers him a spot. Could this be Ray's chance to escape? Bobby sets Martin up with a date in order to make Christine jealous. Unfortunately, the date, Jean, turns out to be in her early sixties, with a face like a prune. Sandy is thinking of becoming Catholic so her unborn baby will be able to go to the local Catholic school.

S1 • E4

First Aid

An elderly punter dies while Ray is calling the numbers. The other punters are upset, especially when he suggests a halt in play while the body is removed. Ray is now worried that the staff know nothing about first aid. He becomes even more worried when the local Mr Big brings his mother to Bingo and says if anything happens to her, Ray will be taking a ferry across the Mersey but only making it half way before he's dropped off. Meanwhile, tragedy hits Bobby - he can't get a woman to sleep with him and goes an entire night without sex. Martin takes up magic in his latest bid to impress Christine.

S1 • E5

Face Peel

Ray meets a contemporary from school who looks much younger than him - courtesy of a face peel. So Ray decides to have a face peel - with disastrous results. Eventually he is unable to call the numbers, so Bobby steps into the breach and becomes an overnight hit. Meanwhile, Christine is burgled and decides to go and live with her sister in Clacton - Martin is predictably distraught. Sandy and Terry go and see an actual birth and come back shell-shocked. Can Mary reassure them that all will be well?

S1 • E6

The Clairvoyant

Ray hires a clairvoyant to provide the interval entertainment, but all panic breaks loose when she predicts Ray's death at 7pm the following evening. Meanwhile, Martin buys a dog to try and impress Christine, and Sandy reveals she and Terry haven't made love for three months because she's worried it might upset baby.

S1 • E7

Christine's Birthday

Ray has applied for the Regional Manager's job, but the boss of the Rio chain is very keen on family values and wants to meet Ray and his wife. With only 24 hours to find himself a wife, can he possibly ensure that it isn't Mary? Meanwhile it is Christine's birthday. At her party she confesses to Bobby that she's feeling sad and lonely and that life has passed her by. Bobby tells her how Martin feels about her, but she says she doesn't want Martin, she wants excitement. So Bobby gives her some excitement in the gents, where Martin discovers them. Bobby has also provided some entertainment for the party: Darth Vader.

S1 • E8

Charity

Ray is determined to get himself some good publicity as a charitable do-gooder. He makes out that Mary is ill and then raises funds to send her to Lourdes so she can come back cured. Unfortunately, she comes back with a criminal record. Martin is still smarting over Christine and Bobby, and now Christine thinks she might be pregnant. Relationships are at breaking point when something else breaks - Sandy's waters.