Mr. Brittas: All part of handling our friends in the media Julie. Nip it in the bud with some swift positive action. Eh hem. Hello, Whitbury Evening News? News desk please. Hello, Gordon Brittas, manager of Whitbury Leisure Centre. I'd just like to quell any rumours you might have heard about there being an outbreak of contagious disease here at the leisure centre. Oh and by the way, it's definitely not Bobular Fever.
- Date First Aired: 17/02/1997
We open the offices at a television production company called Crusader Television, and one of the workers, Roger Ferguson, is discussing Whitbury New Town Leisure Centre. He has found his trip there to be strange in nature, and as such, he wants to film a piece for his series, The Ferguson File, intending to film an interview at the centre whilst sneaking in a hidden camera.
At the following staff meeting, Brittas gives everyone their scripts, all with the exception of Colin. Brittas believes that what television wants are inoffensive, handsome actors, and he doesn't want Colin to be on tv as he believes him to be too ugly for it, instead of hiring a double for the duty. Afterwards, Colin takes his agouti out for a swim, much to Linda's annoyance. Unfortunately, the agouti takes a shit in the pool...
Whilst Colin is finding out about how he always seemed to be playing the ugly roles in school plays, we learn that Helen had an affair with Roger Ferguson, having been at a revenge reconciliation week. However, after Shiatsu, she found out that Ferguson was a journalist, which greatly angered her. However, she claims that she is completely over him, all as she is throwing knives onto a picture of him. During this, Brett discovers a spot as he is preening himself...
Soon this disease, apparently known as Bobular Fever, is spreading throughout the centre. As this is happening, Carole, who is trying to free her hands after they were chained by Brittas, accidentally starts a fire in the basement. Meanwhile, the staff discusses what to do. Evidently, everyone who used the pool has the disease, so Brittas wants everyone to be quarantined in the squash courts and Colin's agouti put down. However, Colin doesn't want to do so and hides them in the bathroom.
It's not too long before the news comes a-knocking. Coming with the news is Ferguson, who goes undercover as a Health Authority. During this, Brittas is warned by Helen about Ferguson. Unfortunately, the real health authority comes in and is believed to be Ferguson. Once the confusion is cleared up, he reveals that the fever didn't come from the agouti, after all, instead came from Ferguson, who used the pool the day before. Helen uses the opportunity to attack Ferguson, possibly to death and Gavin gets the hidden tape. The staff watches the tape and we see what Ferguson saw: a grimy bathroom, a fire in the basement, infected people in the squash courts, and finally, Helen coming after him with an ax, all ending with him being attacked by a snake.
As Brittas himself says: "Alright, so he caught us on an off day!".
Tropes In This Episode:
- Animal Assassin: Helen uses one of Colin's snakes to try and kill Roger Ferguson.
- And I'm the Queen of Sheba: Carole upon being introduced to the double of Colin:Brett: Hi, I'm Colin. Colin Weatherby.Carole: Yes and I'm Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine.
- Ax-Crazy: Helen never had the best track record of sanity, but this episode has her racing through the centre with an axe with intent to kill (or at least maim).
- Blatant Lies:
- Helen claims to be over Roger Ferguson whilst using a picture of him as a Dartboard of Hate.
- The staff become very insistent that "business as usual, everything's normal" when it is found that there is a disease in the centre. Even as they attack the customers upon learning that they used the pool.
- Chekhov's Gun: Colin makes a reference to a snake breeding program being a good success. Helen later takes one of these snakes to utilise as an Animal Assassin against Roger Ferguson.
- Continuity Nod:
- Colin's Children's Corner is still running, and is seeing success with breeding snakes.
- The time the centre burned down gets a brief mention from Julie.
- Danger Takes a Backseat: To get back at Ferguson for lying to her, Helen puts a snake in the backseat of his car, which at least knocks him out when he manages to get back in.
- Distracted by the Sexy: Gavin is clearly attracted to Brett when he shows up, much to the annoyance of Tim, who was standing nearby them.
- Documentary Episode: The episode has Crusader Television coming to the centre to do a documentary about the centre. Hilarity ensues when a disease breaks out.
- Double-Meaning Title: The episode title can refer both to the fact that the centre is being exposed for a documentary and to the fact that several of the customers have been exposed to an infectious disease.
- Expository Hairstyle Change: Brittas' hairstyle is more slicked down than usual to emphasise his intent to look as professional and good for television as possible for the documentary.
- Foreshadowing: Part of the reason Ferguson is filming at the leisure centre is because a trip to Nigeria blew the entire budget for his television series, which becomes important when it's revealed that he caught Bobular Fever over there.
- Immoral Journalist: Ferguson was willing to have sex with Helen without telling her his real identity as a reporter, which enraged Helen when she found out the truth, and is much more interested in recording footage for high ratings than making any attempt at helping the people trapped in the squash court.
- Misplaced Retribution: When the Bobular Fever initially breaks out, the staff blame Colin's agouti and makes him put them down, although he is unable to go through with it. It turns out to be Ferguson, who had been at the centre the day beforehand.
- Mistaken Identity: The staff end up believing that Dr. Simpson is actually Roger Ferguson after Brittas learns about the true nature of Ferguson. They only let him go after Helen notes that it isn't him.
- Mr. Fanservice: Brett certainly has a good physique and he has a Shirtless Scene when he gets into the pool. He's seen as this In-Universe as well, with Gavin being Distracted by the Sexy and Brittas specifically getting him to serve as a more attractive double to Colin.
- Never My Fault: In spite of being told to put down his agouti because he let them swim in the pool, thereby causing a possible disease outbreak, Colin seems to believe that Brittas really wants them disposed because they weren't good enough for TV.
- Noodle Incident:
- Colin apparently had an accident with his methane generator during a wedding at the centre.
- Helen was apparently at a revenge reconciliation week. What exactly did she do that led to the need to reconcile for an act of revenge?
- Brittas boasts that of the 600 viewers of the centre in the previous year, nearly 500 returned home without serious injury or death. Exactly what happened to the other near 100 people to either seriously injure or outright kill them?
- Now That's Using Your Teeth!: Carole is forced to use her teeth to grab stuff when Brittas ties her hands together to ensure that they don't shoot out when she's introducing herself at the interview.
- One-Shot Character: Roger Ferguson, Brett Daniels, Angie and Dr. Simpson.
- One-Steve Limit:
- Angie was also the name used for Brittas' secretary in Series 1 before Julie was introduced.
- Roger was also the name of an One-Shot Character in "The Disappearing Act".
- The Other Darrin: In-Universe, Brittas believes that Colin's appearance is not fit for TV, so he ropes in a handsome-looking stunt double to cover for him.
- Plague Episode: The centre suffers from an outbreak of Bobular Fever over the course of the episode, leading to the mass quarantine of those who were in the swimming pool. Blame is initially placed on Colin's agouti, but it turns out to have come from Roger Ferguson.
- Polka-Dot Disease: One of the first symptoms of Bobular Fever is that spots appear over the victim's face.
- Putting the Pee in Pool: Colin's agouti is accused of spreading a disease when one of them does its business in the pool.
- Rise of Zitboy: Played With, as it is a fictional Polka-Dot Disease rather than a zit, but Brett is rather horrified when he finds a spot on his face.
- Screw This, I'm Out of Here!: Whilst Helen enthusiastically watches Ferguson's secret footage of the centre, right down to the part where she chases after him with an axe, she leaves the staff meeting room when the footage gets to the point where he gets attacked by a snake she put in his car.
- Shirtless Scene: Brett has one when he goes for a swim.
- Shout-Out:
- Carole mentions Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine.
- Colin mentions playing in productions of The Phantom of the Opera, The Man in the Iron Mask, Moby-Dick, and Romeo and Juliet, where he played a bank robber version of Romeo in a modern version set in the East End.
- Show Within a Show:
- Whitbury Evening News, an apparent news programme which Brittas calls to tell them that there is certainly not an infectious disease running around the centre.
- The Ferguson File, a hard-hitting documentary series that comes to the centre this episode.
- Stab the Picture: Helen has a deep hatred for Roger Ferguson following a disastrous affair with him, to the point that she has a picture of him in her workspace which she throws knives at.
- Suspiciously Specific Denial: Brittas' attempts to keep the Bobular Fever outbreak a secret as seen in the page quote. He's genuinely confused when the news shows up anyway and thinks there is a leak.
- Tempting Fate: After enduring toilets filled with agouti, a basement on fire, and a squash court full of infected customers, Ferguson asks "Is there anything else that could possibly happen?". It's just after he says this that he comes face to face with Helen, who is rather determined to strike him down with an axe.
- Understatement: How does Brittas describe a day where people are quarantined in the courts with bobular fever, there is a fire in the basement, and one of the toilets is filled with agouti? An "off day".
- Verbed Title: "Exposed".
- What Happened to the Mouse?: The fates of the diseased locked in the squash courts and the result of the fire in Colin's basement are never explained. Presumably, Dr. Simpson was able to get the cure to them, whilst the lack of reaction from the staff upon discovering the fire being captured in Ferguson's secret recording may imply that the fire was put out offscreen.
- Woman Scorned: Roger Ferguson had an affair with Helen that ended so badly that when she sees him, she tries to murder him with an axe.
- You Dirty Rat!: More agouti than rat, but Linda is horrified when Colin takes his agouti for a swim in the pool, especially when it does its business there. It is subsequently blamed for causing an outbreak of bobular fever, although it turns out to not be its fault.
