White Van Man

- Season 1

(2011)

Despite being booted out of catering college for his inability to distinguish oregano from marijuana Ollie still hopes to open his own eaterie the Toast Office but,when his father Tony's health fails,he reluctantly takes over his handyman's business. Saddled with gormless sidekick Darren,his first day is a disaster as one of Darren's mates steals his Satnav,a girl claims that he is the one out of several handymen who have been to the house that impregnated her and he gets a parking ticket. Even an encounter with old flame Emma is not a treat when he discovers that she...

Ollie decides to remedy the fact that the van bears no contact number and invests in a load of flyers - with a hammer and sickle on them. He also engages the services of Kat,with whom Darren plays online video games,to create a web site. Then his tools are stolen and a note left which reads,Stop This Now. Unbeknown to him there are four handyman family firms in Maplebury,each with its own turf and he has encroached on somebody else's territory. After Tony has intervened and got the tools back Ollie comes to appreciate why there is no number on the van.

When Yuppie Jeremy only pays Ollie £600 and not the agreed grand for his new bathroom Ollie takes a stand by blocking the driveway with his van. Since the street's other residents hate Jeremy, Ollie soon gathers support,including that of Darren's sister Liz,a special constable in addition to working in a DIY shop. But when Ollie succumbs to the great British compromise he loses his local heroic status and it is left to Tony to recoup the rest of the money. Darren has problems of his own when he 'loses' Irene,a sparky old Irishwoman he has taken out for the day from ...

Ollie arrives to fit a fireplace for the glamorous Lucy only to find that Darren has picked her up in a club and spent the night with her,telling her that he is a lawyer. Consequently he sees himself as above helping Ollie and a further hindrance occurs when Tony asks Ollie to place a bet for him. At the bookies Ollie discovers that his father is on a wanted list as the leader of a supposed betting scam gang and the staff keep him prisoner. Fortunately Darren,in his guise as a lawyer,is able to spring him but by this time he has missed meeting the backer prepared to ...

Ollie rebukes Tony for trying to drum up trade by breaking Emma's mother's roof tiles so he is not happy when Emma asks him to break into the estate agent to find out how much a rival bidder for the premises she wants for the Toast Office has put in so she can top it. Furthermore he gets innocently roped in when Darren wants to take the sofa from a blind customer's flat and swap it with his brother's identical settee,which he has stained. Local burglar Ricky is a great help on the first heist though it was not a good idea to give him access to so many house keys - ...

Ollie and Darren are fitting a wardrobe for elderly Albert but when he goes to collect his pension he locks them in the bedroom. Hearing that Ollie slept with Liz is too much for claustrophobic Darren and the lads fight, trashing the room. Making their escape they find a delegation outside the house. Joanne, the girl who claims a handyman impregnated her, turns up with Tony, at least eight and a half months gone but unable to name the father. Liz and Emma are next to arrive and Ollie is the last to know that Liz is in love with him. A fight breaks out but when ...