TV superfans have shared their thoughts on some of the nation’s most beloved shows and weighed in on which ones actually have awful endings.
From beloved comedy Only Fools and Horses, to hilarious sitcom The Royale Family, to gripping drama Killing Eve, these are legendary British shows with the worst endings.
The Brittas Empire
Workplace comedy The Brittas Empire was a precursor to The Office, except instead of working for a paper company, the characters worked at the fictional Aldershot Leisure Centre. It followed the incompetent Gordon Brittas, played by Chris Barrie and also starred Harriet Thorpe, Pippa Haywood and Julia St John.
The series has been hailed as one of Britain’s best sitcoms and it enjoyed a viewership that peaked at 10 million during its run from 1991 to 1997 on BBC One. However, some viewers felt the show was let down by its ending.
Taking to Reddit, one TV superfan said, “there were small changes that kind of ruined the character traits that had been developed over the previous series.”
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“Agreed. I can begrudgingly sit through series 6 but 7 is beyond bats**t crazy and for Brittas that’s really saying something,” agreed another.
Only Fools and Horses
Only Fools and Horses is one of the most beloved comedies in British history. It starred the legendary Sir David Jason as Del Boy, alongside Nicholas Lyndhurst as Rodney Trotter, John Challis as Boycie, Roger Lloyd-Pack as Trigger, and Paul Barber as Denzil, and many more.
The series ran from 1981 to 2003 — which is a long time to keep viewers entertained. And it worked, until the late ‘90s, after which time viewers felt Only Fools had run its course.
Commenting on the worst endings of all time on Reddit, one TV superfan proclaimed: “the most disappointing has to be Only Fools and Horses. The three episodes they made in the early 2000s were pretty mediocre.”
Another fan agreed, saying the series would have finished perfectly if it had ended a few years earlier. “After finishing in 1996 walking off into the sunset, now with the money Del had always dreamed of, exclaiming to Rodney ‘This time next year we’ll be billionaires!.’ It was perfect and nothing was ever going to best it,” they said.
The Royale Family
The Royale Family ran into the same issue as Only Fools, ending in 2012 after a series of “lacklustre” specials.
The sitcom, which ran from 1998 to 2000, was followed up with specials from 2006 to 2010. It followed the Royale family and starred a number of notable actors, including current Death in Paradise actor Ralf Little.
Unfortunately, viewers felt that it went downhill after its initial run.
One TV superfan commented: “The last special they made was very disappointing and relied too much on crude humour, although I haven’t seen it for many years.”
“It wasn’t as good as The Royle Family of old,” agreed another.
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While a third commented on its decrease in quality: “I really dislike how it turned into a ‘regular’ sitcom in the last four specials. The earlier episodes were very grounded in realism, even kitchen sink drama, which was a major strength. Dave turning into a gurning idiot is probably the most obvious example of the shift in tone.” (sic)
Peep Show
Peep Show was a regular fixture on screens from 2003 to 2015.
It starred David Mitchell and Robert Webb and was co-written by the duo, too.
David played Mark Corrigan Robert was Jeremy “Jez” Usbourne – two very different, dysfunctional best friends who share a flat in Croydon, South London.
Hilarity ensued as the two friends went through many different stages of life together, but it’s another show TV superfans say was let down by its ending.
“Peep Show really, really went out on a whimper,” admitted one fan.
They explained: “I actually liked the last series and even the last episode, but that final scene was a bit weird, rushed, poor quality and unsatisfying.
“I’ll qualify that by saying I don’t know how I would have done it better and perhaps after 9 series of quality there was no good way to end it.”
But another fan stated: “Peep Show should have ended with Mark & Sophie’s wedding. Everything after that point just felt progressively less brilliant.”
Killing Eve
Killing Eve is one of the newer shows on this list, airing on BBC One from 2018 to 2022, but the spy thriller really gripped the nation. It followed Eve Polastri (Sandra), a British intelligence investigator tasked with capturing psychopathic assassin Villanelle (Jodie), but the chase ultimately led to a mutual obsession.
The show spent years building the connection between the two characters, but it ultimately fell flat, leading to an “absolutely dreadful” ending, according to TV superfans.
Viewers believe the fact that it changed hands so much was to blame.
Series one had Fleabag’s Phoebe Waller-Bridge as the head writer, the second series was helmed by Saltburn writer Emerald Fennell, the third series by Suzanne Heathcote, and the fourth by Laura Neal.
“Killing Eve was all over the place after Series 1, to be honest,” one fan admitted.
“Agreed,” said another. “You can tell Waller-Bridge wrote the first series. It was clever and funny. Then they didn’t really know where to take it.”
A third pointed out: “There was a lot of controversy at the time as Laura Neal, who was the showrunner for the final series, pretty much ignored everything that had been building. Not to mention the bury your gays trope.”
The continued: “My son loves KE and hated the ending, as did many other LGBTQIA+ communities.”
Additionally, one TV superfan felt that Killing Eve, which is based on a book series, was left too open-ended. “There were too many loose ends or sloppy explanations.
“There were essentially three series building up to the bridge scene at the end of series three for it to then never be mentioned again.”
“I think it’s a shame it ended as it did.”
