So You Think You’ve Got Troubles

Ivan Fox, an atheist from a Jewish background, is reluctantly relocated from London to Belfast, to manage a small tobacco factory. The short-running series deals with his dismay at Protestant and Catholic attitudes, particularly the constant attempts by the people around him to categorise him by religion. Fox is also eagerly welcomed by the tiny Jewish community in Northern Ireland. His troubles deepen at work when he has to decide whether or not to hire Catholics in an all-Protestant company.

Original transmission: BBC1 17/10/1991 - 28/11/1991 (6 x 30min episodes)

Despite the popularity of actor Warren Mitchell and the brave step of addressing the political context in Northern Ireland through a sit-com, the series drew little audience or critical support, and only lasted one short run of six episodes.

This explored the pressure on the incomer to take sides and the absence of a wholly neutral space.