A Sharp Intake of Breath

A Sharp Intake of Breath is a British sitcom starring David Jason, Jacqueline Clarke with Richard Wilson and Alun Armstrong for series 1-3, which ran from 1977 to 1981, when Jason took up the role of Del Trotter in Only Fools & Horses. It was made for the ITV network by ATV and recorded at ATV Elstree Studios. The opening titles featured cartoons by Mel Calman. Series 1-3 were written by Ronnie Taylor, series 4 by Vince Powell following the death of Taylor in 1979.

Plot
Jason played an everyman character called Peter Barnes and Jacqueline Clarke played his wife Sheila. Wilson and Armstrong played a range of petty officials and bureaucrats whose actions frustrated Barnes' attempts to deal with the necessities of everyday life. The title A Sharp Intake of Breath refers to the reactions of various characters to seemingly simple requests by Peter, generally followed by a denial. The show made use of the fourth wall plot device.

Cast

 * David Jason as Peter Barnes
 * Jacqueline Clarke as Sheila Barnes
 * Richard Wilson as various characters
 * Alun Armstrong as various characters
 * Maggie Jones as Jean
 * Malcolm Storry as Cyril Potts
 * Bella Emberg as Doris
 * Margaret Courtenay as Sheila's Mother
 * Bunny May as Terry
 * Gerald Flood, as the Doctor, in 'Rear Window'.

Home media
The complete series was released on DVD by Network Distributing Limited on the 4 May 2015.