Henry Wilt is a more or less failed teacher who fantasizes about murdering his dominant, non-attentive wife Eva. At a party who gets stuck in an inflatable doll and makes a complete fool of himself. Eventually, he dumps the doll in a hole at a building site. However, he has been witnessed getting rid of the doll and when his wife disappears on the night after the party, the police and Inspector Flint have strong suspicions on Mr Wilt.
Acting
Griff Rhys Jones's escalating panic is physical comedy gold.
Writing
Tom Sharpe adaptation keeps the novel's vicious satire intact.
Director
Michael Tuchner
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Griff Rhys Jones and Mel Smith were already a beloved comedy duo from 'Alas Smith and Jones,' making their antagonistic chemistry here deliciously meta.
The inflatable doll panic perfectly captures 1980s British anxieties about suburban respectability and sexual repression—Tom Sharpe's specialty.
GB
