RIP Paul Ritter: Remember his best moments in ‘Friday Night Dinner’
Bambinos, if you don’t know the phrase “sh** on it” then you should go watch Friday Night Dinner and return. The quirky UK comedy series is iconic for so many reasons. The characters and cast bring a painfully relatable English family to the screen.
Martin Goodman (Paul Ritter), Jackie Goodman (Tamsin Grieg), Johnny Goodman (Tom Rosenthal), Adam Goodman (Simon Bird), and Jim (Mark Heap) make the audience laugh and cringe simultaneously. It’s a gift.
Fans of Friday Night Dinner were devastated to learn Paul Ritter had passed away after fighting a brain tumor. This comes after two other cast members also passed away in less than a year. “He died peacefully at home with his wife Polly and sons Frank and Noah by his side. He was 54 and had been suffering from a brain tumour,” confirmed his agent.
Let’s honor Paul Ritter with these iconic moments from Friday Night Dinner (with extra squirrel).
That’s not a squirrel!
Remember when Martin tried to hide a dead fox from Jackie? Well, this tail had fans crying with laughter. Martin was either shirtless or up to some mischief behind his wife’s back. This time, Martin wanted to keep a fox’s corpse hidden in his freezer next to the profiteroles. Johnny & Adam always end up involved in his schemes and they always go awfully wrong.
Oil vs. carpet
Ever spilled oil on your mom’s freshly cleaned carpet? Martin has. “Sh** on the lamb, just call the man!” The panic was real and Martin had one mission in mind – don’t let Jackie find out. Poor Jackie, we’ve all had a Martin in our lives. (If you haven’t then are you the Martin in your group? 👀)
Martin vs. tinned meat
Expired tinned meat appeared to be Martin’s saving grace, but also his greatest foe. The meat gave him severe food poisoning, however, it saved him from spending more time with Jackie’s best friend, Val. That is definitely not a squirrel.
Why do you need a magnifying glass?
Ever walked in on your parents doing something suspicious? Johnny & Adam attempt to crack the case of the magnifying glass with hilarious results. Is it a tiny penis? Nope, turns out he was stung by a bee whilst having a wee. Classic Martin. We have no idea how they manage to keep straight faces . . . most of the time!
Martin & females
Any Birds? Chicks? What about females? Martin and the f-word have a complicated relationship. When he discovers the internet, he hopes to find his son Adam a potential match. It is never going to end well when your parents get involved in your dating life. Especially when it’s Martin.
Martin’s hearing
This first episode is enough to tell you why you need to watch Friday Night Dinner. A man arrives hoping to pick up a sofa bed for his father who’s ill. Tragically, his father passes away while he’s running the errand. Martin overhears (incorrectly, of course) and offers sympathies . . . for his dog.
Ketchup jumpscare
We had to include both iconic moments involving Martin’s love for ketchup. Of course, in this scene, Martin is topless and escorting a small jar of ketchup to the dining room. Johnny sneaks up and makes his father jump. The ketchup falls all over Martin and he ends up hitting his “shi*****” knuckle on the wall.
Don’t waste ketchup!
Did Paul Ritter love ketchup or was that his character Martin? Either way, you can’t waste the sauce. Rather than putting it back in the bottle, Martin saves the remaining ketchup . . . by eating it.
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Well, bambinos, we’ve had to say goodbye to beloved actor Paul Ritter. He’s known for his roles in Chernobyl & Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. What’s your favorite Martin moment from Friday Night Dinner? Let us know in the comments and enjoy a lovely bit of squirrel (or a meatless version) in honor of Ritter.
