Long before David Jason became the streetwise Del Boy in 'Only Fools & Horses', he was gormless secret agent Edgar Briggs in this Richard Laing and Bernard McKenna scripted show. It came about after Jason had made regular appearances on the Rediffusion sketch show 'Do Not Adjust Your Set!'. Humphrey Barclay ( who pitched Jason on the earlier show ) felt he had great potential to lead a sitcom.
The aforementioned Edgar Briggs was an agent for the SIS ( Secret Intelligence Service ). How he ever got the job there was a mystery. He is clumsy, careless, incompetent and over-zealous. He never listens and is incapable of answering even the simplest of questions correctly and anyone who hears his name ends up almost on the verge of a breakdown. He is married to the lovely Jennifer ( Barbara Angell ), a woman who despite his ineptness, seems to stand by him no matter what.
Briggs' long suffering colleagues include Buxton ( Michael Stainton ), Spencer ( Mark Eden ) and the gorgeous Cathy ( Elisabeth Counsell from 'Doctor At Sea' and 'Brush Strokes' ), all of whom answer to The Commander ( played by the late Noel Coleman ). However, despite his incompetence, Briggs always seems to crack the cases, much to the bewilderment of his colleagues.
The show relied heavily on visual slapstick, usually relying on stunts, not unlike that seen in 'Some Mother's Do 'Ave 'Em'. In one episode Briggs fell off a ladder whilst decorating his flat whilst in another episode he plummeted to the ground from a window ledge.
'The Top Secret Life Of Edgar Briggs' did not find an audience on its original broadcast as it was not networked by ITV. The same problem occurred with his next show, 'Lucky Feller', which was written by Terence Frisby. It would not be until the arrival of 'A Sharp Intake Of Breath' in 1977 that Jason would find his first successful solo vehicle.
It was 'custard pie in the face stuff' which was cringe making, infantile and on the whole pretty appalling, but at the same time in some weird twisted way amusing. David Jason's physical energy and talent for visual comedy helped see 'The Top Secret Life Of Edgar Briggs' through.
When ITV wanted to repeat the show in the '90's, Jason denied permission for it to be re-shown ( or even to be made commercially available ), much to the displeasure of his co-stars, who needed the repeat fees. However it seems he has now had a change of heart as it was released on DVD in 2015. Perhaps his change of heart was triggered by the poor response to his 2011 sitcom 'The Royal Bodyguard'.
The aforementioned Edgar Briggs was an agent for the SIS ( Secret Intelligence Service ). How he ever got the job there was a mystery. He is clumsy, careless, incompetent and over-zealous. He never listens and is incapable of answering even the simplest of questions correctly and anyone who hears his name ends up almost on the verge of a breakdown. He is married to the lovely Jennifer ( Barbara Angell ), a woman who despite his ineptness, seems to stand by him no matter what.
Briggs' long suffering colleagues include Buxton ( Michael Stainton ), Spencer ( Mark Eden ) and the gorgeous Cathy ( Elisabeth Counsell from 'Doctor At Sea' and 'Brush Strokes' ), all of whom answer to The Commander ( played by the late Noel Coleman ). However, despite his incompetence, Briggs always seems to crack the cases, much to the bewilderment of his colleagues.
The show relied heavily on visual slapstick, usually relying on stunts, not unlike that seen in 'Some Mother's Do 'Ave 'Em'. In one episode Briggs fell off a ladder whilst decorating his flat whilst in another episode he plummeted to the ground from a window ledge.
'The Top Secret Life Of Edgar Briggs' did not find an audience on its original broadcast as it was not networked by ITV. The same problem occurred with his next show, 'Lucky Feller', which was written by Terence Frisby. It would not be until the arrival of 'A Sharp Intake Of Breath' in 1977 that Jason would find his first successful solo vehicle.
It was 'custard pie in the face stuff' which was cringe making, infantile and on the whole pretty appalling, but at the same time in some weird twisted way amusing. David Jason's physical energy and talent for visual comedy helped see 'The Top Secret Life Of Edgar Briggs' through.
When ITV wanted to repeat the show in the '90's, Jason denied permission for it to be re-shown ( or even to be made commercially available ), much to the displeasure of his co-stars, who needed the repeat fees. However it seems he has now had a change of heart as it was released on DVD in 2015. Perhaps his change of heart was triggered by the poor response to his 2011 sitcom 'The Royal Bodyguard'.