A Sharp Intake of Breath: Story, Cast and Series Facts

Story and premise

Peter Barnes is a man for whom innumerable problems appear to crop up just in proceeds of everyday "getting things done".

From trying to secure a small loan to being a best man, life seems to hand Peter - and by extension, his wife, Sheila - more than his fair share of obstacles and frustrations. The only certainty is that whatever he's trying to do or arrange, it will entail an encounter with a jobsworth whose instinctive response is a perfectly timed sharp intake of breath.

Series details

• Title: A Sharp Intake of Breath
• Format: Scripted
• Language: English
• Genres: Comedy
• Premiere date: 1978-02-20
• Final broadcast date listed: 1981-02-15
• Status in TVmaze: Ended
• Network listed by TVmaze: ITV1
• Network country: United Kingdom
• Typical episode runtime: 30 minutes
• TVMaze ID: 8814
• IMDb ID: tt0077080
• TVDB ID: 264325

Cast and credited roles

• David Jason — Peter Barnes
• Jacqueline Clarke — Sheila Barnes
• Richard Wilson — Doctor
• Alun Armstrong — Arthur Clegg

Seasons in the TVmaze catalogue

• Season 1: premiered 1978-02-20; final listed air date 1978-03-27; episode order: 6.
• Season 2: premiered 1979-02-19; final listed air date 1979-03-26; episode order: 6.
• Season 3: premiered 1980-01-04; final listed air date 1980-01-18; episode order: 3.
• Season 4: premiered 1981-01-11; final listed air date 1981-02-15; episode order: 6.

Source and licence

Adapted from A Sharp Intake of Breath on TVmaze. The synopsis is reproduced as plain text; catalogue facts, cast and season records are selected and reformatted. This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, following the TVmaze API licence. Network and web-channel credits identify the service listed in this source; they do not establish current streaming availability.