In for a Penny is a Britcom that aired on ITV in 1972, starring Bob Todd.
Dan (Todd) is the lavatory attendant of a Victorian gentleman's public convenience under the Town Hall and has been so for 25 years. He takes great pride in his work and strives to keep everything polished and spotless. He is assisted in his work by Ali (Kevork Malikyan), who has a poor grasp of the English language.
Frequent visitors to spend a penny are a shifty character only known as the "Sergeant" (Jack Woolgar) and Councillor Bundy (Ivor Salter), the latter of whom is always scrawling graffiti on the walls — although Dan believes that no elected public official would do such a thing.
The series has gone down in history as one of the worst British sitcoms ever made, considered to be an unfunny series with an overuse of Toilet Humour and bog-standard writing. It came fourth on Mark Lewisohn's "20 worst British sitcoms" list in The Radio Times Guide to TV Comedy.
The series was never repeated after 1972, and all of the episodes are now lost.
In for a Trope:
- Bathroom Stall Graffiti: Councillor Bundy frequently scrawls on the lavatory walls, although Dan would never assume it was him due to his position on the council.
- British Brevity: Only six episodes were produced in one year.
- Funny Foreigner: Ali is a standard '70s Britcom stereotype, with the series cracking many jokes about how his accent sounded or how he had trouble speaking English.
- Idiosyncratic Episode Naming: Every episode was titled "Dan and the _______".
- No Full Name Given:
- We don't get to find out Dan or Ali's surnames.
- The same can be said for Councillor Bundy's first name.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: The Sergeant's name was never given, and so he was only ever referred to as "Sergeant".
- Running Gag: Councillor Bundy constantly writes on the walls of the lavatory, and afterward, Dan insists he wouldn't have done it.
- Steven Ulysses Perhero: The series stars a lavatory attendant named "Dan", a cheeky reference to the rhyme "Dan, Dan, the Lavatory Man".
- Toilet Humour: The series was filled to the brim with jokes about toilets and bodily functions, fitting as it was set in a public convenience. This was also part of the reason the series was viewed so unfavourably by the public, who found it immature at best.