Gimme Gimme Gimme centres on loudmouthed
Londoner
Linda La Hughes (played by
comedian and
director Kathy Burke) and her
gay flatmate, actor
Tom Farrell (played by
James Dreyfus). A modern twist on the traditional "odd couple" format, much of ''Gimme Gimme Gimme's'' humour springs from its lubricious
innuendo subplot, which comes from the mouths of both Tom and Linda. Linda is characterised by her red hair, white glasses and plump,
lycra-clad figure. Boorish, unattractive Linda is convinced she is a "stunner"; in series three she is finally diagnosed with reverse
body dysmorphic disorder. It is suggested that Linda and Tom first met at a nightclub, bonded instantly (due to both being on
ecstasy), and decided to live together. What follows is, as writer Jonathan Harvey describes, "one long comedown". Linda often tells humorous
anecdotes about her family and childhood which suggest abuse or neglect (such as how she apparently slept on a doormat as a baby, lived in a kennel as a child, and was left in a car-boot for the two weeks her aunt went on holiday), but she always thinks of these as positive experiences. She also claims that her Daddy now lives in an
iron lung, although the only proof she has is a photo of a sideboard. Linda also lived in a
convent and was sent to a
borstal as a teenager. She has crushes on
Liam Gallagher (in whom she lost interest after series one as she "couldn't bring up another bird's child"),
Robbie Williams, and both male members of
Hear'Say. She also imagines having sex with
Dale Winton in a toilet cubicle. Tom is melodramatic yet fails in his desire to get acting roles. He believes himself to be truly gifted in the art of acting, and often blames his failures on his agent or society itself. He did appear in one episode of
EastEnders and often brags about it, delaying for as long as he can the fact that he was in one scene, had one line, and did nothing but buy a
cagoule from
Bianca Jackson's market stall. He also appeared in
Daylight Robbery as an
extra, standing in a queue in the background. He had one line but it was cut due to timekeeping. He insists that the entire series was ruined due to the axing of his line. Tom has an obsession with appearing to be
middle-class even though he hails from a working-class background, possibly because he also hates his parents. It is often suggested that Tom has no friends whatsoever (apart from Linda and his housemates) but unlike Linda he usually tries to pretend he is popular. Tom is in love with the actor
Simon Shepherd. Although they appear to loathe each other, Tom and Linda are beholden to each other due to the simple fact that nobody else can tolerate them. They are in many ways alike: selfish, unsuccessful, and physically and personally unattractive – although Tom less so. The hapless duo live in a
Kentish Town flat (69 Paradise Passage, Kentish Town) rented from elderly ex-
prostitute Beryl Merit (
Rosalind Knight), who lives in the upstairs flat. Other regular characters are the middle-class, horny married couple Jez (
Brian Bovell) and Suze (
Beth Goddard), who live in the basement flat. Many of the storylines revolve around the fact that Tom and Linda find Jez sexually attractive and (particularly Linda) despise the oblivious Suze. Another recurring character is Sugar Walls (
Elaine Lordan), Linda's celebrity sister. Many of the other characters can be just as hapless as Tom and Linda; Beryl still engages in sexual activities such as
S&M and picking up young and married men, while Jez and Suze generally lack common sense. For example, they once cancelled their holiday to the
Algarve and paid £500 to stay in their own back garden after Linda opened it up as a campsite. On at least one occasion the
fourth wall is broken when a previous series was referenced by Linda. At the end of series three, Tom finally got his big break in TV
soap opera Crossroads. The last episode ended with Tom leaving the flat and Linda taking off her hair (revealing it to be a wig) and sitting in the flat alone. ==Characters==