The Armstrongs
{{Short description|Documentary series}}
{{more citations needed|date=January 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2022}}
{{Infobox television
| image =
| caption =
| runtime = 30 minutes
Christmas Special: 90 minutes
| creator = Fergus O'Brien
| executive_producer =
| starring = Ann Armstrong
John Armstrong
Michael Handel
Basil Mienie
| country = United Kingdom
| network = BBC Two
| first_aired = {{Start date|2006|02|22|df=yes}}
| last_aired = {{End date|2006|05|10|df=yes}}
| num_episodes = 8 (Series 1); and a Christmas special
}}
The Armstrongs is a British documentary television series broadcast on BBC Two in the UK. The Armstrongs is an access-all-areas insight into the unorthodox and sometimes ruthless business antics that are routine at "U-Fit", Coventry's third-biggest double glazing company. The show is narrated by actor Bill Nighy.
This was the second TV outing for the Armstrongs. The first was in a one-off documentary in 2003 called The Office Christmas Party, which showed the preparations for U-Fit's Christmas party.
In July 2014, Ann Armstrong announced on Facebook that she and John had split up.{{Cite web|url=https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/red-button-coventry-reality-tv-7409327|title = Red Button: Coventry reality TV couple the Armstrongs split up|date = 11 July 2014}}
Overview
Driven by the desire for profit, management team John and Ann Armstrong are constantly spying on their unwieldy sales force with CCTV cameras and phone taps. But motivating the team is an uphill struggle and John and Ann must resort to ever-more desperate measures to boost sales. Despite their best endeavours, their plans backfire with alarming frequency. However, woe betide anyone who gets in the way of their dream of becoming multi-millionaires.
The idea is a kind of all-too-real-life version of The Office, set in Coventry. Ann is the more talkative of the two, a mixture of starry-eyed optimist and petty disciplinarian. John mostly just swears a lot and criticises Ann's schemes for improving the company – such as hiring a Zimbabwean motivational guru called Basil Mienie (pronounced 'meanie').
The Armstrongs: The Movie
A film length special was made for Christmas in 2006. It was compiled from material from the series.
External links
- {{BBC programme}}
- [http://www.u-fit.co.uk/ U-Fit Business Website]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Armstrongs, The}}
Category:BBC television documentaries