Editing Victor Meldrew (section)

== Character ==
In the first episode, Meldrew, aged 60, is forced into early retirement from his job as a security guard when the office where he worked installs an automatic security system (which he describes as "being replaced by a box"). The series follows Meldrew as he tries to fill his new-found leisure with odd jobs and unusual idiosyncrasies, or to get a new job. However, he regularly finds himself mistreated, misunderstood or simply the victim of bad luck, and consequently leads to his complaining heartily.<ref name=beeb/>

Meldrew is famous for his [[catchphrase]], "I don't believe it!!" (copied exactly from Trevor Baxter playing Professor Litefoot in the final episode of [[The Talons of Weng-Chiang]]).<ref name=beeb/> Other frequently used expressions of exasperation are "Unbe-lieeeve-able!", "What in the name of ''bloody hell''?!" and "In the name of sanity!" Victor is something of a [[Hypochondriasis|hypochondriac]], keeping a medical dictionary with him to look up every ailment he believes has befallen him (Margaret describes it as "browsing through to see what he can die of next").

The series was so successful that in the United Kingdom, "Victor Meldrew" has become a byword for a bitter and complaining elderly man. However, both Renwick and Wilson himself have disagreed that Victor is an example of this stereotype and he is shown to be more of a [[tragicomedy]] character, not bitter and grumpy by nature, but driven to it due to his habit of attracting trouble. Renwick once pointed out in an interview that the name "Victor" is ironic, since he almost always ends up as the loser.<ref>"The original British loser that we recognise in Victor Meldrew and Alan Partridge." ''[http://www.harpercollins.co.uk/Titles/43792/tony-hancock-epub-edition-john-fisher-9780007287789 Tony Hancock, The Definitive Biography]''. HarperCollins, 2008. Retrieved 2 June 2012.</ref>

In the final episode, "[[Things Aren't Simple Any More]]", Meldrew is killed by a hit-and-run driver. This eliminated any realistic possibility of a seventh series. Passers-by left bouquets of flowers in homage at the filming location, a railway bridge in [[Compton and Shawford|Shawford]], a small village in [[Hampshire]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Meldrew fans lay floral tributes |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/1037318.stm |date=24 November 2000 |access-date=28 January 2007}}</ref>