Jack Dee stars as a disillusioned comic stumbling through life

Lead Balloon

Rick fronts a lame government TV recycling campaign which backfires spectacularly. He falls out with café-owner Michael over a homemade fruitcake, and has a full-on row with unhinged baby-present shopkeeper Maureen.

Rubbish

Lead Balloon - Series 1 - Episode 1

1. Rubbish

lead-balloon

EPISODE

A teaspoon crisis in the Spleen household leads Rick to petty theft. Meanwhile, Rick's sleep is disturbed by the paperboy Wayne, who is very punctual, very noisy and has a brain the size of a walnut.

Wayne

Lead Balloon - Series 1 - Episode 2

2. Wayne

Rick gets in a punch-up at an awards ceremony and ends up with a black eye. Marty is preparing to pitch a programme to the BBC and Michael is delighted that Rick has accidentally sponsored him a small fortune for his 'Skipathon'.

5000 Pounds

Lead Balloon - Series 1 - Episode 3

3. 5000 Pounds

Rick discovers he may have inadvertently killed one of Britain's best-loved entertainers, but he's preoccupied by a missing shoe-organiser. Then Rick has to prepare for his upcoming appearance on topical news panel show 'Bullet in the News'.

Allergic

Lead Balloon - Series 1 - Episode 4

4. Allergic

Rick buys himself a scooter but worries that it makes him look gay. Hosting the Air Conditioning and Climate Control Awards goes disastrously, and a trip to the local dry cleaner ends in a heated argument.

Pistachio

Lead Balloon - Series 1 - Episode 5

5. Pistachio

Rick is publicly humiliated on TV by daytime chat-show host Adam Green. He also has an unfortunate encounter with an acquaintance at the gym, and Ben manages to destroy Rick's brand new DVD player by taking the back off.

Fatty

Lead Balloon - Series 1 - Episode 6

6. Fatty

Series 1

Rick appears as a 'Celebrity Oracle' on day-time quiz show Trick or Treat. Meanwhile, back at home, trouble is brewing as Magda, his surly Eastern European help, has finally handed in her notice.

Giraffe

Lead Balloon - Series 2 - Episode 1

1. Giraffe

Rick becomes a local hero when he stops someone from committing suicide. He gets even more excited when, as a result, he bumps into an important TV executive who agrees to come to dinner to talk about Rick's career.

Hero

Lead Balloon - Series 2 - Episode 2

2. Hero

Rick gets caught speeding, and not for the first time. He tries to persuade first Mel, then Marty and Madga, into saying they were driving his car.

Points

Lead Balloon - Series 2 - Episode 3

3. Points

Rick agrees to front a TV charity appeal for a worthy cause. Meanwhile, one of Mel's C-list celebrity clients, ex-ice-skating champ Gina Therese, has a new series coming up.

Idiot

Lead Balloon - Series 2 - Episode 4

4. Idiot

With Mel confined to bed with flu, Rick offers to field her work calls but he soon finds himself spectacularly out of his depth.

Sick

Lead Balloon - Series 2 - Episode 5

5. Sick

Rick hosts an event for a pharmaceutical company. Some of his ill-advised gags have far-reaching consequences.

Debacle

Lead Balloon - Series 2 - Episode 6

6. Debacle

Rick lands a cameo role in a film, appearing alongside a Hollywood legend. When it turns out that Michael's father is her biggest fan, Rick promises to get an autograph for him.

Rita

Lead Balloon - Series 2 - Episode 7

7. Rita

Rick is even more fed-up than usual. He is sick and tired of doing endless corporate gigs. But a call from Hollywood changes everything.

Lucky

Lead Balloon - Series 2 - Episode 8

8. Lucky

Series 2

Mel announces that Magda, their surly East-European help, is moving in with them until her boiler is fixed.

Lead Balloon - Series 3 - Episode 1

1. Gas

Rick is invited to feature in a TV series that traces celebrities' family trees. When Marty asks him if they know that Rick Spleen is a stage name, we finally discover what Rick's real name is - and why it caused him so much misery at school.

Panda

Lead Balloon - Series 3 - Episode 2

2. Panda

Rick is a guest on a much-loved radio panel show - and manages to get the worst score of all time.

Lead Balloon - Series 3 - Episode 3

3. Fax

After a near-death experience, Rick is a changed man. From now on, he plans to embrace the positive and see only the good in people.

Karma

Lead Balloon - Series 3 - Episode 4

4. Karma

Rick and Mel are invited to the theatre by one of her clients. Rick's reluctance increases when he realises that the hit play they are about to see was written by an ex stand-up who used to appear on the same bill as him.

Spikey

Lead Balloon - Series 3 - Episode 5

5. Spikey

Mel has to run her agency from home while the office is done up. Rick and Marty are banished to the kitchen.

Mistake

Lead Balloon - Series 3 - Episode 6

6. Mistake

Rick is looking forward to spending a quiet Christmas at home with Mel, while Marty heads to warmer climes and Sam makes some special mince pies.

Nuts

Lead Balloon - Series 3 - Episode 7

7. Nuts

Series 3

Rick's career is at an all-time low: even his idea of writing a novel gets stuck on page one. So when a Sunday newspaper wants to do an 'At Home With' feature about his partner Mel, Rick naturally tries to muscle in on the action.

Lead Balloon - Series 4 - Episode 1

1. Pig

Rick lands a job as a presenter on the Bargain Channel - it's Britain's premier shopping channel, as he points out to anyone who will listen. For once, his new job impresses surly East-European help Magda, who is a big fan of the show.

Dead

Lead Balloon - Series 4 - Episode 2

2. Dead

Rick's going from strength to strength in his new job as a presenter on the Bargain Channel, but he's not best pleased when Marty takes a shine to his co-presenter, Donna.

Shoddy

Lead Balloon - Series 4 - Episode 3

3. Shoddy

Rick is at his lowest ebb. With no other work on offer, he decides to set up his own stand-up comedy workshop.

Lead Balloon - Series 4 - Episode 4

4. Off

Having accepted funding from the local council, Rick reluctantly agrees to teach a Stand-up Comedy Workshop in Belford Prison.

Blade

Lead Balloon - Series 4 - Episode 5

5. Blade

In the concluding episode, Rick has at last found the fame and success he so desperately craved. Thanks to his ordeal as a hostage, the 'Prison Siege Comic', as he is now known in the tabloids, is on an all-time high.