Bristow

Series 1

1. Fair Shares

Chester-Perry's owner Sir Reginald is in the building, and rumour has it that he planning a takeover bid for Miles and Rudge, a firm across the street. Bristow wonders to Jones if they can make a bundle of money by buying shares in Miles and Rudge prior to the takeover being completed. He finds that everyone in the typing pool, and probably all the staff, know of the future merger which threatens his plan. When Sir Reginald heads up to the Buying Department, Bristow sets about urgently tidying the office but leaves paper all over the floor which causes the post boy to fall, and along with Jones and Prunella Peach, have to deal with removing him while Fudge screams at them. This ends up with Miss Sunman also injuring her leg, before Sir Reginald also falls.

2. Follow That Star

In the work canteen, which is rated three-stars but notoriously bad, Bristow relates the story of how it came to be rated so highly. Bristow arrives to work late, and on the way into the building, meets an inspector from the company food review magazine. The subsidised canteen is out of bounds to non-employees however Bristow is keen to get him in to allow it to be reviewed. Agreeing to meet the man at lunch, he spends the morning canvassing opinions on whether he'll be able to get away with inviting in a guest, though everyone agrees it is against the rules. Pushing ahead, Bristow convinces the man to pretend to be a dustman to get past security, and he attempts to borrow Jones identification badge though security is quickly called. At the sound of security dogs, the reviewer agrees to give a number of stars to the canteen in exchange for being shown the escape tunnel.

3. The Girl Next Door

Bristow and Jones realise that the neighbouring company's office has a new girl who attracts attention, leading to Jones having a change of attitude. Bristow however tries to keep on with his work as word spreads around the office. Attempting to chase up an order for seven months prior, Bristow ends up trapped in a loop of telephone redirects and menu systems trying to reach someone who can rectify the situation, though he still fails to fix the issue when he is fobbed off and hung up on by anyone who actually talks to him. His inability to fix the order, and having the window open leads to Bristow being shouted at by Fudge. Eventually, attention for the new girl across the way reaches fever pitch and tens of people pile into Jones and Bristow's office, leading to Fudge screaming at the pair for some time. The same girl eventually moves in across the road from Bristow.

4. Sun, Sea and Sabotage

Arriving at work, Bristow finds that Hewitt is wanting to book his usual holiday slot of early July, despite Jones warning Hewitt not to rock the boat. Attempts between the pair to negotiate changing their holidays result in Hewitt claiming he has already booked for the slot. Bristow begins to query which travel agent he has used, though Hewitt hasn't booked anywhere leading him to lie about the situation. Bristow embarks on tracking down the fly-by-night travel agent which he believes has scammed Hewitt. With Bristow proving tenacious, and preventing Hewitt from getting down to working on Fudge's order, he begins to avoid Bristow. Bristow however tracks him up to the roof and "saves" him from from committing suicide.

5. Stranger on a Train

Bristow meets a man on the train who is applying for a job at Chester-Perry, while at work Jones is planning on applying for a role at Miles and Rudge. They also discover a temporary tea lady is working instead of Mrs. Purdy, after previously working some time at Miles and Rudge. The post boy also questions how Bristow is able to ignore Fudge so easily when he is screaming. Jones plots how to get away in the afternoon for his interview, and while discussing the issue at dinner, Jones steals the rugby ball from some Miles and Rudge employees, before breaking his glasses to get an excuse to go "home". On returning from his interview, Jones quickly finds that he is wasting his time when the interviewer turns out to be the person he stole the ball from.

6. The Great Escape

Preparing for a vacation, Bristow is looking forward to escaping for a week, with Hewitt and Jones left grumbling at having to take up his slack. Meanwhile, the Post Boy is feeling sorry for himself with little future at Chester-Perry and constantly being shouted at by Fudge. Bristow heads off on holiday to Mudsea, and meets a variety of people who also used to work for Chester-Perry, though a number of them seem to have been fired for "saying something out of turn" or have been sacked because of something done by Bristow. The switching on of the Mudsea illuminations also goes wrong when a power failure is caused by a ship crashing into the harbour wall, after the captain takes advice from Bristow.

Series 2

1. When Melancholy Autumn Comes to Chester-Perry

Bristow meets an old acquaintance on the way to work, who passes on a rumour that the Chester-Perry employees will be receiving Christmas bonuses for once. Arriving at work late, Bristow's day gets better when he finds Fudge isn't in the office today. Bristow also mentions to Jones about the bonus situation, and the rumours quickly spread through the office. The gossip doesn't stop when he also finds that the attractive staffer Miss Golightly has been taken out by Hewitt, while Bristow attempts to fill in for Fudge. Things become complicated however when he is mistaken for Fudge by Rupert Clement who has arrived to negotiate a new contract for his firm, and finds that he has also been taking out Miss Golightly. As Christmas approaches, the staff discover that the bonus will not be received due to several large contracts being signed - by Bristow.

2. The Power of the Press

Bristow gets Hickford, the editor of the company house journal, to publish a story about working conditions for two Chester-Perry cleaning staff, Gert and Daisy, who tell him that they have job interviews at a rival business. Listening to their complaints about the job at Chester-Perry, Bristow sets about crusading to improve the situation for the cleaning staff. With word getting around about the upcoming story, Bristow becomes persona non grata with almost everyone else at Chester-Perry who believe their working conditions also need to be improved. Bristow however manages to convince everybody the article was required, and sets about trying to stop them leaving due to business dealings they have with the rival company which may be revealed.

3. Mr. Bristow Regrets

When Bristow sees some homeless peopled by shooed away from the Chester-Perry entrance, he finds that Jones shows no sympathy who recalls that one of the men is a former Chester-Perry employee who was fired for individuality. When he refuses to buy a ticket to attend a company dinner dance from Miss Peach, he states that he won't be attending this year, which Jones and Hewitt put down to his promotion seeking. Bristow however meets Tom Paine, one of the homeless men, and discovers he once worked in the Dispatch department before being fired. He also finds that he plans to attend the party himself despite not working for the company. Bristow also decides to attend when he discovers company founder, Sir Reginald, will be attending for once. However, problems occur when all the tickets sell out.

4. The Girl in the Yellow Overcoat

At the train station, Bristow discovers a huge crowd who are heading out for Christmas shopping. Looking into order DB49265, Jones spots that the contract has a penalty clause due to come into effect, and sets about eagerly wanting to complete the work before it happens, which Bristow questions, and finds Jones has fallen in love with a girl in a yellow overcoat while at the train station. He also discovers he is trying to get in good with Chester-Perry director Moorcroft. With the office party due, Bristow opens his mouth about Jones' love life to Hewitt, and has some luck himself with switchboard operator Fenella. At the party, Jones also discovers the identity of the girl in the yellow overcoat, who happens to be a date of Moorcroft, and believes he is stalking her. Bristow's encounter with Fenella also goes awry, but to make up, he manages to complete order DB49265.

Series 3

1. Of Moles and Men

Running into cleaners Gert and Daisy, Bristow finds that the pair also clean the home of the company founder, Sir Reginald Chester-Perry. Together with Jones, they ponder whether it is appropriate to share information about him considering him a public figure. When Fudge bellows at them to get back to work, he appears the following day looking rather sheepish, with the cleaners having spoken to Reginald. The cleaning ladies also put in a good word for Jones, who has made up the fact he attends evening classes, which Bristow recognises as an attempt to chase promotion himself. He also finds that Miss Sunman is friends with Fiona, Sir Reginald's daughter, leading to more potential competition. Sir Reginald comes to believe that too many staff are going to education classes, leading to the detriment of the company. They also find out that an external hire, through Sir Reginald's son, has been made to fill the promotion.

2. The Good, the Bad and the Temporary

In the buying department, Bristow is approached by Mr Perkins from personnel about his manner when dealing with temporary workers. Jones arrives, realising it is temp-worker time again, and breaks down through past experiences. Meanwhile, Bristow puts in an order for his usual gag items such as whoopee cushions, while Jones orders chocolates and flowers. When the temp, Sylvana, arrives, Hewitt soon falls in love, and she even manages to calm Fudge down before he goes off. With everyone in the office appearing to develop attractions to Sylvana, Bristow keeps missing her and finds his booby traps have been removed. The staff also find that Mrs. Purdy has known Sylvana's family for years, and Jones also has recollections from a younger time while on holiday.

3. Chapter and Verse

The post boy takes to asking Bristow about a number of events which occurred before Bristow joined, though he recalls the tales with some apprehension. With the bumper edition of the summer house journal coming out, Bristow is invited by Hickford to write some articles. Hickford also reveals that Fudge writes poetry, which he sends in to be published. Jones arrives with some barbed comments towards Hickford and the journal, and reveals to Bristow that he also sends poems. Bristow also finds that Mrs. Purdy also writes poetry, and comes across the "Phantom Scribbler" who writes down rhymes he thinks of. He also sets about investigating, for his own article, whether Fudge or someone else has been stealing Mrs. Purdy's poetry, which he later finds out belongs to Miss Sunman.

4. Rapaying Mr. Piper

Bristow recalls a time before joining Chester-Perry where he is heading to see Mr. Piper for an interview at an educational toy company, but is quickly told he will not fit in. In the present time and on his way to work, he finds Mr. Piper panhandling. Bristow heads to a nearby pub with Piper, who reveals the reason he didn't hire him. Piper set about hiring incompetent people as revenge for the company owner rejecting Piper's attempt to marry his daughter, and Bristow fears that the personnel manager, Mr Sheldrake, at Chester-Perry is doing something similar when he comes to realise that he is surrounded by incompetent people. Setting about catching up with Sheldrake, he discovers everybody at Chester-Perry was invited to a party and his wedding the following day, except for himself. Attending the wedding anyway, Piper interrupts the ceremony when he discovers that the woman he once fell in love with is marrying Sheldrake.