15 Storeys High

• Main
• Trivia
• Wikipedia
• All Subpages
• Create New

British sitcom set in a flat on the 15th floor of a towerblock in South London. The flat is owned by misanthropic, cynical recluse and borderline sociopath Vince Clark (Sean Lock), who is looking for a lodger. Somehow he ends up taking in wide-eyed, cheery social butterfly Errol Spears (Benedict Wong), and misery ensues.

The series lasted from November, 2002 to March, 2004. A total of 12 episodes in two seasons.

Tropes used in 15 Storeys High include:

• Audio Erotica: The call centre lady who makes one angry customer forget all about the late delivery of his fridge, before walking away from the phone rather stiffly.
• Bad Liar: Vince.
• Berserk Button: Vince really doesn't like being touched.
• Brilliant but Lazy: He may not be brilliant, but Vince obviously has a brain: he can describe the formation of natural gas, makes allusions to history and literature and is accused of being a middle-class ponce because he reads books for fun. He works as a lifeguard at a public pool.
• Bumbling Sidekick: Errol
• Comedic Sociopathy: This trope is pretty much Vince's entire personality.
• Cringe Comedy
• Fawlty Towers Plot: Vince's habit of lying over the smallest things, and his refusal to admit it, gets him (and Errol) into plenty of dificult situations.
• G-Rated Drug: "Blue Rat", the energy drink containing all the energy of a rat trapped in a can.
• Ice Queen: The neighbor Vince is taken with in the episode aptly titled "Ice Queen".
• Naked People Are Funny: In Series 2, Vince's naturist father makes a visit.
• Odd Couple: Vince is misanthropic and cynical, Errol is sociable, trusting and naive.
• Sliding Scale of Realistic Versus Fantastic: In this Sitcom, the situation is gritty and realistic, while the comedy is much more surreal.
• Sound to Screen Adaptation
• Unsympathetic Comedy Protagonist: Vince
• Yes-Man: Errol admits that he "doesn't like saying 'no'", and this causes him problems when he gets a job selling car parts to angry customers. Being a total misanthropist, Vince naturally argues with him over this issue, telling him that the only time saying 'yes' is appropriate is as an answer to "did you pack these bags yourself?" in an airport.