Drop the Dead Donkey (TV Series)

The New Approach (1990)

Robert Duncan: Gus Hedges

Photos 

Quotes 

• Gus Hedges : Yes, well, I sense we may be straying down Tangent Boulevard here.

• Gus Hedges : Geoff, what are the early signs of stress that we should look out for?

  Geoff : Well Gus, basically various key indicators, such as insomnia, anxiety dreams, short attention span, a morbid obsession with trivial symptoms, sudden changes of mood, temper tantrums...

  Dave Charnley : ...stabbing people...

  Geoff : ...sarcasm, irrational aggression, these are all possible indicators of a build-up of stress.

• Sally Smedley : You're saying I'm unpopular in the office?

  Gus Hedges : In some respects, yes.

  Sally Smedley : And what basis do you have for saying that?

  Gus Hedges : Well for a start there's the um, graffiti. In the lift. And in the toilet. And in the canteen. All of it, not... totally complimentary about you.

  Geoff : Yes, I think perhaps Gus we're getting *overly specific* here!

• Gus Hedges : What part of job strikes you as the most stress-creating bit?

  Damien Day : Oh that's easy - dealing with George.

  Gus Hedges : Why is that?

  Damien Day : Because he's always imposing silly restrictions: Don't do close-ups on fresh pools of blood, don't force entry into people's homes, you know stupid petty things like that.

• Sally Smedley : George is a waste of two filing cabinets worth of office space. He's weak, he's disorganised, he's...

  Gus Hedges : Uhh yes, I think I got this list from Alex.

• Alex Pates : God, I hate all this American bollocks.

  Gus Hedges : I think you're being a smidgen insular, Alex. This system has worked very well in Britain - for example, for stressed computer programmers in Milton Keynes.

  Henry Davenport : Of course they're stressed, they live in Milton Keynes!