“It’s New Year’s Eve. Larry’s parents are at the vicarage dance, leaving Larry in charge of the house. Big mistake. Because Larry’s a party animal and tonight he’s going to go wild – with a little help from his friends!”
Larry (Perry Fenwick) and his pals Johnny (Karl Howman) and Toby (Daniel Peacock) hold a New Year’s Eve party at Larry’s parents’ house while his mum and dad are out . . .
Larry is shocked to find his sometime girlfriend Sharon (Sallyanne Law) is engaged to Tony (Philip Martin Brown) and keeps trying to spirit her away for a last fling; female copper Rebecca (Phoebe Nicholls) and Johnny keep using others – including her copper colleague Sam (Sean Chapman) and neighbourhood bully Bobby (Clive Mantle) – to make each other jealous; while sad sack Toby unsuccessfully tries to connect with *any* female.
Shirley (Caroline Quentin) is so distraught by her failed attempts to connect with any guy that she plans to drown herself in the bath; Sonya (Annabel Mednick) tries to get her ex-boyfriend Tony back; Brenda (Kim Thomson) pursues Sam to no avail – until it’s clear that Rebecca really doesn’t fancy him – and Terry (Gary Olsen) – another copper who just broke up with his girlfriend of 3-years – succeeds in getting “paralytic.”
Terry and Shirley eventually hit it off in a full bath and Bobby calls Brenda a slag. When Toby defends her honour (he has a huge crush on her), Bobby threatens to beat Toby up.
Johnny clears everyone out of the kitchen and locks the door, leaving Toby alone with Bobby – but circles back through the back door and sucker punches Bobby, knocking him out. Sneaking back out the back-way, he leaves Toby to give the impression that he knocked Bobby out and so become the object of affection from Brenda.
Meanwhile, Johnny and Rebecca connect; Shirley and Terry connect; Larry almost connects with Sharon but is interrupted by Tony and Sonya. Tony then breaks his engagement with Sharon off and goes back to Sonya.
The parents eventually discover the party (t’was inevitable) and Chas and Dave sing Auld Lang Syne while everyone dances about in a circle.
The film features an early cameo from a young Nick Berry (later of EastEnders and Heartbeat fame) and a host of young actors who are now household names in Britain: Caroline Quentin, Daniel Peacock, Clive Mantle, Karl Howman, and the late Gary Olsen.
A terrific soundtrack includes the music of Altered Images, Bananarama, Bad Manners, Pauline Black, Elvis Costello and the Attractions, Dave Edmunds, Madness, Modern Romance, Sting, and Midge Ure.
” Top on, Top off, Top on, Top off . . . ‘ere, you talkin’ dirty ?”
Toby
Daniel Peacock
Larry Ascot
Perry Fenwick
Brenda
Kim Thomson
Johnny Reeves
Karl Howman
Rebecca
Phoebe Nicholls
Sam Diggins
Sean Chapman
Terry
Gary Olsen
Shirley
Caroline Quentin
Bobby
Clive Mantle
Mrs Ascot
Kate Williams
Mr Ascot
Kenneth Farrington
Tony
Philip Martin Brown
Sharon
Sallyanne Law
Sonya
Annabel Mednick
Sally
Sarah London
Phil
Paul Mari
Den
Harvey Hillyer
Christine
Michelle Winstanley
Steve
Peter Lovstrom
Pete
Robin Hayter
Skirts
Debby Bishop
Ralph
Nick Berry
Ralph’s girl
Ann Somers
Steph
Sharon Maiden
Vicar
Geoffrey Drew
Sergeant
Graham Weston
Johnny’s mum
Pat Ashton
Director
Terry Winsor