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The Best Episodes of Waiting for God

Every episode of Waiting for God ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Waiting for God!

Refusing to succumb to old age, Tom Ballard and Diana Trent are a pair of seasoned delinquents that cause many headaches. Their uneasy alliance is...
Genre:Comedy
Network:BBC One

Best Episodes Summary

"Scandal" is the best rated episode of "Waiting for God". It scored 8.2/10 based on 45 votes. Directed by Gareth Gwenlan and written by Michael Aitkens, it aired on 10/15/1992. This episode scored 0.0 points higher than the second highest rated, "Sleeping Pills".

  • Scandal
    8.2/1045 votes
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    #1 - Scandal

    Season 3 Episode 6 - Aired 10/15/1992

    Resident Dave Cartwright has died and at the wake the drink flows freely amongst the inhabitants of Bayview. Tom and Diana certainly have knocked it back and next morning wake up in bed together. Jane is shocked but Tom suddenly becomes very popular with the ladies in the home's bowling team.

    Director: Gareth Gwenlan

    Writer: Michael Aitkens

  • Sleeping Pills
    8.2/1048 votes
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    #2 - Sleeping Pills

    Season 3 Episode 9 - Aired 11/5/1992

    Diana collapses and is rushed to hospital where Baines tries, unsuccessfully to cop off with the lady doctor. Diana, wrongly, gets it into her head that she is dying of cancer and asks Tom to get her some sleeping pills so that she can end it all quickly. For Tom, however, there are limits as to what he will do for his best friend.

    Director: Gareth Gwenlan

    Writer: Michael Aitkens

  • Great Aunt Diana
    8.2/1048 votes
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    #3 - Great Aunt Diana

    Season 3 Episode 10 - Aired 11/12/1992

    The residents are getting wet waiting for a bus but when it arrives the driver claims that they cannot get on for free for another four minutes as they are too early, so Diana hauls him off the bus and Tom hi-jacks it on behalf of the residents. Later this will come in handy when a very pregnant Sarah arrives, seeking Diana's reluctant help to deliver her baby. Ultimately a girl arrives, unsurprisingly, Sarah calls her Diana.

    Director: Gareth Gwenlan

    Writer: Michael Aitkens

  • Harvey's Fiancee
    8.1/1047 votes
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    #4 - Harvey's Fiancee

    Season 3 Episode 4 - Aired 10/1/1992

    Baines meets a girl-friend, Lucy Maitland, at the hunt ball. His mother is coming to visit before going to stay with his sister so Jane poses as Lucy Maitland to put Mother off Harvey's new fiancee whilst Tom and Diana ham it up mercilessly pretending to be Baines' parents talking to Lucy. The result is that Lucy does not stay around and Jane has got her Baines back all to herself.

    Director: Gareth Gwenlan

    Writer: Michael Aitkens

  • A Double Wedding?
    8.1/1040 votes
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    #5 - A Double Wedding?

    Season 5 Episode 8 - Aired 10/27/1994

    After confiding her doubts about marriage to Sarah, Diana has a raucous hen night with male strippers whilst Tom's stag night is a very staid affair. The befuddled Dennis Sparrow is to conduct the two wedding ceremonies separately but due to a double booking involving a funeral, a double wedding is on the cards after all - despite Marion's efforts to sabotage Tom's marrying Diana.

    Director: Gareth Gwenlan

    Writer: Michael Aitkens

  • Welcome to Bayview
    8.0/1075 votes
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    #6 - Welcome to Bayview

    Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 6/28/1990

    Tom Ballard is put in Bayview retirement home by drunken daughter Marion and her weak husband Geoffrey. Many of the residents are very passive but not retired journalist Diana Trent, whose mission in life is to annoy 'the idiot Baines' - Harvey Baines, the home's manager. Initially she thinks Tom is rather dotty but when he tries to organize the residents into action against the home's poor food she knows she has found an ally.

    Director: Gareth Gwenlan

    Writer: Michael Aitkens

  • Daisy Takes Charge
    8.0/1052 votes
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    #7 - Daisy Takes Charge

    Season 2 Episode 3 - Aired 9/19/1991

    Baines threatens Diana with expulsion unless she removes the partition but they both have more pressing matters to consider as Daisy becomes completely domineering, taking over the home with her ideas and threatening to get current staff sacked. Finally, Tom organizes a revolt against her, causing her to leave . . . and Diana to remove the partition.

    Director: Gareth Gwenlan

    Writer: Michael Aitkens

  • The Estate Agent
    8.0/1045 votes
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    #8 - The Estate Agent

    Season 3 Episode 5 - Aired 10/8/1992

    After she has been accused of selfishness, Diana goes to work as a volunteer at a charity for elderly people and takes up the cause of an old lady about to be evicted by unscrupulous estate agent Janet Follett. Diana learns that Ms. Follett is Baines' new girl-friend and she has plans for Bayview which will not go down well with the residents. With a little help from Tom and her media background Diana sets out to expose Ms. Follett.

    Director: Gareth Gwenlan

    Writer: Michael Aitkens

  • The Thief
    7.9/1050 votes
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    #9 - The Thief

    Season 2 Episode 4 - Aired 9/26/1991

    Resident Betty claims that her sewing basket has gone missing and Tom and Diana decide to investigate. Not fully believing Betty's story they follow her and Tom intervenes when they see her apparently shop-lifting. Tom is arrested and conducts his own court case, being found not guilty of theft, but guilty of contempt of court. Later, Diana recalls that she had the sewing basket all along, having borrowed it from Betty and forgetting she still had it.

    Director: Sue Bysh

    Writer: Michael Aitkens

  • Two Nasty Children
    7.9/1049 votes
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    #10 - Two Nasty Children

    Season 3 Episode 2 - Aired 9/17/1992

    Blaming Tom for introducing Marion to Dennis Sparrow, Geoffrey asks him to baby-sit his two children Skye and Tarquin, but they are little monsters who run rings round them. Fortunately, Diana is on hand to put them in their place. Baines decides to try computer dating to find his wife but Jane decides to put her oar in.

    Director: Gareth Gwenlan

    Writer: Michael Aitkens

  • The Conference
    7.9/1036 votes
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    #11 - The Conference

    Season 4 Episode 10 - Aired 11/11/1993

    There is to be a conference on the needs of the elderly held, and Diana is asked to be the local representative. At the same time Tom is waiting on tests to see if he has prostrate cancer, and so Diana researches the subject for the conference. Although the results of the test are as yet undisclosed, Tom declares his love for Diana.

    Director: Gareth Gwenlan

    Writer: Michael Aitkens

  • The Psychiatrist
    7.8/1053 votes
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    #12 - The Psychiatrist

    Season 1 Episode 6 - Aired 8/2/1990

    Baines decides that if Diana and Tom are seen to be mentally incompetent it will give him power of attorney over them and end all his troubles, particularly as the home is in financial difficulties. So he refers them to psychiatrist Dr.Darrow, for whom they act out a well-rehearsed pantomine of odd behaviour, leading the doctor to conclude that they are not mad, just a touch eccentric, with unexpected help coming from Sarah.

    Director: Gareth Gwenlan

    Writer: Michael Aitkens

  • Politics
    7.8/1041 votes
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    #13 - Politics

    Season 3 Episode 8 - Aired 10/29/1992

    Diana decides that she would like to enter politics and stands as an independent candidate for the Residents' Party. Baines has been asked to stand for the Tories so Tom decides he will have some fun and join in the race too. Diana is forced to stand down when Baines threatens to sack care worker Jenny but Diana makes sure that this is used against him too and his political career is a non-starter.

    Director: Gareth Gwenlan

    Writer: Michael Aitkens

  • Waterworks
    7.8/1034 votes
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    #14 - Waterworks

    Season 4 Episode 9 - Aired 11/4/1993

    After drinking a lot at a reunion, Tom has trouble passing water and becomes very sensitive about it. He tries to keep it from Diana but his secretive behaviour initially leads her to believe that he is seeing another woman. Ultimately, he sees a doctor and goes to hospital and she is upset that he had not told her the truth.

    Director: Gareth Gwenlan

    Writer: Michael Aitkens

  • A Trip to Brighton
    7.7/1070 votes
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    #15 - A Trip to Brighton

    Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 7/5/1990

    Diana rows with chief carer Jane for calling her a senior citizen and Tom does his best to ignore Marion and Geoffrey. Diana's niece Sarah has left her Porsche at the home so Diana drives Tom to Brighton in it. Harvey Baines reports it missing and the couple are stopped by the police but explain that Diana has her niece's permission to use it and Harvey is threatened with arrest for wasting police time.

    Director: Gareth Gwenlan

    Writer: Michael Aitkens

  • The Hip Operation
    7.7/1057 votes
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    #16 - The Hip Operation

    Season 2 Episode 6 - Aired 10/10/1991

    Diana falls and breaks her hip whilst throwing a brick at the home's incompetent South American gardener. She is taken to hospital where she rows with the Welsh doctor over a hip replacement operation and Sarah, about to marry Sam, comes to visit. Sarah knows that Diana dislikes Sam and wonders if she will try to stop the wedding..or even attend. In the end Diana turns up for her niece's big day, using a Zimmer frame. Marion, meanwhile, is not making a success of the beauty shop and Tom suggests Sam take back the franchise.

    Director: Gareth Gwenlan

    Writer: Michael Aitkens

  • Looking for Work
    7.7/1045 votes
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    #17 - Looking for Work

    Season 3 Episode 3 - Aired 9/24/1992

    It's April and yet it's still very cold so the residents do not appreciate it when Baines turns off the central heating and suggest the residents go jogging to keep warm. Tom and Diana decide to get jobs to get out of the icy-cold home. Tom gets a job working with Geoffrey, but he is such a pain that ,in order to get rid of him, Geoffrey pays Baines to put the heating back on.

    Director: Gareth Gwenlan

    Writer: Michael Aitkens

  • Sabotage
    7.7/1044 votes
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    #18 - Sabotage

    Season 3 Episode 7 - Aired 10/22/1992

    Whilst Baines is ecstatic about his new car Tom and Diana plan a little holiday and start a vacation fund. Unfortunately, Geoffrey decides to invest the money in the new intensive care wing that Baines is having built for Bayview. When Tom finds out he and Basil show how creative they can be when somebody conveniently leaves a bulldozer lying around and the holiday is on.

    Director: Gareth Gwenlan

    Writer: Michael Aitkens

  • The Seance
    7.7/1038 votes
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    #19 - The Seance

    Season 4 Episode 5 - Aired 10/7/1993

    Whilst Mr. Kwok demonstrates karate to the Bayview males, who vie with each other to impress Jane, Tom is introduced to Jane's psychic, Marjorie Evans, and asks to be put in touch with his dead wife. A seance is duly organized, but Marion has bribed the medium to give a fake message, saying that Tom's wife disapproves of his relationship with Diana. Diana,however, exposes the plot.

    Director: Gareth Gwenlan

    Writer: Michael Aitkens

  • After The Operation
    7.7/1033 votes
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    #20 - After The Operation

    Season 5 Episode 1 - Aired 9/8/1994

    Diana visits Tom in hospital. His operation to clear his prostrate cancer has been a success and he returns to Bayview with her. Unfortunately Geoffrey, who has had yet another falling-out with Marion, decides he wants to move in with them again. Baines is rejected by an exclusive golf club because he is unmarried.

    Director: Gareth Gwenlan

    Writer: Michael Aitkens

  • Cheering Up Tom
    7.6/1061 votes
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    #21 - Cheering Up Tom

    Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 7/12/1990

    Tom really thinks that he won't have to wait for God much longer when he says he is dying and is rushed to hospital. He is discovered to have had a heart attack but he becomes very depressed and talks about suicide,writing 'die on Thursday' in his diary. In order to talk him out of what she believes to be his plan to end it all Diana threatens to join him.

    Director: Gareth Gwenlan

    Writer: Michael Aitkens

  • Fraulein Mueller
    7.6/1055 votes
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    #22 - Fraulein Mueller

    Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 7/26/1990

    Jane wants to become a nun so Baines sacks her and brings in stern German matron Greta Mueller, who is a tyrant and tells Sarah where Diana hid the Porsche. Tom cons Baines into making him the head of the Residents' Association and gets up a petition, which Baines thinks is to get rid of Diana, so he signs it. Actually it's to get rid of Greta, so he is forced to fire her and reinstate Jane.

    Director: Gareth Gwenlan

    Writer: Michael Aitkens

  • The Helicopter
    7.6/1055 votes
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    #23 - The Helicopter

    Season 1 Episode 7 - Aired 8/9/1990

    With upcoming by-elections Councillor Ferguson is courting the grey vote and comes to the home. At the same time Diana, once a photo-journalist, takes Tom up in a helicopter to take aerial shots of local houses to sell to their owners. Among her shots is one of Ferguson and the Swedish nanny being very naughty on the lawn. This comes in very handy at scuppering Ferguson's plan to support a Japanese spare parts factory being built next to Bayview.

    Director: Gareth Gwenlan

    Writer: Michael Aitkens

  • Glamorous Grannies
    7.6/1053 votes
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    #24 - Glamorous Grannies

    Season 2 Episode 7 - Aired 10/17/1991

    Tom has a bet with Diana that she can't be nice to people for a work. Such untypical actions only lead to confusion. Baines wants to organize a glamorous grandmother contest for the old ladies in the home, the prize being a cruise for two. Since Basil wants to marry Betty, Tom approaches his son-in-law Geoffrey, whose firm are sponsoring the contest to let Betty win, but when Betty gets cold feet and refuses to enter, Diana, having made sure a journalist friend is present to expose any 'fixing' the contest; replaces her and wins. She lets Betty and Basil have the prize.

    Director: Sue Bysh

    Writer: Michael Aitkens

  • Financial Difficulties
    7.6/1038 votes
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    #25 - Financial Difficulties

    Season 4 Episode 1 - Aired 9/9/1993

    Diana is horrified to find that she is unaccountably in the red and goes up to London to cause a fuss, only to discover that all her investments have gone into receivership. Back in Bayview, Tom's room is suffering from severe rising damp so Tom comes up with a solution that will sort things out for them both. They will live together in one large room. Diana accepts this but draws the line at being carried over the threshold.

    Director: Gareth Gwenlan

    Writer: Michael Aitkens