Men Behaving Badly minutes longer. "Men Behaving Badly" is based on Simon Nye's 1989 book of the same title. Producer Beryl Vertue first considered it for a film before deciding it was suited for television adaptation. Harry Enfield, already a well-known comedian, was cast first. He had seen Martin Clunes perform in a play and recommended him for the other lead. Enfield felt out of place in the sitcom and announced he was leaving after the first series. When Thames Television found out, their immediate reaction was to end the series, and they had to be persuaded to put on a second series,
Men Behaving Badly talk." "Men Behaving Badly" boosted the acting careers of all four of the main cast. The final episode in 1998 drew 13.9 million viewers. The show was criticized by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents for its portrayal of a "lad's culture of boozing and irresponsibility". A companion guide to the show "The A-Z of Behaving Badly" was released on 1 November 1995. It features many handy tips from Gary and Tony and was written by Simon Nye. On 27 July 2000, two audio compilations were released featuring 8 shows from series 3-4. A script book entitled The