Robert's Robots

Ministry of Technology representative Mr Fosdyke pays a visit to mild-mannered inventor Robert Somersby, to discuss his submission for an increase in his research grant. Robert explains that he needs more money to continue his pioneering work in robotics, and offers to show the government official his latest creation, an android named Eric. Meanwhile, foreign industrial spy Marken employs private investigator Gimble to uncover Robert’s electronic engineering secrets; Gimble sneaks into Robert’s lab, but is discovered by Fosdyke and mistaken for a robot. Amazed at how life-like ‘Eric’ is, Fosdyke asks Robert for a further test before he can approve the extra funding; Robert agrees, and the real Eric is sent to visit Doctor Randall in the nearby village for a medical. However, Eric is unaware that Gimble is following him – and the detective has no idea that Fosdyke is trailing him. Then Eric’s electronics start to malfunction...

While Robert takes Eric ice-skating in order to test his reactions to cold temperatures, Aunt Mille arrives with the news that Katie has fallen in love with the gas cooker. Robert’s Aunt also brings him a ring from the jewellers; it seems that romantic Robert is planning to propose to his girlfriend, Angela, later that evening. Eric goes out of control, and spins so much that he drills through the ice and into the water beneath; Robert is forced to use an electromagnet to pull the robot to safety – magnetising Eric’s metal body in the process. Back at Robert’s country house, Katie pines for the cooker, which has been taken away for repairs; the love-sick robot decides to follow the repair van, but he soon ends up hopelessly lost – and then one of his legs falls off. Angela arrives at the house, and a nervous Robert attempts to pop the question – but Eric’s magnetic personality keeps getting in the way...

Robert is having big problems: his new Maintenance Robot is causing havoc, not only breaking everything it tries to repair, but also those items that don’t need fixing – including Eric; and Robert’s new Sanitary Robot keeps getting muddled, putting Aunt Millie’s crockery in the washing machine and scrubbing Robert’s shirts into shreds amongst the washing up. When Robert decides to hold a dinner party for Angela, Aunt Millie resolutely refuses to use the robots as servants, and sets off for a domestic agency; but on the way she meets Gimble, who pretends to be a cook so that he can get close to her nephew’s electronics secrets. But when Gimble spies on Robert’s lab he sees the inventor deactivating one of the troublesome androids; he immediately believes he has just witnessed a murder – and that he will be the next victim...

When Robert tries out his four new Entertainer Robots, Eric immediately complains: he has recently been reading Karl Marx, and vehemently objects at the ‘exploitation’ of his fellow androids. Concerned with his robots’ ability to sing, Robert uses Eric to test out a new program; the long-suffering robot is soon belting out show tunes at the top of his voice – not only does his singing shatter glass, but it also smashes the binocular lenses of Gimble and Marken, who are spying from a nearby house. Katie runs off with the Entertainer Robots’ remote control, thinking it pretty; Robert chases after the dim-witted android, but Angela overhears him, and immediately suspects her fiancé of having a secret girlfriend...

While Robert is away attempting to make up with his fiancée, Angela, Mr Forsyth and Sir Mortimer from the Ministry of Technology arrive for some important talks concerning the robo-research schedules. But when Robert eventually returns, he finds his way barred by an over-zealous Katie, who has taken his maker’s instructions not to let anyone inside the house far too literally. Unable to enter his own home for the meeting, Robert is forced to get Eric to pose as himself, while he spends a cold night out on the garden bench...

Suffering from a cold after his night in the garden, Robert sets about fixing Eric’s emotion program in order to make the grumpy robot much nicer. Just as Eric is about to belt Katie with a chair for interrupting his television viewing, his new program activates, and he is reduced to tears over his mistreatment of his best friend. After watching a hospital show, an over-emotional Eric decides to help sick people by introducing a medical training plan to the other robots; he then decides to help his first patient, Robert, get some much-needed rest – but with Eric and Katie looking after him, rest is the last thing Robert gets...

Robert and his robots prepare for their first commercial venture, in the world of fashion. With two important clothes buyers due to visit the next day, Robert plans to use his androids, his fiancée, Angela, and his new robot duplicate of himself as models in the parade, while giving Eric the task of making all the outfits for the show. However, Eric – now back to his usual bad-tempered self and malfunctioning with stress from all the work he has been given – soon decides to form a robots’ union and call his comrades out on strike. Meanwhile, rubbish spies Marken and Gimble intercept a phone call from the buyers, cancelling their appointment; immediately seeing an opportunity to learn Robert’s secrets, the two agents decide to take their place. The next day, a disguised Marken and Gimble meet with Robert, only to learn that instead of electrical products, they are there to see a new range of clothing. When Marken then activates a jamming device as part of a ploy to learn the location of Robert’s electronic engineering secrets, all the robots malfunction, including the duplicate of the inventor himself – ensuring that the spies get to see a fashion parade that they will never forget..