The BEST episodes of How Not To Live Your Life

Every episode of How Not To Live Your Life ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of How Not To Live Your Life!

Don is a single twentysomething who constantly fails to guide his way through life. His overactive mind doesn't help things as it plays out scenes of what he shouldn't say or do. When he moves into his recently deceased grandmother's house, he meets Eddie: his Gran's carer who doesn't want to leave. To help pay his rent, he decides to get a roommate in the shape of his teenage sweetheart...

Last Updated: 1/24/2024Network: BBC ThreeStatus: Ended
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Don and the Wedding
star
8.00
198 votes

#1 - Don and the Wedding

Season 2 - Episode 6 - Aired 10/20/2009

Don is asked to be the best man at his old school friend's wedding. But finding someone to pretend to be his wife for the day is far from his only challenge.

Watch Now:Amazon
The Field Trip
star
7.98
242 votes

#2 - The Field Trip

Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 8/19/2008

In an attempt to prove to Abby that he's a good person, Don accompanies her on a field trip with the kids from her school. However, his plan goes horribly wrong...

Watch Now:Amazon
Don Goes Gay
star
7.85
176 votes

#3 - Don Goes Gay

Season 2 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/6/2009

Don's lodger, Sam, invites her brother, Jamie, over for the weekend. Dan starts to wonder if he is gay.

Watch Now:Amazon
Don's Posh Weekend
star
7.81
200 votes

#4 - Don's Posh Weekend

Season 3 - Episode 3 - Aired 11/15/2010

Don and his boss Jason socialise together for the first time in the form of a double date with two posh girls they met at work. Don learns never to judge a book by its cover, as his date Felicity is far from prudish. Everything seems to be going well until Felicity invites them to her parents' country house for the weekend. It's a world away from Don's life and he struggles to fit in. He also has some over-protective parents to contend with.

Directors: Sam Leifer
Writer: Dan Clark
Watch Now:Amazon
Don the Singer
star
7.78
198 votes

#5 - Don the Singer

Season 2 - Episode 3 - Aired 9/29/2009

Sam is dating cool singer-songwriter Jackson, reawakening Don's hitherto unspoken ambition to be a musician.

Watch Now:Amazon
Don the Musical
star
7.75
196 votes

#6 - Don the Musical

Season 3 - Episode 7 - Aired 12/13/2010

After seeing the attention Eddie gets in his theatre club's production of Rain Man, Don decides to join up. The club puts on a tremendous production of Top Gun: The Musical. Meanwhile, Brian is still waiting to get a response from Sam about his proposal and is so desperate he even asks Don for advice.

Watch Now:Amazon
The Break Up
star
7.72
233 votes

#7 - The Break Up

Season 1 - Episode 6 - Aired 9/16/2008

Things don’t go as planned when Don goes out on the pull with Eddie. Don finds out that Abby is single again when he returns home and he ends up upsetting the girl he met whilst out.

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Don Gets Healthy
star
7.69
229 votes

#8 - Don Gets Healthy

Season 2 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/13/2009

Don joins a gym to prove to Sam and Eddie that he's fit and healthy, but he fails to get beyond the running machine without passing out. He soon gives up on the gym and decides to go for a colonic irrigation, instead, where he ends up agreeing to go on a date with the therapist.

Watch Now:Amazon
Don's New Flatmate
star
7.63
172 votes

#9 - Don's New Flatmate

Season 2 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/14/2009

With Abby having been gone for about six months, Don and Eddie both want different women to move into the spare room.

Watch Now:Amazon
The Young Ones
star
7.63
242 votes

#10 - The Young Ones

Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 9/2/2008

While working as a charity street collector, Don meets an attractive girl who is nine years younger. He starts to hang out with her and her friends, but soon finds he isn't as young as he once was.

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Don's New Job
star
7.57
203 votes

#11 - Don's New Job

Season 3 - Episode 1 - Aired 11/8/2010

Don has blown his chances with flatmate Sam and to make matters worse she has a new boyfriend. With no career, Don comes up with an elaborate story about a new job to try to impress her. Things finally appear to be going his way when a chance encounter with high-flying executive Marcus leads to a promotion. Of course being Don, it's not long before it all goes wrong.

Directors: Sam Leifer
Writer: Dan Clark
Watch Now:Amazon
Don Does Therapy
star
7.42
221 votes

#12 - Don Does Therapy

Season 3 - Episode 6 - Aired 12/6/2010

Don learns that Brian is going to ask Sam to marry him and realises that he still has feelings for Sam. Eddie suggests that Don sees a therapist where he ends up taking the therapist into his confidence and confessing his feelings for Sam, as well as some slightly shocking habits. Sam decides to throw a fancy dress party to celebrate Brian's birthday. Don feels unnerved when he learns that his therapist has come along in fancy dress. Don tries to find him at the party to stop him from revealing any of his secrets.

Directors: Sam Leifer
Writer: Dan Clark
Watch Now:Amazon
Don Dates a Homeless
star
7.41
249 votes

#13 - Don Dates a Homeless

Season 3 - Episode 5 - Aired 11/29/2010

Don ends up surprising himself after he takes pity on pretty homeless woman called Susan. Sam ends up suggesting that he ask her out. When Sam returns home with Brian, she discovers Susan sitting on the sofa in their living room whilst Don runs her a bath. The following day Don doesn't want Susan to leave but after he offends her on a day out he tries to make it up to her by getting to know her friends better.

Directors: Sam Leifer
Writer: Dan Clark
Watch Now:Amazon
Don's Angry Girlfriend
star
7.38
229 votes

#14 - Don's Angry Girlfriend

Season 3 - Episode 2 - Aired 11/8/2010

Things are looking up for Don as he has begun to date a sweet girl called Jenny. However, her behaviour starts to ring alarm bells as her moods swing from adorable to violent in an instant, turning Don into a battered and bruised mess. To make matters worse nobody believes him. The tension comes to a head during the local pub quiz. Don and Jenny join Sam and Brian's team. They are determined to beat arch rival Derek. Jenny hates losing. Is this a chance for Don to show everyone her violent side?

Directors: Sam Leifer
Writer: Dan Clark
Watch Now:Amazon
Fake Wake
star
7.38
295 votes

#15 - Fake Wake

Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 8/26/2008

Don discovers he's got to put on a wake for his dead grandmother, the only problem is he's already cremated her.

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Don Dates a Cougar
star
7.36
198 votes

#16 - Don Dates a Cougar

Season 2 - Episode 2 - Aired 9/22/2009

Don starts dating an older woman but can't handle the grown up world she lives in. Sam has befriended a male friend from university who Don catches rifling through her underwear drawer.

Watch Now:Amazon
Home Sweet Home
star
7.33
319 votes

#17 - Home Sweet Home

Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 8/12/2008

Don's recently deceased grandmother has left him a house in her will. However, it comes with a huge backpayment and a strange man who won't leave. To help ease the load, Don decides to bring in a lodger.

Watch Now:Amazon
Like Father, Like Don
star
7.30
258 votes

#18 - Like Father, Like Don

Season 1 - Episode 5 - Aired 9/9/2008

Don gets a new job working for Karl's dad, Glen. While there, the feud between the two increases and Don finds the father figure he never had.

Watch Now:Amazon
Don Meets His Maker
star
7.29
197 votes

#19 - Don Meets His Maker

Season 3 - Episode 4 - Aired 11/22/2010

Don finds himself having a bad start to the week when he notices that his hair is thinning, He ends up booking an appointment with a specialist to discuss having a hair transplant. Things get worse for Don when he notices that he isn't the centre of attention after he is completely ignored he storms out. After Eddie discovers Don's letter about the transplant he ends up assuming the worst. Eddie, Sam, Brian and Mrs Treacher attempt to support Don when they think that he doesn't have long left to live and Don ends up making the most of the situation.

Directors: Sam Leifer
Writer: Dan Clark
Watch Now:Amazon