The Great British Sitcom

[AndyB2008]

Next up, an old series that's all-new to me...

I must admit I selected For The Love Of Ada as my next series as it wasn't something I felt particularly excited about. It was swiped hastily from the shelf as something to watch in between my current "main event" of Marvel Cinematic Universe films and series episodes, and was chosen primarily because it looked like a time-passer - one of those things to watch last thing at night when the last thing the brain needs is stimulation. And it fits that bill.

Ron Grainer's charming, gentle theme tune lures one in. It's sweet and almost fragile, which on the surface seems curiously at odds with the larger than life characters, but it works well. Harry Driver and Vince Powell's writing is very human and natural and all of it comes together - broad characters and all - to create something that's every bit as charming as the music promises.

The cast is all very familiar, and the dynamics feel not that far removed from the writers' already up-and-running sitcom, Nearest And Dearest. I don't think I've seen Wilfred Pickles in anything before, but his name as well as his face feels very familiar. Barbara Mitchell is someone I've watched relatively recently as Frankie Abbott's smothering mother in Please Sir! and The Fenn Street Gang. Jack Smethurst is another familar name and face, though not someone I associate with one particular role (yet. I do have his controversial role in Love Thy Neighbour lined up to watch at some point). Looking at IMDB I suspect he might be most familiar to me from a small role in early Eighties Corrie.

Then there's Irene Handl, who seems to play Irene Handl in every role she takes. She frequently fluffs her lines and corpses visibly every once in a while, yet it all gets worked in as part of her schtick and seems quite endearing. It does make me wonder what she was like to work with. It's interesting to see that other actors sometimes respond to her corpsing by smiling themselves and it creates a real warmth that might be absent if there was a re-take. It also shows the professionalism of the cast, since I suspect it was filmed pretty quickly, but it's only Handl who's missed beats when it comes to perfect delivery.

The cast is small, creating a play-like tone, but supporting guests are chosen carefully. Most notably, future Summer Wine regular John Comer played the hotel manager in Episode Three.

In addition to the sets (including the outdoors indoors cemetery set) there's also been more location work than expected, including a trip to a wet and windy Bognor, which was most welcome.

Actually Jack Smethurst is the only cast member from For The Love of Ada still alive (could be wrong on that).

Patsy Rowlands, Barbara Mitchell, Daphne Heard and Jack Smethurst from this show had all appeared in the big screen version of Please Sir to add.

(Yep the same film where Mark Redman's mother Maggie Redman from Corrie is comparing Bernard Hedges to Hitler, and Brinsley Forde appeared before he made a Diane Warren song a big hit. Yep, Aswad's only UK No.1 was not written by them)

 

[AndyB2008]

You know, Reg Grundy could have had a show at the time called For The Love of Ada too thinking of it. (Similar to how As The World Turns had a spin off).

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Well, I'm now a few episodes into the Second Series and it's proving a highly enjoyable watch.

I've been particularly impressed by the series' occasional serious moments, such as Walter remembering the last time he saw his wife, and the knock on the door from the young police officer. It's all very touching and feels surprising for a series of this kind (and era), and adds an unexpected substance.

Ada and Walter are now engaged and planning their wedding (which reminds me of Clarence), and I really enjoy the flow from episode to episode. Episodic it may be, but there's a sense of continuation that keeps me invested.

There are some really lovely performances. Irene Handl is great at being formidable and a bit ditzy at the same time and she's always endearing. Ada only has to call someone a "silly bitch" to get a well-deserved (and slightly nervous) laugh from the audience. You can tell she's loved. Walter Pickles is also charming. My goodness, though, he's very sweaty. In close-ups you can see his face absolutely dripping from forehead to chin. It doesn't show in the performance, though.

Actually Jack Smethurst is the only cast member from For The Love of Ada still alive

That's good to know. It's sad to see how very young Barbara Mitchell died.

Patsy Rowlands

Ooh - is Patsy in this? That's something to look forward to (along with Mollie Sugden).

 

[AndyB2008]

Well, I'm now a few episodes into the Second Series and it's proving a highly enjoyable watch.

I've been particularly impressed by the series' occasional serious moments, such as Walter remembering the last time he saw his wife, and the knock on the door from the young police officer. It's all very touching and feels surprising for a series of this kind (and era), and adds an unexpected substance.

Ada and Walter are now engaged and planning their wedding (which reminds me of Clarence), and I really enjoy the flow from episode to episode. Episodic it may be, but there's a sense of continuation that keeps me invested.

There are some really lovely performances. Irene Handl is great at being formidable and a bit ditzy at the same time and she's always endearing. Ada only has to call someone a "silly bitch" to get a well-deserved (and slightly nervous) laugh from the audience. You can tell she's loved. Walter Pickles is also charming. My goodness, though, he's very sweaty. In close-ups you can see his face absolutely dripping from forehead to chin. It doesn't show in the performance, though.






That's good to know. It's sad to see how very young Barbara Mitchell died.




Ooh - is Patsy in this? That's something to look forward to (along with Mollie Sugden).

She did - she played Pauline Whitehead.

Her role was recurring as opposed to regular though.

Although Barbara Mitchell passed away, David Barry (her on screen son in Please Sir) is still alive (unless that has changed) - one of a few cast still left.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

For The Love Of Ada has continued to surprise me with its sweet and poignant moments. I find it a very truthful series and it touches on some topics that I don't recall seeing addressed anywhere else: little practical discussions about life and death.

A nice example of this was Ada asking Walter asking where he wanted to be laid to rest after he died, which ended up with them both agreeing to be buried with their first spouses - Walter up North and Ada down South. It was just an unexpected, sweet moment between two people, but it was also something that had evidently been troubling Ada and she seemed reassured by the agreement. It actually got me thinking about how the resting place issue would work in my own life (I'm none the wiser as there are lots of considerations, with ties to different parts of the country within my household).

Some of the themes, along similar lines, are ostensibly a little heavier than one might expect from a gentle sitcom. Like Ada discovering her husband was buried in a neighbouring grave, overgrown with weeds. Or Walter learning his son won't be attending his wedding. And while both have an "all's well that ends well" resolution, I do admire the writers for taking us on that journey and showing us how the characters respond to a distressing situation.

Series Two has concluded with Ada and Walter's wedding, which was surprisingly touching. And before that we had the fun of them almost eloping to Halifax but changing their minds at the last minute.

I'm looking forward to seeing what the second half of the run brings. And with Mollie Sugden and Patsy Rowlands still to arrive, I'm sure it will be very enjoyable.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

For The Love Of Ada came to an end in O'Dramavision yesterday.

The series really was lovely. It's a treat to find a series in which all four regulars are a joy to watch. Leslie seemed to become a bit sleazier as the series went on, with his laddish charms attracting women and getting him into trouble with Ruth. He's became perhaps a little closer to Jack Smethurst's Love Thy Neighbour character, thought time will tell since I've yet to watch that.

The recurring and guest actors were perfectly selected as well. Patsy Rowlands did her Patsy Rowlands thing in a couple, and Mollie Sugden returned in the final regular episode for her character to visit for baby Anthony's Christening and clash with Ada, who called her (what else) a "silly bitch".

Incidentally, a bit of online searching has revealed that Wilfred Pickles was the uncle of Judge James Pickles and also Christina Pickles (best known to me as Ross and Monica's critical mother on Friends).

In among the usual episodic stuff, Ruth's pregnancy and Anthony's arrival been a welcome bit of serialisation. It's been amusing to see the signs of the times: Ruth knocking back alcohol and being in smoky rooms whilst pregnant; Leslie off down the pub taking in one over the eight with a young woman while Ruth was delivering his baby; Anthony in his carrycot in the back of the Austin (or is it a Morris) 1100 (or is it a 1300) without a seat belt in sight while Leslie puffs away at a fag in the front.

It's nice that there was a longer Christmas special to wrap things up, but I think the final regular episode of the fourth series had a better ending, with Ada and Walter back on the bench where we first met them (and where they met one another).

I still have the film version to watch, so that's something.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

It was a pleasant surprise to find that the film version of For The Love Of Ada wasn't a greatest hits retelling of the original story but a continuation as Walter and Ada celebrate their first wedding anniversary.

That's not to say some of the dialogue didn't have a ring of familiarity. But not as much as I'd expected.

In common with big screen versions of its peers from the era, there's a different tone from the series itself. Gone is the studio audience and, indeed, the studio, with familiar sets replaced with what appear to be real indoor locations. As with the other film versions of TV series, there's a series of misunderstandings and a hint of Carry On sauce. The latter mostly comes from Andrea Lawrence's slutty Sandra who wastes no time in leading Leslie astray by shampooing his hair and asking him to help with her stock-take at the barbers (not that he needs to be led that far, with Leslie as sleazy as he's ever been here).

I've only just realised that Leslie's wide boy friend Brian is Mr Mash from Are You Being Served? I'd thought the familiarity came from him looking a bit like Columbo. His Are You Being Served? replacement, Arthur Leslie is also present here as a gravedigger friend of Walter. Otherwise, familiar faces are fairly minimal. There's no Mollie Sugden or Patsy Rowlands, for example. Nor that little Scottish colleague that Leslie fancied. But that's all fine. Ada wasn't a particularly showy series and that carries across into the film. Indeed, even here it feels a little too diluted from its slightly larger scale and larger cast.

I'm not sure how the series would hold up as a standalone piece to someone who hasn't seen the series, but I'd hope well enough. I certainly enjoyed it as an additional little treat to follow up the series itself.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Actually Jack Smethurst is the only cast member from For The Love of Ada still alive

I just read of his death this morning. He died on Wednesday:

Jack Smethurst: Love Thy Neighbour star dies aged 89

The British actor played the bigoted factory worker Eddie Booth in the controversial 1970s sitcom.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Last night I stumbled upon a tacky behind-the-scenes "documentary" thingy on Channel 5: Are You Being Served?: Secrets & Scandals. I ended up watching the whole thing, but feel I should say that in a whisper.

It's probably very typical of a C5 exposé. No real research or revelations, and the only actors involved were Mike "Mr Spooner" Berry and some woman who appeared as one of Old Mr Grace's bits of crumpet in the series' final days (something that really came across - even in short clips - was how much the series' quality deteriorated in direct proportion with the length of its teeth).

There were a few clips of interviews with other actors taken from other (probably more legitimate) interviews. Other than that it was mostly talking heads: Robert Ross, of course; Mollie Sugden's son and a load of people whose names and faces meant nothing. The one I found most interesting - and borderline informative - was one of the guys who did the SFX and still had a working model of the frog-in-the-soup.

Naturally, it didn't live up to its name. There was a bit of talk about competitiveness over billing between Mollie and John Inman as the latter became what they called the "breakout star". And Mollie's son talked about his mother picking him up from school with some interesting hairdos in the days when she dyed her own hair a different colour for each episode, and about he and Mollie both feigning innocence with one another when it came to the pussy jokes.

The biggest scandal was a passing reference to Wendy living with a husband who was physically abusive while she was filming later episodes. However, it was so fleeting that I mistakenly thought the "if you've been affected by any of the issues mentioned contact our helpline" announcement at the end was a tongue-in-cheek reference to flashing Santas and kneed seams and actually laughed.

A couple of little titbits that I can't remember ever knowing (though I probably did at some point): the series' concept was said to come from Joanna Lumley (though they also said she was Jeremy Lloyd's wife when, in fact, they'd divorced before the series began). And the "You have been watching" thingies at the end were shot as live and took a lot of perfect timing from the cameramen, actors and editors who needed to ensure shots, poses and superimposed credits all lined up.

It was a pretty shallow affair with probably ten minutes of research on Wikipedia. They didn't even touch upon the big screen version (despite using many images from it) or Grace & Favour. I can't say it was informative or even especially entertaining. But there are probably worse ways to kill an hour.

 

[Chris2]

For The Love Of Ada came to an end in O'Dramavision yesterday.

The series really was lovely. It's a treat to find a series in which all four regulars are a joy to watch. Leslie seemed to become a bit sleazier as the series went on, with his laddish charms attracting women and getting him into trouble with Ruth. He's became perhaps a little closer to Jack Smethurst's Love Thy Neighbour character, thought time will tell since I've yet to watch that.

We had an an American adaptation in the early 1970s, called ”A Touch of Grace”, starring Broadway legend Shirley Booth. It didn’t last beyond one season, but it did get good critical notices.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

We had an an American adaptation in the early 1970s, called ”A Touch of Grace”, starring Broadway legend Shirley Booth. It didn’t last beyond one season, but it did get good critical notices.

Interesting. I hadn't realised this. Of course, I had to take a peek to see if I could see any episodes. I did find one tiny clip of the opening credits and a few snippets of dialogue. I have to say it looks very true to the original.

​

I take it the original didn't air in America then. I do wonder why some of these shows are remade instead of simply being imported, but then I know Americans can find some of our regional accents quite difficult to hear (and, to be fair, the Brits have ruined a number of American series with ill-advised remakes).

 

[Mel O'Drama]

The Triumph Herald (badly) driven by Edie Pegden in Last Of The Summer Wine is up for auction later this month.

I do love vintage British cars and vintage British sitcoms, so I'd have been very tempted if my pockets were a bit deeper.

As it is, perhaps I'll see if I can track down a die cast Corgi model, like the one being auctioned with the real car. Especially since it comes with a miniature Dame Thora.

 

[Daniel Avery]

I do wonder why some of these shows are remade instead of simply being imported, but then I know Americans can find some of our regional accents quite difficult to hear (and, to be fair, the Brits have ruined a number of American series with ill-advised remakes).

I've noticed that some of the Britcom remakes that showed up on American networks in the 1970s and 1980s were "star vehicles". Stars would sign contracts with a production company or a studio with promises of giving the star a role in a sitcom, perhaps a few movies, etc. The studio had to honor the contract or else that star could sue (or worse, get paid without having to do the work!). So the producers might decide to adapt a British series (or some other nationality---Brits just had a lot more stuff to copy) simply to fulfill the terms of their contract. It saved money that would otherwise be devoted to hiring a content creator and writer. If it became a hit, all the better....but even if it did not, at least they fulfilled their part of the contract with the star. Off the top of my head, I recall :
Amanda's which was a Bea Arthur vehicle that was a remake (with tweaks) of Fawlty Towers
High Society which was a Jean Smart vehicle that was a tweaked remake of Absolutely Fabulous
The Lucie Arnaz Show which was a pretty faithful remake of Agony

There was also a remake of Waiting For God that was in development as a star vehicle for Richard Mulligan (with Olympia Dukakis as Diana), but it was abandoned when Mulligan died unexpectedly. In all these cases, the premise of the series was seemingly not as important as the idea that the show would succeed due to the recognizability of the star of the series. That might have contributed to their failures, though.

In the Amanda's example, people knew of the FT parallels, which likely hurt its chances of succeeding since people loved the original so much and Bea Arthur was not about to attempt John Cleese's physical comedy. Now that I think of it, I recall seeing another attempt at capturing the magic of FT with a pilot episode (called Snavely) that featured Harvey Korman and Betty White (!!) as the ersatz-Fawltys in the period just after Korman had left The Carol Burnett Show and White's run on The Mary Tyler Moore Show had ended. Though Korman had the manic energy, White played the Sybil role much less shrew-like (!!) and it was....well, it's just as well it was not picked up as a series.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

By the way, these are clearly not only two different cars, but cars from two different model years. The one on the right is a traditional Herald 1200, while the one on the left is a later 13/60 with the Triumph Vitesse style front end treatment (note the different grille, light surrounds, bonnet flanges, light and indicator placement.

I do remember spotting this at one point, but hadn't realised just how different it was. Several cars were used for filming, and I think one was a stunt car.

The J-suffix number plate places it was from 1970-71, so the 1200 on the right (produced from 1961-1967) clearly has a fake plate.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Stars would sign contracts with a production company or a studio with promises of giving the star a role in a sitcom, perhaps a few movies, etc. The studio had to honor the contract or else that star could sue (or worse, get paid without having to do the work!). So the producers might decide to adapt a British series (or some other nationality---Brits just had a lot more stuff to copy) simply to fulfill the terms of their contract.

That makes sense of it. Thanks.

The Lucie Arnaz Show which was a pretty faithful remake of Agony

Oh my. I've heard of it but had no idea it was a remake of Agony!*

I just looked up the series mainly to see if it was as bold and dark as the original version. I was also curious to see if the gay characters - who were notable in the original for being played against stereotypes - made it onto the more conservative networks. I found this article which suggests, sadly, it wasn't anywhere near as bold and the gay characters weren't included:

In the original series, says Len Richmond, who's worked on both, sex played a more important role, and the show had more texture than this adaptation. For instance, the character Arnaz plays wasn't a doctor, and she was Jewish. CBS insisted that she be a professional and that she not be ethnic. Other changes: drug references and two gay characters were dropped.

Instead, The Lucie Arnaz Show hired a pack of network regulars: the silly female secretary, the obnoxious male boss, the intrusive older sister. The stale situations-a relative moves in and upsets the routine, an old boyfriend shows up and upsets the routine-kill the little pizazz in Arnaz.

To use radio jargon, the series went golden oldie when it was striving for adult contemporary.

I shouldn't be surprised, but it seems a waste to dilute such a terrific and daring series into something more fluffy and shallow.

I've also only just realised that Lucie Arnaz is not Lucille Ball herself, but Lucy's daughter, so this thread is well and truly educating me.



* Or perhaps you mentioned this when I was watching Agony! back on the old site and I've forgotten.

In the Amanda's example, people knew of the FT parallels, which likely hurt its chances of succeeding since people loved the original so much and Bea Arthur was not about to attempt John Cleese's physical comedy.

Yes. I think Ab Fab was also very popular Stateside, which perhaps explains why High Society had such a short run.

 

[Daniel Avery]

Some claim that Cybill, the 1990s CBS sitcom, was another rip-off/homage to AbFab, since the comedy interplay between Cybill Shepherd and Christine Baranski was just so good, and Baranski's character Mary Ann Thorpe had more Patsy Stone in her than they likely intended originally. But Cybill had been created as a star vehicle that was based on Shepherd's real life, only becoming more AbFab-like once the producers saw the chemical explosion between Cybill and Mary Ann and decided to make Mary Ann into a breakout character.

Or perhaps you mentioned this when I was watching Agony! back on the old site and I've forgotten.

I only mentioned it in passing, since Lucie Arnaz's show was so forgettable. Had I not been such a fan of the source material, there would have been no reason to remember it.

 

[AndyB2008]

Some claim that Cybill, the 1990s CBS sitcom, was another rip-off/homage to AbFab, since the comedy interplay between Cybill Shepherd and Christine Baranski was just so good, and Baranski's character Mary Ann Thorpe had more Patsy Stone in her than they likely intended originally. But Cybill had been created as a star vehicle that was based on Shepherd's real life, only becoming more AbFab-like once the producers saw the chemical explosion between Cybill and Mary Ann and decided to make Mary Ann into a breakout character.


I only mentioned it in passing, since Lucie Arnaz's show was so forgettable. Had I not been such a fan of the source material, there would have been no reason to remember it.

And Cybill got jealous of Baranski as a result, especially since the latter won an Emmy. Didn't she have a falling out with Chuck Lorre too?

 

[AndyB2008]

I've noticed that some of the Britcom remakes that showed up on American networks in the 1970s and 1980s were "star vehicles". Stars would sign contracts with a production company or a studio with promises of giving the star a role in a sitcom, perhaps a few movies, etc. The studio had to honor the contract or else that star could sue (or worse, get paid without having to do the work!). So the producers might decide to adapt a British series (or some other nationality---Brits just had a lot more stuff to copy) simply to fulfill the terms of their contract. It saved money that would otherwise be devoted to hiring a content creator and writer. If it became a hit, all the better....but even if it did not, at least they fulfilled their part of the contract with the star. Off the top of my head, I recall :
Amanda's which was a Bea Arthur vehicle that was a remake (with tweaks) of Fawlty Towers
High Society which was a Jean Smart vehicle that was a tweaked remake of Absolutely Fabulous
The Lucie Arnaz Show which was a pretty faithful remake of Agony

There was also a remake of Waiting For God that was in development as a star vehicle for Richard Mulligan (with Olympia Dukakis as Diana), but it was abandoned when Mulligan died unexpectedly. In all these cases, the premise of the series was seemingly not as important as the idea that the show would succeed due to the recognizability of the star of the series. That might have contributed to their failures, though.

In the Amanda's example, people knew of the FT parallels, which likely hurt its chances of succeeding since people loved the original so much and Bea Arthur was not about to attempt John Cleese's physical comedy. Now that I think of it, I recall seeing another attempt at capturing the magic of FT with a pilot episode (called Snavely) that featured Harvey Korman and Betty White (!!) as the ersatz-Fawltys in the period just after Korman had left The Carol Burnett Show and White's run on The Mary Tyler Moore Show had ended. Though Korman had the manic energy, White played the Sybil role much less shrew-like (!!) and it was....well, it's just as well it was not picked up as a series.

Ref Waiting For God - the slimy manager Harvey went on to be the voiceover for the Popstars (original and Rivals) and Soapstars (yes that one with show killer Yvon Grace, and the family the cast of Emmerdale kicked a stink over, hence the lack of storylines) shows.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

My shelves are beginning to groan under the weight of an ever-growing collection of unwatched sitcoms. For most of 2022 I've been lost in the MCU, with diversions into documentaries and variety chat shows.

It feels like so much longer than just six months since my last Britcom, but now that studio audience laughter is calling to me as surely as the song of a siren. It's time to journey back to 1981....

Over the last seven years, one of many revelations to have come from revisiting sitcoms I remember from childhood is that there's a great deal of nuance I missed back then. In particular, I greatly underestimated the writing of Esmonde & Larbey. Ever Decreasing Circles and The Good Life in particular were two series that underwhelmed me when when I was young yet knocked my socks off when I rewatched them in 2016.

Then there's Bob Larbey's solo writing. As Time Goes By appealed to me greatly when I watched it in full for the first time back in 2017-18 (pages 5-6 of this thread). This bodes well for my current series, since the two have strong ties on several different levels.

A Fine Romance - Bob Larbey's first vehicle as a solo writer - has much in common with his later As Time Goes By. Apart from the writer himself, both have a very similar premise as romantic comedies which begin with a middle aged couple meeting and follows the various milestones and hiccups in their courtship. Both feature the same lead actress, and both are named after songs that are familiar, oft-covered standards, which also serve as the theme song.

A Fine Romance goes the extra mile here by having the theme's lyrics sung by Judi Dench herself. And while both songs might feel similar due to their familiarity and the fact that they were both written in the 1930s, it's notable that the semi-comic lyrics to A Fine Romance are far less schmaltzy. One could even take the view that they're extremely cynical, and on this level it's in perfect harmony with the extremely unsentimental approach taken in the wonderfully witty writing.

This series was my introduction not only to the song, but to Judi Dench. Despite having gained an OBE a decade earlier, Judi was not at this point the National Treasure she has since become (it's entirely probable that A Fine Romance was what really got the mainstream public familiar with her name as well as face) and I knew next to nothing about theatre. And so, for most of my childhood (and possibly for some time into adulthood), Judi was simply "that actress with the pudding bowl haircut from that sitcom".

I did watch the series, and I think I did so with some regularity, but I don't remember ever "claiming" it as one of those series I would go out of my way not to miss. I suspect either it was watched by my parents, or it happened to be on before something else, or there was simply nothing else on TV at the same time (remember, when the series began the UK had only THREE channels from which to choose). I probably categorised it alongside the likes of Ever Decreasing Circles. There was a twee middle class thing going on, and I didn't find it riotously funny. And like Ever Decreasing Circles, I simply missed much of the nuance and Larbey's understated wit either wasn't fully appreciated by my young self or it went over my head entirely.

Watching the first four episodes last night, I found myself laughing a lot. The lines are just wonderful, with lots of trademark Larbey repartee. My first chortle came at an exchange between Laura and her sister Helen:

Well, I'm not Jane Fonda, am I?

Well, that is going to extremes.

True. She is older than I am.

While it's Laura's final line that's the laugh line, I found myself guffawing at Helen's preceding line. It was so blatantly diplomatic and understated that it just felt extremely British.

You know I've always envied you your intelligence. Dad used to say "Helen, you've got the beauty but your sister's got the brains".

How dare you

stand there in your Janet Reger underwear and tell me I'm cleverer than you are... I don't want to be cleverer than you are. I want to stand there in Janet Reger underwear.

The British brand name-dropping is perfectly pitched and gives it an air of Victoria Wood. Dench's incensed outrage at being called intelligent is a joy to behold. It feels very Ria Parkinson and it echoes a line spoken by Judi herself that's stuck in my mind from a People Magazine interview discussing ageing given decades after this series had ended:

There's nothing good about being my age. Someone said to me, 'You have such a wealth of knowledge.' I said, 'I'd rather be young and know nothing, actually.' Bugger the wealth of knowledge.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Now, on to the characters...

Judi's Laura is sarcasm in a smock dress. One look at the aesthetics and she makes complete sense. The no-nonsense, low-maintenance bowl haircut, the piercing blue eyes and the lips pursed in constant disapproval are all perfect visuals to accompany the zingers she fires off left, right and centre in her trademark croaky voice. As always, she's very watchable and hilarious.

For me, Michael Williams has been the best surprise of the rewatch so far. Whenever I think of the series, it's Dench and her round hairdo that always pop into my mind. I've found it hard to remember what kind of energy Michael has, though I've thought of him as being a bit gruff. It's a lovely surprise to find how soft round the edges Mike is. He appears very much like the kind of character who needs looking after and I completely get his introverted nature. The slightly unkempt look, with the hole-filled work jumper and the permanently tousled hair all add to the charm. He's like a little human Paddington bear.

Susan Penhaligon is one of those actresses whose name and face are familiar but with whom I have no particular association. She looks quite unlikely as Judi Dench's sister until you see them together and the chemistry they have. She's a very English rose type, and a very natural kind of glamorous beauty that's rarely seen on TV anymore.

Richard Warwick isn't an actor whose name is familiar. His face looks more so, but that could be because his dashing features resemble other dashing-featured actors somewhat. He did appear in Larbey's co-written earlier series Please Sir!, but only in a few later episodes so I can't say I remember him too well. He's very charismatic and looking up his name it's sad to see that he died so young.

James Cellan Jones's direction is perfect. There's nothing distracting and it feels simple and easy, but at the same time there are interesting choices in the composition which make it feel alive and interesting. The very first scene has Laura on the bed in Helen's room as the two chat. While the camera is on Helen, seated at her dressing table in bra and knicker and facing the off-screen Laura, Laura leans back on the bed and is reflected in the mirror behind Helen, meaning both are perfectly in shot at the same time without the need of a long shot or artificial staging. Perhaps my favourite two-shot came in the opening scene of the third episode where Laura and Mike visit a gallery to look at an exhibition of ethnic masks. They sit on a bench in the centre of the room at first in a long shot where they're back-to-back. Although they're close it establishes a disconnection or distance between them. This looks good enough, but then it gets better when we cut to a head shot of the pair of them. Although we're facing Helen, who gazes into space, Mike is in the background and his head appears to emerge from her shoulder. They look like a work of art themselves and the pair suddenly look inseparable and perfectly matched. It goes to show that it's all about perspective.

There is one rather peculiar fourth wall moment I'm less sure about, however. It comes eight minutes into the first episode. Laura is mingling with the guests by offering everyone cocktail sausages, and as the camera sweeps in she holds the tray directly to camera, looks down it at us and offers us a sausage. I don't know if this was an ad lib, scripted or added by JCJ. It feels a bit unnecessary, but on reflection it could also be akin to watching a live theatrical performance where an actress gets a little carried away by the energy they get from the audience and throws in a little unexpected interaction. These little moments of direct connection and acknowledgement are often those a live audience appreciates most, so it could be viewed as a nice little bonus just for us.

The series does have the air of a theatre performance. The scenes are long and quite verbose, and the settings tend to be limited depending which "act" we're watching. It's interesting that the first few episodes all covered a matter of hours. The first episode was the evening of the party where the two meet, while the second and third were both set the morning after (with the third taking them through to dinner that evening). It really captures that early romance thing where a couple find themselves spending time together so that by day three or four it feels they've known one another a long time.

It's feeling as though this is going to go by very quickly, but I intend to enjoy every acid drop filled minute.