Husband and wife team and Royal Shakespeare Company players Dame Judi Dench and Michael Williams star in the BAFTA-winning comedy which made them household names from the early 1980s.
Dame Judi plays Laura, who is thirty-seven, a translator by profession, and unmarried. Michael Williams plays Mike, a landscape gardener, and also single. Susan Penhaligon plays Laura's sister, Helen, who along with her husband Phil are anxious to see Laura 'married off' and introduce her to Mike at a party. The relationship is awkward, and neither are particularly impressed with the other, but they agree to pretend they are getting along well to keep Helen happy, but they slowly do find that a relationship is developing.
With both from a theatre background, and their real-life relationship, it was not surprising that they were convincing as an on-screen couple, and the series was always in the ITV Top Ten when it was originally broadcast. The release of the first series by Network DVD is the first time that it has been available commercially in the UK, and with a price tag of only £12.99, it will be irresistable to any Judi fan.
:: Series 1
Originally broadcast on ITV from the 1st Nov - 13th Dec 1981 on a Sunday evening around 10pm.
| Ep. | Tx. Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1.11.81 | Married couple Helen and Phil are determined that Helen's sister Laura should get married. To help things along they throw a party where they introduce her to Phil's friend Mike who owns a failing gardening business. Laura on the other hand is a translator fluent in four languages and it doesn't look as if they have anything in common. |
| 2 | 8.11.81 | Helen and Phil are determined that Laura and Mike get on, but when they ask each one seperately how they like the other they are surprised to receive different answers. |
| 3 | 15.11.81 | The almost-relationship continues onwards, and tears burst forth over a party invitation. |
| 4 | 22.11.81 | Mike turns up at Laura's place after he has had an unsuccessful romantic encounter with one of his customers. Laura herself is not feeling too good after having been stood up. |
| 4 | 29.11.81 | Mike and his gardening business are facing bankruptcy but he has a clever plan to try and avoid it. |
| 5 | 6.12.81 | The one thing that is now beginning to worry the now-together couple is that they have so far totally avoided physical contact. |
:: Series 2
Originally broadcast on ITV from the 17th Jan - 21st Feb 1982 on a Sunday evening at 8.15pm.
| Ep. | Tx. Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13.12.81 | Despite pretending to get together after the party - in order to make Helen and Phil leave them alone - it turns out that Mike and Laura have finally got together. However, they are finding some problems along the way. |
| 2 | 17.1.82 | Mike finds that he has made a mistake after letting Laura help him with his gardening business. He also discovers that doing three things at once - after Laura triple books him - is not possible. |
| 3 | 24.1.82 | When Laura and Mike visit the dentist together they are not prepared for the outcome. |
| 4 | 31.1.82 | Laura thinks Mike is proposing marriage when he is over-enthusiastic about buying a flat together. |
| 5 | 7.2.82 | Mike has temporarily got a new secretary but his interest is elsewhere when he becomes jealous of Laura's dinner engagement. |
| 6 | 14.2.82 | A lunch engagement between Helena and Phil does not turn out as planned when Laura asks if she and Mike can join in. |
| 6 | 21.2.82 | Helen and Phil are celebrating, but Laura and Mike have no cause to do the same. |
:: Series 3
Originally broadcast on ITV from the 4th Nov - 9th Dec 1983 on a Friday evening at 8.30pm.
:: Series 4
Originally broadcast on ITV from the 6th Jan - 17th Feb on a Friday evening around 8.30pm.