Terry and June and other sitcoms in similar genre

[Charley1988]

I used to love this program and felt that this was the template for sitcoms if it's time and everything else was a variation on a theme - anyone remember the sitcom with Judi Dench playing opposite her real life husband - i think she sang the theme tune (before this became a joke in Littelt Britain) . Am I BU in being nostalgic for the days of this kind of TV - do you think these kind of progs would seem a bit dated now?

Did anyone watch Ever Decreasing Circles? With Richard Briers and Penelope Wilton? It’s my go to when I’m feeling a little down in the dumps. It’s such a warm, lovely sitcom. I just love it. And very funny too in a subtle way.

Was the one about women in a factory called "Clocking Off"?

Love this thread and many of the programmes mentioned in it. I think the warm fuzzy feeling we are all getting is a nostalgia for the days when we all sat around the tv with our families watching the same thing at the same time. Happy days.

Shelley - forgotten about that one.

Common as Muck, probably in the 90's about refuse collections - brilliant.

Was Clocking Off the one with Margie Clarke in the 90's as well? 'let's get funky with Chunky' (don't know why he was DJing at a disco but that was her husband in the series, Queenie and Chunky) because that was brilliant as well.

That's true RedRec.
Even if we all didn't have a device each with perfectly targeted suggestions coming at you, telly today just has too much sex. And I'm only in my mid thirties.
It would be nice to watch a programme with the kids where you didn't have to steal yourself for a long wordy age appropriate talk about sex, and the media, and getting metaphysical about truth, and lies, and representation and the border between the two.
Fuck sake, Angel's dancing on a pin head when you're killed out from work and commuting and everything else.

I cant be the only one feeling that.
Bring back non sexualised entertainment, I say.

Ooh. Anyone remember 'Dear John'?
Dear John
D do d do do doo
By the time you read these lines I'll be gone.

It was massively depressing.

There was a programme set in a factory called Clocking Off but I don't think Margi Clarke was in it.

There was another programme, slightly earlier I think, that as set in a sewing factory - that may have been it?

Can't remember what it was called but broadcast around 1990.

Dear John had an amazing fart joke.

I remember Love Thy Neighbour exactly like *@ChicCroissant does. The white husband was an arsehole, the black husband (he went on to be in Eastenders) was lovely and always won the day, and the two wives were great friends for whom race was absolutely no issue. However, I am white and I suspect a black person of the same age as me might have a quite different memory of it?

• a bit like Tom and Jerry where Tom always starts the fight but Jerry always wins.

do you think these kind of progs would seem a bit dated now?

Terry & June seemed dated when it was first broadcast 40 years ago. Efforts to recreate it in series like My Family were embarrassing. There were very good series that explored the nature of couples' relationships but were also funny, like Butterflies.

BalloonSlayer - is that the 'I'll name that tune in one' line? Still makes me chuckle.

Has anyone mentioned Drop The Dead Donkey yet? I had such a huge crush on Neil Pearson. Loved the episode where Joy goes to see the Chippendales (which apparently had to be hastily made up on the day because the actress lost her voice) and Dave, who's desperately trying to impress Helen, and Henry push all the desks together and do their own strip show.

DH apropos of nothing mentioned Duty Free. Much scoffing at the French and Spanish as I recall

'Making Out' was the factory series with Margi Clarke.

@SpongeCake23 I used to LOVE EDC - I had a huge crush on Peter Egan and used to love the way that you could tell he and Penelope Wilton kept corpsing when delivering the lines that Martin couldn't 'get'. Must see if the episodes are available on Netflix whilst I've still got it!!!

I liked the factory based programmes. I think there were two, but the one I remember better was the one with the actress that played Edna Birch in Emmerdale. Also I cannot recall name, but there was a city based office programme. It was either city (something) or (something) city. One of my favourites at the time.

Loved Drop the Dead Donkey too!

I do remember the husband slinging insults at each other that would thankfully never make the screen today, BalloonSlayer (LTN).

Drop the Dead Donkey

Dave: "I bet a tenner first thing Henry says when he gets back from the pub lunch begins with an "X" "

Damien: "You're on"

(Henry returns to desk and picks up post-it note stuck on his keyboard)

XYLOPHONE ?

Damien hands over money ....

Loved the Brittas Empire.

I have never seen it repeated

Also never seen repeated The High Life

However, I am white and I suspect a black person of the same age as me might have a quite different memory of it?

I think the major issue with Love Thy Neighbour was that people copied Eddie's racist language in public, particularly in workplaces & schools. Same with Till Death Us Do Part : Alf Garnett was clearly a caricature, and Johnny Speight & Warren Mitchell were ridiculing rather than celebrating intolerance, but many people took it as an endorsement of their own racist language & behaviour.

Shelley, starring Hywel Bennett, was great. And I'm glad someone mentioned Didn't Know You Cared, I really liked it.

I adored Shelley but it never go high enough viewing figures to get a slot anywhere near peak time. It did develop Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin as writers, though, so it led on to stuff like Drop the Dead Donkey .

I liked I Didn't Know You Cared , too, but Peter Tinniswood knew when to stop and it only ran for four series.

I have the High Life on DVD!

Another one from the vaults (321 posts in ...) :

Desmonds

Ooh, I’ve just remembered Brush Strokes, with its Dexy’s theme tune.

I quite fancied Jacko

@verylittleowl no it was at a party where the hostess was suffering from terrible flatulence and was very embarrassed. To spare her blushes the group decided to take turns in pretending it was them. So there would be a noise and one of them would say "oh do pardon me!" or similar.

It happens again and they all look expectantly at one guy who hasn't taken a turn yet. He finally twigs what he needs to do and says to the hostess "Don't worry Mrs B, you can have this one on me!" but I expect you had to be there!

@BalloonSlayer - same episode, love it, one of my favourites :) The line I quoted is from earlier, when it's being explained that there have been some embarrassing situations previously including someone saying 'I'll name that tune in one. I mean, you wouldn't expect that from a man of the cloth, would you?'

Yes, Jacko in Brush Strokes was so cute. Loved those opening credits with him reacting to funny situations with that evocative song playing.