''Agony Again'' is a British sitcom that aired on

BBC1 BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...

in 1995. Starring

Maureen Lipman Dame Maureen Diane Lipman (born 10 May 1946) is an English actress, writer and comedian. She trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and her stage work has included appearances with the National Theatre and the Royal Shakesp ...

, it is the sequel to ''

Agony Agony may refer to: Concepts *Pain, anguish, or struggle, especially precededing death *Suffering of intense degree, relating to physical or mental suffering *Passion (Christianity), also called the Agony of Christ *Agony in the Garden, Christ' ...

'', an

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

sitcom that aired from 1979 to 1981, produced by the BBC after ITV turned it down; It had originally been pitched as a radio version for Radio 4. ''Agony Again'' was written by Carl Gorham,

Michael Hatt Michael Hatt (born 1960) is professor of art history at the University of Warwick. He has served there since 2007, before which he was head of research at the Yale Center for British Art. He is the author with Charlotte Klonk of ''Art History: A ...

, and Amanda Swift.

Cast

– Jane Lucas *

Maria Charles Maria Charles (born 22 September 1929) is an English film, television and stage actress, director and comedian. She is probably best known for her TV performance as the overbearing mother Bea Fisher in the ITV sitcom ''Agony''. Charles has also ...

– Bea Fisher *

David Harewood David Harewood MBE (born 8 December 1965) is a British actor and presenter. He is best known for his roles as CIA Counterterrorism Director David Estes in ''Homeland'' (2011–2012), and as J'onn J'onzz / Martian Manhunter and Hank Henshaw / C ...

– Daniel *

Doon Mackichan Sarah Doon Mackichan (; born August 1962) is a British actress, comedian and writer. She co-created, wrote and performed in the double Emmy award winning ''Smack the Pony''. She frequently collaborates with Armando Iannucci and Steve Coogan, ha ...

– Debra * Sacha Grunpeter – Michael *

Niall Buggy Niall is a male given name of Irish origin. The original meaning of the name is unknown, but popular modern sources have suggested that it means "champion" (derived from the Old Irish word ''niadh''),. According to John Ryan, Professor of Early an ...

– Richard *

Valerie Edmond Valerie Edmond (born 1969) is a Scottish actress. Her first notable role was in ''The Sunshine Boys'' at the Royal Lyceum Theatre, directed by Maureen Lipman, soon after she graduated from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. Lipman ...

– Catherine *Robert Whitson – Will Brewer * Simon Williams – Laurence Lucas

Background

Fourteen years after ''Agony'' ended on

, the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

revived it as ''Agony Again''. The BBC had also revived other sitcoms, including ''

Doctor in the House ''Doctor in the House'' is a 1954 British comedy film directed by Ralph Thomas and produced by Betty Box. The screenplay, by Nicholas Phipps, Richard Gordon and Ronald Wilkinson, is based on the 1952 novel by Gordon, and follows a group of st ...

'', ''

The Liver Birds ''The Liver Birds'' is a British sitcom, set in Liverpool, North West England, which aired on BBC1 from April 1969 to January 1979, and again in 1996. The show was created by Carla Lane and Myra Taylor. The two Liverpudlian housewives had met ...

,'' and ''

Reginald Perrin ''The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin'' is a British sitcom starring Leonard Rossiter in the title role. It is based on a series of novels written by David Nobbs and produced from 1976 to 1979. Nobbs adapted the screenplay for the first series ...

'' in the 1990s. Some of the original cast were used, although Simon Williams' character Laurence is not a main character like before.

Plot

Jane Lucas now has her own television show, ''Lucas Live'', but as before she neglects her own problems, including her son (who comes out as gay during the series), and focuses on other people's, especially homeless former businessman Richard. She has the beginnings of a romance with Daniel, a

social work Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social work ...

er. Jane's producer is Debra and her mother Bea, who was determined for her to remarry, is still a main character.

Episodes

#"Heartbreak Hotel" (31 August 1995) #"Love Will Find a Way" (7 September 1995) #"Dazed and Confused" (14 September 1995) #"Soap Dish" (21 September 1995) #"Hound Dog" (28 September 1995) #"Breaking Point" (5 October 1995) #"Showtime'" (12 October 1995)

References

Mark Lewisohn Mark Lewisohn (born 16 June 1958) is an English historian and biographer. Since the 1980s, he has written many reference books about the Beatles and has worked for EMI, MPL Communications and Apple Corps.

, "Radio Times Guide to TV Comedy", BBC Worldwide Ltd, 2003
British TV Comedy Guide for ''Agony Again''

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Agony Again 1995 British television series debuts 1995 British television series endings 1990s British sitcoms BBC television sitcoms English-language television shows