''...And Mother Makes Five'' is a British

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...

that aired on

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 ...

from 1 May 1974 to 11 February 1976. Starring

Wendy Craig Anne Gwendolyn "Wendy" Craig (born 20 June 1934) is an English actress who is best known for her appearances in the sitcoms ''Not in Front of the Children (TV series), Not in Front of the Children'', ''...And Mother Makes Three'', ''...And M ...

, it is the sequel of '' ...And Mother Makes Three'' and aired for four series. It was written by

Richard Waring Richard Waring (born Richard Waring Stephens; 27 May 1911 – 18 January 1993) was an English-American actor. He is perhaps best remembered for his role in the film ''Mr. Skeffington'' (1944). Biography Richard Waring was born Richard Ste ...

Brian Cooke Brian Cooke (born 1937) is a British comedy writer who, along with co-writer Johnnie Mortimer, wrote scripts for and devised many of the top television sitcoms during the 1970s, including ''Man About the House'', ''George and Mildred'', and '' ...

and

Johnnie Mortimer John Mortimer (2 July 1931 – 2 September 1992) professionally Johnnie Mortimer, was a British scriptwriter for British TV whose work, along with creative writing partner Brian Cooke, also served as inspiration for American television proj ...

. Craig also wrote thirteen of the episodes under the pseudonym Jonathan Marr, including the whole of series two. It was made for the ITV network by

Thames Television Thames Television, commonly simplified to just Thames, was a Broadcast license, franchise holder for a region of the British ITV (TV network), ITV television network serving Greater London, London and surrounding areas from 30 July 1968 until th ...

Background

This sitcom was the follow-up to '' ...And Mother Makes Three'', which had finished in June 1973. The final series had seen Sally Harrison, a widowed mother of two sons, marrying the antique bookseller, David Redway, the divorced father of one daughter. The two families then became one. The two sitcoms had almost exactly the same cast, although Miriam Mann had been replaced by

Maxine Gordon Maxine Gordon is a British actress who is perhaps most famous for her role as Jane Edmonds in the 1972 in film, 1972 Sidney Lumet film ''The Offence''. She has also had notable roles in the sitcom ''...And Mother Makes Five'' as Jane Redway, ''T ...

in the role of Jane Redway.

Cast

- Sally Redway (formerly Harrison) *

Richard Coleman Richard Coleman (20 January 1930 – 16 December 2008) was a British film, television and stage actor. Early life Richard Coleman was born Ronald Coleman in Peckham, London in 1930. He was educated at Wilson's Grammar School, Peckham. Af ...

- David Redway *

Robin Davies Robert Richard "Robin" Davies (16 January 1954 – 22 February 2010) was a Welsh television and film actor.

- Simon Redway (formerly Harrison) *

David Parfitt David Parfitt (born 8 July 1958) is an English film producer, actor, and co-founder of Trademark Films. He won the Academy Award for Best Picture at the 71st Academy Awards for ''Shakespeare in Love'' (1998). Early life Parfitt was born in Sunder ...

- Peter Redway (formerly Harrison) *

- Jane Redway * Valerie Lush - Auntie Flo *

Charlotte Mitchell Charlotte Mitchell (born Edna Winifred Mitchell; 23 July 1926 – 2 May 2012) was an English actress and poet. Biography In the 1950s she provided lyrics, sketches, and occasionally acted in revues on London's West End. She was especially ...

- Monica Spicer *

Tony Britton Anthony Edward Lowry Britton (9 June 1924 – 22 December 2019) was an English actor. He appeared in a variety of films (including ''The Day of the Jackal'') and television sitcoms (including '' Don't Wait Up'' and '' Robin's Nest'' He is the f ...

- Joss Spicer *

Patricia Routledge Dame Katherine Patricia Routledge, (; born 17 February 1929) is an English actress, singer and broadcaster. For her role as Hyacinth Bucket in the BBC sitcom ''Keeping Up Appearances'' (1990–1995), she was nominated for the BAFTA TV Award f ...

- Mrs Fletcher

Plot

''...And Mother Makes Five'' is similar to ''...And Mother Makes Three'' with domestic problems being the centre of the programme. The children are now older, but as troublesome as before. There are new characters in the form of Joss and Monica Spicer, and Mrs Fletcher.

Episodes

Series One (1974)

#"Where Our Caravan Is Resting" (1 May 1974) #"The Matter of Tiny Feet" (8 May 1974) #"Seed of Suspicion" (15 May 1974) #"To the Aid of the Party" (22 May 1974) #"Wish You Were There" (29 May 1974) #"If I Can Help Somebody" (5 June 1974) #"Fair Exchange" (12 June 1974)

Series Two (1974)

#"Love's Labours Lost" (22 October 1974) #"Double Standards" (29 October 1974) #"Bridging the Gap" (5 November 1974) #"For Richer For Poorer" (12 November 1974) #"Date Data" (19 November 1974) #"Part of the Furniture" (26 November 1974)

Series Three (1975)

#"Growing Pains" (4 June 1975) #"Goodbye Mr Turnbull" (11 June 1975) #"Friends and Neighbours" (18 June 1975) #"The Mating Test" (25 June 1975) #"Legs Eleven" (2 July 1975) #"Art For Art's Sake" (9 July 1975) #"Health Through Joy" (16 July 1975)

Series Four (1976)

#"Words and Pictures" (7 January 1976) #"None So Blind" (14 January 1976) #"Love Is A Most Confounded Thing" (21 January 1976) #"Unlicenced Premises" (28 January 1976) #"Sally's Diary" (4 February 1976) #"Jobs for the Boy" (11 February 1976)

DVD releases

External links

''...And Mother Makes Five''
at Nostalgia Central * *

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
''...And Mother Makes Five''
at British TV Comedy {{DEFAULTSORT:And Mother Makes Five 1970s British sitcoms 1974 British television series debuts 1976 British television series endings ITV sitcoms Television series by Fremantle (company) Television shows produced by Thames Television English-language television shows Television shows shot at Teddington Studios