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''Barbara'' is a
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...
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 ...
starring
Gwen Taylor Gwen Taylor (born 19 February 1939) is an English actress who has appeared in many British television programmes. She is known for her roles as Amy Pearce in the sitcom ''Duty Free'' (1984–1986); Barbara Liversidge in the sitcom '' Barbara'' ...
in the title role. A pilot was broadcast in 1995 by Central Television, and three series were then televised 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 1999 to 2003 by
Carlton Television Carlton Television (now part of the non-franchised ITV London region) was the ITV franchise holder for London and the surrounding counties from 9.25am every Monday to 5.15pm every Friday. The company is now managed with London Weekend Televi ...
. It was filmed at Carlton Studios in
Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...
in front of a
live studio audience A studio audience is an audience present for the recording of all or part of a television program or radio program. The primary purpose of the studio audience is to provide applause and/or laughter to the program's soundtrack (as opposed to canned ...
. The majority of location scenes for the series were filmed in various suburbs of
Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...
, including
Mapperley Mapperley is a residential and commercial area of north-eastern Nottingham, England. The area is bounded by Sherwood to the north-west, Thorneywood to the south and Gedling to the east. History At various periods the terms 'Mapperley' and 'M ...
and
West Bridgford West Bridgford is a town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Rushcliffe in the county of Nottinghamshire, England. It lies immediately south of the city of Nottingham, from which the River Trent divides it. Forming part of the Nott ...
, with other scenes filmed around
Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The traditi ...
and
Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...
.


Plot

Barbara Liversidge is a no-nonsense, outspoken, nosey, middle-aged doctor's
receptionist A receptionist is an employee taking an office or administrative support position. The work is usually performed in a waiting area such as a lobby or front office desk of an organization or business. The title ''receptionist'' is attributed to ...
with a sharp tongue. She has been married to her husband Ted, a mild-mannered
taxi driver ''Taxi Driver'' is a 1976 American film directed by Martin Scorsese, written by Paul Schrader, and starring Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepherd, Harvey Keitel, Peter Boyle, Leonard Harris, and Albert Brooks. Set in a decaying and ...
, for 40 years. Barbara is by far the dominant figure in the relationship, but Ted does occasionally stand up to her. The pair live in
Pudsey Pudsey is a market town in the City of Leeds, City of Leeds Borough in West Yorkshire, England. It is located midway between Bradford, Bradford city centre and Leeds city centre. Historic counties of England, Historically in the West Riding of ...
,
Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...
,
West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...
with their twenty-something son Neil, who drifts between jobs and a succession of short-term relationships. Their daughter, the long-suffering Linda, is married to Martin Pond, a TV presenter who has his own slot on the local news, ''Pond Life'', which generally involves him making a fool of himself. Jean is Barbara's appearance-obsessed sister (Barbara once claims she's had so much plastic surgery that "she literally doesn't know her arse from her elbow") who marries the simpering Phil. Barbara's colleague at the doctor's surgery, Doreen, often regales Barbara with tales of the bizarre situations she and her never-seen husband Clive find themselves in. Much of the humour revolves around Barbara's tactlessness and her family's fear of getting on the wrong side of her. While the family often complain about her, they usually find they struggle to manage when Barbara doesn't take charge. Although the show initially appears to have a very traditional sitcom setting, surreal humour is frequently used, such as Barbara baking a cake that looks like
Judi Dench Dame Judith Olivia Dench (born 9 December 1934) is an English actress. Regarded as one of Britain's best actresses, she is noted for her versatile work in various films and television programmes encompassing several genres, as well as for her ...
and a
taxidermist Taxidermy is the art of preserving an animal's body via mounting (over an armature) or stuffing, for the purpose of display or study. Animals are often, but not always, portrayed in a lifelike state. The word ''taxidermy'' describes the proce ...
friend of Ted's stuffing and mounting his dead wife. There were also some more drama-based plots, such as Linda's discovery she can't have any more children after the birth of her son George. In a particularly dark development, the final episode ("Who Shot Barbara?") ends with an unseen assailant shooting Barbara from behind - a cliffhanger which is never resolved.


Cast


Pilot

*
Gwen Taylor Gwen Taylor (born 19 February 1939) is an English actress who has appeared in many British television programmes. She is known for her roles as Amy Pearce in the sitcom ''Duty Free'' (1984–1986); Barbara Liversidge in the sitcom '' Barbara'' ...
- Barbara Liversage *
Sam Kelly Roger Michael Kelly (19 December 1943 – 14 June 2014), known by the stage name Sam Kelly, was an English actor who appeared in film, television, radio and theatre. He is best known for his roles as Captain Hans Geering in '' 'Allo 'Allo ...
- Ted Liversage *
Shirley Anne Field Shirley Anne Field (born Shirley Broomfield; 27 June 1938) is an English actress who has performed on stage, film and television since 1955, prominent during the British New Wave. Early life Broomfield was born in Forest Gate, Essex (now in t ...
- Jean *
Caroline Milmoe Caroline Milmoe (born 11 January 1963) is an English stage, film and television actress best known for playing Julie in the first two series of Carla Lane's Liverpool-based BBC sit-com '' Bread'' and Lisa Duckworth in ITV's long-running soap ...
- Linda Benson *Glen Davies - Martin Benson *
Madge Hindle Madge Hindle (born Madge Railton; 19 May 1938) is an English actress, known for her roles in British television shows. Career Hindle was born in Blackburn, Lancashire. Her break came when her friend, playwright Alan Bennett, asked her to appear i ...
- Doreen *Ben Robinson - Baby


Series

*
Gwen Taylor Gwen Taylor (born 19 February 1939) is an English actress who has appeared in many British television programmes. She is known for her roles as Amy Pearce in the sitcom ''Duty Free'' (1984–1986); Barbara Liversidge in the sitcom '' Barbara'' ...
- Barbara Liversidge *
Sam Kelly Roger Michael Kelly (19 December 1943 – 14 June 2014), known by the stage name Sam Kelly, was an English actor who appeared in film, television, radio and theatre. He is best known for his roles as Captain Hans Geering in '' 'Allo 'Allo ...
- Ted Liversidge *
Benedict Sandiford Benedict Sandiford is a British actor who is best known for his role as son Neil on the British sitcom '' Barbara'' and for 'Harry Enfield & Chums' in 1997. He also made guest appearances on '' Heartbeat'', ''Peak Practice'', ''A Touch of Frost' ...
- Neil Liversidge *
Sherrie Hewson Sherrie Lynn Hutchinson (born 17 September 1950) is an English actress, television personality and novelist. She is known for her roles as Maureen Holdsworth in ''Coronation Street'' (1993–1997, 2006), Virginia Raven in ''Crossroads'' (2001– ...
- Jean Nesbitt *
Elizabeth Carling Elizabeth Carling (born 20 October 1967 in Middlesbrough) is an English actress and singer best known for her performances in ''Boon'', '' Goodnight Sweetheart'', '' Barbara'', and '' Casualty''. In 1991 Carling was briefly engaged to Neil Morri ...
- Linda Pond *
Mark Benton Mark Benton (born 16 November 1965) is an English actor and television presenter known for his roles as Eddie in ''Early Doors'', Howard in '' Northern Lights'' and Martin Pond in '' Barbara''. Benton has also starred in the BBC One school-based ...
- Martin Pond *
Madge Hindle Madge Hindle (born Madge Railton; 19 May 1938) is an English actress, known for her roles in British television shows. Career Hindle was born in Blackburn, Lancashire. Her break came when her friend, playwright Alan Bennett, asked her to appear i ...
- Doreen *John Arthur - Phil *
Jean Alexander Jean Margaret Hodgkinson (11 October 1926 – 14 October 2016), known by the stage name Jean Alexander, was a British television actress. She was best known to television viewers for her long running role of Hilda Ogden in the soap opera ''Co ...
- Queenie Liversidge


Series Overview

*Pilot: 10 July 1995 (1 Episode) *Series 1: 27 June 1999 to 1 August 1999 (6 Episodes) *Series 2: 24 November 2000 to 24 June 2001 (10 Episodes) *Series 3: 23 April 2002 to 4 April 2003 (12 Episodes)


Episodes


Pilot (1995)

*"Job" (10 July 1995)


Series 1 (1999)

All Sunday, 8 pm,
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 ...
except ''Scattering'', shown at 7 pm #"Birthday" (27 June 1999) Ratings: 9.8m #"Rivals" (4 July 1999) Ratings 8.21m #"Amour" (11 July 1999) Ratings: 7.44m #"Friends" (18 July 1999) Ratings: 6.4m #"Coffee" (25 July 1999) Ratings: 7.18m #"Scattering" (1 August 1999) Ratings: 5.02m


Series 2 (2000-01)

#"Kids" (24 November 2000) Ratings: 7.55m #"Massage" (1 December 2000) Ratings: N/A #"Mum" (8 December 2000) Ratings: 8.70m #"Christening" (15 December 2000) Ratings: 7.56m #"Tyres" (22 December 2000) Ratings: 6.89m #"Fox" (24 December 2000) Ratings: 7.59m #"Sisters" (23 March 2001) Ratings: 5.80m #"Mate" (30 March 2001) Ratings: N/A #"Wedding" (6 April 2001) Ratings: 5.97m #"Sheep" (24 June 2001) Ratings: N/A


Series 3 (2002-03)

The twelve episodes making up Series Three were recorded as a complete series in 2001, but were split into two separate series upon broadcast - six airing in 2002 and the remaining six airing in 2003. The 2002 episodes were shown Tuesdays at 8.30 pm, apart from "Flood" which was shown at 8.00 pm and "Valentine" which was shown on a Saturday at 7.45 pm. All 2003 episodes were shown Sundays at 7.00 pm; with the exception of the last 2 episodes on Fridays at 8.30 pm due to the ITV News coverage of the Iraq war. The Series Three DVD release contains the full twelve episodes. #"Queenie" (23 April 2002) Ratings: 6.97m #"Flood" (7 May 2002) Ratings: 5.4m #"Valentine" (11 May 2002) Ratings: 4.8m #"Crime" (14 May 2002) Ratings: 6.74m #"Weekend" (21 May 2002) Ratings: 4.7m #"Baby" (28 May 2002) Ratings: 4.97m #"Honeymoon" (23 February 2003) Ratings: 5.34m #"Neighbours" (2 March 2003) Ratings: 5.42m #"Guy Fawkes" (9 March 2003) Ratings: 5.94m #"Kirsty" (16 March 2003) Ratings: 5.02m #"Cottage" (28 March 2003) #"Who Shot Barbara?" (4 April 2003)


Filming locations

The majority of location scenes for the series were filmed in various suburbs of Nottingham, including Mapperley and West Bridgford. The exterior location for the Liversidge house is located on Sandford Road in Mapperley, whilst the exterior used for Barbara's workplace is the West Oak Surgery on nearby Westdale Lane. Martin's news studio is the exterior of Carlton's Lenton Lane studios.


Release

''Barbara'' was first shown as a
pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...
within the ''
Comedy Firsts ''Comedy Firsts'' is a short-lived British television series consisting of five unrelated sitcoms and one sketch show that aired in 1995. Two of the episodes later led to full series, '' Barbara'' and '' Sometime, Never''. Background ''Comedy F ...
'' series on 10 July 1995. Four years later, on 27 June 1999 the first of three series was presented, with some of the cast and names of the characters being changed from when the programme first appeared. Unusually for an English sitcom, ''Barbara'' was written by a team of writers; Mark Bussell, Rob Clark,
Ramsay Gilderdale Ramsey Wilson Gilderdale (born 5 August 1962), professionally known as Ramsay Gilderdale, is an English actor, best known for playing Guy of Gisbourne in BBC children's television comedy ''Maid Marian and Her Merry Men'' from 1990 to 1994. He al ...
, Graham Mark Walker and Justin Sbresni.


Reception

Initial reactions to the pilot were lukewarm. While ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' described Taylor as 'ever-watchable', it felt there was too much focus on character at the expense of plot, summing up 'whether or not there's a series in here remains to be seen'. Critics remained ambivalent as ''Barbara'' progressed to full series; previewing the second series opener in ''The Guardian'', Jonathan Wright felt the show had become 'an enjoyable slice of mainstream sitcom', but Charlie Catchpole in '' The Mirror'' felt Taylor and Kelly were both 'sadly wasted', remarking '
Carlton Television Carlton Television (now part of the non-franchised ITV London region) was the ITV franchise holder for London and the surrounding counties from 9.25am every Monday to 5.15pm every Friday. The company is now managed with London Weekend Televi ...
say ''Barbara'' is ITV's most popular comedy for five years. I believe them. It's not exactly a crowded field, is it?'. However, every episode of the 1999 and 2002 series was in ITV's top 30 weekly ratings as compiled by
BARB Barb or the BARBs or ''variation'' may refer to: People * Barb (name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname * Barb, a term used by fans of Nicki Minaj to refer to themselves * The Barbs, a band Places * Barb, ...
and audience figures frequently averaged around 5-7 million viewers, 17 of the episodes winning their slots, meaning they were the most watched shows at the time of broadcast. The
Independent Television Commission The Independent Television Commission (ITC) licensed and regulated commercial television services in the United Kingdom (except S4C in Wales) between 1 January 1991 and 28 December 2003. History The creation of ITC, by the Broadcasting Act ...
's annual report for 2001 labelled ''Barbara'' 'a rare exception' to the otherwise unimpressive 'commitment to comedy shown by ITV', as represented by shows such as ''Sam's Game'' and ''
Babes in the Wood Babes in the Wood is a traditional English children's tale, as well as a popular pantomime subject. It has also been the name of some other unrelated works. The expression has passed into common language, referring to inexperienced innocents ent ...
''.''The Guardian''; 29 April 2002, page 9


DVD releases


References


External links

* * *
''Barbara''
at British TV Comedy {{DEFAULTSORT:Barbara (Tv Series) 1995 British television series debuts 2003 British television series endings 1990s British sitcoms 2000s British sitcoms English-language television shows ITV sitcoms Carlton Television Television shows filmed in Nottinghamshire Television shows set in Leeds Television series by ITV Studios Television shows produced by Central Independent Television