''Birds of a Feather'' 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 ...
originally broadcast on
BBC One
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, p ...
from 16 October 1989 to 24 December 1998, then revived 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 2 January 2014 to 24 December 2020. The series stars
Pauline Quirke
Pauline Perpetua Sheen ( Quirke; born 8 July 1959) is an English actress who has played Sharon Theodopolopodous in the long-running comedy series '' Birds of a Feather'' (1988–1999, 2014–2017). For this role, she won the 1990 British Comed ...
and
Linda Robson
Linda Patricia Mary Dunford ( Robson; born 13 March 1958) is an English actress and television presenter. She is best known for playing Tracey Stubbs in the sitcom '' Birds of a Feather'' (1989–1998, 2014–2020) and her appearances as a weekl ...
, with
Lesley Joseph
Lesley Diana Joseph (born 14 October 1945) is an English actress and broadcaster, best known for playing Dorien Green in the television sitcom '' Birds of a Feather'' from 1989 to 1998 and again from 2014 to 2020. Other television credits incl ...
, created by
Laurence Marks and
Maurice Gran
Maurice Bernard Gran (born 26 October 1949, in London, England) is an English writer and one half of scriptwriting duo Marks and Gran. He co-wrote the British sitcom, sitcoms ''The New Statesman (1987 TV series), The New Statesman'', ''Birds of ...
, who also wrote many of the episodes.
In the first episode, sisters Sharon and Tracey are brought together when their husbands are sent to prison for armed robbery. Sharon, who lives in an
Edmonton
Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...
council flat
A council house is a form of British public housing built by local authorities. A council estate is a building complex containing a number of council houses and other amenities like schools and shops. Construction took place mainly from 1919 a ...
, moves into Tracey's upmarket house in
Chigwell
Chigwell is a town and civil parish in the Epping Forest District of Essex, England. It is part of the urban and metropolitan area of London, and is adjacent to the northern boundary of Greater London. It is on the Central line of the London U ...
,
Essex
Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...
. Their next-door neighbour and later friend, Dorien, is a middle-aged married Jewish woman who is constantly having affairs with younger men. In the last two BBC series, the location is changed to nearby
Hainault, London
Hainault (, ) is a large suburban housing estate in north-eastern Greater London in the London Borough of Redbridge. It is located northeast of Charing Cross. Most of the housing in Hainault was built by the London County Council between 1947 a ...
, before returning to Chigwell in series 10 (the first aired on ITV).
The series' original run ended on 24 December 1998 after nine years, and returned just over 15 years later, on 2 January 2014, this time on ITV, for a tenth series. The opening episode of the new series attracted almost eight million viewers, giving ITV its highest-rated comedy since ''
Barbara'' in 2000.
A further two series were broadcast, followed by two Christmas specials. There was a further Christmas special in 2020, however, Pauline Quirke did not appear in this episode, due to her decision to take a step back from acting to focus on
her performing arts academy.
On 16 May 2021, ITV announced that there were no plans for further episodes and it would not be commissioned for another season.
Title
The title comes from the
idiom
An idiom is a phrase or expression that typically presents a figurative, non-literal meaning attached to the phrase; but some phrases become figurative idioms while retaining the literal meaning of the phrase. Categorized as formulaic language, ...
"
birds of a feather flock together
Birds of a feather flock together is an English proverb. The meaning is that beings (typically humans) of similar type, interest, personality, character, or other distinctive attribute tend to mutually associate.
The idiom is sometimes spoken or ...
", meaning that people having similar characters, backgrounds, interests, or beliefs will congregate.
Synopsis
For
Cockney
Cockney is an accent and dialect of English, mainly spoken in London and its environs, particularly by working-class and lower middle-class Londoners. The term "Cockney" has traditionally been used to describe a person from the East End, or b ...
sisters Sharon Theodopolopodous and Tracey Stubbs, life is never the same again when their husbands are convicted of armed robbery and sent to prison. Sharon, a common, fun-loving, large and loud-mouthed character from a council flat in Edmonton, moves into her sister's luxury home in Chigwell, so that she can support Tracey, after her husband's imprisonment.
Sharon always felt inadequate next to her slimmer, elder sister, and felt she had the tougher childhood. Her marriage to Chris, a waster of Greek Cypriot descent, was miserable and childless, supposedly due to Sharon's infertility. Chris' family condemn her for this, but Sharon discovers that Chris is actually the infertile one. Sharon happily cheats on Chris and gives him grief when visiting. Despite this, she becomes bitterly envious whenever he has another woman and only ever makes half-hearted attempts to divorce him until the first ITV series in 2014, in which Chris finally demands a divorce from Sharon so he can marry again. Tracey, however, loves her husband, Darryl. His legitimate business was building conservatories, but he made most of his money by robbing banks. Unlike Sharon, who is more realistic about their husbands, Tracey deludes herself into believing her husband is innocent, especially in the 1994 Christmas episode "The Chigwell Connection" and when Darryl is finally released in series seven, she trusts him when he asks for a cheque on the company account, which leads to Darryl defrauding her out of her business assets. He and Tracey have a son, Garth, who becomes a chef after going to boarding school and eventually marries Kimberley. This marriage does not last; in series 10, Garth has moved to Australia and started a relationship with a girl named Marcie. Tracey is the more honest and law-abiding of the two sisters, whereas Sharon is more willing to indulge in unscrupulous and often criminal activities, such as illegally subletting her council flat when she was living with Tracey, taking drugs, selling stolen merchandise, fiddling her VAT and claiming unemployment benefit while she was actually employed.
Dorien Green
The sisters' neighbour is the wealthy, snobbish, man-eating Dorien Green, a middle-aged woman who strives to create the impression that she is a glamorous beauty, dressing in a sexually provocative style, preferring mini-skirts, high heels and leopard print. She is played by Lesley Joseph. Dorien is married to Marcus, but is frequently involved with other men, with hilarious consequences. Dorien and Marcus are
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
. Her marriage is also childless, due to her vanity and the lack of affection between her and Marcus. She is a regular, if uninvited, guest at Tracey's house and mocks Sharon about her weight whilst Sharon teases Dorien about her lifestyle and age. However, Sharon and Tracey become the best friends Dorien has ever had and the mutual teasing is friendly and playful and it is often shown that Sharon and Tracey care for Dorien and vice versa. If any of them get into trouble or have a problem, the others are often the first to help, regardless of the consequences.
Although Dorien had several flings with younger men, Luke Horton was her most frequent lover and she appeared to genuinely love him, from the first series until he left Dorien for a younger woman in the second series. He later appeared in the eighth series when it is revealed that he has married and settled down. Dorien's nemesis is the acid-tongued Melanie Fishman, a vindictive gossip who Dorien constantly attempts to outdo. Marcus eventually tires of Dorien's selfishness and leaves her to begin a new life with his mistress and their children. Dorien later starts a loving relationship with Richard Summers, which is initially strained due to Richard's teenage children taking an instant dislike to Dorien, which she gladly reciprocates.
There is some uncertainty about Dorien's maiden name. She says that her father's name was Arthur Friedman but a wedding invitation to Sharon and Tracey, reveals her mother's name to be Estelle Kapper. Later, Dorien refers to her maiden name as Kapper and an old flame also remembers her as Dorien Kapper. She grew up in
Burnt Oak
Burnt Oak is a suburb of London, England, located northwest of Charing Cross. It lies to the west of the M1 motorway between Edgware and Colindale, located predominantly in the London Borough of Barnet, with parts comprising the London Boroughs ...
in the
London Borough of Barnet
The London Borough of Barnet () is a suburban London boroughs, London borough in North London. The borough was formed in 1965 from parts of the ceremonial counties of Middlesex and Hertfordshire. It forms part of Outer London and is the largest ...
. Dorien has several times claimed to be a graduate but never specified which university she attended and when. Throughout the series, Dorien toys with novel writing but is unpublished, until 2014 in which she is an established author. Dorien's mother appears on screen once but is often mentioned as an icy, domineering woman and the two clearly have a stormy relationship. Dorien also has a brother named Jeffrey, who she believes to be their mother's favourite, as he lives a modest life in a semi-detached house and unlike Dorien, has given their mother grandchildren. In series 11, it is revealed that when she was seventeen in 1965, Dorien had a fling with a man named Lionel and they had a daughter, Naomi, who was raised by Lionel. They reunite fifty years later where Dorien learns that Naomi is a vicar, yet she has inherited Dorien's appearance and fondness for risqué behaviour.
In the final episode of series 12, which was broadcast on 25 February 2016, Dorien celebrated her seventieth birthday. This episode was filmed on 14 October 2015, Joseph's actual 70th birthday.
Released from prison
In the series 7 episode, "Cheers", Darryl and Chris are released from prison and are determined to start afresh. Chris feels remorse for his crimes and not treating Sharon better during their marriage. He impresses Sharon by getting an honest job as a pizza delivery man. Darryl, however, feels that the only way to give Tracey the lifestyle he feels she deserves is to return to crime. He attempts to launder
counterfeit
To counterfeit means to imitate something authentic, with the intent to steal, destroy, or replace the original, for use in illegal transactions, or otherwise to deceive individuals into believing that the fake is of equal or greater value tha ...
money into Sharon and Tracey's swimming pool business but is caught and imprisoned again (at HMP Slade, an
in-joke
An in-joke, also known as an inside joke or a private joke, is a joke whose humour is understandable only to members of an ingroup; that is, people who are ''in'' a particular social group, occupation, or other community of shared interest. It i ...
reference to ''
Porridge
Porridge is a food made by heating or boiling ground, crushed or chopped starchy plants, typically grain, in milk or water. It is often cooked or served with added flavourings such as sugar, honey, (dried) fruit or syrup to make a sweet cereal, ...
'') – along with an innocent Chris, much to Sharon's dismay. Darryl and Tracey's marriage is severely strained by this and Tracey contemplates leaving Darryl, but decides not to but tells him that she will not be waiting for him, like she did when he was imprisoned before. In series 9, Tracey discovers she is pregnant and panics that Darryl may not be the father until she learns the other man had a vasectomy. When Tracey gives birth to her second child, Travis, Sharon vows to stand by her sister and raise the child together.
Sharon and Tracey's maternal aunt, "Auntie Sylvie" (
Vivian Pickles
Vivian Pickles (born 21 October 1931) is an English actress.
Biography
Pickles began her career as a child star after being chosen by Mary Field for a series of Saturday Morning children's films, including the lead roles in ''Jean's Plan'' (1 ...
), is frequently mentioned and appears twice. After Tracey's and Sharon's parents died, Sylvie raised them.
The character is later killed off.
Revival
In the tenth series it is revealed that Tracey and Darryl have divorced and that Darryl moved to Wales on his release from prison. Tracey has remarried and is back living in her former marital home, "Dalentrace", in Chigwell, kicking Sharon out due to her dislike of Tracey's second husband, Ralph. At the start of the series, Sharon is back in her council flat and the two have not spoken for over six months when they "bump into each other" at a book signing. They are shocked to discover that the author of "Sixty Shades of Green" (a ''
Fifty Shades of Grey
''Fifty Shades of Grey'' is a 2011 erotic romance novel by British author E. L. James. It became the first instalment in the ''Fifty Shades'' novel series that follows the deepening relationship between a college graduate, Anastasia Steele, ...
'' clone) is their old friend Dorien. When Tracey offers Sharon a lift home, she confesses that she has thrown Ralph out after catching him stealing from her. Lonely, she persuades Sharon to move back in with her. Travis feigns annoyance that Sharon is back, but it is then revealed that he set up their "chance" meeting at the book signing.
As the three plan how their new set-up will work, Dorien arrives unexpectedly, after learning that she is being sued for plagiarising ''
Fifty Shades of Grey
''Fifty Shades of Grey'' is a 2011 erotic romance novel by British author E. L. James. It became the first instalment in the ''Fifty Shades'' novel series that follows the deepening relationship between a college graduate, Anastasia Steele, ...
''. With all her assets frozen, she has no choice but to beg Tracey for a place to stay. Just as everyone is speculating how they will all fit into the house, Garth arrives with new girlfriend Marcie and her daughter, Poppy. By the end of the series Garth, Marcie and Poppy have moved out, with the couple opening a pop-up restaurant and the case against Dorien collapsed, due to a tabloid exposé about an MP she once dated – which proves the stories in her book were true. However, after initially planning to return to her former home in Hollywood, Dorien realises that Sharon and Tracey are her true friends and opts to stay with them.
In series 11, Garth comes home, having separated from Marcie. Dorien's past comes back to haunt her when, amongst her fan mail, she finds a letter from the daughter she gave up for adoption. Dorien eventually agrees to meet Naomi (
Frances Ruffelle
Frances Ruffelle (born 29 August 1965) is an English musical theatre actress and singer. She won a Tony Award in 1987, and represented the United Kingdom in the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest with the song " Lonely Symphony (We Will Be Free)", f ...
), who she is stunned to discover is a vicar with two grown-up children. Meanwhile, Tracey is faced with health concerns when she discovers a large mole on her shoulder is malignant.
In series 12, the police tell Tracey that Darryl died in an attempted robbery and that Garth is next of kin. The funeral is attended by Tracey, Sharon, Dorien, Garth, Travis and many of Darryl's gangster friends. Dorien is also revealed to have a granddaughter named Emma (Naomi's daughter), who briefly moved into the Stubbs house.
Production
In the original series, most of the interior scenes were shot at
Teddington Studios
Teddington Studios was a large British television studio in Teddington, London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, providing studio facilities for programmes airing on the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, Sky1 and others. The complex also provide ...
. The exterior filming location for 'Dalentrace' was on Camp Road,
Gerrards Cross
Gerrards Cross is a town and civil parish in south Buckinghamshire, England, separated from the London Borough of Hillingdon at Harefield by Denham, south of Chalfont St Peter and north bordering villages of Fulmer, Hedgerley, Iver Heath and St ...
area in
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...
. Streets in the North West London suburb of
Pinner
Pinner is a London suburb in the London borough of Harrow, Greater London, England, northwest of Charing Cross, close to the border with Hillingdon, historically in the county of Middlesex. The population was 31,130 in 2011.
Originally a med ...
frequently doubled for
Chigwell
Chigwell is a town and civil parish in the Epping Forest District of Essex, England. It is part of the urban and metropolitan area of London, and is adjacent to the northern boundary of Greater London. It is on the Central line of the London U ...
, the series' setting. In the original series, the prison exteriors were filmed at
HM Prison Maidstone.
For the 2014 revived series, interior scenes were recorded in Studio 2 at
The London Studios
The London Studios (also known as The South Bank Studios, The London Television Centre, ITV Tower, Kent House and LWT Tower) in Lambeth, Central London was a television studio complex owned by ITV plc and originally built for London Weekend Te ...
. Filming took place in front of an audience between 28 September and 24 November 2013. The show moved to
Pinewood Studios
Pinewood Studios is a British film and television studio located in the village of Iver Heath, England. It is approximately west of central London.
The studio has been the base for many productions over the years from large-scale films to te ...
for the second revived series of the show. Filming for this series took place in front of an audience between 8 October and 26 November 2014. The show returned in January 2016 and was recorded at
Pinewood Studios
Pinewood Studios is a British film and television studio located in the village of Iver Heath, England. It is approximately west of central London.
The studio has been the base for many productions over the years from large-scale films to te ...
from 2 September until 21 October 2015, again in front of a live audience in the studio.
Opening titles
The theme tune was
Irving Berlin's "
What'll I Do?
"What'll I Do" is a song written by Irving Berlin in 1923. It was introduced by singers Grace Moore and John Steel late in the run of Berlin's third '' Music Box Revue'' and was also included in the following year's edition."American Classics - ...
".
Initially the version recorded by actor
William Atherton
William Atherton Knight (born July 30, 1947) is an American actor, best known for portraying Richard Thornburg in '' Die Hard'' and its sequel and Walter Peck in ''Ghostbusters''.
Early life
Atherton was born in Orange, Connecticut, the son ...
for the 1974 film ''
The Great Gatsby
''The Great Gatsby'' is a 1925 novel by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. Set in the Jazz Age on Long Island, near New York City, the novel depicts First-person narrative, first-person narrator Nick Carraway's interactions with mysterious mil ...
'' was used; from the
third series
Third or 3rd may refer to:
Numbers
* 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3
* , a fraction of one third
* 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute''
Places
* 3rd Street (disambiguation)
* Third Avenue (disambiguation)
* Hig ...
onwards is sung by Quirke and Robson.
*
Series 1
The IBM Series/1 is a 16-bit minicomputer, introduced in 1976, that in many respects competed with other minicomputers of the time, such as the PDP-11 from Digital Equipment Corporation and similar offerings from Data General and HP. The Seri ...
During the opening theme for series 1, Quirke and Robson were seen both dressed in a white shirt and a black skirt and they walked towards to screen through several spotlights. Once they reached the screen it faded to Quirke and Robson sat back to back as they rotated.
The ending theme was an extended version sung by Quirke and Robson together. And it showed Quirke and Robson walking to the screen and back, passing through the spot lights, while the credits rolled on the left of the screen.
*
Series 2 Series 2 could refer to:
* Apple Watch Series 2, a smart watch by Apple
* Aston Martin Lagonda Series 2, the automobile model
* Aston Martin V8 Series 2, the automobile model
* BMW 2 Series, the automobile model line
* GeForce 2 series, line of nV ...
Series 2 featured the same music as series 1 but introduced the new opening which featured pictures of characters Sharon and Tracey as they grow up.
# Sharon and Tracey as babies, could be toddlers.
# As young children (this stage of their lives is featured in the closing theme)
# As children, grown up
# As teenagers, from this picture onwards, it is actually Quirke and Robson that featured in the pictures.
# As young adults
# As adults on Tracey's wedding day. From this picture onwards, the pictures are in colour.
# As adults on Sharon's wedding day.
# As adults, now as they appear in the series.
For the picture transition, the pictures faded. The last picture remained until the entire screen faded into the episode.
For the closing theme, A video was of the child actors that are supposed to be a young Sharon and Tracey, in the second picture of the opening theme, out in a park eating ice creams with their teddies, chasing each other, Tracey trying to get Sharon to play, Sharon jumping down some steps, Tracey looking through a railing to a pond and it ends with Sharon and Tracey waving bye and running away from the screen together.
*Series 3–9
Series 3 introduced a revised version of the song which was performed by Quirke and Robson. In the opening theme, Robson sang the first verse and Quirke sang the last; this was the opposite way round in the closing theme. It used the same video as the series 2 opening and closing theme.
The episode closing theme was an extended version of the song. Quirke and Robson sang separate verses before singing the last line together: "That won't come true, what'll I do?".
*
Series 10
Series may refer to:
People with the name
* Caroline Series (born 1951), English mathematician, daughter of George Series
* George Series (1920–1995), English physicist
Arts, entertainment, and media
Music
* Series, the ordered sets used i ...
–2017 Christmas Special
A new arrangement of the theme by Dave Arch accompanies a new title sequence using a number of the images used in the previous series titles as well as a current image of the sisters and Dorien – now styled to be pictures in frames, slides and images through a camera's view screen. The video sequence from the original closing credits now appears in the opening sequence alongside a clip from an old episode made to look like a home video recording. More of the old end credits video appears as the programme moves in and out of the commercial break. It was confirmed prior to broadcast in an online interview with Whatsontv that the opening titles have been slightly updated with new images and with Joseph now singing in the opening titles alongside Quirke and Robson.
* 2020 Christmas Special
The previous arrangement of the theme tune is used, but following Quirke's departure, only Robson's lines are sung, resulting in a truncated version of the theme tune. The titles no longer feature the images of Sharon and Tracey, instead a dark blue background shows the programme title and writers, with credits for Linda Robson and Lesley Joseph only. The old video of a young Sharon and Tracey has also been removed as the programme moves in and out of the commercial break
Revival
On 3 March 2009, the ''
Daily Mirror
The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily tabloid. Founded in 1903, it is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was simply ''The Mirror''. It had an average daily print ...
'' reported that the classic sitcom was set for a return and that
Lesley Joseph
Lesley Diana Joseph (born 14 October 1945) is an English actress and broadcaster, best known for playing Dorien Green in the television sitcom '' Birds of a Feather'' from 1989 to 1998 and again from 2014 to 2020. Other television credits incl ...
,
Pauline Quirke
Pauline Perpetua Sheen ( Quirke; born 8 July 1959) is an English actress who has played Sharon Theodopolopodous in the long-running comedy series '' Birds of a Feather'' (1988–1999, 2014–2017). For this role, she won the 1990 British Comed ...
and
Linda Robson
Linda Patricia Mary Dunford ( Robson; born 13 March 1958) is an English actress and television presenter. She is best known for playing Tracey Stubbs in the sitcom '' Birds of a Feather'' (1989–1998, 2014–2020) and her appearances as a weekl ...
had all been asked to make another series. Quirke was reported as saying that her acting school "Quirky Kidz" was really beginning to take off, so she would be hesitant about becoming involved in another creative project. After this speculation in 2009 nothing more was said. However, in July 2012 Joseph hinted that ''Birds of a Feather'' could return for another series following a successful stage tour.
In March 2013, Quirke appeared on ITV's ''
This Morning'' and confirmed that a script for a new series was "on the desk at the BBC" and they were just waiting for a decision on whether or not the BBC would commission a new series. The BBC offered to broadcast a one-off special episode, but this was refused by the producers of the show in favour of ITV's offer of a series.
Fifteen years after the original series ended, the original cast returned, this time on ITV.
Robson confirmed on her Twitter account that filming began on 16 September 2013, with eight new episodes broadcasting from 2 January 2014. It was also confirmed that all characters would return, including Tracey's new child, who was born in the last episode (of the previous series, 16 years earlier).
Matt Willis
Mathew James Willis (born 8 May 1983), also previously known as Mattie Jay, is an English musician, singer, songwriter, television personality and actor. He is known as co-founder, bassist and the co-vocalist of the pop rock band, Busted. Will ...
replaced Matthew Savage in the part of Garth (Garfie), making him the third actor to play the character; Willis was later replaced by
Samuel James in 2015. Two new characters were introduced in the tenth series including Garth's new girlfriend Marcie, who did not appear in the 2015 series. The first episode had mainly positive reviews, with fans saying the show had stayed true to itself. Quirke said that the cast returned with the intention of doing only one series, but she would not rule out doing further episodes if the scripts were right and the fans and viewers wanted more of the series. The opening episode attracted nearly eight million viewers, giving ITV its highest rated comedy since ''
Barbara'' in 2000.
On 16 January, Robson, Quirke and Joseph appeared on ''
Loose Women
''Loose Women'' (previously known as ''Live Talk'' from 2000 to 2001) is a British talk show that broadcasts on ITV1 weekdays from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm. The show focuses on a panel of four female presenters who interview celebrities, talk about ...
'' to take over for one special episode to celebrate the series return and the ratings success. Robson has been a regular panellist on ''Loose Women'' since 2012.
In March 2014, ITV announced that a second series of eight episodes would be produced. In August 2014, Robson confirmed that filming would start on 7 September 2014 and continue until November and the series would be broadcast in January 2015. In November 2014, Robson confirmed that Willis would not return due to his commitments with
McBusted
McBusted were an English pop-punk supergroup composed of members from bands McFly (Tom Fletcher, Danny Jones, Dougie Poynter, and Harry Judd) and Busted (James Bourne and Matt Willis). The only member of the original groups not participating ...
. The role of Garth Stubbs was taken over by former ''
EastEnders
''EastEnders'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the Ea ...
'' actor
Samuel James. The series began airing on 26 December 2014, with a Christmas special and continued the following week (1 January 2015).
On 12 March 2015, ITV announced that a third series (the twelfth overall) was to be filmed later in the year. The series aired in January and February 2016. On 13 July 2016, ITV announced that ''Birds of a Feather'' would return to the channel for a 45-minute Christmas special, which was filmed in
Malta
Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
. The episode aired on 24 December 2016.
Another
Christmas
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...
special aired on 18 December 2017. In June 2018 Lesley Joseph revealed that ITV were discussing plans for another series in October 2019 to mark the show's 30th anniversary. However, Joseph said she did not yet wish to take part, owing to other work commitments. Confusion occurred in February 2019 when
Nigel Lythgoe
Nigel Lythgoe OBE (; born 9 July 1949), also known as Nasty Nigel, is an English television and film director and producer, television dance competition judge, former dancer in the Young Generation and choreographer. He was the producer of the ...
seemed to suggest the series had ended. An ITV representative later confirmed this story was false, the show had not been 'axed' and a Christmas special would air in December 2020.
A further Christmas special was broadcast on 24 December 2020 on ITV. The episode featured Linda Robson, Lesley Joseph and
Les Dennis
Leslie Dennis Heseltine (born 12 October 1953) is an English television presenter, actor, and comedian. He presented ''Family Fortunes'' from 1987 until 2002.
Early life
Dennis was born Leslie Dennis Heseltine on 12 October 1953 in the Liverpoo ...
with a storyline inspired by the real-life ongoing
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
. This was the first episode in the show's history which did not feature Pauline Quirke.
Cast and characters
;Key
:
= Main
:
= Recurring
:
= Guest
Guest appearances
A large number of actors and personalities have made appearances, including
David Emanuel,
Michael Winner
Robert Michael Winner (30 October 1935 – 21 January 2013) was a British filmmaker, writer, and media personality. He is known for directing numerous Action film, action, Thriller films, thriller, and black comedy films in the 1960s, 1970s and ...
,
Robert Kilroy Silk
Robert Michael Kilroy-Silk (born Robert Michael Silk; 19 May 1942) is an English former politician and broadcaster. After a decade as a university lecturer, he served as a Labour Party Member of Parliament (MP) from 1974 to 1986. He left the H ...
,
Jill Halfpenny
Jill Halfpenny (born 15 July 1975) is an English actress. Her notable roles include Rebecca Hopkins in ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' (1999–2000), Kate Mitchell in BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders'' (2002–2005), Izzie Redpath in '' W ...
,
Siobhan Hayes
Siobhan Teresa Hayes (born 21 July 1974) is an English actress. She is known for her roles as Abi Harper in the BBC sitcom ''My Family'' and Sandy in the BBC radio series '' Absolute Power''.
Career
Hayes portrayed Abi Harper, a clumsy and dim- ...
,
Ross Kemp
Ross James Kemp (born 21 July 1964) is an English actor, author, and television presenter. He rose to prominence in the role of Grant Mitchell in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. He is also known for his other roles as Graham Lodsworth in ' ...
,
Linda Henry
Linda Varilis (''née'' Henry; born 24 August 1959) is an English actress. She is known for her roles as Yvonne Atkins in the ITV drama '' Bad Girls'' and Shirley Carter in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', a role she has played since 2006. S ...
,
Eamonn Walker
Eamonn Roderique Walker (born 12 June 1962) is an English film, television, and theatre actor. In the United States he is known for playing Kareem Saïd in the HBO television series '' Oz'', for which he won a CableACE Award, and (since 2012) Ch ...
,
Alan Ford,
Ray Winstone
Raymond Andrew Winstone (; born 19 February 1957) is an English television, stage and film actor with a career spanning five decades. Having worked with many prominent directors, including Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg, Winstone is perha ...
,
George Hamilton,
George Wendt
George Robert Wendt Jr. (born October 17, 1948) is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for playing Norm Peterson on the television sitcom ''Cheers'' (1982–1993), which earned him six consecutive nominations for the Primetime Emmy ...
,
Brian Capron
Brian Capron (born 11 February 1947) is an English actor who trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.
He is best known for his role as serial killer, Richard Hillman, in the long-running ITV soap opera, ''Coronation Street'', f ...
,
Jamie Glover
Jamie Blair Glover (born 10 July 1969) is an English actor. He is best known for being cast as Harry Potter in the second cast of the West-End production of ''Harry Potter and the Cursed Child'' in 2017. He portrayed Deputy Head Andrew Treneman ...
,
Richard Branson
Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson (born 18 July 1950) is a British billionaire, entrepreneur, and business magnate. In the 1970s he founded the Virgin Group, which today controls more than 400 companies in various fields.
Branson expressed ...
,
Lionel Blair
Lionel Blair (born Henry Lionel Ogus; 12 December 1928 – 4 November 2021) was a Canadian-born British actor, choreographer, tap dancer, and television presenter. From the late 1960s until the early 1980s, he made regular appearances as a danc ...
,
Liz Fraser
Elizabeth Joan Winch (14 August 1930 – 6 September 2018), known professionally as Liz Fraser, was a British film actress, best known for being cast in provocative comedy roles.
Early life
Fraser was born in Southwark, London. Her year of bi ...
,
John Bardon
John Bardon (born John Michael Jones, 25 August 1939 – 12 September 2014) was an English stage and screen actor. He was awarded the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical in 1988 (1987 season) for ''Kiss Me, Kate'', sharing the aw ...
,
Clive Mantle
Clive Andrew Mantle (born 3 June 1957) is an English actor. He played general surgeon Mike Barratt in the BBC hospital drama series ''Casualty'' and '' Holby City'' in the 1990s, and Little John in the 1980s fantasy series ''Robin of Sherwood' ...
, Jackie Skarvellis,
James Greene, Sophia La Porter,
Amy Childs
Amy Andrea Childs (born 7 June 1990) is an English television personality and model. She appeared in the first two series of the ITV2 reality series ''The Only Way Is Essex'', and subsequently starred in her own reality series '' It's All About ...
,
Jamie Foreman
Jamie Foreman (born 25 May 1958) is an English actor best known for his roles as Duke in ''Layer Cake'' (2004) and Bill Sikes in Roman Polanski's ''Oliver Twist'' (2005).
Career
Foreman played opposite Ray Winstone and Kathy Burke in Gary Oldm ...
,
Anna Skellern
Anna Skellern (born 27 April 1985) is a United Kingdom-based Australian actress, best known as the first female member of The Chaser's television programme ''CNNNN''.
Biography
Skellern attended the University of Sydney, where she was a promin ...
, Margo Cargill,
Ted Robbins
Edward Michael Robbins (born 11 August 1955) is an English comic, actor, television presenter and radio broadcaster.
He has performed as a warm-up artist for numerous pre-recorded comedy shows that have been filmed before live studio audiences i ...
,
Lorraine Kelly
Lorraine Kelly, (born 30 November 1959) is a Scottish journalist and television presenter. She has presented various television shows for ITV, including '' Good Morning Britain'' (1988–1992), ''GMTV'' (1993–2010), ''This Morning'' (2003 ...
,
Katy Cavanagh
Kathryn Sarah Collins Jupe (born 12 December 1973), known professionally as Katy Cavanagh, is an English actress. She is known for portraying the role of Julie Carp in the ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street'' from 2008 to 2015. She also had reg ...
,
Kate Williams,
Martin Kemp
Martin John Kemp (born 10 October 1961) is an English musician and actor, best known as the bassist in the new wave band Spandau Ballet and for his role as Steve Owen in ''EastEnders''.
He is the younger brother of Gary Kemp, who is also a ...
,
Lucy Dixon
Lucy Jane Dixon (born 9 August 1989) is an English actress, best known for her roles as Danielle Harker in the BBC One school-based drama series '' Waterloo Road'' and Tilly Evans in the Channel 4 soap opera ''Hollyoaks''.
Early life
Dixon i ...
, Dave Lynn,
Nadia Sawalha
Nadia Sawalha (; born 18 November 1964) is a British actress, television personality and YouTuber. She played the role of Annie Palmer on the BBC One soap opera '' EastEnders'' from 1997 to 1999 and Gina in ITV comedy Second Thoughts from 1992 ...
,
Mark Kingston
Mark Kingston (18 April 1934 – 9 October 2011) was an English actor who made many television and stage appearances over his 50-year career.
Biography
Kingston's father was a blacksmith and he attended Greenwich Central School and traine ...
,
Les Dennis
Leslie Dennis Heseltine (born 12 October 1953) is an English television presenter, actor, and comedian. He presented ''Family Fortunes'' from 1987 until 2002.
Early life
Dennis was born Leslie Dennis Heseltine on 12 October 1953 in the Liverpoo ...
and
Curtis Walker
Curtis Walker is a British actor, writer and stand-up comedian. He starred in BBC comedy shows ''Paramount City'', CBBC sitcom ''Kerching!'', ''The Real McCoy
"The real McCoy" is an idiom and metaphor used in much of the English-speaking wo ...
.
Notes: The 1996 episode "The Chigwell Years" included clips from previous episodes. Alun Lewis, Peter Polycarpou
and David Cardy all featured in the archive footage but did not appear in any original scenes. Pauline Quirke did not appear in the 2020 Christmas special.
Episodes
''Birds of a Feather'' first aired in 1989 and ran for 129 episodes consisting of 12 series and numerous specials. More than one hundred of the episodes are thirty minutes in length.
Most episodes were written by
Laurence Marks and
Maurice Gran
Maurice Bernard Gran (born 26 October 1949, in London, England) is an English writer and one half of scriptwriting duo Marks and Gran. He co-wrote the British sitcom, sitcoms ''The New Statesman (1987 TV series), The New Statesman'', ''Birds of ...
. Gary Lawson, John Phelps, Geoff Rowley, Sue Teddem,
Peter Tilbury
Peter Tilbury (born 20 October 1945) is a British actor and writer, best known for the sitcom ''It Takes a Worried Man'' (1981-4), which he created and starred in.
Tilbury was born in Redruth, Cornwall. As an actor Tilbury's television appearan ...
, Geoff Deane,
Tony Millan
Anthony Millan, known professionally as Tony Millan, is a British character actor and television comedy scriptwriter. Millan appeared in numerous roles, predominantly in sitcoms and drama series on British television throughout the 1980s and 1990s ...
,
Mike Walling
Mike Walling (8 July 1950 – 2 July 2020) was an English comic actor and screenwriter.
Career
Walling began his career as an English teacher at Holland Park School in London. In the mid-1970s, while still a teacher, he won a British TV talent ...
,
Damon Rochefort
Damon Alexis-Rochefort né Damon Rochefort (born 1965 in Cardiff, Wales) is a Welsh scriptwriter, songwriter and producer.
Career
He has had success in music in the 1990s with his group Nomad, with the international hit " (I Wanna Give You) Devo ...
, Sam Lawrence, Keith Lindsay,
Martin Tomms,
Pat Coombs
Patricia Doreen Coombs (27 August 1926 – 25 May 2002) was an English actress. She specialised in the portrayal of the eternal downtrodden female, comically under the thumb of stronger personalities. She was known for many roles on radio, ...
, Steve Coombes, Dave Robinson,
George Costigan
George J. Costigan (born 8 August 1947) is an English actor who is best known for portraying Bob in the 1987 film ''Rita, Sue and Bob Too'' and for roles in TV series such as '' Happy Valley'' and ''So Haunt Me''.
Early life
Born in Portsmouth, ...
, Julia North, John Ross, Frankie Bailey,
Miles Tredinnick
Miles Tredinnick, also known as Riff Regan, (born Warrington 18 February 1955) is a rock musician, songwriter and a stage and screenwriter. In the 1970s, he was the lead singer with the British rock band London.Spicer, Al, (2006) ''The Rough Gui ...
, Jenny Lecoat,
Alun Lewis,
Richard Preddy
Richard Preddy (died 7 July 2020) was a British comedy writer and performer, most noted for working in the sketch show ''Smack the Pony'' and the sitcom ''Green Wing''. He had a working partnership with fellow writer Gary Howe since 1987.
Perf ...
,
Gary Howe
Gary Howe is a British comedy writer and performer, most noted for working in the sketch show ''Smack the Pony'' and the sitcom ''Green Wing''. He has had a working partnership with fellow writer Richard Preddy since 1988.
Renowned zoologist ...
,
Ian Davidson, Peter Vincent,
Tony Jordan
Tony Jordan (born 21 July 1957) is a British television writer. He was listed as the number one television screenwriter in the United Kingdom by ''Broadcast'' magazine in 2008 and among British broadcasting's top twenty in ''The Stage'' in 200 ...
have also written episodes.
International broadcast and adaptations
''Birds of a Feather'' was sold to more than 30 countries worldwide and the format was sold to countries including Australia (
ABC TV), New Zealand, Spain and South Afric]. The show is regularly re-run on Australian & New Zealand pay TV.
American adaptation
An
Television in the United States, American adaptation, called ''
Stand by Your Man
"Stand by Your Man" is a song recorded by American country music artist Tammy Wynette, co-written by Wynette and Billy Sherrill. It was released on September 20, 1968, as the first single and title track from the album '' Stand by Your Man''. It ...
'' was made by
Fox
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelve sp ...
.
Rosie O'Donnell
Roseann O'Donnell (born March 21, 1962) is an American comedian, television producer, actress, author, and television personality. She began her comedy career as a teenager and received her breakthrough on the television series ''Star Search'' ...
played hard-up Lorraine Popowski, while
Melissa Gilbert-Brinkman played her rich sister Rochelle Dunphy.
Sam McMurray
Sam, SAM or variants may refer to:
Places
* Sam, Benin
* Sam, Boulkiemdé, Burkina Faso
* Sam, Bourzanga, Burkina Faso
* Sam, Kongoussi, Burkina Faso
* Sam, Iran
* Sam, Teton County, Idaho, United States, a populated place
People and fictional ...
played Rochelle's husband Roger and Rick Hall played Lorraine's husband Artie. The Dorien character, called Adrienne Stone, was played by
Miriam Flynn
Miriam Flynn (born June 18, 1952) is an American voice and character actress. She is best known as Cousin Catherine in the ''National Lampoon's Vacation'' and Grandma Longneck in ''The Land Before Time'' franchises. She has acted in other films a ...
. The series was broadcast for only eight episodes from 5 April to 9 August 1992.
Stage adaptation
On 8 July 2010, Linda Robson confirmed on ''
This Morning'' that a script had been written for a stage show, which all three actresses were keen to be involved with, but this would depend on the availability of Pauline Quirke, who had just been contracted to ''
Emmerdale
''Emmerdale'' (known as ''Emmerdale Farm'' until 1989) is a British soap opera that is broadcast on ITV1. The show is set in Emmerdale (known as Beckindale until 1994), a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, '' ...
'' for six months. Quirke announced on 16 May 2011 that she would be leaving ''Emmerdale'' at Christmas 2011 and that a touring version of ''Birds of a Feather'' would start in spring 2012.
''Birds of a Feather'' has been adapted for stage by The Comedy Theatre Company, producers of previous ''
dinnerladies
Lunch lady, in Canada and the US, is a term for a woman who cooks and serves food in a school cafeteria. The equivalent term in the United Kingdom is dinner lady. The role is also sometimes known as cafeteria lady. Sometimes, a lunch lady also ...
'' and ''
Keeping Up Appearances
''Keeping Up Appearances'' is a British sitcom created and written by Roy Clarke. It originally aired on BBC1 from 1990 to 1995 with two specials airing in 1997 and 2008 on PBS. The central character is an eccentric and snobbish middle class so ...
'' UK stage tours. The 2012 ''Birds of a Feather'' UK tour includes the original three leading actresses. Quirke and Robson's real-life sons,
Charlie Quirke
''Birds of a Feather'' is a British sitcom originally broadcast on BBC One from 16 October 1989 to 24 December 1998, then revived on ITV from 2 January 2014 to 24 December 2020. The series stars Pauline Quirke and Linda Robson, with Lesley ...
and
Louis Dunford
Louis Mark Dunford (born 20 January 1992) is an English singer songwriter. The son of actress Linda Robson, he is known for writing the song '' The Angel - North London Forever'' which in 2022 became an anthem for Arsenal F.C. and Arsenal F.C ...
, share the role of Travis Stubbs, the son born to Tracey in the final episode of the TV series.
Reception
''Birds of a Feather'' contributed to the popularity during the 1990s of
Essex girl
Essex girl, as a pejorative stereotype in the United Kingdom, applies to a woman viewed as promiscuous and unintelligent, characteristics jocularly attributed to women from the county of Essex. It is applied widely throughout the country and has g ...
jokes.
Ratings
Awards
Home media
Audio releases
On 27 July 2000, Two audio books were released featuring 8 classic shows from the first 2 series. The shows included were "Nicked", "Just Visiting", "Shift", "Women's Trouble", "Getting a Grip", "Sweet Smell of Success", "Young Guns" and "Muesli".
VHS
While the series was airing on BBC1 in the 1990s, there was
VHS releases of episodes from the series.
DVD
Region 2
The first series of ''Birds of a Feather'' was released by
Prism Leisure Corporation in 2003 on Region 2 DVD, which was again released by
FremantleMedia
Fremantle (; formerly FremantleMedia) is a British multinational television production and distribution company based in London. Fremantle takes its name from Fremantle International, acquired by predecessor company All American Television in ...
in 2009. Distribution rights to the series are currently held by Network, who began releasing from the first series in 2010. A set containing all BBC series was released in 2011.
The first two ITV series (Series 10 & 11) were released via FremantleMedia onto Region 2 DVD in 2014 & 2015, both individually and in a box set. Network released the third ITV series (Series 12), a box set consisting of all three ITV series and a complete collection set containing all 12 series plus the Christmas specials up to and including the 2016 special. Additionally, a set with BBC and ITV Christmas specials were made available by Network in 2017, but again only containing the Christmas specials up to and including the 2016 special.
Region 4
Series One was released in 2007 on Region 4 DVD; after which, three collected sets, consisting of Series 1–3, Series 4–6, and Series 7–9 were made available between 2011 and 2012. A set containing all BBC series was released in both UK and Australia in 2011 and 2012 respectively.
The three ITV series are available on Region 4 DVD in individual sets and as a complete box set.
Later Christmas Specials
As of 2022, the 2017 and 2020 Christmas specials have yet to be released on any home media format.
References
General
*
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
Specific
Notes
External links
*
*
*
*
*
''Birds of a Feather''at British TV Comedy Guide
{{DEFAULTSORT:Birds Of A Feather
1989 British television series debuts
2020 British television series endings
1980s British sitcoms
1990s British sitcoms
2010s British sitcoms
2020s British sitcoms
BBC television sitcoms
ITV sitcoms
Television series by Fremantle (company)
British television series revived after cancellation
English-language television shows
Television shows set in Essex
Television shows set in London
Television shows shot at Teddington Studios