''Mixed Blessings'' is a

British sitcom A British sitcom or a Britcom is a situational comedy programme produced for British television. Most British sitcoms are recorded on studio sets, while some have an element of location filming. A handful are made almost exclusively on location ...

starring

Christopher Blake Christopher Blake (born Peter Ronald Gray, 23 August 1949 – 11 December 2004) was an English actor and screenwriter. He is perhaps best remembered for starring in the British sitcoms '' Mixed Blessings'' (1978–80) and '' That's My Boy'' ...

and Muriel Odunton 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 3 March 1978 to 7 June 1980. It was created by comedy writer Sid Green and produced for the ITV network by

LWT London Weekend Television (LWT) (now part of the non-franchised ITV London region) was the ITV network franchise holder for Greater London and the Home Counties at weekends, broadcasting from Fridays at 5.15 pm (7:00 pm from 1968 un ...

Premise and reception

The show starred

(later of '' That's My Boy'' fame) and Muriel Odunton as newlyweds Thomas Simpson, who was white, and Susan Lambert, who was black. Most plots revolved around both families' disapproval of their inter-racial marriage. According to a review on the BFI screenonline website, the series "was, superficially, more progressive" than earlier sitcoms centred on 'race' such as ''

Curry and Chips ''Curry and Chips'' is a British television sitcom broadcast in 1969 which was produced by London Weekend Television for the ITV network. Set on a factory floor of 'Lillicrap Ltd', it starred a browned up Spike Milligan as an Irishman of Paki ...

'' (1969), ''

Love Thy Neighbour Love Thy Neighbor or Love Thy Neighbour refers to the Biblical phrase "thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself" from the Book of Leviticus 19:18 in the Old Testament about the ethic of reciprocity known as the Golden Rule or the Great Commandment. ...

'' (1972–76) and ''

Mind Your Language ''Mind Your Language'' is a British sitcom that premiered on ITV in 1977. It was produced by London Weekend Television and directed by Stuart Allen. Three series were made by the London Weekend Television between 1977 and 1979 and briefly reviv ...

'' (1977–79). While "the two main characters were sympathetically played... the series tselfwas critically undermined by presenting their relationship as a problem". The review also asserted: "While its set-up points to its integrationist intentions, one only has to look at the title to note the writer's own ambiguous feelings".Ali Jaafa
"''Mixed Blessings'' (1978–80)"
BFI screenonline

Cast

– Thomas Simpson *Muriel Odunton – Susan Lambert * George Waring – Edward Simpson *

Sylvia Kay Sylvia Margaret Kay (16 May 1936 – 18 January 2019) was an English character actress who had many roles in British television programmes, most notably as Daphne Warrender in the BBC sitcom ''Just Good Friends''. Early life She attended Round ...

– Annie Simpson *

Stefan Kalipha Stefan Kalipha (born Stephen Siegfried Behrendt, 1940) is a Trinidad-born British actor who has been active since about 1970. He played Ramon, the Cigar Factory Foreman in the film ''Cuba'' (1979), Daoud in '' The Curse of King Tut's Tomb'' and ...

– William Lambert *

Carmen Munroe Carmen Esme Munroe, (born 12 November 1932)

– Matilda Lambert *

Joan Sanderson Joan Sanderson (24 November 1912 – 24 May 1992) was a British television and stage actress born in Bristol. During a long career, her tall and commanding disposition led to her playing mostly dowagers, spinsters and matrons, as well as intens ...

– Aunt Dorothy *Gregory Munroe – Winston Lambert *

Ernest Clark Ernest Clark (12 February 1912 – 11 November 1994) was a British actor of stage, television and film. Early life Clark was the son of a master builder in Maida Vale, and was educated nearby at St Marylebone Grammar School. After leaving sch ...

– Mr Huntley *Pauline Delaney – Mrs Beasley

Episodes

Series 1 (1978)

* "Welcome To The Family" (3 March 1978) * "Your Place Or Mine?" (10 March 1978) * "You Haven't Got Much, Have You?" (17 March 1978) * "Jobs For The Boys" (24 March 1978) * "Happy Birthday, Dear Fathers" (31 March 1978) * "We're Only Trying To Help" (7 April 1978) * "The Housewarming" (14 April 1978)

Series 2 (1978)

* "A Leg From The Past" (6 October 1978) * "The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Unemployed" (13 October 1978) * "My Chap's Got Work" (20 October 1978) * "Thou Shalt Deny Me" (27 October 1978) * "Your Money Or Your Life" (3 November 1978) * "You're Going To Have A What!!" (10 November 1978)

Series 3 (1980)

* "Raising The Roof" (26 October 1979) * "Away From It All" (12 April 1980) * "Up In The World" (19 April 1980) * "The Anniversary Wars" (26 April 1980) * "The Law And Mr Lambert" (3 May 1980) * "Goodbye Charlie" (10 May 1980) * "Your Turn For Grandad" (17 May 1980) * "Practice Makes Perfect" (24 May 1980) * "Survival" (31 May 1980) * "Onto Us A Child" (7 June 1980) Production of this series was interrupted after the recording of episode 1 by the ITV technicians' strike of 1979. The remaining nine episodes were recorded as soon as a studio became available, after higher-priority productions had been completed first. The first episode was transmitted two days after the strike ended, as schedules were very much ''

ad hoc Ad hoc is a Latin phrase meaning literally 'to this'. In English, it typically signifies a solution for a specific purpose, problem, or task rather than a generalized solution adaptable to collateral instances. (Compare with ''a priori''.) Com ...

'' at this time as a result of such a long strike.

DVD release

References

{{reflist 1978 British television series debuts 1980 British television series endings Black British sitcoms ITV sitcoms 1970s British sitcoms 1980s British sitcoms Television series by ITV Studios London Weekend Television shows English-language television shows