''You're Only Young Twice'' is a British TV

sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...

made and broadcast on the ITV network by

Yorkshire Television ITV Yorkshire, previously known as Yorkshire Television and commonly referred to as just YTV, is the British television service provided by ITV Broadcasting Limited for the Yorkshire franchise area on the ITV (TV network), ITV network. Until 19 ...

from 6 September 1977 to 11 August 1981.

Plot

Set in Paradise Lodge

retirement home A retirement home – sometimes called an old people's home, old folks' home, or old age home, although ''old people's home'' can also refer to a nursing home – or rest home, is a multi-residence housing facility intended for the elderly. Ty ...

, ''You're Only Young Twice'' was created and written by the writing partnership of Michael Ashton and Pam Valentine. It starred

Peggy Mount Margaret Rose Mount (2 May 1915 – 13 November 2001) was an English actress. As a child, she found acting an escape from an unhappy home life. After playing in amateur productions, she was taken on by a repertory company and spent nine years i ...

as Flora Petty, with

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, ...

as her sidekick Cissie Lupin. Paradise Lodge was described by Network DVD as "a superior residence for retired gentlefolk". The majority of the 31 episodes (broadcast throughout the show's four-year run) centre on resident Flora's attempts to thwart the long-suffering staff, led by Miss Milton (

Charmian May Charmian Rosemary May (16 June 1937 – 24 October 2002) was an English character actress best known for her television and film roles. She appeared in the sitcoms '' The Good Life'', '' The Upper Hand'' and ''Keeping Up Appearances'', and ...

). They are occasionally assisted by former theatrical artiste Dolly Love (played by veteran stage actress

Lally Bowers Kathleen "Lally" Bowers (21 January 1914 – 18 July 1984) was an English actress. Early life and education Kathleen Bowers was born on 21 January 1914 in Oldham, Lancashire. She was educated at Hulme Grammar School. Career Bowers work ...

) and the haughty Mildred Fanshaw (played by sitcom regular

Diana King Diana King (born 8 November 1970) is a Jamaican singer-songwriter who performs a mixture and fusion of reggae, reggae fusion and dancehall. They are best known for their hit 1995 single " Shy Guy" and their remake of " I Say a Little Prayer ...

). It was produced by

for the ITV network from 1977 to 1981.

Cast

as Flora Petty *

as Cissie Lupin *

as Dolly Love *

as Mildred Fanshawe *

as Miss Marjorie Milton * Georgina Moon as Miss Finch * Johnny Wade as Roger *

George Innes George Innes (born 8 March 1938) is a British actor. Stage career George Innes was born in Wapping, Stepney, East London on 8 March 1938, and he began his career on the stage with the Royal National Theatre, National Theatre of Great Britain ...

as Sergeant Hobble *Peggy Ledger as Katy O'Rourke (series 1-2)

Episodes

31 episodes were broadcast over four series, including two Christmas specials.

Series 1 (1977)

Series 2 (1978)

Series 3 (1979)

Christmas specials (1979 and 1980)

Series 4 (1981)

DVD release

Network released each series individually; a complete four-disc set was released on 5 February 2018.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:You're Only Young Twice 1977 British television series debuts 1981 British television series endings 1970s British sitcoms 1980s British sitcoms British English-language television shows ITV sitcoms Television series about old age Television series by ITV Studios Television series by Yorkshire Television