''The Lovers'' is a British television

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 ...

Jack Rosenthal Jack Morris Rosenthal (8 September 1931 – 29 May 2004) was an English playwright. He wrote 129 early episodes of the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' and over 150 screenplays, including original TV plays, feature films, and adaptations. ...

, starring

Richard Beckinsale Richard Arthur Beckinsale (6 July 1947 – 19 March 1979) was an English actor. He played Lennie Godber in the BBC sitcom ''Porridge'' (along with its sequel series ''Going Straight'') and Alan Moore in the ITV sitcom ''Rising Damp''. He is the ...

and

Paula Wilcox Paula Wilcox (born 13 December 1949) is an English actress. With a career spanning over 50 years, she is best known for her role as Chrissy in the popular ITV sitcom ''Man About The House'' from 1973 to 1976. She has also had roles in TV shows ...

as a courting couple, Geoffrey and Beryl. It was made between 1970 and 1971 by

Granada Television ITV Granada, formerly known as Granada Television, is the ITV franchisee for the North West of England and Isle of Man. From 1956 to 1968 it broadcast to both the north west and Yorkshire but only on weekdays as ABC Weekend Television was it ...

for the

ITV network ITV is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network. It was launched in 1955 as Independent Television to provide competition to BBC Television (established in 1936). ITV is the oldest commercial network in the UK. Since the passin ...

. A spin-off

feature film A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...

was released in 1973. The series was also given a repeat run on

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

in 1996. The show is based on the struggles of the two protagonists as they develop their relationship, particularly in the area of sex (which Beryl calls "Percy Filth," presumably a play on the name of Canadian bandleader

Percy Faith Percy Faith (April 7, 1908 – February 9, 1976) was a Canadian-American bandleader, orchestrator, composer and conductor, known for his lush arrangements of pop and Christmas standards. He is often credited with popularizing the "easy listenin ...

). Beryl is a slightly dizzy character obsessed with marriage, while Geoffrey is instead determined to bed her.

Episodes

The series ran for 13 episodes over two series.

Series 1 (1970)

*Sardine Sandwiches (27 October 1970) *The Date (3 November 1970) *Freckle Face (10 November 1970) *Brainwashing (17 November 1970) *A Pipe and a Moustache (24 November 1970) *The Truth Game (1 December 1970)

Series 2 (1971)

*The Engagement (7 October 1971) *Breaking It Off (14 October 1971) *Birthday (21 October 1971) *Joint Bank Account (28 October 1971) *The Better Homes Exhibition (4 November 1971) *A Trial Marriage (11 November 1971) *The Best Laid Plans... (18 November 1971)

Cast

Film spin-off

The series was used as the basis for a feature film. ''The Lovers!'' was released in 1973 and featured Beckinsale, Wilcox and Scott, together with

Susan Littler Susan Littler (31 December 1947 – 11 July 1982) was an English actress who appeared in many television and stage productions in the 1970s and early 1980s, before her death from cancer. A versatile and respected actress, Littler is perhaps ...

Rosalind Ayres Rosalind Ayres (born 7 December 1946) is an English actress, director and producer. Active since 1970, Ayres is well known for her role in the 1997 film ''Titanic'', in which she played Lucy, Lady Duff-Gordon. Her husband, Martin Jarvis, playe ...

and

John Comer John Comer (1 March 1924 – 11 February 1984) was a British comic actor. He was best known for his roles in ''Coronation Street'' as Mr Birtles, then as a taxi driver, and later as Wilf Jones, in ''Emmerdale Farm'' as Ernie Shuttleworth, Les ...

(as Geoffrey's father).

DVD release

''The Lovers'' was released on

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...

by Network in 2007 and featured all episodes from the two series runs.

Bibliography

References

External links

* * * 1970s British sitcoms 1970 British television series debuts 1971 British television series endings English-language television shows ITV sitcoms Television series by ITV Studios Television shows adapted into films Television shows produced by Granada Television {{UK-tv-prog-stub