''Robin's Nest'' 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 ...
made by
Thames Television
Thames Television, commonly simplified to just Thames, was a Broadcast license, franchise holder for a region of the British ITV (TV network), ITV television network serving Greater London, London and surrounding areas from 30 July 1968 until th ...
, which aired on the
ITV network for six series from 11 January 1977 to 31 March 1981.
It saw
Richard O'Sullivan reprise the role of Robin Tripp, one of the lead characters in the sitcom ''
Man About the House'', which had ended on 7 April 1976, and co-starred
Tessa Wyatt as Robin's girlfriend – and later wife – Vicky, and
Tony Britton
Anthony Edward Lowry Britton (9 June 1924 – 22 December 2019) was an English actor. He appeared in a variety of films (including ''The Day of the Jackal (film), The Day of the Jackal'') and television sitcoms (including ''Don't Wait Up (TV ser ...
as her father. As well as playing a couple in Robin's Nest, Richard O'Sullivan and Tessa Wyatt were a couple in real life at the time having one son, Jamie O'Sullivan.
In the Series 5 episode "Never Look A Gift Horse", in the final scene Robin climbs onto the rocking horse and says 'Well, Bess, which way now?' This is a reference to the then-current television series ''
Dick Turpin
Richard Turpin (bapt. 21 September 1705 – 7 April 1739) was an English highwayman whose exploits were romanticised following his execution in York for horse theft. Turpin may have followed his father's trade as a butcher ear ...
'' in which O'Sullivan was also starring as the title character.
Format
In the first episode, Robin and Vicky, who share a flat over a Chinese take-away, discover that the tenants have disappeared owing rent to the landlord, Vicky's father James Nichols. It is the practical Vicky who comes up with the perfect solution: Robin should take over the take-away and convert it into a bistro (The "Robin's Nest" of the title). Robin cannot afford to go it alone, so he has to go cap-in-hand to Vicky's father (
Tony Britton
Anthony Edward Lowry Britton (9 June 1924 – 22 December 2019) was an English actor. He appeared in a variety of films (including ''The Day of the Jackal (film), The Day of the Jackal'') and television sitcoms (including ''Don't Wait Up (TV ser ...
), to ask him to be his business partner. Although James disapproves of Robin (believing him to be beneath his daughter), he knows a sensible business deal when it is offered to him – despite his failings, Robin is a brilliant chef – and he agrees. Tension and misunderstandings arise due to their mismatched relationship.
Creators and writers
Brian Cooke and
Johnnie Mortimer had to gain special permission from the
Independent Broadcasting Authority
The Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) was the regulatory body in the United Kingdom for commercial television ( ITV and Channel 4 and limited satellite television regulation – cable television was the responsibility of the Cable A ...
(IBA),
then the regulatory body for commercial television in Britain, to be able to portray an unmarried couple living together; special concern arose at scenes in which Robin and Vicky were seen in an obvious state of undress in bed. In 1978, Robin and Vicky married and two years later had a set of twins, whom they eventually name Lucy and James Alexander Tripp. At the end of the last episode, Vicky tells Robin that she's pregnant again.
Other characters
Other characters included:
* The one-armed Irish kitchen hand Albert Riddle (
David Kelly), who always broke more crockery than he cleaned, and who once asked Robin's culinary advice; unable to cook egg on toast, he asked Robin "How do you stop the egg dribbling into the bottom of the toaster, Mr Tripp?".
* Vicky's mother Marion (divorced from her father) would occasionally appear, played first by
Honor Blackman
Honor Blackman (22 August 1925 – 5 April 2020) was an English actress, known for the roles of Cathy Gale in ''The Avengers''Aaker, Everett (2006). ''Encyclopedia of Early Television Crime Fighters''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. 58. (1962� ...
, later by
Barbara Murray
Barbara Ann Murray (27 September 1929 – 20 May 2014) was an English actress.
Murray was most active in the 1940s and 1950s as a fresh-faced leading lady in many British films such as '' Passport to Pimlico'' (1949) and '' Meet Mr. Lucifer'' ( ...
.
* Gertrude, Albert's girlfriend, played by ex-''Crossroads'' actress Peggy Aitchison.
Robin's Nest screenwriter
George Layton appeared as Vernon Potter, a former student who was at college with Robin Tripp, in a few episodes.
Production props
The Daimler Double Six car used in the series by Vicky's father James Nichols is still in existence (as at Jan 2021) according to DVLA records.
Theme music score
Star of the show
Richard O'Sullivan wrote the theme music for the programme,
which was arranged and performed by
The Shadows
The Shadows (originally known as the Drifters) were an English instrumental rock group, who dominated the British popular music charts in the late 1950s and early 1960s, in the pre- Beatles era. They served as the backing band for Cliff Richar ...
'
Brian Bennett
Brian Laurence Bennett, (born 9 February 1940) is an English drummer, pianist, composer and producer of popular music. He is best known as the drummer of the UK rock and roll group the Shadows. He is the father of musician and Shadows band me ...
.
Foreign adaptations
The show was remade in the United States as ''
Three's a Crowd'',
a sequel to ''
Three's Company'' – originally based on ''Man About the House'' – but was unsuccessful.
In
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...
, a Polish version was screened, named ''Dziupla Cezara''.
Episodes
Season 1
Season 2
Season 3
Season 4
Christmas Special (1979)
Season 5
Christmas Special (1980)
Season 6
Home releases
All six series of ''Robin's Nest'' have been released on DVD in the UK (Region 2).
All six series have also been released on DVD in Australia (Region 4). Series One and Two appeared in 2 April 2009; after a lengthy delay, Series Three was released on 3 October 2012, followed by Series Four on 6 March 2013, and Series Five and Six on 4 September 2013. For the first time in Australia, The Complete Series Boxset was released on 16 September 2020.
In 2019, a 19-disc box set was released by Network/Fremantle, containing every episode of Man About The House, ''Robin's Nest'' and ''George & Mildred''.
References
External links
''Robin's Nest''at
BBC Online
BBC Online, formerly known as BBCi, is the BBC's online service. It is a large network of websites including such high-profile sites as BBC News and Sport, the on-demand video and radio services branded BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds, the childr ...
*
*
{{Three's Company
1977 British television series debuts
1981 British television series endings
1970s British sitcoms
1980s British sitcoms
British television spin-offs
English-language television shows
Fictional restaurants
ITV sitcoms
Man About the House
Television shows produced by Thames Television
Television series by Fremantle (company)
Television series set in restaurants
Television shows set in London
Television shows shot at Teddington Studios