More Whatever Happened To…..

More Lost Gems

Following on from our original post Whatever Happened To…..Here are some more forgotten gems from the past, where there are no video clips and in some cases no relevent photos.

Happy Ever After 1974 -BBC1

The forerunner to [[Terry and June]].  Written by John Chapman, Eric Merriman, Christopher Bond, John Kane and Jon Watkins this sitcom starred Terry Scott and June Whitfield as Terry and June Fletcher.  Like Steptoe and Summer Wine the show started life as a pilot episode in 1974 as part of Comedy Playhouse.  Subsequently there were five series two Christmas Specials and a final special episode in 1979, altogether totalling forty one episodes.
Terry and June Fletcher are a middle-aged, middle-class couple who find themselves alone when their grown-up children, daughters Susan and Debbie, leave home. However, they are not alone for long as Aunt Lucy comes to live with them, along with her talking mynah bird. Terry frequently hits upon an idea, which due to his foolhardy and obsessive manner he then continues with whatever the consequences, while June remains patient and tolerant.
The series did receive an outing on UK Gold in the early 1990′s, but has not to our knowledge been repeated since and is not available on DVD.  As the show was after 1974 it is safe to assume that all episodes exist within the BBC archive.  In June 2012 we approached 2Entertain about the possibility of seeing this released on DVD, unfortunately there are no plans to release it to DVD.
Original Transmission Dates – 7 May 1974 – 25 April 1979

Rings On Their Fingers – 1978 – BBC1

Another mystery.  [[Rings On Their Fingers]] was a BBC sitcom written by Richard Waring and starring Martin Jarvis and Diane Keen.  It ran for three series totalling twenty episodes between 1978 and 1980.  As far as we know it’s never been repeated.  All three series were released by the BBC to DVD, but now appear to have been deleted.
The show was a huge success and regularly featured in the top 10 viewing figures for the first series, peaking in Series 2 with viewing figures of 21.1 million.
Sandy Bennett and Oliver Pryde (Martin Jarvis and Diane Keen) are a young unmarried couple.  Sandy wishes to marry, whereas Oliver is happy to remain unmarried.  At the end of the first series Sandy gets her wish and they do marry.
The second series dealt with the couple adjusting to married life.
Originally Transmitted – 13 October 1978 – 27 November 1980

My Wife Next Door – 1972

This BBC sitcom starred John Alderton and Hannah Gordon as husband and wife Goeorge and Suzie Basset.  It was written by Brian Clemens and Richard Waring and ran for one series of thirteen episodes in 1972.  It was repeated in 1979 where it was more successful, reguarly topping the BBC1 ratings during it’s repeat run.  It also received a repeat run on UK Gold (now G.O.L.D.).
The plot focuses on George Basset, (played by John Alderton), and Suzie Basset, (played by Hannah Gordon).  Each tries to start afresh after their divorce.  They move to the country, only to find that they have moved into adjoining cottages.
George makes numerous attempts to win back his ex-wife, but events repeatedly conspire against him.
The series never got a second run despite it’s success as writer Richard Waring felt as though he’d explored the couples relationship as far as he could.
There are no DVD releases for this show, but a VHS video was released in 1980′s featuring three episodes.

No Frills – 1988

Intended as a vehicle for [[Kathy Staff]] this BBC sitcom ran for one series of seven episodes in September 1988.  Screened on BBC1 and written by: Janey Preger.  It starred Kathy Staff, Belinda Sinclair, Katharine Schlesinger, Jan Ravens and Freddie Brooks.
When recently widowed, Molly Bickerstaff (Kathy Staff) leaves her home in Oldham, Greater Manchester, to visit -  her divorced daughter, Kate, in London, and Kate’s own 15-year old daughter Suzy, none of them realise that she will eventually stay with them.
With three generations of women and the difference between North and South, which gap will be bigger: generational, or the north/south divide?
I can remember watching this and although funny I always felt the rest of the series failed to live up to the first episode.  Still it would be nice to see it repeated or a DVD release.