Agony (TV series)

infobox television
show_name = Agony


caption =
genre = Sitcom
runtime = 30 minutes
creator = Len Richmond
Anna Raeburn
starring = Maureen Lipman
Simon Williams
Maria Charles
Peter Blake
country = United Kingdom
network = ITV
first_aired = 11 March 1979
last_aired = 1 March 1981
num_episodes = 20
imdb_id = 0078559

"Agony" is a British sitcom that aired on ITV from 1979 to 1981. Starring Maureen Lipman, it was written by Len Richmond, Anna Raeburn, Stan Hey and Andrew Nickolds. It was made for the ITV network by LWT. In 2004, it came 92nd in "Britain's Best Sitcom".

"Agony" was the first British sitcom to portray a gay couple as non-camp, witty, intelligent and happy people.

Cast

*Maureen Lipman - Jane Lucas
*Simon Williams - Laurence Lucas
*Maria Charles - Bea Fisher
*Peter Blake - Andy Evol
*Jeremy Bulloch - Rob
*Peter Denyer - Michael
*Diana Weston - Val Dunn
*Jan Holden - Diana
*Robert Austin - Junior Truscombe "(series 2 and 3)"
*Bill Nighy - Vincent Fish "(series 2)"

Plot

Jane Lucas is an agony aunt, who is highly successful in her career working at radio call-in show (for "Happening Radio 242") in London and for magazine "Person", but whose personal life is a shambles. Her Jewish mother, Bea, interferes in all aspects of her life and her psychiatrist Christian husband Laurence is unreliable, all the people she works with are tireless self-promoters including the libidinous journalist Vincent Fish. Other characters included the editor of "Person" magazine Diana, secretary Val Dunn, radio colleague Andy and her gay neighbours Rob and Michael.

Episodes

eries One (1979)

#"Help" (11 March 1979)
#"An Unmarried Couple" (18 March 1979)
#"Conjugal Wrongs" (25 March 1979)
#"Wedlock, Deadlock" (8 April 1979)
#"Forever and Never" (15 April 1979)
#"Too Much Agony, Too Little Ecstasy" (29 April 1979)

eries Two (1980)

#"Back to Reality" (13 April 1980)
#"Working Girls" (20 April 1980)
#"Coming Out... and Going In Again?" (27 April 1980)
#"Television Can Damage Your Health" (4 May 1980)
#"Problem Parents" (11 May 1980)
#"Second Time Around" (18 May 1980)
#"A Woman Alone" (25 May 1980)

eries Three (1981)

#"From Here to Maternity" (18 January 1981)
#"Arrivals and Departures" (25 January 1981)
#"Hospital Romances" (1 February 1981)
#"Communications Breakdown" (8 February 1981)
#"Holy Wars" (15 February 1981)
#"Lucas v Lucas" (22 February 1981)
#"Rings Off Their Fingers" (1 March 1981)

"Agony Again"

"Agony" was revived in 1995, this time on the BBC as "Agony Again". In addition, "Agony" was remade for American television under the name "The Lucie Arnaz Show", with Len Richmond as the writer. This ran for six episodes on CBS in 1985 and starred Lucie Arnaz.

DVD releases

The first series of "Agony" was released on DVD in the UK (Region 2) on 5 November 2007. The second series was released on 25 April 2008.

External links

* [http://www.tv-ark.org.uk/itvlondon/lwt/progs/agony1979.rm "Agony"] at TV Ark
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/articles/a/agony_7770130.shtml "Agony"] at bbc.co.uk

References

*Mark Lewisohn, "Radio Times Guide to TV Comedy", BBC Worldwide Ltd, 2003
* [http://www.phill.co.uk/comedy/agony/index.html "Agony"] at British TV Comedy