As Time Goes By (TV series)

As Time Goes By
From left; Sandy, Jean, Lionel, Alistair and Judi
Genre	Situation comedy
Created by	Colin Bostock-Smith
Written by	Bob Larbey (1992–2005)
Directed by	Sydney Lotterby
Starring	Judi Dench Geoffrey Palmer Moira Brooker Philip Bretherton Jenny Funnell Joan Sims Frank Middlemass Moyra Fraser Paul Chapman Janet Henfrey Tim Wylton
Country of origin	United Kingdom
No. of seasons	9
No. of episodes	67 (List of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Philip Jones (1992–2002) Trevor McCallum (1996) John Reynolds (1996–2005) Don Taffner (2002–05) John Bartlett (2005) Donald Taffner, Jr. (2005)
Producer(s)	Sydney Lotterby (1992–2005)
Editor(s)	John Jarvis (1992) Chris Wadsworth (1992–2002) Mykola Pawluk (2005)
Running time	64x30 Minutes 1x45 Minutes 1x50 Minutes 1x60 Minutes
Broadcast
Original channel	BBC One
Original run	12 January 1992 – 30 December 2005

As Time Goes By is a British sitcom that aired on BBC One from 1992 to 2005. Starring Judi Dench and Geoffrey Palmer, it follows the relationship between two former lovers who meet unexpectedly after not having been in contact for 38 years.^[1]

The programme's original working title had been Winter with Flowers^[2] (from the German proverb "An old man loved is winter with flowers.") but was changed during its first day of filming due to the cast's protestations. The new title was taken from the 1931 song "As Time Goes By", which was used as the title music, recorded by Joe Fagin.^[3]

The show was created by Colin Bostock-Smith^[4], but written by Bob Larbey,^[3] who had co-written The Good Life. 2004, As Time Goes By came 29th in Britain's Best Sitcom.^[5]

The series was produced by Theatre of Comedy Entertainment, in association with DLT Entertainment Ltd. for the BBC.

Cast

In the March 2011 PBS pledge drive programming special Behind the Britcoms: from Script to Screen hosted by Moira Brooker and Philip Bretherton, the series creator/producer revealed that Jean Simmons had declined the first offer of the role of 'Jean' (which was written with her in mind) due to her reluctance to uproot her sunny life--specifically mentioning her dogs, garden, and family--in California. Dench was later cast after auditioning for the role.

• Judi Dench — Jean Mary Pargetter Hardcastle (Lead)
• Geoffrey Palmer, OBE — Lionel Hardcastle (Lead)
• Moira Brooker — Judith Hanson (later Deacon), Jean's daughter (Regular)
• Philip Bretherton — Alistair Deacon, Lionel's literary agent, and later Judith's husband (Regular)
• Jenny Funnell — Sandy, Jean's office manager and Judith's best friend (Regular)
• Frank Middlemass — Richard 'Rocky' Hardcastle, Lionel's father (from Series Two), (Recurring)
• Joan Sims — Madge Evita Darbley Hardcastle, Lionel's stepmother (Series Three to Seven) (Recurring)
• Moyra Fraser — Penny Johnson, Jean's sister-in-law from her first marriage (from Series Two) (Recurring)
• Paul Chapman — Stephen Johnson, Penny's husband (from Series Two) (Recurring)
• Janet Henfrey — Mrs. Bale, Rocky and Madge's housekeeper (from Series Two) (Recurring)
• David Michaels — Harry, Sandy's boyfriend and later husband (Series Six to Nine) (Regular)
• Daniel Ryan — Harry, Sandy's husband (2005 specials) (Regular)
• Tim Wylton — Lol Ferris (Series Five to Nine) (Recurring)
• Justine Glenton (1 episode), Zoe Hilson (4 episodes) - Daisy (Series Three to Four) (Guest)

Plot

Second Lieutenant Lionel Hardcastle (Geoffrey Palmer) and Middlesex Hospital Nurse Jean Pargetter (Judi Dench) met in the summer of 1953 or 1954 (depending on the episode) and fell in love, but when Lionel was sent to Korea they lost touch. He had sent her a letter when he arrived in Korea, which she did not receive, and each assumed the other had lost interest. After his war service, Lionel had gone to Kenya and become a coffee planter. He and his wife, Margaret, had divorced on the grounds of "mutual boredom", and he had moved back to England. Jean married, and after her husband's death set up "Type for You", a secretarial agency. She has a daughter, Judith Hanson (Moira Brooker), who had married twice (to "Ken", who had "sad eyes", and "Edward", who was "very clever"), with both marriages ending in divorce. At the start of the series, Judith has moved back in with her mother and also works with her mother at "Type for You".

In the opening episodes, 38 years later, Lionel selects "Type for You", initially unaware that Jean is the proprietor, to finalize the copy for his book My Life in Kenya. When Jean and Lionel recognize each other, their romance begins to blossom again, but only after a slow start. In the third season, Lionel moves into Jean's house in Holland Park, London, and they marry during the following season.

As the series begins, Judith develops a crush on Lionel, and his publisher, Alistair Deacon (Philip Bretherton), takes an interest in Jean. Both crushes are brief, and eventually Judith and Alistair fall for each other and, much later, marry. Other plot lines feature Lionel being asked to write an American TV mini-series, Just Two People, based on his early romance with Jean. The mini-series fails after one episode. Jean eventually retires from her company, and later donates work hours to a charity shop.

Jean's very efficient secretary and Judith's best friend is Sandy (Jenny Funnell), who eventually moves in with the Hardcastles after splitting with her boyfriend Nick, later becoming a manager in the agency after Jean's retirement. She later starts dating Harry (David Michaels, later replaced by Daniel Ryan), a policeman and rugby player, whom she marries at the end of the series. Other notable characters include: Lionel's father, Rocky (Frank Middlemass), who owns a large country house in Hampshire, which he later gives to Lionel; the housekeeper, Mrs. Bale (Janet Henfrey), who has an unusual interest in the Shipping Forecast, and the gardener, Lol Ferris (Tim Wylton). Rocky marries Madge (Joan Sims) when he is 85 and she is 78, and they often travel around the world. In Series Nine, Madge is mentioned as being on an archaeological dig in Egypt; in reality the actress who portrayed her had died before filming began. Jean's first husband's neurotic sister Penny (Moyra Fraser), who always calls Jean "Poor Jean", and her dentist husband, Stephen (Paul Chapman), who once accidentally declined the OBE, also make many appearances.^[6]

Episodes

Main article: List of As Time Goes By episodes

The programme ran for nine series from 12 January 1992 to 4 August 2002. Almost all episodes were 30 minutes in duration. The final series episode was followed by an hour-long compilation show on 11 August 2002, and by a two part "Reunion Special" broadcast on 26 and 30 December 2005. The Reunion Specials were the last appearance of Frank Middlemass, who played Rocky, before his death in 2006.^[7]. Actress Joan Sims passed away in 2001 and the role of Rocky's wife, Madge Darbley-Hardcastle was not recast; in Series 8 it's mentioned that she's away participating in an Egyptian archaeological dig.

International broadcasts

As Time Goes By has been aired in the United States on BBC America, and is still currently being run weekly on PBS (on which it has aired almost continuously since the early 2000s), with various cast members appearing live on air during yearly pledge drives. It has also been broadcast in Canada on BBC Canada and TVOntario, in Australia on ABC and currently on Seven's Best-of-British-oriented 7TWO. Also in New Zealand on both UK.TV and SKY Network Television, in Finland on YLE TV1^[8] and on DSTV in Nigeria. In Ireland RTÉ One has repeated the series on numerous occasions. As of 2010, it is broadcast by GOLD for viewers in the UK and Ireland. Still shown in Australia on Austar's Pay TV Channel UKTV in 2011.

Radio

As Time Goes By was adapted and recorded for radio. Three series were broadcast on BBC Radio 2 between 1997 and 1999. The first episode included a flashback to Jean and Lionel 38 years before, something that never happened on television. All episodes correspond to a TV episode and featured the original cast, apart from the original actor from the television program (Bretherton) not playing Alistair in Series One - Bretherton did play Alistair in both Series Two and Three. So far, only the first series has been released on BBC Audio Cassette.

Series one (1997)

1. "Episode One" (18 March 1997)
2. "Episode Two" (25 March 1997)
3. "Episode Three" (1 April 1997)
4. "Episode Four" (9 April 1997)
5. "Episode Five" (16 April 1997)
6. "Episode Six" (23 April 1997)
7. "Episode Seven" (30 April 1997)

Series two (1998)

1. "Episode One" (18 January 1998)
2. "We'll Always Have Paris" (25 January 1998)
3. "Living Together — But Where?" (1 February 1998)
4. "Covering Up" (8 February 1998)
5. "Moving In" (15 February 1998)
6. "Branching Out" (22 February 1998)

Series three (1999)

1. "The Mini Series" (14 February 1999)
2. "Dealing With Sally" (21 February 1999)
3. "Problems, Problems" (28 February 1999)
4. "A House Full of Women" (7 March 1999)
5. "Getting Rid of Gwen" (14 March 1999)
6. "The Affair" (21 March 1999)
7. "The Anniversary Party" (28 March 1999)

DVD releases

The complete series was released in DVD region code 2 by Cinema Club, in DVD region code 1 by BBC America and as five sets in DVD region code 4 by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. The reunion special is also available on DVD now, distributed by Acorn Media UK.

Australian DVD Releases:

• As Time Goes By - Series 1 & 2 (2 Disc Set)
• As Time Goes By - Series 3 & 4 (3 Disc Set) - 10 November 2004
• As Time Goes By - Series 5 & 6 (2 Disc Set) - 7 April 2005
• As Time Goes By - Series 7 & 8 (2 Disc Set) - 6 October 2005
• As Time Goes By - Series 9 - 9 August 2004
• As Time Goes By - Series 1-9: Collectors Edition (11 Disc Box Set) - 6 October 2006

References

1. ^ http://www.answers.com/topic/as-time-goes-by-tv-series-1
2. ^ http://www.will.uiuc.edu/tv/britcoms/bbcfiles/insider/insiderjune04.doc page 18: "In the early 90s he was brought the script for As Time Goes By, which was at first titled Winter with Flowers.
3. ^ ^{a b} "As Time Goes By Crew List". http://atgbcentral.com/thecrew.html. Retrieved 2008-02-12. 
4. ^ http://www.denofgeek.com/television/54151/the_den_of_geek_interview_colin_bostocksmith.html
5. ^ name="topsitcom">BBC - Britain's Best Sitcom - Top 11 to 100
6. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/astimegoesby/
7. ^ http://www.lpb.org/whatson/britwit/atgb.html
8. ^ http://yle.fi/ulkomaiset/faq2.php?id=73

• Lewisohn, Mark (1998). Radio Times Guide to TV Comedy. London: BBC Worldwide. ISBN 9780563369776. OCLC 43091221. 
• As Time Goes By at epguides.com
• Lavalie, John. "As Time Goes By [BBC Radio 2] (a Titles & Air Dates Guide)". epguides.com. http://epguides.com/AsTimeGoesBy/radio.shtml. Retrieved 23 March 2011. 

External links

• As Time Goes By at bbc.co.uk
• As Time Goes By at the Internet Movie Database
• As Time Goes By (TV series) at AllRovi
• As Time Goes By at British TV Comedy
• As Times Goes By at British Comedy (with radio episode guide)