Phoebe Sparrow

Phoebe Sparrow (previously Bamford) was a character in Goodnight Sweetheart: a six series BBC sitcom that ran between 1993 and 1999. She was played by Dervla Kirwan from series 1-3 and by Elizabeth Carling in series 4-6.

Plot

Phoebe is a 1940s barmaid who becomes the girlfriend and eventually the wife of 1990s time traveler, Gary Sparrow. Throughout the series, Phoebe is unaware that Gary is both a time traveler and an adulterer (later a bigamist).

Phoebe works at the Royal Oak: an East End public house owned by her father, Eric. She is married to a serving British soldier (Donald Bamford, who appears in two episodes) although early in the series she reveals to Gary that it is a mutually loveless marriage made for convenience only. Eric takes a quick disliking to Gary; not only is he suspicious of his motives, but as Phoebe is married to a serving British soldier, Gary looks like a slacker by comparison.

Gary is able to supply Phoebe with items considered luxurious by World War II ration standards (such as chocolate, wine and stockings) and often uses these items as consolation gifts for his constant absences (which he claims are due to "secret war work" but are really when he returns to the 90s and to his wife, Yvonne). Though she eventually tires of his excuses and will not accept the gifts as readily, initially, Phoebe is impressed by what she perceives as Gary's glamorous lifestyle. Gary takes her to a VIP cocktail party and to dinner at the Savoy Hotel, however, Phoebe's father is quick to remind her that she is a "married woman"" whenever Gary visits.

At the end of the first series, Gary decides not to return to the 1940s. However, when the second series begins, Gary's modern day best friend (and confidant) Ron Wheatcroft persuades him to go back in time to invest some money so that they will be rich in the 1990s. This scheme fails, but while there, he accidentally meets Phoebe and rekindles their relationship. Phoebe's father has died in an air raid, and her husband has been imprisoned in a POW camp; Gary's emotional and business support to her advances his prospects with her.

Eventually Gary and Phoebe marry and have a son they call Michael. She and Gary move to a "posh" part of town and Phoebe becomes a night-club singer, as she and Gary became acquainted with Noel Coward. Yvonne, too, is notably successful, starting her own million pound beauty aids business. However, despite the glamorous turn of events, both wives remain unaware of Gary's time-traveling or bigamy, and both continue to demand explanations as to why he is away all the time.

At the end of the final series, Gary prevents an assassination attempt on future Prime Minister, Clement Attlee, which leads to the time portal closing, giving him no choice but to remain in the 1940s. He paints a final message to Ron and Yvonne on the same Mayfair flat wall that Ron will one day strip old wallpaper from and discover, and thus, as far as we know, Yvonne is the only wife who ever learns of both Gary's time-traveling, and his bigamy.