In the opening scene of this, the first episode of Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran's time-travelling sitcom, we are introduced to protagonist Gary Sparrow; TV repairman and hen-pecked husband of Yvonne. The day after his rather depressing birthday party he goes to a job in the East End; he can't find the building he is looking for so asks a policeman and is told to go down Duckett's Passage and ask at the Royal Oak. He does so and is impressed by what he thinks is a 1940s themed pub
nobody breaks character and he is even accused of being a spy because of his German pen! He thinks it is all rather funny till an air raid begins
he really is in 1940! He finds himself attracted to the landlord's attractive, and married, daughter Phoebe
especially when she gives him a goodnight peck on the cheek after he saves her father.
I enjoyed this series when it first aired and on the strength of rewatching this first episode I'd say it has aged rather well. This was a good opening episode to this high-concept series; we are efficiently introduced to all the major characters and set up the story. It is of course just an introduction; at this point we have no idea what Gary will do now he can travel between his present day and wartime London it is pretty obvious that he hopes it will involve Phoebe though. Nicholas Lyndhurst is on fine form as Gary and is ably supported by Michelle Holmes and Dervla Kirwan as Yvonne and Phoebe respectively as well as Victor McGuire as his present day friend Ron and Christopher Ettridge who plays PC Deadman in both eras; presumably one will be the other's grandfather. Any good sitcom needs laughs and this provides plenty. It uses to man-out-of-time idea well with Gary's initial confusion then his impressing people with the songs he claims to written all well-known post war songs of course. Overall a solid opener.
I enjoyed this series when it first aired and on the strength of rewatching this first episode I'd say it has aged rather well. This was a good opening episode to this high-concept series; we are efficiently introduced to all the major characters and set up the story. It is of course just an introduction; at this point we have no idea what Gary will do now he can travel between his present day and wartime London it is pretty obvious that he hopes it will involve Phoebe though. Nicholas Lyndhurst is on fine form as Gary and is ably supported by Michelle Holmes and Dervla Kirwan as Yvonne and Phoebe respectively as well as Victor McGuire as his present day friend Ron and Christopher Ettridge who plays PC Deadman in both eras; presumably one will be the other's grandfather. Any good sitcom needs laughs and this provides plenty. It uses to man-out-of-time idea well with Gary's initial confusion then his impressing people with the songs he claims to written all well-known post war songs of course. Overall a solid opener.
