Up the Garden Path

A truly lovely comedy drama. An adaptation of a novel by the author Sue Limb.

Wholesome, fun, but realistic too. Well acted, ingeniously scripted, and plotted well from start to finish. The comedy moments are neither predictable, nor inappropriately lumped in to the plot. A great series, with not a whit wrong with it.

Well done to the team of actors - Imelda Staunton and the rest of the cast - and the writers too. It's a skilfully blended piece, throughout all 3 series of the comedy drama.

A point re one small but artistically important feature: One of my favourites elements to the drama is the part of the pupil "Gary". It's ingenious, and very funny. The boy gets admonished in class by Imelda Staunton's teacher SO many times, but we never see or get told exactly what he's done wrong! But we know, his being a schoolboy, it must be something a little bit nasty! :-D Very droll. We've all had a kid in our class like that! Plus . . . It's a whimsical twist to the style of the rest of the drama, and so stands out. And it reminds me, with delight, of the schoolteacher line used years ago by Joyce Grenfell - the great comedic actor and writer - in one of her radio sketches. To one of her class of nursery school pupils she frequently calls out: "George - don't do that..." And again, we never find out quite WHAT little George is doing! A divine homage is made in this 1990s comedy drama. Sublime.

Without wishing to be Sexist, I would think that most women can relate to Imelda Staunton's portrayal of this ditsy, desperate-for-love teacher.

The episodes of Izzy's confusing and often stressful personal life, normally of her own making, could probably be found in many women's personal diaries!

Falling for handsome married men,ex-students, basically anyone considered as "off limits" or "dangerously exciting" whilst ignoring her caring and considerate flat-mate Dick should perhaps be viewed as negatives of her character,but the subtleties of the writing also shows she is only human.

Searching, like so many women do, for "Mr Right" and getting it oh-so wrong along the way! The Search for Happiness is never easy or straight forward and this series managed to get this across with humour and taste and without her looking cheap or devious.