Next of Kin

Once again Pen Keith has made a fab job in this well writen show.The Man from the Champions could do with some if his special powers in this show to help Pen Out.The Girl who players Georgina is just so funny with her remarks and Pen has done it again.

I remember viewing this show on a local PBS station. While I do have a taste for British comedy, the whole dramatic premise just kills it. It could be have been brilliant but the whole idea is flawed: why should we care about three whiny know-it-all brats being taken care of their until-now-unknown grandparents? It's not a show as much as it's being at the funeral of a stranger: you don't know where you fit in, but you rather just be somewhere else. That's how I felt, and felt better when I turned the channel.

Penelope Keith CBE OBE is better remembered for her roles as Audrey Fforbes-Hamilton in "To the Manor Born" and "The Good Life" as Marjery Ledbetter. In this series which was prematurely shortened, she and William Gaunt plays parents and grandparents who must raise their three orphaned grandchildren after their son and daughter-in-law have died in a car accident. The children are now orphaned and now must be raised by their grandparents who are not normally affectionate towards children even their own son. The news and circumstances that they must endure but the writers do a splendid job in bringing the unlikely pair of grandparents who probably would prefer traveling the world rather than raising their own grandchildren. This show could have been a hit if it was allowed too.

After To the Manor Born, this is Penelope Keith's best series. The balance between comedy, pathos and relationships between the grandparents and the grandchildren is excellent.

In particular, the growth of the relationships as the series progresses is very natural and at times achingly funny.

Some people cannot grasp the humor stemming from a serious subject, but the characters here are real. Most families are NOT like The Waltons!

Give it a shot if comes on PBS again. If only it had run longer and there were more episodes.

This series is about a couple that give up their wealthy life to take care of their three parentless grandchildren. The sacrifice of their former rich life frustrates them, they can't enjoy life as they wanted to. Lack of money and the age-difference frustrates them but still they remain positive.

Different is the lack of laughing in the background. Popular american comedy shows use the laugh button too much. This is something to get used to, but definitely an asset.

Both the acting and scenario are excellent.