Mulberry

Ingenious, sweet-natured, and perhaps even better focused for being a limited-run series -- the actors seem to be having a great time and the scripts are really well-crafted. The local (Seattle) PBS station is running these and they're worth watching the schedule for!

I have recently seen this series on my local PBS and fell in love with it. The premise is deceptively simple but very well thought out. The primary characters, Miss Farnaby (pronounced Farnby) hires a stranger "Mulberry" as her personal servant. Through the course of their time together he encourages Farnaby who has become an shut-in during her declining years, to come alive once more. But there is a hidden plot underneath as Mulberry is actually the son of Death and has been sent by the Dark Angel to take Miss Farnaby on to her ultimate reward or to die. He however grows to love the old woman as a sort of surrogate mother and refuses to "kill her" in his own words. Instead he pleads with his father to give Miss Farnaby three more months of time to begin living.

Miss Farnaby's other two staff members, Alice, the cook and her husband who is the gardener/stable master/grounds keeper are almost as shut-in as their employer. They both resist the re-awakening of the old lady during the course of the series but it is obvious that there is a deep seeded loyalty between the trio that is thinly disguised by proper English manners and traditions. Their interaction with Mulberry often results in some of the series' most humorous moments.

It is a wonderful story that shows that through it all sometimes you can be so close to the end of life and still never have lived at all. He breaths life into Miss Farnaby's existence and brings her back from the brink of destitution. It is a powerful series that often evoked both laughter and tears in each and every episode. If you have any of these episodes especially episode 8 in which the character Mulberry falls over a cliff and supposedly dies, this episode was never aired where I live. I would love to get copies of it since it does not appear to have ever been put into any medium to purchase in the USA or overseas.

If it does come onto PBS or one of your local TV channels it's a very good show and is excellent even for the kids as the show is suitable for general audiences.

Beautiful 'love' story with many twists and turns. Not about romance, about honor and respect. Mulberry is whittier and more animated than an other character I have seen on the Tele. The writers have thought it through throughly. This is a timeless classic. It spans many generations, my 12 year old as well as my 75+ mother both enjoy it immensely. The characters interweave and become all better persons without knowing that they are all evolving. It is simple but not plain. The leading lady appears younger and more youthful as time goes on. Even the manor starts to exude life with the embellishments of multiple amounts of plants and flowers as the segments progress. I will own this and view it for years to come. None will not regret this series. Do not want to give details of story, thank you.

Why is it that we must rely on our PBS stations to bring us some fun, witty comedy from Britain. Right now, BBC America is trying to fix up: homes, bodies and sell houses in the countryside.

Mulberry(Karl Howman) is the cute and funny story of Death's(John Bennett) son's first "assignment". It comes in the form of Miss Farnaby(Geraldine McEwan). Realizing that Miss Farnaby hasn't really had a good life, he gets an extension from his father and takes it upon himself to liven up her life. Along with his affect on Miss Farnaby, he crosses path with her servants, the Finches: Albert(Tony Selby) and Alice(Mary Healey). The Finch's were war orphans from London in 1940 who eventually marry and go to work for the Farnabys.

The chemistry between the actors is incredible. When the actors in a show love working together, the viewer can tell. I could definitely tell that these people enjoyed working together. I do recommend this show for the light comedy for anyone who enjoys British humor. There is nothing like Mulberry falling off a cliff and waking up in the morgue because he can't die. As he returns to Miss Farnaby's home, he causes havoc. It's hilarious.

In fact, when it aired on PBS we taped it. We have all but 2 episodes. Our video cassettes are wearing thin. Right now, BBC America is deciding whether to add it to it's catalog. I would hope that anyone who has enjoyed this show to request it so others can enjoy what my family and others have enjoyed.

Laura

I can only just imagine a writer going into the chief of BBC and explaining they want to make a sitcom, where an agent of the Grim Reaper has the responsibility of taking the acidic Miss Farnaby to the other side, career suicide? Now perhaps, but in 1992 there was a different attitude, plus the BBC knew how to make sitcoms.

It is a joy to watch, the show has a wonderfully delicate, gentle demeanour, even though the subject is perhaps a little grim, but the journey and transformation of Miss Farnaby from spindly spinster to a sweet, amiable, fun loving person is wonderful, the reason why the show works so well.

The actors work incredibly well together. McEwan was always a favourite of mine, such a strong willed actress, I adored her in Marple, as she always had a cheeky glint in the eye, here she showed that comedy truly was her forte. Karl Howman was fabulous, a comedy king in the eighties and early nineties, his soft manner and handsome looks made him perfect for the role, sadly this was pretty much the last quality show he was part of. John Bennett was wonderful, one of the best actors I can think of, Selby was good, as was Mary Healey, who replaced Lill Roughley. I can remember being miffed that Healey was brought in, but I think her style suited the character better. Caroline Blakiston was always great as Adele, and I remember a fabulous performance from Sylvia Syms.

I'm glad there were two series. I loved it. 10/10