Next of Kin

My first impressions on seeing this series was: "Yes, Penelope Keith is still brilliant, but this series isn't really funny." I felt the children were too antagonistic - it felt real, but not funny. But, seeing that La Keith was on great form, I kept watching and grew to love the series. The children grew as actors, and you could, to purloin a phrase, "feel their pain". Pain is not something you normally associate with sitcoms, but here it was. Now I think the series should be considered a groundbreaking show: the way the pain, sorrow and frustration the children felt was dealt with intelligently and moving. And I reiterate what the others have stated: THIS SERIES SHOULD BE RELEASED ON DVD!

Finally saw this comedy series, which ran for 3 seasons in the 1990s. It stars Penelope Keith and William Gaunt as a self-absorbed couple about to retire and move to France, where the food and wine are so much better. On the very verge of their idyll, they receive news that their estranged son and his wife (called Bootface) have been killed in an auto accident and that they are the only kin of the three children. What to do? In short order, their plans for a Continental life are scrapped and the three kids (and various pets) arrive on their suburban doorstep. Two are young teens, and the third is even younger. Keith and Gaunt are faced with at least a decade of child care, schools, and all that comes with raising children.

Yet what ensues is hilarious. The sea change necessary to cope with kids means that Keith and Gaunt have to do a 180 in their lives ... and quickly! The kids are challenging. The oldest, a girl, is a sulky thing with a strict, self-imposed vegetarian diet. The elder boy only eats Spam. The youngest won't eat anything that's round. Gone are the vintage wine collection, the antique car, and all their child-free friends.

The series never gets that fuzzy, warm feeling. As the brittle Maggie, Penelope Keith is wondrous, bemoaning her fate while she deals with the daily regimen of meals and dishes and noise. Gaunt is also excellent as the slightly (only slightly) more tender grandparent who tries to accommodate the demanding kids. The grandparents are resentful. The grandchildren are resentful. Yet they muddle on.

A highlight is a birthday party for the ever-harping girl. Nothing is ever right, and she belittles every around her (she's very realistic) to the point where Keith can't stand another moment and smacks her in the face with a cream pie (a dessert trifle). I imagine audiences across the land cheered. Later, in the girl's bedroom, Maggie asks, "So, did you like your trifle?"

For anyone who has enjoyed Penelope Keith in GOOD NEIGHBORS or TO THE MANOR BORN, this is a must-see series. What a pity the BBC canceled the show after its third season. There was so much more humor to mine.

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.

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.

A very funny black comedy starring the one and only Penelope Keith. This series should be put onto a video. It is simply unique. Very Funny ! Unfortunately this series was axed in 1997 after the viewing figures were too low ! A PAL VIDEO SHOULD BE RELEASED ! I think it is a very good series.