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!

Mulberry is the son of the grim reaper and his first job is to bring the rather dower old maiden Miss Farnaby to "the other side." Only he finds, instead, ways of showing her how to live a life she has always regretted she never had, and in the process fails hilariously at his the job he is supposed to be inheriting from his father. The interactions with the other household staff are a constant source of mayhem. Despite the consternation of her staff, Miss Farnaby manages to blossom under the tutelage of the mysterious Mulberry.

This is one of the most enjoyable of the British Comedy TV series I have ever seen and I regret that it is only 13 episodes long. Every one that I have seen is a gem and I keep wishing my PBS station would re-run the series.

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.

This short lived show aired on PBS, I loved it and sad the show ended. It's a fantasy TV series worth seeking out to watch.

Mulberry is a stranger in town. Miss Farnaby hires him to assist her with many tasks as she's up in her years. Mulberry is actually Death's son and was there to take her life but he found himself liking her as a mother and asked his father to keep her alive longer.

10/10.

Mulberry is a funny, witty Britcom that stars Karl Howman as the mild-mannered but always imposing Mulberry, servant to the cranky, elderly Miss Farnaby (Geraldine McEwan). Bert and Alice, two other servants of Miss Farnaby's, are much needed additions to the cast, as their incredulous reactions to Mulberry's actions make for some of the funniest parts of this series. Howman's character is charming and clever, always scheming, and highly intelligent (what more could you ask from the "son of death"?), and it is truly his acting abilities that pull this Britcom together. Some of the episodes are less funny than others, but the majority are the reason I keep tuning in Saturday after Saturday for rerun after rerun. Of course, the reason Mulberry is there is to eventually "kill" Miss Farnaby, so the series did not last indefinitely. Overall, this is one of the top Britcoms I've seen.