Don't Wait Up

Aimed at the bland middle class little Englanders of the 80's and as distant from ground breaking as possible. The toffee nosed protagonists interact in dated even for the 80's "situations". Much hilarity does not ensue.

Not a classic like Blackadder or Only Fools and Horses, but quite good all the same. This was very much a sitcom for the Thatcher era in which it was made. The doctors Latimer were always sniping at each other. Dr Tom Latimer (Nigel Havers) was an NHS General Practitioner, a position which he passionately believed in, whilst father Dr Toby Latimer (Tony Britton) was in private practice as a dermatologist.

As well as the private medicine vs NHS jokes, the series also dealt with relationships: Tom's relationships with his ex-wife Helen and his girlfriend Madeleine whom he later married, and Toby's relationship with estranged wife Angela, as well as the (usually strained) father-son interplay, made for some good story lines. The characters were well drawn, and as one would expect from such a stellar cast, beautifully portrayed. But it didn't make it into the Top 100 in the BBC's "Britain's Best Sitcom", a few years ago.

When the series was originally shown, there was one thing that perplexed me: Eagle-eyed viewers will remember that the opening titles and the closing credits were run within a photo album. As the closing credits came to an end, the album closed to reveal the producer / director's name (Harold Snoad) and the copyright. Due to an oversight by the BBC, the same photo album was used throughout the series' run, so unofficially all episodes are (c) BBC MCMLXXXIII [1983], but later episodes feature tell-tale signs like cars and registration plates that weren't available then. They must have thought that no-one would notice!!

Nigel Havers has made a successful career playing likable toff's and this sitcom from the 80's sees him playing that sort of role to perfection.

The premise is very much like the classic play by Neil Simon called 'The Odd Couple', and obviously worked as it ran for 6 series.

Not all of the jokes work, and unlike other sitcoms from the era it feels a little dated in places. But Havers is good at what he does, and even when the plots get a little thin, his charm carries the show.

It's not easy to find this show on TV or on DVD, but it's pleasant enough viewing if you can find it.

This series was immediately seen as one of the worst sitcoms for many years. Just as TV comedy was becoming gritty and modern, the BBC decided to launch this old fashioned sitcom. Certainly, some of the jokes had seen better days. Blatantly unfunny, it amazingly defied its critics and continued for several years, when one series was more than enough.

Unfortunately, PBS, is having battle of the britcoms, again. The viewers get to vote, what britcoms we would like to see, on Our own pbs station. So, everynight, a different britcom is shown. They have shown 2 episodes, of don't wait up. Well, I could'nt, wake up, much less. It's bloody awful, and to think 39 episodes, Don't wait up, should be re-named, Don't wake up.