Terry and June

This cosy middle class sitcom became the subject of much hatred by the new breed of talented comedians in the 1980s, such as Ben Elton. Did it deserve such malice? Well Terry and June was never clever, it was never a well-written tale with different threads which intersect at the conclusion. It was the show your mother and father and probably grandparents watched. They chuckled rather than laughed, but they were never likely to be offended by the show, so the fact that it never challenged them was immaterial.

One Foot In The Grave suffered initially because it appeared at first sight to be just another Terry and June.

A few days after the death of Terry Scott an episode was broadcast on terrestrial TV, and that has been its final outing. There have been few repeats of the show on any TV channel.

Thankfully TV comedy has advanced since Terry and June. It's hard to find kind words for it - Terry Scott did make the best of weak scripts.

This show lasted for most of the 1980s, and had its moments, but plots were usually dishwater thin and often painfully unfunny.

Terry Scott and June Whitfield were wasted in this sitcom, they both deserved better, but it does provide some fond memories and I have found myself smiling at some repeated scenes. June Whitfield's talent for comedy is allowed to shine through on occasion (when she is not being a foil to Terry) and she really is clever.

The 1980s is the last decade where you will find this kind of middle class, middle aged comedy, and many people remember it fondly, but I prefer to remember the decade for alternative comedy and the biting satire of Spitting Image.

Top sitcom, I miss the eighties. Better times in England compared to today.

People who do not "get" Terry & June do not appreciate the classic British humour behind the programme. Terry Scott plays the everyman husband to perfection with a daft script fully latching into the "Carry On" vibe of the period.

It is in the same vein as "The Fall & Rise of Reginald Perrin", "Fawlty Towers" and "The Good Life". Why? Because it captures the quintessential essence of the period it was made and extrapolates everyday situations until it hits the correct note of farce and silliness. This plays to the strengths of one of the true comedy legends of 70/80s British TV and film.

Yes it's safe, yes it's homely, but that is what 90% of life was like in those days, and to a certain degree now. The main difference being that actors of the calibre of Terry Scott and June Whitfield do not appear in mainstream television these days.

So settle back married suburban man, with a nice beer, and watch the repeats of this fun comedy safe in the knowledge that you are watching a true comedy great, bumbling through a programme in the manner of an Oliver Hardy or Tony Hancock. Always trying his best but failing.

And remember this, married men - you are actually watching a mirror of your own life, without the laughter of a studio audience to ease the pain. "June! June!"

I used to enjoy "Happy Ever After", but was absolutely hypnotised by "Terry & June". With Aunt Lucy gone, the emphasis seemed to fall more heavily on the relationship between Terry and June, a middle aged, middle class English couple, and I thoroughly enjoyed it, losing myself quite happily in each episode.

The 1980s were the era of alternative comedy, but they were also the decade of choice - and Terry and June certainly suited more traditional tastes. And mine - and I was a huge fan of "The Young Ones", too! Each week, Terry got into a silly situation and June got pulled in herself and usually ended up having to bail him out. How dated the shows seem now - it was a different world, but it's great fun to see trends of the 1980s featured - such as the CB radio storyline of 1982 (CB radio was legalised in England in November 1981), which saw Terry imprisoned in his car in the back of a lorry! I've been watching the shows again recently on DVD, and I still think they're terrific! Not loved by the enlightened elite - the chattering classes, but a huge hit with the masses! Wonderful!