A newlywed couple with middle class ambitions returns from their honeymoon to find a couple of hippie, "commie" squatters in their newly bought two up two down. They come to an agreement of sharing the house and find themselves frequently at odds with each other's way of life.
The series is written by Janey Preger, whose tv writing career is generally focused on drama with a few lone forays into comedy. Two Up, Two Down was first billed as a comedy drama, noticeable in Preger not being able to let go and completely delve into the funny - something that could have saved this series.
Two couples, similar in age and somewhat similar in background, at odds because of their current worldview, but also friendly at the end of the day: a sitcom concept that can be very successful. See for example The Good Life. But for this to work successfully, the protagonists must be sympathetic and there should be some allowance for light hearted comedy. This series fails on both accounts.
Paul Nicholas was probably the better known name at the time to drive this sitcom and pull viewers. His portrayal of communist squatter Jimmy was hardly sympathetic, made impossible by the writing of his character as a sly misogynist, always more busy to have someone do something for him and to avoid doing something himself.
Norman Tipton as Stan is portrayed as the typical middle class working male, just trying to get by with little interests or strong opinions on anything but his budgie Lola. His wife Sheila, played by Claire Faulconbridge flip flops between being socially ambitious and astute and being naive and willing to see things from a different perspective. Is this clumsy writing or a very sharp, precise depiction of a young middle class woman of that time who grew up sheltered and is starting to learn the complexities of the world?
Su Pollard was a hard working actress in theatre, but made her real tv debut in this series as Jimmy's partner Flo. Although in her tv career Pollard is largely pigeonholed as a naive, dimwitted tragicomic girl used by others to their advantage, she plays it so well. Two Up, Two Down's only saving grace is Su Pollard as Flo whose gung ho naivety makes her the only real sympathetic character. The show seemed aware of Pollard's capabilities with Flo being given the best lines and the show's only (and far too few) silly bits of light hearted and physical comedy, performed brilliantly by Pollard's no holds barred way of acting.
Unless it was done in a sympathetic, more full on comedic manner, the humour in a pair of a hippie, "commie" squatters is so specific to that time that it's hardly worth a watch nowadays. At times interesting as a relic of its time, Pollard's appearance is this show's only saving grace.
