Baby blues drives the decision making
Bumps
BBC1, 9.30pm
BRITISH TV has some very longrunning programmes. Panorama holds the record at the grand old age of 67, followed by The Sky at Night, Blue Peter and Coronation Street.
Another offering that deserves a mention is Comedy Playhouse. Some might say it shouldn’t be included in the list because every episode is technically a different show, but the title has been bringing us wonderful sitcoms since its debut in 1961.
The first run featured 10 standalone comedies written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson. They were given the opportunity after their relationship with Tony Hancock fell apart; the hope was that one of their ideas might be worth turning into a series, if it went down well with viewers.
The fourth episode was entitled The Offer, and starred Wilfrid Brambell and Harry H Corbett as father-and-son rag and bone men. A year later, a full series, now called Steptoe and Son, was broadcast to great acclaim and ran for the next 12 years.
Other sitcoms spawned by Comedy Playhouse include Till Death Us Do Part, All Gas and Gaiters, The Liver Birds, Up Pompeii! and Are You Being Served? before it fizzled out in 1975. The BBC revived the strand in 2014, with somewhat mixed results.
Bumps is the latest offering to come under its umbrella; whether a full run will be commissioned in the future is anybody’s guess, but it’s certainly a promising project penned by husband-and-wife team Lucy Montgomery and Rhys Thomas, who also have supporting roles.
But it’s Amanda Redman who takes the lead as Anita, a 62-year-old divorcee with two grown-up children. Although reaching pensionable age, she still feels about 20; she’s adventurous, energetic and a bundle of fun – she’s also broody.
With the aid of donor eggs and sperm, Anita decides to have another baby, little realising that she’s about to become a grandmother – her 30-something daughter Joanna has unexpectedly fallen pregnant. The relationship between the two women has often been strained, but news of Anita’s plan causes even more tension.
It soon becomes clear she hasn’t thought about the impact a third child will have on those around her, or indeed her own health or finances. But she’s about to find out in dramatic fashion.
Joining Redman in the cast is rising star Lisa Mcgrillis, whose previous comedy experience came in the acclaimed sitcom Mum, in which she played the title character’s wellmeaning but dim-witted daughter-inlaw opposite Lesley Manville. She’s also starred in Inspector George Gently and recently popped up in Deadwater Fell.
“I am thrilled to be a part of this dysfunctional family comedy,” says the actor. “Lucy and Rhys tell this unusual story with real heartwarming humour. I’m excited to see where it will go.
“I am delighted to play Anita in this uplifting and hilariously entertaining comedy,” adds Redman. “Lucy and Rhys are very talented writers and I look forward to hearing what viewers think of the mayhem.”
Clarke Peters, Philip Jackson, Louise Jameson, Seb Cardinal and Freddie Davis are also set to appear.