Nicholas Lyndhurst Movies

Season one of the bittersweet British sitcom Butterflies runs six episodes, originally telecast from November 10 through December 15, 1978. The series opens with "When Ria Met Leonard," detailing the humdrum existence of the Parkinson family, and bored housewife Ria Parkinson (Wendy Craig)'s first encounter with the wealthy and outwardly adventurous Leonard Dutton (Bruce Montague). The second episode "Breaking the Silence" further underlines the basic lack of communication amongst the Parkinsons, with a situation between Ria's dentist husband Ben (Geoffrey Palmer) and teenage son Russell (Andrew Hall). "Thinking About a Job" finds Ria figuring out a "respectable" method of staying close to her new dream man by applying for the position of Leonard's chauffeur, while Ben bemoans the fact that Russell and his brother Adam (Nicholas Lyndhurst) have taken to entertaining on the sidewalk to pick up spending money. "How About Lunch" not only delineates Ben's failed attempt at being "spontaneous," but also introduces Michael Ripper in the role of Leonard's new chauffeur, Thomas. In "The Lovers," activist wannabe Russell chains himself to a statue as a means of protesting capitalism. And in the final offering of the season, "He'll Have to Go," Ria strives not to be the "perfect wife" as she prepares for a crucial meeting with Leonard. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Like the previous season, season three of the British sitcom Butterflies yields seven episodes, originally broadcast from September 9 through October 21, 1980. Things get rolling with "An Empty Cage," in which Adam (Nicholas Parkhurst), layabout son of Ben and Ria Parkinson (Geoffrey Palmer, Wendy Craig), surprises one and all by getting a job -- while Ria, again depressed over her dead-end existence, once more crosses the path of her would-be lover Leonard (Bruce Montague). Next up is "Ruby's Crisis," wherein the Parkinsons' cleaning lady, Ruby (Joyce Windsor), turns to kleptomania out of boredom. The Parkinsons' other son Russell (Andrew Hall) is given some startling news by his girlfriend Jeannie in "Pregnancy." Small wonder after all this that the next episode is titled "Problems, Problems." Then in "Happy Birthday, Ria," the Parkinsons' holiday in Paris turns sour when Ria renews a bad friendship. And in the season finale, "Parting," it looks as though Ria and Leonard's relationship will take a serious turn when Leonard insists that Ria spend some time with him before he leaves for New York. As a coda to the third season, a ten minute Butterflies sketch was included in the December 1982 BBC1special "The Funny Side of Christmas." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The long-running British sitcom The Two of Us made its London Weekend Television debut on October 31, 1986. The premise was deceptively simple: Hero Ashley (Nicholas Lyndhurst) wanted to marry his live-in girlfriend Elaine (Janet Dibley), but she turned down his proposals time and time again. Even the efforts of Ashley's lovable grandpa Perce (played originally by former Dr. Who Patrick Troughton, then by Tenniel Evans) to persuade Elaine to march to the altar met with failure. Ultimately, however, Elaine and Ashley were wed, and as the series concluded its fourth and final season, Elaine was pregnant. The 32 episodes of The Two of Us were spread out over a four-year span, ending on March 18, 1990. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The winner of the Ivor Novello Award for Television Theme Music in 1994, director Adrian Shergold's spoof of wartime escape films tells the tale of a bumbling RAF Officer who plots the escape of 327 prisoners from a German POW camp. Few wartime prisoners have attempted escape quite as many times as RAF Officer James Forrester. Though Officer Forrester has twenty-three escape attempts to his name, each successive attempt he makes to break free somehow seems to go worse than the last. But this time there's a difference, because Officer Forrester isn't just plotting his own escape, but the escape of all 327 of his fellow prisoners as well - and all at once to boot. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Everyone's favorite collie returns to the screen -- and to her native home back in Britain -- in director Charles Sturridge's faithful adaptation of author Eric Knight's sentimental kid and canine novel Lassie Come Home. When Lassie saves a fox from the hunting hounds of the duke of Rudling (Peter O'Toole), the captivated nobleman becomes obsessed with the idea of purchasing the collie for his adoring granddaughter Cilla (Hester Odgers). Unfortunately for Rudling, the pooch already has a loving family in the form of kindly miner Sam Carraclough (John Lynch), his wife, Sarah (Samantha Morton), and their young son, Joe (Jonathan Mason). When Sam is laid off from his job, however, he is forced to sell the loyal dog to the duke in order to put food on the family table. Incensed at the dog's repeated attempts to escape and seek out her original loving family, the villainous duke charges kennel-keeper Eddie Hynes (Steve Pemberton) with the task of teaching Lassie how to stay as World War II looms ever more heavy on the horizon. When the dogs of war finally stop barking and start biting, Rudling beats a hasty retreat to the safety of northern Scotland with both the child and the canine. Realizing that her newfound companion is far from the people she cares about most, Cilla later helps her ever-loyal four-legged friend escape from the family's heavily fortified compound so that she may begin the 500-mile journey back home to Yorkshire. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide