Gareth Gwenlan Movies

The setting for this morbidly amusing British sitcom was Bayview Retirement Home, a sterile senior-citizen center. Upon his arrival at Bayview, randy oldster Tom Ballard (Graham Crowden) formed a curious bond with fellow inmate Diana Trent (Stephanie Cole), a relentless griper who claimed that she was anxious to die and have done with it all. Together, Tom and Diana contrived to make life miserable for Harvey Bains (Daniel Hill), the prissy, rule-bound manager of Bayview. Also appearing from time to time were Tom's son Geoffrey (Andrew Tourell), Jeffrey's snappish wife Marion (Sandra Payne), and irritatingly cheerful senior-center worker Jane Edwards (Janine Duvitski). Despite its geriatric cast, Waiting for God managed to stay on the air for five seasons and 47 episodes, from June 28, 1990 to October 27, 1994. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

British sitcom favorite Penelope Keith starred in this weekly BBC1 TVer as Helen Walker, a 41-year-old widow who successfully ran her late husband's construction business. The plot congealed when Helen fell in love with the firm's top architect, Peter Morgan (Christopher Villiers), who happened to be 16 years her junior. At first attempting to conceal her romance from her friends and colleagues, Helen eventually adopted a what-the-hell attitude and drew up plans to march Peter down the aisle. Alas, Sweet Sixteen ran for a mere six episodes from October 16 to November 20, 1983, leaving the future of Helen and Peter forever in limbo once the program was canceled. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The original setting for this British sitcom was a leaky houseboat moored on the Thames river in London. Enterprising Northerner Brian Webber (Peter Davison) resided on this boat, occasionally joined by his devoutly pro-ecological girlfriend Sonia (Sara Corper). This cozy set-up was shattered when Brian's loutish younger brother Steve (Robert Glenister) showed up, determined to live the good life with his older sibling. After several episodes' worth of bickering and convoluted comic situations, Brian decided to move to Newcastle to attend college. His solitude, again, was short-lived; both Steve and Sonia elected to head to Newcastle themselves, and the old status quo was quickly re-established. Churning out 19 half-hour episodes, Sink or Swim was seen on BBC1 from December 4, 1980 to October 14, 1982. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The second season of the British sitcom Butterflies runs seven episodes, initially broadcast from October 29 through December 10 1979. In "Leaving," dissatisfied housewife Ria (Wendy Craig) again considers cheating on her dull hubby Ben (Geoffrey Palmer) when she has a chance encounter with her platonic male friend Leonard (Bruce Montague), while Ria's son Adam (Nicholas Parkhurst) runs away from home -- almost. In "Worrying," Ben experiences an epiphany after suffering what he thinks is a heart attack. Ria's argument with God in "A Dog's Life" is a sure sign that she is on the verge of a nervous breakdown. In "Keeping Fit," Adam and his brother Russell (Andrew Hall) take their practical joking too far, while Leonard becomes seriously ill. "An Attractive Visitor" is a woman named Susanna, who has an eye for Ben and the boys -- and a surprising revelation for Ria. And in "Lunch With Leonard," Ria once again contemplates leaving Ben for Leonard, but Leonard has some disturbing news. Season seven is rounded off with a brief special Christmas telecast, originally seen on December 22, 1979. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Created and written by Carla Lane, whose other series included the highly regarded Bread and The Liver Birds, the weekly half-hour British sitcom Butterflies starred Wendy Craig as Ria Parkinson, an outwardly normal housewife undergoing a rather profound middle-aged crisis. Married to a dentist named Ben (Geoffrey Palmer) who spent his off-hours collecting butterflies, and the mother of two indolent teenaged boys, Russell (Andrew Hall) and Adam (Nicholas Parkhurst), Ria could not help but feel that something was lacking in her life. Thus it was almost inevitable that Ria entertained thoughts of straying from her marital vows in the company of Leonard Dutton (Bruce Montague), a wealthy businessman whom she had met by accident during one of her rare forays outside her home. For his part, Leonard was enchanted by Ria, but he was reluctant to give his own wife a divorce. For four years, Ria and Leonard periodically ducked away to enjoy an entirely chaste relationship, with Ria forever torn between kicking over the traces and dashing off to a life of thrills and chance, and remaining the dutiful wife and mother she'd been all her life. Also in the cast was Michael Ripper, a fixture of British horror films, here atypically cast as Leonard's cynical chauffeur, Thomas, and veteran comedienne Joyce Windsor as the Parkinsons' neurotic cleaning lady, Ruby. Debuting November 10, 1978, on BBC-2, the 28-episode Butterflies ran until October 19, 1983. In 1979, a pilot was filmed for a never-sold American version of Butterflies, starring Jennifer Warren, John McMartin, Jim Hutton, Craig Wasson, and Robert Doran. The property returned in sketch form as part of the 2000 special Children in Need, featuring the original cast, save the late Michael Ripper. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The inimitable Eleanor Bron was the focal point of the six-episode British seriocomic series Making Faces. Bron was cast as Zoya Hirst, a nice Jewish girl. The stories were complete and self-contained, linked together principally by Zoya's presence. Debuting September 25, 1975, Making Faces was one of several Eleanor Bron projects carried by the BBC. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi