Meet the Wife

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2009)

Meet the Wife
Genre	Sitcom
Created by	Chesney and Wolfe
Starring	Freddie Frinton Thora Hird
Country of origin	United Kingdom
No. of episodes	39
Production
Running time	30 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel	BBC1
Original run	28 December 1963 – 19 December 1966

Meet the Wife was a 1960's BBC sitcom, written by Chesney and Wolfe, which featured Freddie Frinton as Freddie Blacklock with Thora Hird as his tyrannical wife, Thora. It ran to five series.

The catchphrases of the series were both Thora's.* The first occurred whenever the socially-aspiring Thora introduced her husband, when she would snobbishly pronounce his name "Frayed", remarking that he was "a Master plumber", with the emphasis on the word Master. The other was to throw an irate accusative tantrum at poor, downtrodden Fred, with the words, "Every time [such-and-such happens], you always go berserk" The word berserk was given great emphasis, as "Ber-Serk", and always had a successful comedic effect as Fred would wilt under the onslaught. The series was based on a 1963 BBC television Comedy Playhouse production, "The Bed".

• Fred also had a catchphrase; always uttering an affected, over-the-top, supposed-upper class "Yai-sss", accompanied by tilted head, sycophantic smile and rapid eye-blinking, in response to Thora's request for confirmation (e.g. "Isn't that right, Fred?") on some point she was making to any member of the group she was aspiring to equal socially.

The series had much in common with the later BBC sitcom Keeping Up Appearances, except that the central couple were unmistakably working class.

The Beatles song "Good Morning, Good Morning" on Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band includes the lyric "It's time for tea and Meet the Wife".

Contents 1 Episodes 2 Pilot 3 Series 1 4 Series 2 5 Series 3 6 Series 4 7 Series 5 8 Surviving Episodes

[edit] Episodes

[edit] Pilot

• The Bed (28 Dec 63)

[edit] Series 1

• Getting Away (21 Apr 64)
• Coming Home (28 Apr 64)
• The Back (5 May 64)
• Night Out (12 May 64)
• Little Andrew (19 May 64)
• The Business Dinner (26 May 64)
• The Strain (2 Jun 64)

[edit] Series 2

• Shopping (12 Nov 64)
• The Teenage Niece (19 Nov 64)
• The Shelf (26 Nov 64)
• The Invitation (3 Dec 64)
• The Lesson (10 Dec 64)
• The Wallpaper (17 Dec 64)

[edit] Series 3

• The Ring (18 Apr 65)
• The Bathroom (25 Apr 65)
• Cousin Olive (2 May 65)
• The Loft (9 May 65)
• Doctor's Orders (16 May 65)
• The Picnic (23 May 65)

[edit] Series 4

• The Pain (22 Nov 65)
• Her Birthday (29 Nov 65)
• Brother Tom (6 Dec 65)
• The Hotel (13 Dec 65)
• The Merry Widow (20 Dec 65)
• Journey Home (27 Dec 65)

[edit] Series 5

• The Holiday (26 Sep 66)
• Continental Tour (3 Oct 66)
• The Return (10 Oct 66)
• The Diet (17 Oct 66)
• My Husband's Brother (24 Oct 66)
• Tilly-Ann (31 Oct 66)
• Old Time Dancing (7 Nov 66)
• The Schoolboy (14 Nov 66)
• The Homework (21 Nov 66)
• The Nasty Sleeper (28 Nov 66)
• Bless 'Em All (5 Dec 66)
• This Christmas, Shop Early! (12 Dec 66)
• Christmas Travel (19 Dec 66)

[edit] Surviving Episodes

• Pilot The Bed (28 Dec 63)
• Series 1 Episode 1 Getting Away (21 Apr 64)
• Series 1 Episode 2 Coming Home (28 Apr 64)
• Series 1 Episode 3 The Back (5 May 64)
• Series 1 Episode 4 Night Out (12 May 64)
• Series 1 Episode 5 Little Andrew (19 May 64)
• Series 1 Episode 6 The Business Dinner (26 May 64)
• Series 1 Episode 7 The Strain (2 Jun 64)
• Series 2 Episode 1 Shopping (12 Nov 64)
• Series 2 Episode 2 The Teenage Niece (19 Nov 64)
• Series 4 Episode 1 The Pain (22 Nov 65)
• Series 4 Episode 2 Her Birthday (29 Nov 65)
• Series 4 Episode 3 Brother Tom (6 Dec 65)
• Series 4 Episode 4 The Hotel (13 Dec 65)
• Series 4 Episode 5 The Merry Widow (20 Dec 65)
• Series 4 Episode 6 Journey Home (27 Dec 65)
• Series 5 Episode 7 Old Time Dancing (7 Nov 66)