The Lovers (TV series)

For other uses, see The Lover.

The Lovers
Genre	Comedy
Created by	Jack Rosenthal
Written by	Jack Rosenthal Geoffrey Lancashire
Directed by	Jack Rosenthal Les Chatfield
Starring	Paula Wilcox Richard Beckinsale Robin Nedwell Joan Scott
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Language(s)	English
No. of series	2
No. of episodes	13
Production
Running time	30 minutes
Production company(s)	Granada Television
Broadcast
Original channel	ITV
Original run	27 October 1970 (1970-10-27) – 18 November 1971 (1971-11-18)

The Lovers is a British television sitcom by Jack Rosenthal, starring Richard Beckinsale and Paula Wilcox as a courting couple, Geoffrey and Beryl. It was made between 1970 and 1971 by Granada Television for the ITV network. The hook for the show was the mismatch between the two, particularly in the area of sex (which Beryl referred to as "Percy Filth"). Beryl was a slightly dizzy character with a penchant for pet names such as "Geoffrey bubbles bonbon", while Geoffrey, though dreamy, was somewhat rough around the edges, obsessed with taking Beryl to bed. A typical exchange between them might consist of the following:

Geoffrey : But everyone else does it. They're at it like knives!

Beryl  : N-O spells NO!... Poor Geoffrey bubbles bonbon!

The series ran for 13 episodes over one year. Like several other British sitcoms of the time, it was used as the basis for a movie in 1973.

Episodes

Series 1 (1970)

• Sardine Sandwiches (27 Oct 70)
• The Date (3 Nov 70)
• Freckle Face (10 Nov 70)
• Brainwashing (17 Nov 70)
• A Pipe And A Moustache (24 Nov 70)
• The Truth Game (1 Dec 70)

Series 2 (1971)

• The Engagement (7 Oct 71)
• Breaking It Off (14 Oct 71)
• Birthday (21 Oct 71)
• Joint Bank Account (28 Oct 71)
• The Better Homes Exhibition (4 Nov 71)
• Trail Marriage (11 Nov 71)
• The Best Laid Plans... (18 Nov 71)

Cast

Character	Actor
Geoffrey Scrimgeor	Richard Beckinsale
Beryl Battersby	Paula Wilcox
Mrs Battersby	Joan Scott
Roland Lomax	Robin Nedwell

Trivia

In one episode Geoffrey plays with the word "misled", pronouncing it as "mizzled", and meaning something more like confused than deluded. This one word provided much of the humour in the show, including the last line when, talking to a companion in a pub who is complaining about his bad luck, he says "You must have been mizzled."

See also

• List of films based on British sitcoms

DVD release

The Complete Series of The Lovers was released by Network in 2007.

References

• Evans, Jeff (2001). The Penguin TV Companion. Harmondsworth, England: Penguin Books. ISBN 0 140 51467 8. 

External links

• The Lovers at the Internet Movie Database
• The Lovers at the BFI's Screenonline