The Lovers (TV series)

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 series was also given a repeat run on Channel 4 in 1996. 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 bobbles bonbon", while Geoffrey, though dreamy, was somewhat rough around the edges, and 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 bobbles 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 which also featured Beckinsale, Wilcox and Scott, together with Susan Littler, Rosalind Ayres and John Comer (as Geoffrey's dad).

Episodes

Series 1 (1970)

• Sardine Sandwiches (27 October 1970)
• The Date (3 November 1970)
• Freckle Face (10 November 1970)
• Brainwashing (17 November 1970)
• A Pipe And A Moustache (24 November 1970)
• The Truth Game (1 December 1970)

Series 2 (1971)

• The Engagement (7 October 1971)
• Breaking It Off (14 October 1971)
• Birthday (21 October 1971)
• Joint Bank Account (28 October 1971)
• The Better Homes Exhibition (4 November 1971)
• A Trial Marriage (11 November 1971)
• The Best Laid Plans... (18 November 1971)

Cast

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 0-14-051467-8. 

External links

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