The show focused on four female child-like flatmates and their landlady. It was a female version[1] of The Young Ones, two series of which were made in 1982 and 1984. French and Saunders had both previously guest starred in The Young Ones twice and like most of its stars, they were members of The Comic Strip.
Synopsis
The premise of Girls on Top is that a feminist journalist (French), who writes for Spare Cheek, is forced to share her Kensington apartment with three non-feminist women in order to pay her rent to a wealthy romantic novelist (Joan Greenwood) who lives in the flat below.[2]
The first episode had a woman in her early 20s named Amanda struggling to find a flat, against Shelley, and managing to procure one (that she cannot afford) from Lady Carlton, in London SW3. The previous resident, Candice, convinces Amanda to let her stay temporarily as she has nowhere else to go. Then, Jennifer, Amanda's childhood Brownies friend, arrives unexpectedly. Eventually, Amanda allows the obnoxious American Shelley to move in, splitting the rent with her, as she is the only one who can afford it, thanks to her wealthy family.
Episodes often centred on Shelley ordering the others around because they relied on her to get the rent paid; early episodes often incorporated Candice's latest invented illness, or any other reason to not pay the rent.
Cast and characters
Amanda Ripley (Dawn French): A strait-laced feminist, socialist, and anarchist, and the central character around whom the series is based. In public assemblies she wears the militant M-1965 field jacket, but at home she wears a prêt-à-porterNAF NAF[fr]LE GRAND MECHANT LOOK jacket.[3] Amanda is generally the most level-headed of the group, but tries to hide her fascination with men and the Royal family to comedic effect, with her hiding copies of Playgirl magazine becoming a running gag in the second series, in the first series, Candice enters Amanda's bedroom and hears a buzzing.[4] She works at a feminist magazine titled Spare Cheeks.
Jennifer Marsh (Jennifer Saunders): A mousy and childlike woman who was Amanda's childhood Brownies friend and serves as the whipping post for everyone else. In the first series, she is implied to be intellectually disabled. In the second series, she seems more intelligent, even briefly working as a stockbroker, but no less naïve. Saunders described Jennifer Marsh as "basically a moronic version of myself when I was twelve." She later credited Wax and Ullman with teaching her "how to write funny" and "how to act funny", respectively.[5]
Shelley DuPont (Ruby Wax): A struggling actress and the stereotype of a gaudily dressed, rude, loud-mouthed American. The other women only tolerate her and let her live with them due to her hefty trust fund and her agreement to pay 75%[6] of the rent.
Candice Valentine (Tracey Ullman): A promiscuous, lazy, manipulative gold-digger. Ullman left after the first series, as a result, the character is written out in the first episode of the second series. By the time the first run of the first series was being transmitted, Ullman was already in talks about a solo project with American television networks.[7]
Lady Chloe Carlton (Joan Greenwood): An eccentric elderly romance novelist and the women's landlady. In the first series, she has a taxidermied dog named Josephine, with which she behaves as though it was still alive.
Helen Lederer as Debbie, a worker in a leasing agency ("Four-Play"), and Felicity, one of Amanda's co-workers ("Big Snogs", "Bring Me More Flamingoes")
Pauline Melville as Yvonne, Amanda's boss ("Skankin'", "Big Snogs", "Bring Me More Flamingoes")
Geraldine McNulty as Tina, a friend of Candice's ("Staying Alive" and "Ident: Candy Time")
Pauline Quirke as Jennifer's supervisor ("Who's Ya Uncle Shelley?")
Alan Rickman as Dmitri, Candice's boyfriend ("Four-Play"), and the voice of RADA ("Cancel Toast")
John Sessions as Rodney, a stockbroker ("Who's Ya Uncle Shelley?")
Arthur Smith as a delivery man ("Lower the Donkey")
Harriet Thorpe as Chris, another of Amanda's co-workers ("Cancel Toast", "Big Snogs")
Many of the guest stars were fellow members of the Royal Shakespeare Company enlisted by Wax. Wax wanted to write a guest part for Ian McKellen, but it never happened.[5]
Production
Early in 1982, French and Saunders met Ruby Wax, and the three began to work on an idea for a television show based around their stage personas.[7] Needing a fourth lead, Lenny Henry suggested Tracey Ullman.[7] ITV’s midlands franchise holder, Central Independent Television, commissioned a pilot, under the title "Four F’s to Share", which was made over the summer of 1983.[7]Central Independent Television commissioned thirteen episodes to go into production in April 1984.[7] Production fell victim to industrial action,[8][9] and in January 1985, went into production with a rewritten "Four F’s to Share" as "Four-Play".[7]Ben Elton was the script editor.[7]
Scripts were written Ruby Wax's flat in Holland Park, by Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders and Ruby Wax.[1]
In January 1985, location night scenes were filmed in Nottingham.[4]
The theme tune, like the series' score, was written and performed by Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford of the band Squeeze. Originally, the opening theme was sung by the cast (minus Greenwood). Three episodes of series one added an introductory verse sung by Ullman over the end credits. From the second episode of the second series, the opening theme was instead sung by Tilbrook.
Episodes
The transmission dates reflect those in the London ITV region. The first series aired on Wednesdays at 8:30pm, while the second series aired on Thursdays at 9pm.
Girls on Top, seen on ITV from 1985–86, was never broadcast in the United States.[12]
Lady Carlton evicts Candice, incorrectly believing her to be a sex worker. Amanda takes the apartment, but is forced to split the rent with Shelley, while Jennifer and Candice end up as freeloaders.
In an attempt to get on Shelley's good side and avoid being thrown out, Candice gets her in contact with a film director - but the film turns out to be a pornographic film.
Lady Carlton's taxidermied dog, Josephine, is stolen when Jennifer takes her for a walk. As a result, the girls plot to convince Lady Carlton that Josephine has ascended to Heaven.
Note: This was the final on-screen appearance of Tracey Ullman as Candice Valentine.
Candice leaves the others a note saying that she's in hospital; upon discovering that she's died, the three fear she was killed by one of their pranks and try to cover up the "murder".
Guest star:Harry Enfield as Dr. Banks, Candice's doctor
Note: This was the final voice appearance of Tracey Ullman as Candice Valentine.
9
2
"Big Snogs"
6November1986(1986-11-06)
Amanda falls head over heels in love with Tom, an electrician who gives a presentation for the Spare Cheeks staff in his sister's absence.
Note: Joan Greenwood does not appear as Lady Carlton.
11
4
"Bring Me More Flamingoes"
27November1986(1986-11-27)
Shelley kicks Amanda and Jennifer out of the flat during her menstruation-influenced redecoration craze, then plans a party to become best friends with a range of British celebrities.
Shelley's mother arrives in England to learn Shelley is not playing Ophelia at the London Palladium, but a singing tadpole in a play for schoolchildren. Meanwhile, Amanda enlists Jennifer and Lady Carlton's help in preparing a presentation on "understanding your own toilet parts".
Amanda builds a nuclear fallout shelter in the apartment, while Lady Carlton misunderstands how to use the new appliances in her newly remodeled kitchen.
The production encountered push-back over words in their script, including "plucking the bikini line"[14] and menstruation,[15] rarely heard on pre-watershed TV in the 1980s.[16]
We weren’t being shocking, that’s just the way we speak...We weren’t trying to break any walls down, that’s just who we were.[16] - Ruby Wax
1 2 Hind, John (9 December 2012). "Going for an Indian with Jennifer Saunders". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 April 2025. At the Girls On Top makeup table the team were keen to hear whether Dawn's "subtle vibrator scene" would be allowed on ITV at 8pm
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Worthington, Tim (21 November 2019). "Thanks For Dropping By". Tim Worthington. Retrieved 29 April 2025. production history of early French and Saunders vehicle Girls On Top
↑ Buxton, Roddy. "A trip to Giltbrook". Studio One. Transdiffusion Broadcasting System. Archived from the original on 24 July 2012. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
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