My Family (series 6)

Last updated

My Family
Series 6
My Family Series 6 DVD.JPEG
My Family Series 6 DVD Cover
No. of episodes7
+ Christmas Special
Release
Original network BBC
Original release10 March (2006-03-10) 
25 December 2006 (2006-12-25)
Series chronology
 Previous
5
Next 
7
List of episodes

The sixth series of the BBC family sitcom My Family originally aired between 10 March 2006 and 25 December 2006. The series was commissioned following consistently high ratings from the previous series. The opening episode, "Bliss For Idiots", re-introduces the six main characters, with the addition of Alfie Butts, played by Rhodri Meilir. All episodes from the sixth series are thirty minutes long, excluding The series was once again produced by Rude Boy Productions, [1] a company that produces comedies created by Fred Barron. [2] The series was filmed at Pinewood Studios in London, [3] in front of a live audience. [4]

Contents

Episode Information

No.
overall
No. in
series
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateUK viewers
(millions) [5]
Series
661"Bliss for Idiots"Dewi HumphreysBrian Leveson and Paul Minett10 March 2006 (2006-03-10)7.17

Ben is unhappy with his patients, as they seem to be all lower class rough non-private money-grabbing peasants, but is even less happy with Susan's book-writing houseguest who is the complete opposite. Dr Buck, is the kind of person you would cross the street to avoid, in Ben's eyes, but to Susan he is nearing on a God – a God of self-help. However, when he comes to stay with them Ben soon begins to discover that perhaps Dr Buck's calm tranquillity isn't quite what it seems, and Susan soon finds another side to him. Ben's latest patient suggests that he joins his secret organisation as it may have the answer. Also, Roger speaks Welsh to Abi and Alfie joins in.

Absent: Janey Harper, Kenzo Harper
672"The Spokes Person"Dewi HumphreysBrian Leveson, Paul Minett, Bert Tyler-Moore, George Jeffrie and Tess Morris17 March 2006 (2006-03-17)7.42

Ben starts a one-man anti-cycling campaign, which causes chaos in the household. He also appears on a radio show in an attempt to get people to support him however; all he manages to do is aggravate the whole cyclist population of London and have his house egged. Meanwhile, Susan makes a great effort towards her fund-raising idea by getting Michael to take photos of semi-naked men to form a calendar. Unfortunately she doesn't check the pictures before sending them off to the printers. Also, Roger takes Abi to see Gordon Ramsay but to everybody else's misfortune she has picked up some new cooking phrases.

Absent: Kenzo Harper
683"Dentally Unstable"Dewi HumphreysAndrea Solomons31 March 2006 (2006-03-31)6.41

With Ben away on a two-week conference, Janey starts an affair with a replacement dentist whose charm captivates the rest of the females in the Harper household. When Susan attempts to put a stop to the new dentist and Janey he simply flatters her so she returns happy. Next its Grace's turn but even she finds it hard to ignore his flattering one-liners. Even Abi is under to his spell to Roger's disgust. Meanwhile, Michael's latest scam involves the aid of everyone, but will they help him out? Alfie's reluctance to get involved causes Michael to threaten him with an ultimatum – either he takes part or he will tell every one what he looks at on the internet.

Absent: Ben Harper, Kenzo Harper
694"Living the Dream"Dewi HumphreysTom Leopold7 April 2006 (2006-04-07)6.28

Ben and Susan join a pyramid selling scheme on Roger's advice even though he didn't receive any of his money through the scheme. Upon asking Michael's advice, he says don't touch it but Ben and Susan know better, don't they? Meanwhile, Roger buys himself some special treats and Ben finds himself getting extremely jealous as he cannot shift any of his stock. When Roger buys himself a convertible, Ben finds himself questioning Roger's profits or rather, from whence they came. Also the family is suffering from the effects of a broken boiler, occasional power cuts and Ben's dreams of having a champagne breakfast for the first time in his life.

Absent: Alfie Butts
705"An Embarrassment of Susans"Dewi HumphreysSteve Armogida and Jim Armogida14 April 2006 (2006-04-14)6.10

Ben buys the house next door to help with the family finances, but ends up involved in a "squatter's rights" dilemma but its alright. Perhaps he should just palm it off on Roger – that sounds fair, doesn't it? However, when Susan finds out she demands that Ben should help Roger get his house back, so Ben, Roger and Alfie break in only to find out that it is Style Squad, a television show. Meanwhile, Susan tries to fix Michael up with a new girlfriend called Suzanne, but the similarity is not limited to the name. However, Michael cannot see the similarity but Ben can and it appears to be scarring him ever so slightly.

Absent: Kenzo Harper
716"And Other Animals"Dewi HumphreysTom Leopold21 April 2006 (2006-04-21)6.17

With Nick still away, Michael joining the Army, and Janey getting her stuff out of the attic, Susan is feeling deserted. Even Ben and Alfie don't seem to be a comfort. However, a stray dog offers a little comfort but unfortunately it becomes man's best friend however, perhaps it shouldn't have chosen Ben as that man. Meanwhile, Michael attempts to hide his entire platoon in the attic, Ben attempts to get a priceless teddy bear back from the charity shop after donating it by accident and somebody is about to have a spout of bad luck and amazingly it isn't Ben. Also, somebody's looking for Michael, and all his comrades.

Absent: Kenzo Harper
727"The Art of Being Susan"Dewi HumphreysBrian Leveson and Paul Minett28 April 2006 (2006-04-28)6.22

With Ben away again, a wealthy art collector called James Garrett invites Susan to dinner after her boss tells her to do anything to sell art. After contemplating taking him to Alton Towers, she decides to let him make the move with a little nudging. Meanwhile her mother, Grace, is gathering a collection of her own but only appears to be collecting men – however she misjudges how deaf one of them is and ends up losing them all. Also, Roger is summoning up the courage to pop the question to Abi, it's just a shame that she can't see where his continuous stuttering is leading. When Roger finally does pop the question, Abi faints.

Absent: Ben Harper, Kenzo Harper
Special
73S"The Heart of Christmas"Dewi HumphreysBrian Leveson and Paul Minett25 December 2006 (2006-12-25)5.09
Ben pretends to be ill to get out of Christmas, but when Susan insists he go to the doctor, they decide to run tests because of high blood pressure. Ben then enjoys his private room, but he is soon sent to a NHS ward, as it is soon discovered that his private health insurance has expired. The tests reveal that he needs an operation and during this he dreams that Susan is God. Meanwhile Abi, who is now engaged to Roger, wants a baby, Janey is having problems getting Kenzo's Christmas present and Alfie makes a special brew which he tells Michael will make them irresistible to women. Guest starring Roy Heather, Jeremy Child and Clive Russell.

[6]

Reception

Viewers

The series was once again given a Friday evening prime-time slot, with most episodes being aired at 8:30pm. The opening episode of the series gained 7.17 million viewers, becoming the second most watched programme of the week. [7] The sixth series averaged 6.35 million viewers for each episode.

RankEpisodeViewershipAudience Percentage
1The Spokes Person7.42 million
2Bliss for Idiots7.17 million
3Dentally Unstable6.41 million
4Living the Dream6.28 million
5The Art of Being Susan6.22 million
6And Other Animals6.17 million
7An Embarrassment of Susans6.10 million
8The Heart of Christmas5.09 million

Related Research Articles

<i>My Family</i> British TV sitcom (2000–2011)

My Family is a British sitcom created and initially co-written by Fred Barron, which was produced by DLT Entertainment and Rude Boy Productions, and broadcast by BBC One for eleven series between 2000 and 2011, with Christmas specials broadcast from 2002 onwards. My Family was voted 24th in the BBC's "Britain's Best Sitcom" in 2004 and was the most watched sitcom in the United Kingdom in 2008. As of 2011, it is one of only twelve British sitcoms to pass the 100-episode mark. In April 2020, BBC One began airing the series from the first episode in an 8 pm slot on Friday nights; along with this all 11 series were made available on BBC iPlayer.

<i>New Tricks</i> British police procedural television series (2003–2015)

New Tricks is a British television police procedural comedy drama, created by Nigel McCrery and Roy Mitchell, produced primarily by Wall to Wall, and broadcast on BBC One. The programme originally began with a pilot episode on 27 March 2003, before a full series was commissioned for 1 April 2004; New Tricks concluded after twelve series on 6 October 2015. The show had an ensemble cast, of which Dennis Waterman was the only constant over all twelve series; the cast variously included Alun Armstrong, James Bolam, Amanda Redman, Denis Lawson, Nicholas Lyndhurst, Tamzin Outhwaite, and Larry Lamb.

<i>Coming of Age</i> (2008 TV series) British TV series

Coming of Age is a British sitcom, written by Tim Dawson, produced in house by BBC Productions, and broadcast on the former channel BBC Three. The show takes a direct look at five sixth form students, Jas, Ollie, Matt, Chloe and DK, as well as, from series three, new character Robyn Crisp, who are living in Abingdon. Their lives rotate around the fictional Wooton College, their bedrooms, and Ollie's garden shed. A pilot originally aired in 2007, followed by the first series in 2008, a second series in 2010, and a third beginning in January 2011. In 2011, the show was cancelled along with other long running BBC Three programmes including Ideal, Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps, Hotter Than My Daughter, and Doctor Who Confidential. The first series was released on DVD on 26 October 2009, however, no further series have been released on DVD.

<i>Outnumbered</i> (British TV series) British TV sitcom (2007–2016)

Outnumbered is a British sitcom about the Brockman family, starring Hugh Dennis as the father, Claire Skinner as the mother and their three children played by Tyger Drew-Honey, Daniel Roche and Ramona Marquez.

<i>My Family</i> (series 1) Season of television series

The first series of BBC family sitcom My Family originally aired between 19 September and 7 November 2000. The first episode of the series, and the pilot episode, is entitled "The Serpent's Tooth". All eight episodes in the first series are thirty minutes long. The first episode introduces the five main characters that regularly appear in the series: Robert Lindsay, who plays Ben, Zoë Wanamaker, who plays Susan, Kris Marshall, who plays Nick, Daniela Denby-Ashe, who plays Janey, and Gabriel Thomson, who plays Michael. A further regular member of the cast is Brigitte, played by Daisy Donovan, who appears in nearly every episode of the series. The series was produced by Rude Boy Productions, a company that produces comedies created by Fred Barron. The series was filmed at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, with a live studio audience.

<i>My Family</i> (series 2) Season of television series

The second series of the BBC family sitcom My Family originally aired between 31 August and 30 November 2001. The second series was commissioned after good ratings from the first series. The opening episode, "All Roads Lead To Ramon", re-introduces the five main characters from the first series, with the addition of Brian, played by Kevin Bishop, who appeared in nearly every episode in the series. All thirteen episodes in series two are thirty minutes in length. The series was produced by Rude Boy Productions, a company that produces comedies created by Fred Barron. The series was filmed at Pinewood Studios in London, in front of a live audience.

A sitcom is a genre of comedy centred on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use new characters in each sketch, and stand-up comedy, where a comedian tells jokes and stories to an audience. Sitcoms originated in radio, but today are found mostly on television as one of its dominant narrative forms.

<i>The Green Green Grass</i> (series 1) Season of television series

The first series of The Green Green Grass originally aired between 9 September 2005 and 14 October 2005, beginning with the episode "Keep On Running". A Christmas special aired on 25 December 2005.

<i>The Green Green Grass</i> (series 2) Season of television series

The second series of The Green Green Grass originally aired between 15 September 2006 and 27 October 2006, beginning with the episode "Testing Times". A Christmas special aired on 25 December 2006.

<i>The Green Green Grass</i> (series 3) Season of television series

The third series of The Green Green Grass originally aired between 2 November 2007 and 21 December 2007, beginning with the episode "But is it Art?". A Christmas special aired on 30 December 2007.

<i>My Family</i> (series 3) Season of television series

The third series of the BBC family sitcom My Family originally aired between 6 September 2002 and 25 December 2002. The series was commissioned following consistently high ratings for the second series. The opening episode of the series, "Absent Vixen, Cheeky Monkey", re-introduces the five main characters, but also writes out the character of Janey, who plays only a recurring role in this series. In Episode 3, Abi Harper, played by Siobhan Hayes, is introduced to replace Janey. All fourteen episodes in the third series are thirty minutes in length, including the Christmas special. The series was once again produced by Rude Boy Productions, a company that produces comedies created by Fred Barron. The series was filmed at Pinewood Studios in London, in front of a live audience.

<i>My Family</i> (series 4) Season of television series

The fourth series of the BBC family sitcom My Family originally aired between 21 March 2003 and 25 December 2003. The series was commissioned following consistently high ratings from the third series. The opening episode of the series, "Fitting Punishment", re-introduces five of the main characters, with the exception of Janey, played by Daniela Denby-Ashe. The episode also introduces a further main character into the fold – Roger Bailey, played by Keiron Self. All fourteen episodes in the fourth series are thirty minutes in length, including the Christmas special. The series was once again produced by Rude Boy Productions, a company that produces comedies created by Fred Barron. The series was filmed at Pinewood Studios in London, in front of a live audience.

<i>My Family</i> (series 5) British television series

The fifth series of the BBC family sitcom My Family originally aired between 19 March 2004 and 25 December 2005. The series was commissioned following consistently high ratings for the fourth series. The opening episode of the series, "The Mummy Returns", re-introduces the six main characters from the previous series, as well as Janey, played by Daniela Denby-Ashe, who had not been seen on-screen since December 2002. The fifth series includes four specials: two-hour long Christmas specials, a 30-minute "best-of" special, and an exclusive 5-minute Comic Relief short. All thirteen regular episodes from the fifth series are thirty minutes in length. The series was once again produced by Rude Boy Productions, a company that produces comedies created by Fred Barron. The series was filmed at Pinewood Studios in London, in front of a live audience.

<i>My Family</i> (series 7) Season of television series

The seventh series of the BBC family sitcom My Family was originally broadcast between 6 April 2007 and 26 December 2007. It was commissioned following consistently high ratings from the sixth series. The opening episode, "The Ego Has Landed", re-introduces the seven main characters. All episodes from the seventh series are thirty minutes in length, with the exception of the Christmas special. The series was once again produced by Rude Boy Productions, a company that produces comedies created by Fred Barron. The series was filmed at Pinewood Studios near London, in front of a live audience.

<i>My Family</i> (series 8) Season of television series

The eighth series of the BBC family sitcom My Family originally aired between 11 April 2008 and 24 December 2008. The series was commissioned following consistent ratings from the seventh series. The opening episode, "The Parent Trap", re-introduces the seven main characters. All episodes from the eighth series are thirty minutes long, excluding the Christmas special. The series was once again produced by Rude Boy Productions, a company that produces comedies created by Fred Barron. The series was filmed at Pinewood Studios in London, in front of a live audience.

<i>My Family</i> (series 9) British television series

The ninth series of the BBC family sitcom My Family originally aired between 2 April 2009 and 24 December 2009. The series was commissioned following successful ratings from the previous series. The opening episode, "Bully For Ben", re-introduces the six main characters, with the exception of Abi. Kris Marshall (Nick) and Siobhan Hayes (Abi) make a guest appearance in the last episode of the series, "Kenzo's Project". All episodes from the ninth series are thirty minutes long, excluding the Christmas special. The eighth episode of the series, "The Guru", was announced as the 100th episode of the series, and included guest appearances from John Barrowman and David Haig. The series was once again produced by Rude Boy Productions, a company that produces comedies created by Fred Barron. The series was filmed at Pinewood Studios in London, in front of a live audience.

<i>My Family</i> (series 10) 10th series of a BBC TV show

The tenth series of the BBC family sitcom My Family originally aired between 9 July 2010, and 27 August 2010, with a Christmas special that went to air on 24 December 2010. The series was commissioned following consistent ratings from the previous series. The opening episode, "Wheelie Ben", re-introduces the six main characters, with the addition of regular appearances from Kenzo Harper, played by Tayler Marshall. However, the character of Roger Bailey only made an appearance in the series finale. All episodes from the tenth series are thirty minutes in length, with the exception of the Christmas Special. The series was once again produced by Rude Boy Productions, a company that produces comedies created by Fred Barron. Unlike previous series of the show, which were filmed on a yearly basis, both Series 10 and 11 were filmed back-to-back. For the first time in the show's history, two episodes of the series remained unaired for some time. At the time of release, the DVD of the series contained two episodes that had yet to be broadcast on television. On 17 June 2011, one of these two episodes were aired, and the remaining one aired on 22 July 2011. The series averaged 4.55 million per episode; however, they managed to get over 6.00 million viewers for the Christmas Special.

<i>My Family</i> (series 11) Season of television series

The eleventh and final series of the BBC sitcom My Family began airing on 1 July 2011, and concluded on 2 September 2011. The opening episode, "Labour Pains", re-introduces the six main characters. All episodes from the eleventh series are thirty minutes in length. The series was produced by Rude Boy Productions, a company that produces comedies created by Fred Barron. Unlike previous series of the show, which were filmed on a yearly basis, both Series 10 and 11 were filmed back-to-back. The series has been released on DVD on 15 August 2011, meaning the last three episodes of the series was released before they were broadcast on the television.

References

  1. "Sitcom Production Companies". Archived from the original on 16 May 2008.
  2. "Rude Boy Productions".
  3. "My Family". Archived from the original on 25 April 2009.
  4. "Television Audiences". Archived from the original on 18 June 2008.
  5. "Weekly top 30 programmes on TV sets (July 1998 – Sept 2018)". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board . Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  6. "BBC One - My Family - Episode guide". BBC. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  7. "Weekly terrestrial top 30 (BBC 1) w/e 12 Mar. 2006".