The Mistress (TV series)

Last updated

The Mistress
The Mistress (TV series).jpg
Created by Carla Lane
Directed by Gareth Gwenlan
Starring Felicity Kendal
Jack Galloway
Peter McEnery
Jane Asher
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series2
No. of episodes12
Production
Producer Gareth Gwenlan
Running time30 minutes
Original release
Network BBC2
Release17 January 1985 (1985-01-17) 
26 February 1987 (1987-02-26)

The Mistress is a British sitcom that first aired on BBC2 from 1985 to 1987. Starring Felicity Kendal and Jane Asher, it was written by Carla Lane. [1]

Contents

The Mistress features Kendal playing Maxine, a young florist, who is having an affair with a married man. It was disliked by some viewers, who were unhappy at seeing Felicity Kendal (best known as Barbara Good in The Good Life ) playing a woman having an affair with someone else's husband. [2] [ dead link ]

Plot

Maxine is the owner of a florist shop and is having an affair with married man Luke. [2] His wife Helen is unaware of the affair. [3] While Maxine occasionally feels guilty and insecure about the affair, she is a generally optimistic and happy person. [1]

In the second series, Helen begins to suspect that Luke is having an affair, but when she tells him he neither admits it nor denies it. Helen moves out to stay with her sister. In the penultimate episode, Helen returns home and they share their bed. Maxine has a drunken escapade with a young man she meets in a cafe and they spend the night sharing her bed, but the young man is only seen next morning still fully dressed and above the covers. In the final episode, Luke effectively admits to Helen that he has had an affair but it is over, and they both say they do not want to get a divorce. Maxine and Luke angrily return each other's gifts, but ultimately admit that they are still in love. The programme and the series ends with Maxine on the phone telling her shop assistant and friend Jamie that the affair is over, and that she is pregnant.

Cast

Production

Similar to Carla Lane's other sitcoms, including Butterflies and Solo (which also starred Felicity Kendal), The Mistress has a serious theme – here, that of an affair. [1] The series was produced and directed by Gareth Gwenlan. [3] The Mistress was filmed in Bath, Somerset, [4] the florist shop being in Abbey Green, Bath and Maxine's house location at 26 St Mark's Road, Bath. After the lukewarm response to Series 1 over the subject matter, [2] [ dead link ] Series 2 was no more successful, and the series was axed after Series 2, which ended with a significant plot development. The sitcom, which had never been reshown previously, was aired on BBC Four in January, February and March 2023.

Episodes

The Mistress aired for two series, each of six 30 minute episodes, from 17 January 1985 to 26 February 1987. [1] The episodes were originally shown at 9.00pm on Thursdays on BBC2. [1]

Series One (1985)

#TitleOriginal airdate [5]
1"Episode One"17 January 1985 (1985-01-17)
2"Episode Two"24 January 1985 (1985-01-24)
3"Episode Three"31 January 1985 (1985-01-31)
4"Episode Four"7 February 1985 (1985-02-07)
5"Episode Five"14 February 1985 (1985-02-14)
6"Episode Six"21 February 1985 (1985-02-21)

Series Two (1987)

#TitleOriginal airdate [5]
1"Episode One"22 January 1987 (1987-01-22)
2"Episode Two"29 January 1987 (1987-01-29)
3"Episode Three"5 February 1987 (1987-02-05)
4"Episode Four"12 February 1987 (1987-02-12)
5"Episode Five"19 February 1987 (1987-02-19)
6"Episode Six"26 February 1987 (1987-02-26)

DVD releases

The two series of The Mistress were released in a boxset in Region 2 (UK) on 10 March 2014.

Related Research Articles

A British sitcom or a Britcom is a situational comedy programme produced for British television.

<i>The Good Life</i> (1975 TV series) British TV sitcom (1975–1978)

The Good Life is a British sitcom, produced by BBC television. It ran from 4 April 1975 to 10 June 1978 on BBC 1 and was written by Bob Larbey and John Esmonde. Opening with the midlife crisis of Tom Good, a 40-year-old plastics designer, it relates the joys and setbacks he and his wife Barbara experience when they attempt to escape a modern "rat race" lifestyle by "becoming totally self-sufficient" in their suburban house in Surbiton. In 2004, it came 9th in Britain's Best Sitcom. The lead roles are taken by Richard Briers and Felicity Kendal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Felicity Kendal</span> English actress

Felicity Ann Kendal is an English actress, working principally in television and theatre. She has appeared in numerous stage and screen roles over a more than 70-year career, but the role that brought attention to her career was that of Barbara Good in the 1975 television series The Good Life.

<i>Drop the Dead Donkey</i> British TV sitcom (1990–1998)

Drop the Dead Donkey is a British television sitcom that was first shown on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom between 1990 and 1998. It is set in the offices of "GlobeLink News", a fictional TV news company. Recorded close to transmission, it made use of contemporary news events to give the programme a greater sense of realism. It was created by Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin. The series had an ensemble cast, making stars of Haydn Gwynne, Stephen Tompkinson and Neil Pearson.

<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.

Philippa Jane Haywood is an English actress. She won the 2005 Rose d'Or Award for Best Female Comedy Performance for Green Wing (2004–2006). Her other television credits include The Brittas Empire (1991–1997), Chimera (1991) Prisoners' Wives (2012–2013) and Scott & Bailey (2012–2016). In 2018, she played the role of Lorraine Craddock in the BBC television series Bodyguard. In 2019 she appeared in series 4 of the BBC Radio 4 Show The Pin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carla Lane</span> English television writer (1928–2016)

Romana Barrack, known professionally as Carla Lane, was an English television writer responsible for several successful British sitcoms, including The Liver Birds, Butterflies (1978–1983), and Bread (1986–1991).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ellie Harvie</span> Canadian actress (born 1965)

Elinor Anne Harvie is a Canadian actress who portrayed Morticia on The New Addams Family. Later, she starred as Dr. Lindsey Novak in Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis.

Joanna Van Gyseghem is a British actress.

<i>Colins Sandwich</i> British TV series or programme

Colin's Sandwich is a British sitcom that was broadcast on BBC2 in 1988 and 1990. It starred Mel Smith as Colin Watkins, a British Rail administrator who aspired to be a horror writer. The show was written by Paul Smith and Terry Kyan and ran for two series of six episodes. In the second series, Colin manages to achieve some small successes as a writer.

<i>Solo</i> (TV series) British TV series or programme

Solo is a British sitcom that aired on BBC1 from 1981 to 1982. Starring Felicity Kendal, Solo was written by Carla Lane, a writer well known for having previously written the sitcom Butterflies.

Honey for Tea is a British sitcom that aired on BBC1 in 1994. Starring Felicity Kendal, it was written by Michael Aitkens. The series was poorly received at the time, receiving a particularly scathing review from Victor Lewis-Smith in the London Evening Standard. He later described Felicity Kendal's attempt at an American accent as 'Britain's revenge' for Dick Van Dyke's cockney accent in Mary Poppins.

<i>Never Better</i> British TV series or programme

Never Better is a British television sitcom which started on BBC Two from 10 January to 14 February 2008. It stars Stephen Mangan as recovering alcoholic Keith Merchant and Kate Ashfield as his suffering wife Anita. The series is written by Fintan Ryan for World Productions.

Anne-Marie, Lady Byrne is a fictional character from the BBC medical drama Holby City, portrayed by actress Jane Asher. The character first appeared on 10 May 2007 in episode "After the Fall" - series 9, episode 30 of the programme. After several guest appearances as the mother of established character Joseph Byrne throughout series 9 and 10, Asher signed a three-month contract to become a series regular from May 2008 onwards, for a period of 10 episodes. Her initial storyline saw her son's girlfriend, Jac Naylor, embark on an affair with Anne-Marie's husband and Joseph's father, Lord Byrne - eventually culminating in his death, and leaving the character a widow. Upon her return to the programme, she takes over Lord Byrne's position as Executive Chairman of the Byrne Foundation – a charity committed to research into Cardiac Valve Disease.

<i>Miranda</i> (TV series) British TV sitcom (2009–2015)

Miranda is a British television sitcom written by and starring comedian Miranda Hart. It originally aired on BBC Two from 9 November 2009, and later on BBC One. Developed from Hart's semi-autobiographical BBC Radio 2 comedy Miranda Hart's Joke Shop (2008), the situation comedy revolves around socially inept Miranda, who frequently finds herself in awkward situations. The show features actors Sarah Hadland, Tom Ellis, Patricia Hodge, Sally Phillips, James Holmes and Bo Poraj. It was taped in front of live audiences at the BBC Television Centre and The London Studios.

Diane Morgan is an English actress, comedian, television presenter, and writer. She is best known for playing Philomena Cunk on the review programme Charlie Brooker's Weekly Wipe (2013–2020) and in the mockumentary series Cunk on Britain (2018) and Cunk on Earth (2022). She played Kath in the Netflix dark comedy series After Life (2019–2022). Since 2016, Morgan has played Liz on the BBC Two sitcom Motherland. She also writes and stars in the BBC Two comedy series Mandy (2019–present).

<i>Up the Women</i> British TV sitcom (BBC Four, 2013–15)

Up the Women is a BBC television sitcom created, written by and starring Jessica Hynes. It was first broadcast on BBC Four on 30 May 2013. The sitcom is about a group of women in 1910 who form a Women's Suffrage movement. Hynes originally planned to write a comedy film about a suffragette plot to assassinate H. H. Asquith, but after realising the plot had turned quite dark, she decided to write a sitcom instead. Christine Gernon directed the three-part series, which became the last sitcom to be filmed before a live audience at BBC Television Centre and the first to be commissioned for BBC Four. A second series was commissioned in June 2013 and aired on BBC Two from 21 January 2015. Up the Women was not renewed for a third series.

"Under Pressure" is the twelfth episode of the fifth season of the American sitcom Modern Family, and the series' 108th overall. It was aired on January 15, 2014. The episode was written by Elaine Ko and directed by James Bagdonas.

Private View (<i>Inside No. 9</i>) 6th episode of the 3rd series of Inside No. 9

"Private View" is the sixth and final episode of the third series of the British black comedy anthology television programme Inside No. 9. Written by Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith, the episode was directed by Guillem Morales and was first shown on 21 March 2017, on BBC Two. It stars Pemberton, Shearsmith, Fiona Shaw, Montserrat Lombard, Morgana Robinson, Felicity Kendal, Johnny Flynn, and Muriel Gray. The comedian Peter Kay makes a cameo appearance, with his character being killed in the episode's opening seconds.

The Other One is a British television comedy series broadcast on BBC One, written and directed by Holly Walsh and starring Ellie White, Lauren Socha, Rebecca Front and Siobhan Finneran.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Lewishohn, Mark (2003). Radio Times Guide to TV Comedy. London: BBC Worldwide. ISBN   978-0-563-48755-5.
  2. 1 2 3 "Felicity Kendal". Memorable TV. July 2002. Retrieved 12 January 2008.[ dead link ]
  3. 1 2 "The Mistress – Summary". British TV Comedy. 2006. Retrieved 12 January 2008.
  4. "Enthralling drama centres on love and loss". Variety Club. 28 September 2006.[ dead link ]
  5. 1 2 "The Mistress – Episode List". British TV Comedy. 2006. Retrieved 12 January 2008.