The series focused on Ashley and Elaine, an unmarried couple living together, at a time when this was becoming increasingly common in Britain, but still considered slightly controversial in some circles. It was produced by LWT.
While Ashley was keen for the pair to get married and would regularly propose, Elaine saw no reason to get married and was happy to keep her independence. Ashley's roguish grandfather Perce (played by Patrick Troughton, but later by Tenniel Evans after Troughton's death) was supportive of the couple, but Ashley's domineering mother (Jennifer Piercey) disapproved and constantly urged the pair to marry. Ashley's suppressed father (Paul McDowell) seemed less upset, but generally backed up his wife in the hope of a quiet life and the odd sherry.
After initially deciding to get married in the 1988 Christmas special, only to skip the wedding when their flight time for the honeymoon was brought forward, Ashley and Elaine finally married in the fourth series, with the pair focusing on their plans to start a family. In the final episode Elaine takes a pregnancy test, but the result is never revealed.
Two regional remakes were made of the series. In Germany, 41 episodes of Unter einer Decke (± Under one Roof) were produced in 1993/94, using most of the scripts from the original series, combined with new scripts from Germany and the Netherlands. The Dutch version Vrienden voor het leven (Friends for Life) had 65 episodes produced in 1990-95 of which 64 have been released on DVD in the Netherlands.
Ashley invites his colleague and his wife to dinner to show Elaine how good marriage can be. However, he didn't expect them to be in the middle of an argument.
2
"Family Pressures"
Marcus Plantin
Alex Shearer
7 November 1986 (1986-11-07)
Ashley's parents, who have old fashioned views about marriage, finally relent and allow Ashley and Elaine to share a room when they visit. However, the sleeping arrangements are different to what they expected.
3
"The Limit"
Marcus Plantin
Alex Shearer
14 November 1986 (1986-11-14)
Elaine and Ashley both pretend that they are going on a date with other people to make each other jealous.
4
"Cracks in the Pavement"
John Gorman
Alex Shearer
21 November 1986 (1986-11-21)
Ashley wants to prove to Elaine that he's not the polite, nice guy that his parents make him out to be. So he transforms himself into a punk.
Elaine returns home from a 6 month trip in Bombay as Ashley hasn't been keeping their flat tidy and the spark the two had between them has gone if only there was a way to get it back.
9
"Lifestyles"
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18 September 1987 (1987-09-18)
10
"Comparisons"
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25 September 1987 (1987-09-25)
11
"Getting Better"
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2 October 1987 (1987-10-02)
12
"Career Development"
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9 October 1987 (1987-10-09)
13
"Retirement Plans"
Robin Carr
Alex Shearer
16 October 1987 (1987-10-16)
Christmas Special (1988)
No.
Title
Directed by
Written by
Original air date
14
"Wedded Miss"
Robin Carr
Alex Shearer
23 December 1988 (1988-12-23)
Ashley and Elaine plan to get married, however things don't go quite to plan.
Ashley finds a mobile phone on his way home from work, instead of handing it into the police straight away Ashley decides to do it in the morning, later that evening Ashley answers a mysterious phone call on it.
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