As Time Goes By - Series 2 (DVD)

As Time Goes By is a British comedy series that was broadcast between 1992 and 2005. In a BBC poll in 2004 to find Britain’s best sitcom the show was voted number 29 – just ahead of Hancock’s Half Hour and The Young Ones but below Dinnerladies and Rising Damp.

== What is As Time Goes By? ==

The premise for As Time Goes By is very easy to understand as quite simply the programme follows the relationship between two former ...
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The characters in As Time Goes By aren’t anything spectacular in many ways but have been superbly created in many others. What makes them so good is the fact that they are normal people and therefore pull the audience in, in a way that fantastically choreographed and usually slightly obscure characters cannot. They are human in every sense of the word and therefore have their own quirks, phrases and most importantly personalities and this ... more

As Time Goes By is a British comedy series that was broadcast between 1992 and 2005. In a BBC poll in 2004 to find Britain’s best sitcom the show was voted number 29 – just ahead of Hancock’s Half Hour and The Young Ones but below Dinnerladies and Rising Damp.

What is As Time Goes By?

The premise for As Time Goes By is very easy to understand as quite simply the programme follows the relationship between two former lovers who unexpectedly meet again after not being in contact for 38 years. In the early 1950’s Jean, a student nurse, and Lionel, a young army officer met and fell in love but the non-receipt of a letter posted in Korea leaves the pair torn apart. 38 years later their paths cross once again. The pair are now older and wiser but the course of true love never did run smooth and they soon discover that although love has a different pace and priorities it is still possible to rekindle the old flames.

The Characters

The characters in As Time Goes By aren’t anything spectacular in many ways but have been superbly created in many others. What makes them so good is the fact that they are normal people and therefore pull the audience in, in a way that fantastically choreographed and usually slightly obscure characters cannot. They are human in every sense of the word and therefore have their own quirks, phrases and most importantly personalities and this is what, for me, makes them so effective within the programme.

Jean Pargetter is a widow with one daughter. She is the owner of a secretarial firm called Type For You and works alongside her daughter Judith ad good friend Sandy. She is a very warm and caring character as well as a strong and independent woman but at times she can be exceptionally nosy. This however makes her human and it is this that makes us warm to Jean from the very beginning.

Lionel Hardcastle has been out of the army for quite some time now and is currently divorced from his wife. He has no children or none are mentioned at least and he is currently finishing and promoting his book entitled ‘My Life in Korea’, which is being published by the boy-wonder Alistair. Lionel is often somewhat pessimistic and can come across as difficult but he is warming to Alistair and has a soft spot for all three girls.

Judith Hanson is Jean’s daughter. She has been married and divorced twice and is currently single but frequently on the lookout for a new man – Alistair is tipping the Radar. Judith works alongside her mother at the Type For You office and is a good businesswoman herself but her timekeeping often lets her down. It is Judith in many respects that continues to push Jean and Lionel’s relationship forward.

Sandy is Type For You’s top secretary and therefore belongs to Jean. Sandy has a strong friendship with Judith and Jean and in that way seems more there equal than their subordinate in the business than anything else. Sandy is frequently to be found gossiping with Judith, helping Jean avoid people or simply fielding questions from Alistair and Lionel.

Alistair Deacon is the boy-wonder publisher who Lionel believes to be about twelve. He is exuberant in every sense of the world and frequently glorifies things beyond belief, using words that seem to come from another language and yuppie slang that make it very difficult for Lionel to understand him. He is however exceptionally bubbly as well as generous and his relationship with the other characters continues to grow.

Series Two DVD

The full 7 episodes from series two are contained on one DVD in this series set and all of the episodes can be watched with subtitles, which I can honestly say are rather accurate. Being a arelatively recent TV series it is also worth noting that the picture and sound quality is excellent throughout.

This second series sees Jean and Lionel begin to progress in their relationship. They relaise that all they both really want is each other and that in order for this to happen they must both start accepting that they are not the same as the were when they first met. There is however only so much that a feldging relationship can take, even one that began 38 years ago, and ridiculous photo shoots, sniggering colleagues and strange relationship do little to help but ultimately everything that happens can only make them stronger, as they’re both old enough and wise enough for small things like that not to bother them – aren’t they?

Episode Opinion

This series is different to the first one in so many aspects because whereas the previous one set the scene for what was to come this series allowed the ‘what was to come’ to actually begin appearing.This series for me feels like the real beginning of the story although the first series was definitely needed or this one just wouldn’t have worked. What I’m trying to say therefore is tht this series really sees As Time Goes By take off on the road that it will follow in continuing series’ and that thankfully this road is the right one.

Like in the previous series each episode does have a somewhat self contained story but unlike programmes like ‘Dad’s Army’ or ‘Only Fools and Horses’ it is the long running storyline that is ultimately more prominent in the series as a whole. In this respect ‘As Time Goes By’ probably has more in common with programmes like ‘Goodnight Sweetheart’. This format however is something I definitely enjoy but it does mean that chronological viewing is near enough necessary in order to see the story unfold. Watching the series as a whole in a mish-mash sort of way just won’t work as the relationship progressions and the character complexities will just not filter through the dialogue if you watch them like this.

Humour

The humour in this series as a whole is very simple and subtle and is generally generated through the day to day activities of the characters. It is the way they simply interact with one another and go about the things they have to do in life that makes them so watchable. The humour isn’t bold or brash but simply oozes out of the programme because of the natural way that everything on the screen unfolds. Many people therefore will be able to see themselves, their relatves and their friends within the characters and in this way the humour builds. I can frequently see my grandfather in Lionel and quite often the way Lionel and Jean interact reminds me of my parents. For me this is what effective humour is all about – making people relate with what they say and laugh at themselves.

General Opinion

As Time Goes By is in many respects an extremely relaxed programme that simply lets the relatinships between the characters pan out without interfeering to much. For some this may make boring viewing but this is something that I particualrly like as it makes the programme and therefore the characters within seem all the more authentic and therefore the programme much closer to reality. The storyline isn’t complex but is brightened up by curious events as well as the usual and the everyday, which quite often than not are hilarious int hemselves.

I would whole-heartedly recommend this series, which has a PG rating, as I think that it builds perfectly on the previous series and leaves you with a lovely warm feeling everytime you watch it.  

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