Creators: Fred Barron
Writers: James Hendrie, Ian Brown, Fred Barron, Shawn Schepps, Steve and Jim Armogida and Penny Croft.
Stars: Robert Lindsey, Zoe Wanamaker, Kris Marshall, Daniela Denby-Ashe and Gabriel Thomson
This family based comedy started in 2000 and spawned 90 episodes, split ... Read review
Put-upon dentist Ben Harper (Robert Lindsay) is long suffering husband to Susan (Zoe ... more
Wannamaker) and father to three very different and often difficult children - nice but dim Nick (Kris Marshall) shopaholic student Janey (Daniela Denby-Ashe) and prod...
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Meet The HarpersA modern, outwardly functional family... engaged in constant psychological ... more
warfare.Ben, a dentist, and Susan, the worst cook in the world, are certainly loving, caring parents, they just have a problem showing it. Ben seems to be confus...
Meet the Harpers - A modern, outwardly functional family... engaged in constant ... more
psychological warfare. The Harpers must make every normal family in the land want to count their blessings... It's non-stop mayhem as we watch Ben and Susan's attempts to nurture, even just live with their troublesome tribe. Or is it more a case of Nick, Janey and Michael bringing up their parents? Dizzy cousin Abi, gullible dentist Roger and strange, struggling musician Alfie all help to pile on more chaos in the household.
The complete boxed set of the BBC 1 comedy series My Family where put-upon dentist Ben ... more
Harper (Robert Lindsay) is long suffering husband to Susan (Zoe Wannamaker) and father to three very different and often difficult children - nice but dim Nick (Kris Marshall) shopaholic student Janey (Daniela Denby-Ashe) and prodigy Michael (Gabriel Thomson). For individual series episode listings please refer to the individual products.
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Comedy - Director: Richard Boden, Mandie Fletcher, Martin Shardlow - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Hugh Laurie, Miranda Richardson, Stephen Fry, Brian Blessed, Tim McInnerny, Tony Robinson, Rowan Atkinson
Comedy - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Tessa Peake-Jones, Buster Merryfield, David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst
Advantages: Great entertainment with many laughs Disadvantages: not some peoples cup of tea
Creators: Fred Barron
Writers: James Hendrie, Ian Brown, Fred Barron, Shawn Schepps, Steve and Jim Armogida and Penny Croft.
Stars: Robert Lindsey, Zoe Wanamaker, Kris Marshall, Daniela Denby-Ashe and Gabriel Thomson
This family based comedy started in 2000 and spawned 90 episodes, split into 8 series of simple family entertainment.
* BRIEF IDEA *
The Harper family are your almost ... ...just wanting an easy life…
They consist of…
* Ben Harper, (played by Robert Lindsey), the miserable father with a very laid back attitude and very dry sense of humour. He hates his job as a dentists and sometimes comes across as hating his kids as well, although his paternal instincts do need some improvement.
* Susan, (played by Zoe Wanamaker), is the poor lady who somehow ended up marrying Ben. She comes across ... more
Creators: Fred Barron Writers: James Hendrie, Ian Brown, Fred Barron, Shawn Schepps, Steve and Jim Armogida and Penny Croft. Stars: Robert Lindsey, Zoe Wanamaker, Kris Marshall, Daniela Denby-Ashe and Gabriel Thomson
This family based comedy started in 2000 and spawned 90 episodes, split into 8 series of simple family entertainment.
* BRIEF IDEA *
The Harper family are your almost typical family, living in a beautiful home in Chiswick, London, just wanting an easy life… They consist of…
* Ben Harper, (played by Robert Lindsey), the miserable father with a very laid back attitude and very dry sense of humour. He hates his job as a dentists and sometimes comes across as hating his kids as well, although his paternal instincts do need some improvement.
* Susan, (played by Zoe Wanamaker), is the poor lady who somehow ended up marrying Ben. She comes across as a doting mother, although deep down she too sometimes seems to regret having started a family…constantly trying to control there every move…?
* Nick, (played by Kris Marshall), the eldest son is a slightly different kind of person who will try anything for a quick buck, although his mind is a little bit behind his body, leding him into some rather unfortunate situations.
* Their daughter Janey, (played by Daniela Denby-Ashe), is the typical teenage girl, wanting everything her own way and disobeying her parents with such venom.
* And their youngest son Michael, (played by Gabriel Thomson) who is the clever thinker of the family, with high hopes for his future.
The families simple way through life is made much harder with constant obstacles placed in their way, With Ben usually making matters seem worse with his sometimes laid back attitude towards his families troubles. Bens tries to find sanctuary at his dental surgery but is constantly being tormented by his annoying assistant Brigitte, (played by Daisy Donovan), who has one of them irritating attitudes.
There are several characters that pop in and out of the series, visiting the house or the surgery, each having a different dilemma with which they hopelessly think that the Harper family would be interested in…especially the next door neighbour, Roger Bailey (played by Keiron Self) who happens to work with Ben at the same surgery… adding to the poor mans woes both at work and at home.* SERIES 1 (September - November 2000)
1) The Serpents tooth. Ben is mortified when he discovers his daughter is seeing another dentist, only to find out that she is not the only member of his family to do so… meanwhile Nick is besotted by a French model he meets on the internet, much to the humour of his dad.
2) Pain in the Class When Michael is being bullied at school it is up to Ben to sort it out, somehow thinking that inviting the bullies parents for tea will help… Nick is trying his hand at becoming a dotcom millianaire and Janey wants a special gift, much to the annoyance of her parents.
3) Droit de seigneur Ben When Brigitte sets up a blind date for Janey with one of Bens patients things get out of hand, but things get even worse when Ben steps in to help out his Daughter. Meanwhile, Nick is trying his hand at being an artist..?
4) The Last Resort It's Susans 40th Birthday, (again) and Ben is persuaded to take her for a romantic weekend away, but things take a bit of a twist when they become friendly with two other guest staying in the next room.
5) Farewell to alarms With a so called crime wave hitting the neighbourhood the Harpers decide to invest in a top of the range burglar alarm… only for things to go drastically wrong when they forget how to control it. Meanwhile, Nick is trying to make money by renting out his room to a stranger and when that fails he decides to become a stripper…
6) Death takes a policy It's total mayhem at the Harper household with Janey wanting a water bra? Nick bringing his latest girlfriend found and Susan trying to come to terms with the death of one of her clients at the tour company, fearing the news of a death will upset her children?
7) The Awkward Phrase It's Michael first date with a girl from school and he foolishly listens to tips from Nick and Ben… Meanwhile Janey is at daggers with her Susan over a pair of jeans and Nick thinks that growing a moustache will help his job prospects.
8) Much Ado about Ben A surprise package in Nicks trouser pocket puts Ben in hospital and with Susan trying to give up smoking she takes to yoga for help… meanwhile Janey is struggling to get concert tickets and is not happy at all.
* IN CONCLUSION
A great almost harmless comedy for all the family to enjoy. The banter between Susan and Ben really does sometimes make you wish your relationship was as east and laid back as theirs, although you wouldn't want their kids as your own… especially Nick, who has an amazing ability to confuse even himself with so much ease…
The dysfunctional family idea works well, almost like episodes of the Simpson's only without the yellow skin and over used clothing… It is a simple fact of being able to laugh at another families troubles even though you're inundated with your own… realising that there is someone out there who is worse off than yourself, (albeit fictitious)
The episodes each have a different story to tell but all stories tend to lead to the planet Mayhem, rule by Lord Chaos, waiting for the Harpers to arrive through customs with there baggage in tow… creating some brilliant laughs throughout each episode as the family bonding is put to the test again and again…
The all round acting is simply superb, with Lindsey playing the 'couldn't care less' attitude to perfection… constantly battling minds with Susan, his controlling wife who loves nothing more than barking orders. But the man of the match award has to go to Kris Marshall with his amazing creation which is Nick, capable of doing the most stupidest of things without batting an eyelid, putting his hand to anything from stripping to stunt riding and a lot more brain baffling plans to earn a living… His character is without doubt the clown in the family and what a job he does at it, with his silly expressions and spaced out mind.
In all, a great show for all ages, although much of the dry humour may be a little over the heads of younger kids… but they will love Nick and his rather silly ways
* Would I recommend this..?
Yes I certainly would… It is worth viewing at least once, although I do feel the later series tend to go off the boil a little, but this first series is simply perfect entertainment The Complete First Series (1 disc) was released on the 22 March 2004 and can be bought fomr amazon.co.uk for less than £7.00 and is nearly four hours of great fun.
Advantages: Off the wall entertainment Disadvantages: None as far as I am concerned
...sitcom that I have missed, My Family being just one of them. Although I have caught up with later series, I've never seen the first one and so after a recent windfall, I decided to treat myself. The fact that I'm a huge fan of Kris Marshall made it all the better.
The story
At first glance, the Harper family is fairly normal. Ben Harper is a dentist, his wife, Susan, is a tour guide and their three children, Nick, Janey and Michael are the usual ... ...in whatever he does. In My Family, his character, Nick, is a waster who has various money-making schemes, none of which are well thought through and none of which are successful. He is the wackiest of all the characters and is therefore the one that probably stands out the most. This is the show that made his name and the fact that he has now left the show means that I am much less eager to watch it. I can imagine that some people would find him ...
sunmeilan 13.10.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of My Family - Series 1 - Complete (DVD)
...the complete first series of My Family, on DVD. Copyrighted BBC 1996, it holds the rating of Parental Guidance (PG) due to mild swearing and references to sexual activities or similar. The main storyline is around the Harper family, who live in suburban London. They are as follows: Ben Harper (Robert Lindsay): the dad, and a dentist. Just likes to be left alone to watch the TV, read the paper and drink beer (but in no particular order). Thinks that ... ...is constantly being proved otherwise. Susan Harper (Zoe Wanamaker): the mum, who is a tour guide and (she thinks) a gourmet cook. Wants to be involved in her children's lives, but is constantly reminded by their actions that she is unable to reason with them on their level. Nick Harper (Kris Marshall): the eldest son, who never works; is constantly in the house, and is always coming up with hair brained schemes to make money. Or so he thinks, but ...
dynamicnurse 27.01.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of My Family - Series 1 - Complete (DVD)
The 'My Family' DVD is excellent, because you can watch all your favourite episodes -as shown on TV- whenever you want! It's a double DVD (featuring 13 episodes, containing 5 chapters each) of the complete second series and you'll be guaranteed for laughs. This comedy sitcom is amazing, although it is much more over the top compared to your classics like 'Only Fools & Horses', which no-one can achieve higher than!
Ben Harper is probably the main ... ...which have completely different personalities. He is a dentist and often makes fun of his patients. He really cracks me up and is fun to watch!
His wife Susan, is usually busy showing foreign tourists around London, a place she knows much better than her own kitchen! Ben and Susan always seem to be making fun of each other, although it's only sarcastic comments and little tricks. They have been happily married enough to have three children. Ben ...
super_reviewer 11.12.2004 (17.12.2004)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of My Family - Series 1 - Complete (DVD)
Advantages: Brilliant storylines and fantastic characters Disadvantages: NONE
My Family is a modern TV Comedy classic. In short is based around a typical family, the Harper family, consisting of Dad, Ben, played by Robert Lindsey, Mum, Susan, played by Zoë Wanamaker and three children, Nick, Janey and Michael, played by Kris Marshall, Daniela Denby-Ashe and Gabriel Thomson respectively. The family do normal things, the parents go to work, the children go to school and Nick, well Nick doesn't really do anything. Each character ... ...at times I can see my own family in them, especially when they're arguing at the tea table or battling over whose turn it is to clean up. The Harper family's main problem is that they rarely all pull in the same direction and it is this that makes the show so hilarious. The one thing they do pull together for, or possibly more correctly against, is Susan's cooking, which is the focal point for many a joke in the Harper family. Nick eats anything, ...
MI9to5 28.08.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of My Family - Series 1 - Complete (DVD)
Advantages: Greats laughs, a must have Disadvantages: none that I'm aware of!!
A must have for all comedy cravers. Probably the funniest comedy sitcom since "Only Fools and Horses", maybe even better than that, but by far the greatest comedy show of recent years.
Featuring the Harpers', a realistic look at a typical British family with the added sense of humour. Great for all the family. Featuring, Ben, Susan, Nick, Janey and Michael Harper. In which I find Nick to be extremely humorous, always providing entertainment with ... ...Ben sorting it out. Ben is another great character playing a very believable role, a dentist who ultimately hates his job, he gets slated for failing to be a doctor but insists it was Susan who prevented him from doing so. He is a great character who finds it hard to chat with his children about just about everything. Susan is the domineering wife who ultimately gets the last decision on what Ben does. She gets the decisions on what they do as she ...
lmhj_1987 08.08.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of My Family - Series 1 - Complete (DVD)
The daily trials and tribulations which face the Harper family. The episodes: 'A Serpent's Tooth', 'A Pain In The Class', 'Droit De Seigneur Ben', 'The Last Resort', 'A Farewell To Alarms', 'Death Takes A Policy', 'The Awkward Phase' and 'Much Ado About Ben'.
Release details
DVD Region
DVD
Studio(s)
2 ENTERTAIN VIDEO; SONY DADC
Release date
22/03/2004
No of Discs
1
Catalogue No
VCD 0345
Barcode
5014138070724
Creator
Fred Barron
Languages
Main Language
English
DVD Description
The first series of the BBC's award-winning sit-com MY FAMILY charts the trials of Ben Harper a dentist, and his wife Susan and their wayward, insolent children. Robert Lindsay, in his first sit-som since 1977's CITIZEN SMITH, and Zoe Wanamaker plays Susan his tour-guide spouse. Includes all 8 episodes from series one: The Serpent's Tooth; A Pain In The Class; Droit De Seigneur Ben; The Last Resort; A Farewell To Alarms; The Awkward Phase & Much Ado About Ben.
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