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Keeping Mum (TV series)

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Keeping Mum
GenreSitcom
Written byGeoffrey Atherden
Starring
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series2
No. of episodes16
Production
Executive producerGeoffrey Perkins
ProducerStephen McCrum
Original release
NetworkBBC1
Release17 April 1997 (1997-04-17) –
16 June 1998 (1998-06-16)

Keeping Mum is a British sitcom, written by Geoffrey Atherden and broadcast on BBC One for two series between 17 April 1997 and 16 June 1998. It starred Stephanie Cole as the main character, Peggy Beare, Martin Ball and David Haig as her sons and Meera Syal as her daughter-in-law.

Main cast

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Character Actor
Peggy Beare Stephanie Cole
Andrew Beare Martin Ball
Richard Beare David Haig
Tina Beare Meera Syal

Episodes

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Series one

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No. Episode No. Title Original airdate
11"The Promotion"17 April 1997 (17 April 1997)
Andrew has an interview for a job in London
22"The Funeral"24 April 1997 (24 April 1997)
The family attend the funeral of Uncle William, and Peggy takes a fancy to some oranges
33"The Babysitter"1 May 1997 (1 May 1997)
Andrew hires Richard's babysitter to be company for Peggy
44"The Accident"8 May 1997 (8 May 1997)
Peggy tries to nurse Andrew after he injures his foot at work
55"The Dog"15 May 1997 (15 May 1997)
Richard presents his mother with a puppy, much to Andrew's chagrin
66"The Last Will"22 May 1997 (22 May 1997)
Andrew is dismayed to discover that his inheritance is conditional on him living with his mother until her death
77"The Oysters"29 May 1997 (29 May 1997)
Peggy is charged with shoplifting
88"The Nursing Home"5 June 1997 (5 June 1997)
Andrew takes the difficult decision that his mother needs professional care

Series two

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No. Episode No. Title Original airdate
91"The Picnic"16 April 1998 (16 April 1998)
The family go for a day out, during which Peggy goes missing
102"The Card Game"23 April 1998 (23 April 1998)
Andrew invites some friends round to play poker
113"The Budgie"30 April 1998 (30 April 1998)
Peggy is given the responsibility of looking after a talking budgie for a few days
124"The Aunt"14 May 1998 (14 May 1998)
Andrew arranges for Peggy's estranged sister Marjorie (Prunella Scales) to visit, while he spends some time with Wendy
135"The Sign"21 May 1998 (21 May 1998)
Peggy decides to volunteer at the church
146"The Thief"28 May 1998 (28 May 1998)
Peggy steals a clock from a neighbour, convinced that it belongs to her
157"The Surprise"4 June 1998 (4 June 1998)
It is Richard's birthday. Peggy is full of party spirit, while Richard is clearly hiding something
168"The Morning After"16 June 1998 (16 June 1998)
Peggy goes into shock after Wendy spends the night with Andrew

Reception

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In his review for The Independent, Thomas Sutcliffe said that "Cole's performance is never just clownish", concluding his review by saying: "The result is a programme that is only intermittently funny, to be honest, but at least has larger ambitions for what popular comedy can do."[1]

Home media

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The entire series was released on DVD region 2 in 2007.[2][3]

References

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  1. ^ Sutcliffe, Thomas (2 May 1997). "TV Reviews: My Wonderful Life and Keeping Mum". The Independent. London. Retrieved 12 August 2013.
  2. ^ https://productimages.worldofbooks.com/B001FO6NEC.jpg [bare URL image file]
  3. ^ "Keeping Mum – Complete 1St & 2Nd Series". 19 May 2007. Retrieved 27 May 2020 – via Amazon.
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