Gwen Taylor

Duty Free cast to perform new stage show

Keith Barron, Gwen Taylor and Neil Stacy are reuniting in Last Of The Duty Free, described as its "next hilarious instalment" and which comes to the Churchill Theatre in Bromley later this spring.

Barbara bagged the viewers for ITV

Which was the last ITV sitcom to regularly put one over on BBC1, we asked. Reader Graham Walker answered: Gwen Taylor comedy Barbara, which ran for 28 episodes between 1999 and 2003 (after piloting in 1995), 17 of which won their slots.

This comedy drama pilot has a lot going for it. Being Human's Lenora Crichlow in one of the main roles for one thing. And it's written by Catherine Johnson, who's best known for making the film Mamma Mia! such a massive hit. Single mums Ashley and Faye are the eponymous dappers (see above for this and other Bristolian sayings) who live - with their respective toddlers - in adjacent housing association flats and are always coming up with money-making scams. Or, as the fl ashy ex-boyfriend of Faye (Ty Glaser), puts it they're "like Del Boy and Rodders in thongs". It's nowhere near as filthy as Shameless, but there will inevitably be comparisons with Little Britain's Vicky Pollard. The comic clichés (such as the "odd couple neighbours" played by Gwen Taylor and Eddie Large) wouldn't be given house room in Little Britain, though. Its success will depend very much on whether you take to ballsy Faye and Ashley. Earlier, there's more bold new drama in Stanley Park.

Not since Gwen Taylor and Keith Barron kept finding themselves in the same hotel as that posh couple in Duty Free have a bunch of chalk-and-cheese holidaymakers been so unfortunate to end up sharing their vacations together so often. Back at the Solana Resort on a freebie (a present for winning Best Comedy at the National TV Awards, perhaps?), the gang will be joined by outlandish guest turns Sheridan Smith, Robin Askwith, Una Stubbs, Tim Healy and Mr Keith Barron himself.