As Time Goes By
- TV sitcom
- BBC One
- 1992 - 2005
- 66 episodes (9 series)
Lionel and Jean were young lovers until accidentally losing touch. Years later they meet again by chance and unexpectedly rekindle their romance. Stars Judi Dench, Geoffrey Palmer, Moira Brooker, Jenny Funnell and Philip Bretherton
- Series 1, Episode 2 repeated Sunday at 12:50am on BBC4
Key details
- Genre
- Sitcom
- Broadcast
- 1992 - 2005
- Channel
- BBC 1
- Episodes
- 66 (9 series), plus 1 highlights special
- Creator
- Colin Bostock-Smith
- Stars
- Judi Dench, Geoffrey Palmer, Moira Brooker, Jenny Funnell and Philip Bretherton
- Writer
- Bob Larbey
- Director
- Sydney Lotterby
- Producers
- Sydney Lotterby, Philip Jones, John Reynolds, Donald Taffner Jr., Trevor McCallum and Clive Hedges
- Companies
Lionel Hardcastle, a young man in the army, and Jean Pargeter, a nurse, are madly in love until Lionel is sent away to the Korean War and, through a lost love letter, they lose touch.
Thirty-eight years later Lionel, a curmudgeonly divorcee, is writing a book about his subsequent years spent living in Kenya and Jean, a no-nonsense widow, is running a secretarial agency in London. When Lionel requires a secretary to assist him with his book revisions he unwittingly contacts Jean's agency and the pair are reunited.
Gradually, after some reluctance and hesitation on both sides, Jean and Lionel begin to rekindle their old romance. Alongside this main story a more tempestuous relationship between Jean's daughter Judith and Lionel's publisher Alistair plays out.
This popular BBC sitcom draws humour from the ups and downs of unexpected romance in later life.
Stream and download
Additional details
- Production
- Studio
- Camera set-up
- Multi-camera
- Picture
- Colour
- Soundtrack
- Theme tune is a version of As Time Goes By, originally written by Herman Hupfeld in 1931. This version is performed by Joe Fagin and arranged by David Mackay.
Website links
Broadcast details
- First broadcast
- Sunday 12th January 1992 at 8:35pm on BBC One
- Next repeats
-
- Series 1, Episode 2: Sunday at 12:50am on BBC4
- Series 1, Episode 3: Tuesday at 8:30pm on BBC4
- Series 1, Episode 3: Sunday 24th November at 12:40am on BBC4
- Most recent repeats
-
- Tuesday 12th November 2024 at 8:30pm on BBC4 - Series 1, Episode 2
- Sunday 10th November 2024 at 12:40am on BBC4 - Series 1, Episode 1
- Tuesday 5th November 2024 at 8:30pm on BBC4 - Series 1, Episode 1