S04 E06 - The Lovers (1973)

Time for a good old-fashioned Rom-Com, although not as old-fashioned as you’d think from a 1970s spin-off. Rob and Guy delve deep into ITV sitcom The Lovers, a show neither of our hosts knew much, if anything, about before the other week! A very young Richard Beckinsale and Paula Wilcox landed their first leading TV roles in a will-they/won’t-they kitchen sink sitcom, set against the permissive society making its way to Manchester. Written by Coronation Street writer and creator of London’s Burning Jack Rosenthal, this forgotten gem (well, by anyone under the age of 50 anyway) is not as widely lauded as many of its 1970s contemporaries, and we get right to the heart of just whether that’s fair or not. After two series, there was the inevitable 1973 movie spin-off. With a lavish premiere, sweeping rooftop shots of the Manchester skyline, and a liberal amount of Old Trafford football and cricket stadiums, this adaptation took the sitcom from its more humble studio roots to show off the burgeoning metropolis in which it was set and the talents of its two central stars. But, would the movie version fall foul of the number one mistake nearly every other spin-off we have seen so far on this podcast and not live up to its small-screen counterpart? Well, you’ll have to tune in to find out. There’s Percy Filth Galore as we take on The Lovers! The Lovers – SE1EP1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_SGqWcSRdQ Ms Jones & Son – SE1EP1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHj5TxGSMiY The Family Way - Trailer https://youtu.be/p2azcOdkRbU The George Best Boutique https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wndQC483D7s The Lovers! – Trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ku9vQ2ERD9s The Lovers – Old Trafford https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9Ci5lWFGbY Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices