Review for Happy Ever After - The Complete Series

Watching the excellent, if dated, ‘Happy Ever After’ makes me wonder what a young audience would make of it today. After all, it doesn’t reflect the life of their parents; more likely that of their Grandparents back in the day.

For me it brings back happy memories of a more innocent time where sitcoms like this were fairly standard fayre and were almost the very definition of ‘light entertainment’. The series’ gentle humour would rarely have you clutching your sides, but would often raise a warm smile or a slight chortle. I for one am absolutely delighted that the series is now available in its entirety in a single set.


‘Happy Ever After’ is almost the archetypal middle-class, aspirational British sitcom of the seventies, the halcyon period for the genre, airing from May 1974 to April 1979, after which it turned into ‘Terry and June’ to continue its run into the late-eighties, albeit minus Aunt Lucy.


The series was co-written by a team of scriptwriters - John T. Chapman, Eric Merriman, Christopher Bond, John Kane and Jon Watkins. It was highly formulaic stuff, pretty much the same sort of scenario week in, week out which was probably part of its comforting appeal. As a result, it’s a series is the audio-visual equivalent of a comfy pair of old slippers.


Terry Scott and June Whitfield are ideally cast in the roles of a middle-aged, middle-class couple whose siblings have finally flown the nest, leaving them alone to potentially revitalise their flagging relationship with a new life full of romance and adventure. Well, until the delightful sherry quaffing Aunt Lucy arrives from a life overseas, ready to settle in to one the now vacant bedrooms – initially for a fortnight but she soon settles in for the entire series, along with her irritating Mynah bird.


This wasn’t the first time Terry and June had been in a series together. They had both starred in ‘Scott On’ in similar roles, but this was the first to give them equal billing.

Cue lots of Brain Rix style farce as poor Terry tries to woo June all over again and rekindle their relationship, despite the rest of life constantly getting in the way. No seam of middle-class suburban life is left un-tapped as the series makes its way through no less than 41 30 minute episodes.


So we see Terry join an amateur dramatics group just to please June (similar to a Steptoe and Son narrative, I recall); try and lose weight by getting fit; attending an old folks home party; try his hand at penning a best-selling novel; attempting sculpture; sailing a boat; getting jealous of a French student’s interest in June – and on and on and on.

The two have almost perfect comic timing, delivering even the most predictable punch-lines magnificently, and the contrast between June’s understated wit and Terry’s over the top performances mean that they play off each other brilliantly.
Of course, some of the programme may not pass the political correctness filters required today (‘Hello Sailor’ being one such episode) but critics shouldn’t be too harsh; the series was a fairly innocent, well-intentioned comedy merely reflecting the times in which it was made. Indeed, that aspect is perhaps part of its continued appeal.


There are many hours of watching pleasure to be had and it’s probably best served in small doses, rather than 3-4 at a sitting which is how I went through it.

If you’re a fan or retro comedy from the Seventies then this release will be a very welcome addition to your collection. Top stuff.


Pilot (1974)
Pilot (7 May 1974) (part of Comedy Playhouse)

Series One (1974)
1.The Hotel (17 July 74)
2.Terry's Church Sermon (31 July 74)
3.Amateur Dramatics (7 August 74)
4.The French Businessman (14 August 74)
5.Keep Fit (21 August 74)

Series Two (1976)
1.A Country Cottage (8 January 76)
2.Old Folks' Party (15 January 76)
3.Lucy's Premium Bond (22 January 76)
4.Telemania (29 January 76)
5.Terry in Court (5 February 76)
6.The Flower Show (12 February 76)
7.June's Day in Bed (19 February 76)
8.Frank's Return (26 February 76)
9.Filming the Fletchers (4 March 76)
10.The Novel (11 March 76)


 Series Three (1976)
1.Foster Parents (9 September 76)
2.Restoration Piece (16 September 76)
3.It's All In The Title (23 September 76)
4.Mistaken Identikit (30 September 76)
5.The Car Rally (7 October 76)
6.Holiday Plans (14 October 76)
7.The Protest (21 October 76)
8.The French Student (28 October 76)
9.Lucy's Present (4 November 76)

Christmas Special (1976)
Christmas (23 December 76)

Series Four (1977)
1.Hello Sailor (8 September 77)
2.Talk of the Devil (15 September 77)
3.You've Got to Have Art (22 September 77)
4.A Proper Choice (29 September 77)
5.He Who Excavates Is Lost (6 October 77)
6.Never Boring (13 October 77)
7.Never Put It In Writing (20 October 77)

Christmas Special (1977)
June's Parents (23 December 77)

Series Five (1978)
1.Watch Your Weight (5 September 78)
2.The Hut Sut Song (12 September 78)
3.Business and Pleasure (19 September 78)
4.The King and June (26 September 78)
5.A Woman Called Ironside (3 October 78)
6.The More We Are Together (10 October 78)

Special (1979)
The Go Between (25 April 79)