Author:Simon Brett,Prunella Scales,Full Cast,Joan Sanderson,Gerry Cowper,Benjamin Whitrow

All four series of the hugely popular BBC radio sitcom – plus two Christmas specials
After the death of her GP husband, widow Sarah is battling to bring up her strong-willed 18-year-old daughter Clare, hindered by her meddling mother Eleanor. Living on the middle floor of the family home, with Clare downstairs and Eleanor upstairs, Sarah finds herself besieged from above and below as she tries to cope with the demands of both her mum and her daughter. Luckily, she finds solace at work, where her best friend and boss at Bygone Books, Russell, provides a sympathetic ear.
In these four series, Sarah dips a tentative toe into the dating scene, daughter Clare has boyfriend troubles, and Eleanor takes a keen interest in both their love lives – sharing all the gossip with her pensioner friends, the ‘geriatric Mafia’. Holidays, house tidiness and hospital visits all cause problems for Sarah, and there are disagreements over everything from hiring a builder to the correct way to prepare Sunday lunch...
Also included are two special seasonal episodes, in which the three women bicker over the festive planning and Eleanor’s strict Christmas Day timetable.
Created by award-winning detective novelist and sitcom writer Simon Brett, this much-loved generation gap comedy ran for four years on radio between 1985 and 1989. It was adapted for ITV by Thames Television and was extremely successful, attracting 14 million viewers. Prunella Scales stars as Sarah, with Joan Sanderson as Eleanor and Gerry Cowper as Clare.
Cast
Sarah – Prunella Scales
Eleanor – Joan Sanderson
Clare – Gerry Cowper
Russell – Benjamin Whitrow
Nick – James Griffiths
Janie – Marion Bailey
Terry – Leo Dolan
Clifford –Richard Davies
Gwen – Ellen McIntosh
Vicar – John Nettleton
David – Nigel Williams
Chris – Mark Kingston
Alison – Mary Maddox
Miles – David Quilter
Quizmaster – Graham Blockey
Customer –Alan Thompson
Aubrey – Lockwood West
Delivery boy – David Learner
Doctor – Peter Howell
Sister – Deborah Findlay
Policeman – Michael Hadley
Percy Bradshaw/The television – Simon Brett
James – Edward de Souza
Valuer – Nicholas Le Provost
Neville –Ian Thompson
Julian – Jasper Jacob
The doctor – Julie Berry
Tom Wilkinson –Peter
Rod – Paul Sirr
Lady Newby – Fabia Drake
Vernon – Frederick Treves
Gary – Ian Michie
Auntie Lilian – Jean Anderson
Production credits
Written by Simon Brett
Produced by Pete Atkin
'Wood's lively translations grasp the irrepressible sense of freedom which is the poet's hallmark ... Pushkin is lucky in Antony Wood. Pleasure is to be found on every page of this book'
—— The Times Literary SupplementThis Selected Poetry by Antony Wood supersedes all previous translations ... Wood's 'The Bronze Horseman' gives us Pushkin at his most tragic. 'Count Nulin' shows him at his most light-hearted. 'The Tale of Tsar Saltan' bounces along with delightful vitality. Even with the delicately musical short lyrics - still harder to translate - Wood's success rate is remarkable ... The result is a more rounded picture of Pushkin - in many ways the most universal of poets
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—— Los Angeles Review of BooksEverybody knows how difficult Pushkin's poems are to translate. Antony Wood has succeeded, within the limits of the possible
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—— East-West ReviewAnthony Wood is to be congratulated on this suburb collection, which renders Pushkin in all his matchless grace, wit and musicality
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—— LA TimesThis is one of my favorite novels of 2015, and we’re not even IN 2015 yet . . .The language is beautiful, spare, and carefully crafted, and the characters are fully realized and unforgettable. There is tension and redemption and insight and even humor in these pages, and they make for a really incredible read
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—— Library JournalBoth novels offer precision of language and metaphor and scene even as what is being constructed feels messy, chaotic, sad, hopeless... Both orphaned and alone in the world, both so completely real, both telling a story that feels important and exciting to read. I feel lucky to have stumbled upon these books this year, and challenged by them to be better
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