After Henry
1988 - United KingdomBAFTA-nominated comedy After Henry followed the comfortable middle-class lives of three women; except that, for one of them, life wasn't all that comfortable...
A widow of two years Sarah had been left well provided for in a large Edwardian detached house in a leafy suburb by her late husband, Dr Henry France. But, unfortunately, she had also been left with a demanding mother and a prickly adolescent daughter, Clare (Janine Wood) who craved independence, just as long as mother was there to clear up the mess. Sarah was stuck between the two of them (literally; her mother lived in the upstairs flat whilst her daughter resided in the basement and Sarah was in between). Mother was both manipulative and a gossip (Sarah dubbed her and her friends 'The Geriatric Mafia') and she often found herself being torn between mother and daughter with her only source of refuge being a second-hand bookshop where she worked, and the sympathetic ear of the shop's owner, Russell (Jonathan Newth).
Prunella Scales (Fawlty Towers) starred as put-upon Sarah and Joan Sanderson (Please Sir!) as Eleanor, her fearsome battle-axe of a mother. After Henry was written by multiple BAFTA-winner Simon Brett (Rosemary & Thyme) and directed by sitcom legend Peter Frazer-Jones (Man About the House, George and Mildred).
After Henry was originally created for BBC radio in 1986 and soon became a firm favourite with listeners. However, when the BBC turned down a TV adaptation it was snapped up by Thames. Not one of the Beeb's best decisions.
Published on November 27th, 2018. Written by Laurence Marcus for Television Heaven.
