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GOODNIGHT SWEETHEART |
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Series Overview
Gary Sparrow - Nicholas Lyndhurst Yvonne Sparrow - Emma Amos Phoebe Bamford - Elizabeth Carling Ron Wheatcroft - Victor McGuire Reg Deadman - Christopher Ettridge 
OTHER GOODNIGHT SWEETHEART SEASONS Season 1 Season 2 Season 3 Season 4 Season 6 OTHER SCIENCE FICTION COMEDIES 3rd Rock From the Sun Red Dwarf Clone Hyperdrive Supernova no Heroics Quark OTHER TIME TRAVEL SHOWS Timecop Doctor Who Daybreak Journeyman 
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Series OverviewGary Sparrow is still travelling between war torn London and the present day in the fifth series of this show and there isn't a lot to mark it from previous outings. Gary Sparrow's innate dislikeability is kept at bay by Nicholas Lyndhurst's natural charm. Victor McGuire actually gets some good times as Ron and Christopher Ettridge's PC Reg Deadman provides most of the comedy. The shock of the new has worn off with Elizabeth Carling and Emma Amos settled into the roles of Phoebe and Yvonne (the wives) respectively. This series gives us the first two-part story and a visit from Gary's son that proves to be far more powerful than it has any right to be. Noel Coward also takes a part, which is less welcome. It's still not particularly funny, but this series is stronger than some of the previous ones on that front. Otherwise, it's pretty much business as usual. TopA Room With a ViewIn the middle of an unexpected air raid, Gary and his son are blown through the time warp into present day London. Not knowing what to do with the baby, he takes shelter at Ron's but then Yvonne shows up, leading to awkward questions. Time travelling situation comedy GOODNIGHT SWEETHEART returns with its new cast intact and a script that is funnier than many of the previous ones, but is pretty much in keeping with the series to date. There are some sly digs at snobbery, even in wartime, a pantomime impression of Noel Coward and a quick stab at drama as Phoebe faces the likelihood that she has lost (another) husband and her son. Yvonne's new business has made her a millionaire (or rich at least) and a fulfilled businesswoman, which smacks of moving her towards a place where she can be the woman that Gary leaves without looking too bad. Time will tell. TopLondon PridePhoebe has problems adjusting to her new Mayfair address, not least when the local butcher refuses to serve her. Gary finds Yvonne, far from not being posh enough, is now moving in circles far beyond him. Clearly the Noel Coward impersonator (David Benson) is going to be a recurring character and so is the putting on of funny upper class accents to make fun of the aristocracy of the time. It's not a bad strategy since some of the lines are better than they have been for a while and there are more smiles to be had, although the canned laughter track is certainly still having more fun than the audience. TopWhen Two Worlds CollideAn unexploded bomb goes off in Ducketts Passage and Phoebe follows Gary into the future, fortunately into his memorabilia shop. He has to keep her there, unsuspecting, whilst he tries to head off a visit from his other wife, Yvonne. It's taken five series to come about, but finally Gary's two lives come together, but for once the plotting is clever enough and the comedy funny enough to make it work. It also shows what a good friend Ron is and what a poor one Gary is. If he was played by anyone other than Nicholas Lyndhurst we'd all be hating him by now. TopMairzy DoatsThe unexploded bomb has left the time rift open to everyone and Gary is unable to stop Ron from passing through it. Ron, however, is singularly ill-equipped to deal with the forties and puts in jeopardy everything that Gary has worked to build up there, threatening his cover in two time periods. GOODNIGHT SWEETHEART has been unkind to the character of Ron Wheatcroft ever since it started, showing him to be boorish, boring, stupid and crass. This all comes out in this episode that seasons its comedy with a dash of humiliation for Ron, whose good heart has never been in doubt. The result is edgy and close to unpleasant, both of which are unfamiliar ground for this show. The quota of good lines continues at the higher rate that this season has managed so far, but it's still acceptable without being outstanding. TopPennies From HeavenGary is down to his last wartime five pound note and Ron is unable to print any more due to the presence of his new boss, a woman who has an eye for Gary. Forced to agree to distract the woman for a few hours, Gary finds that she is determined and single-minded, leading him to take desperate measures to escape her clutches. Gary Sparrow continues to be an utterly self-centred jerk and this episode proves it more than most. He is willing to take a clearly desperate woman on a date merely to give Ron the chance to print his money, he is then willing to make that woman doubt her own sanity in order to escape her embraces. He is even willing to carry on a course of action that he knows is going to cause his wife Phoebe extreme distress. Nicholas Lyndhurst continues to use his extensive charm to keep him from becoming the villain of the piece, but it is becoming increasingly hard. This is the first time that Gary has tried to use his knowledge of the future for financial gain (other than selling memorabilia in his shop) and it is interesting to see how circumstances conspire against him. TopWe Don't Want to Lose You...Gary's fake credentials are rumbled by MI5 and he is accused of being a spy for the Nazis. His only chance to stay out of jail is to take on a job as a decoy for a french general that he bears a resemblance to. Is the simple task all that it appears, however? This is a departure from the norm with a two part story that doesn't centre of Gary's domestic problems of juggling two wives. Timothy West guest stars as a pompous MI5 agent and there are some good lines, but the big surprise comes when Gary finds himself in full free french uniform stranded on mainland France. Top...But We Think You Have To GoGary's trip turns out not to be to the Isle of Wight, but to France where he is picked up by the Resistance and then the Gestapo. He might yet escape, but it all depends on a night of unbridled passion with a french freedom fighter. After the extended set up in the last episode, this goes nowhere at all. When a sitcom is using the woefully unfunny BBC show ALLO ALLO as a template then you know you're in trouble and so it proves. The script isn't funny the story barely does anything and it's all pretty pointless. TopHave You Ever Seen a Dream Walking?Following his exploits in France, Gary is wired to the point where he can't even sleep. He is plagued by weird dreams in which both Phoebe and Yvonne appear and gang up on him. This is something different, the fact that it's all a dream (or series of dreams) allows for some funny situations and some overacting from Nicholas Lyndhurst as his eyes get ready to pop out. The fact that the character is shown for the absolute git that he is ought to see him change but what are the chances? TopLove The One You're WithGary learns that he was killed in a car accident in the past and sets about ensuring that someone takes the fate meant for him. But then his conscience strikes. The problems of time travel take centre stage for a change as Gary is faced with the fact of his passing and then tries to play with the rules of causality to make sure that he isn't the victim. TopMy Heart Belongs to DaddyGary's shop is visited by his grown up son, a down and out ex-con in constant fear of being evicted from his flop house and wondering where the next lager's coming from. Desperate to help his son avoid this fate, he goes back to his wartime era and breaks his noninterference rule, but will it work out for the better? For the series finale, GOODNIGHT SWEETHEART pulls out the most powerful, touching episode ever. Gary's initial and final meetings with his grown up son show a level of maturity and honesty that the show has rarely approached before, played well by Nicholas Lyndhurst, but mostly as a result of the winning performance from Ian Lavender that elevates the whole experience. It's also a finale that leaves everyone in a happy place, perhaps a sign that it really is time to say GOODNIGHT SWEETHEART. Top |
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