''Let There Be Love'' is a British

sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...

which aired for two seasons from 1982 to 1983. It was created by the sitcom writing team of

Johnnie Mortimer John Edward Mortimer (2 July 1930 – 2 September 1992) was a British scriptwriter for British TV whose work, along with creative writing partner Brian Cooke, also served as inspiration for American television projects. Career John Edward ...

and

Brian Cooke Brian Cooke (born 1937) is a British comedy writer who, with co-writer Johnnie Mortimer, penned scripts for and devised many top 1970s/80s television sitcoms, including '' Man About the House'', '' George and Mildred'', and '' Robin's Nest''. ...

, and it starred

Paul Eddington Paul Clark Eddington (18 June 1927 – 4 November 1995) was an English actor who played Jerry Leadbetter in the television sitcom '' The Good Life'' (1975–1978) and politician Jim Hacker in the sitcom '' Yes Minister'' (1980–1984) and its ...

(who was also starring in the BBC's

Yes Minister ''Yes Minister'' is a British political satire sitcom written by Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn. Comprising three seven-episode series, it was first transmitted on BBC2 from 1980 to 1984. A sequel, ''Yes, Prime Minister'', ran for 16 episodes f ...

at exactly the same time this sitcom went out), Nanette Newman and Henry McGee (who, likewise, also played straight man to

Benny Hill Alfred Hawthorne "Benny" Hill (21 January 1924 – 18 April 1992) was an English comedian, actor and scriptwriter. He is best remembered for his television programme, ''The Benny Hill Show'', a comedy-variety show whose amalgam of slapstick, bu ...

at the same time). It was made by

Thames Television Thames Television, commonly simplified to just Thames, was a franchise holder for a region of the British ITV television network serving London and surrounding areas from 30 July 1968 until the night of 31 December 1992. Thames Television broa ...

for the ITV network.

Plot

Middle-aged and middle-class Timothy Love (played by Eddington) is a confirmed

bachelor A bachelor is a man who is not and never has been married.Bachelors are, in Pitt & al.'s phrasing, "men who live independently, outside of their parents' home and other institutional settings, who are neither married nor cohabitating". (). Etymo ...

who is nonetheless happy with his marital status and his life; since he has a good job, plenty of money, the availability of girlfriends whenever he wants them, and cherished freedom. Until a mother-of-three, Judy (played by Newman) enters his life. Timothy will find Judy different to all the other women he has courted in the past; in contrast with all the others, Judy is the type of woman with which he feels he can 'settle down'. They become engaged, and Timothy's realising of the effort he has to do to change his life and do away with his old individualism will prove the main theme of the show. Judy and Timothy are married at the end of the first series, and in the second Timothy had to adapt to step-fathering Judy's children Charles (played by Nolan), Edward (played by Morrison) and Elizabeth (played by Gambold), as well as come to terms with his parents-in-law (played by March and Welsh), as well as taking care of Judy's Alsatian dog. Another important character in the show is Timothy's business partner Dennis Newberry (played by McGee) in their advertising agency, and who would good-naturedly offer 'help' (i.e. hindrance) Timothy in adapting to his life with Judy.

Episodes

Series 1 (1982)

*1.1. Little Things Mean A Lot (4 January 1982) *1.2. Getting To Know You (11 January 1982) *1.3. Dad's The Word (18 January 1982) *1.4. Man And Superman (25 January 1982) *1.5. Your Place Or Mine (1 February 1982) *1.6. In Sickness And in Health (8 February 1982)

Series 2 (1983)

*2.1. Crime And Punishment (10 March 1983) *2.2. Fool's Mate (17 March 1983) *2.3. Love in Bloom (24 March 1983) *2.4. If The Nightie Fits (31 March 1983) *2.5. Spilling The Beans (7 April 1983) *2.6. Love Me, Love My Dog (14 April 1983)

References

Mark Lewisohn Mark Lewisohn (born 16 June 1958) is an English historian and biographer. Since the 1980s, he has written many reference books about the Beatles and has worked for EMI, MPL Communications and Apple Corps.

, ''BBC Online Comedy Guide''/''Radio Times Guide to TV Comedy'' *British TV Online Resources

External links

* * {{Cooke and Mortimer 1982 British television series debuts 1983 British television series endings 1980s British sitcoms British English-language television shows ITV sitcoms Television series by Fremantle (company) Television shows produced by Thames Television Television shows shot at Teddington Studios