Last Song, The

1 9 8 1 (UK)
6 x 30 minute episodes
1 9 8 3 (UK)
7 x 30 minute episodes

Premiering on Tuesday 3 November 1981 on BBC-2, this comedy series from Carla Lane (of Butterflies and The Liver Birds fame) starred  Geoffrey Palmer as 50-year-old Leo Bannister.

When his grown-up daughters leave home, Leo decides to devote more of his time and energy to his work as a general surgeon than to his marriage, and moves out of the family home, finding himself a small flat.

Unfortunately, his bewildered wife, Alice (Caroline Blakiston), can’t understand what has happened or why, and becomes less and less able to cope with her separation from Leo.

Meanwhile, Leo meets 24-year-old Liz (Nina Thomas), who shares a flat in his block.

She is warm, attractive and falls deeply in love with Leo, quite oblivious to any age gap. Her ambition is to marry Leo and have a house and children, but – although she moves in with him – she finds it difficult to live with his divided loyalty.

Leo, meanwhile, tries to reconcile the two women in his life.

The series returned in February 1983 with Leo asking Liz to leave and Alice plotting ways to get him back.

Meanwhile, their younger daughter Jane (Hetty Baynes) moves in with Leo as their older daughter Alison (Gay Wilde) tries to turn her gay husband straight, before also moving in.

Leo Bannister
Geoffrey Palmer
Alice Bannister
Caroline Blakiston
Jane Bannister
Hetty Baynes
Alison Bannister
Gay Wilde
Liz Carroll
Nina Thomas
Shirley
Barbara Flynn
Matthew
Roger Kemp
Justin
Michael Deeks
Mrs Carroll
Marjie Lawrence

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