This six-part children’s serial from HTV was written and produced by Peter Miller, and directed by Jan Darnley Smith.
It told the story of neurotic and hard-up solicitor Gerald Parish (former 1960s pop singer John Leyton) who becomes involved with beautiful widow Mary Lampert (Janet Key) and her five tiresome children when he rents the ground floor of their rambling house in a fashionable area of Bristol.
The high-spirited children – Toby (Toby Waldock), David (Richard Kellow), Joanna (Jayne Tottman), Bill (Marcus D’Amico) and Richard (Mark Evans) – cannot stand the sight of the irritable new tenant and he likewise.
When Gerald receives a letter from his wealthy old grandfather, he is presented with a very interesting ultimatum: practically overnight he has to find himself a wife and family or run the risk of being disinherited from the bad-tempered old man’s will.
And so he begrudgingly curries favour with the kids so he can “adopt” the family.
Much to the bemusement of Mary and his dizzy secretary, Nesta (Sorcha Cusack), he begins to act like a reasonable human being for the first time in years.
Gerald Parish
John Leyton Mary Lampert
Janet Key Nesta Wright
Sorcha Cusack Henry Parish
Raymond Huntley Adela
Jessica Turner Joanna
Jayne Tottman Bill
Marcus D’Amico Richard
Mark Evans David
Richard Kellow Toby
Toby Waldock Harold Searle
Timothy Bateson Ron Jenkins
Norman Bowler John Purvis
Mark Eden Det. Insp. Percival
Bernard Horsfall Mr Fox
Michael Segal
