As Time Goes By
1992
📺 10 Seasons
🎬 67 Episodes
📅 Ended
🌐 EN
⏱️ 30 min/episode
Comedy
Two lovers are reunited after decades apart following a mutual misunderstanding.
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Seasons
Season 1
We meet the two main characters: Lionel and Jean.
In the pilot episode, Lionel is in a hotel cafe giving a waitress a hard time. He is scathingly sarcastic. Jean is, similarly, seen being brittle and unbending.
Lionel is working on his book "My Life in Kenya" about his life in Kenya. (This joke comes up in numerous episodes.) He requires a secretary to help with the revisions. That's where Jean's secretary service ""...Type for You"" comes in.
Judith, Jean's daughter, meets Lionel at his hotel to apologize for the terrible secretary. Lionel asks Judith out. When he arrives to pick her up he is introduced to Jean. After about two seconds Jean and Lionel both independently figure out who they each suspect the other person to be: a lover last seen in 1953.
Season 2
Lionel is nervous regarding an upcoming photo shoot for the cover of his book. Despite advice from Jean and Judith that whatever helps sell the book is worth it, Lionel is completely taken aback by what Alistair has in mind.
Season 3
While on a romantic holiday in paris Jean and Lionel must help a young couple who are fighting.
Season 4
Jean decides to turn the spare room into Lionel's office. But, plans change when Judy announces that Sandy has just broken up with her live-in boyfriend and has nowhere to go. So the women decide she must move in. Which makes Lionel more than a little uncomfortable.
Season 5
Jean and Lionel spend a weekend in the country at Rocky's house. Upon arriving, they are visited by ""the country set.""
Season 6
Lionel fears he's losing his strength. So when a stalker starts following Sandy home he decides to show he can take care of the situation. Turns out it's just a love-sick teenager following her.
Season 7
Jean suspects that Lionel is going deaf. But despite the fact that he clearly can't hear very much, Lionel resists going to a doctor. Meanwhile, he becomes convinced that Jean is having problems with her eyes, and sets about solving this dilemma.
Season 8
Judy and Alistair are no longer seeing each other neither are Sandy and Harry. So Jean decides to cheer them up. Alistair comes around to see Lionel but, Jean thinks he's there to see Judy. Jean worries that Judy will think that she was meddling so she tells Judy that Alistair was there discussing a personal problem that Lionel has. Thinking that it involves Jean, Judy plans a romantic weekend away for Lionel and Jean.
Season 9
Alistair has finally proposed to Judith, needless to say there are complications as Judith plans for a country wedding and realisation strikes confirmed bachelor Alistair.
Season 10
Jean feathers the nest for grandchildren, even though Lionel points out that neither Judy nor Sandy have gotten pregnant yet. It turns out that Judy and Alistair have been trying, with no results, and Judy suspects the problem may be Alistair--who is wildly overcompensating to prove his virility. Meanwhile, Sandy is upset because Harry seeks a promotion that may put him in harm's way. And in the middle of all this, Lionel gets a very unexpected visitor from Africa.
Cast
User Reviews
This long-running show also stars Dame Judi Dench. This time she is paired with Geoffrey Palmer, an excellent actor we first noticed in yet another nearly perfect Britcom: Butterflies.
In this series the two main characters were involved when they were much younger, but the Korean War and a misplaced letter caused their separation. Now, decades later they meet by chance. Dench’s character has two daughters who, along with a boyfriend played by Philip Breatherton, help carry the show. However, like most British shows, there are a plethora of strong character actors to form this wonderful ensemble cast. To mention only a couple: Joan Sims and Frank Middlemass.
When I think back on this show, I remember several funny or touching moments, but I realize it ran for many years and for over 65 episodes, which means I need to go back and watch it all again and see all the subplots and moments I don’t remember.
This show ran 20: years ago, but it still enjoys a strong following, and for good reason.
September 26, 2020
Crew
Director
Sydney Lotterby
Writer
Bob Larbey
Network
BBC One
Production
BBC
Keywords
ex-lovermisunderstandingsecond chanceelderlysitcommissed opportunityreunite