Topic: Any fans of Bob Larbey's TV series?

[GSyren]

Ok, some of you (well, probably most of you) will no doubt think "Who the heck is Bob Larbey?" So I'm going to enlighten you.

Bob Larbey is a British writer who has written a number of successful britcoms, either alone or together with John Esmonde. My first encounter with Larbey was actually his last show, "As Time Goes By", starring the wonderful Judi Dench. After buying and watching all seasons of that one I was actually looking for more comedy with Judi Dench and I discovered that she had been in an earlier comedy series by Bob Larbey, "A Fine Romance", together with her then husband Michael Williams (who sadly passed away on 2001).

I started to realize that it wasn't just Judi Dench's fine sense of comedy that attracted me, but the writing itself. So I started looking for more shows on DVD written by Bob Larbey, and I found "Ever Decreasing Circles" with Richard Briers. Another show that I loved. Next I bought "Brush Strokes" and "The Good Life", the latter also with Richard Briers.

Well, I have my hands full with them for now, but when I'm done with them I guess I'll go hunting for more of Bob Larbey. Anyone have a suggestion?

Someone described "As Time Goes By" as 'Charming, soft, slow-paced, believable, delightful'. I think that pretty much describes all Larbey's writing. This is not slapstick or a laugh a minute. It's just comedies that put a smile on your face. I can't recommend them highly enough.

So, any other Larbey fans out there?

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Not yet,
but with this enthusiastic recommendation I'm sure I'll pretty soon give him a try.

[Najemikon]

To be honest, this stuff was so common in the UK, it wasn't the kind of thing you'd follow a particular writer through. They were seen as quality, but as with much of the BBCs output, it was the channels style and aim to produce such a high standard under their banner. Personally, I never really liked As Time Goes By, though I appreciated it. I was a bit young for The Good Life, but my mum and dad liked it so I saw a lot of repeats down the years. It's great!

I hadn't connected them as being the same writer. I just thought of them as typical British sitcom. I've always thought we were the best at blending comedy and drama, so I think I could point you in the direction of:

May To December
One Foot In The Grave
Yes Minister (especially good if you appreciate politics at all)
To The Manor Born

Slightly more farcical:

The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin (there's even a modern version that retained the easy charm to some degree thanks to the star, Martin Clunes)
Open All Hours (Ronnie Barker from The Two Ronnies did this and Porridge on his own)

On a different tangent you may find much to like in Only Fools And Horses. The sheer success of that show did bring its writer to more attention. Sadly John Sullivan died only last month.