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My Family
created by Fred Barron. Scriptwriters include: Fred Barron; Jim Armogida; Steve Armogida; Ian Brown; James Hendrie; and Andrea Solomons.

A BBC Television and DLT Entertainment, Ltd. production, in association with Rude Boy Productions.

First broadcast on BBC 1, 19th September 2000. Series seven begins on 6th April 2007 at 8.30 pm on BBC 1.

Directors: Dewi Humphreys; Jay Sandrich; Baz Taylor
Producer: John Bartlett
Production Designers: Roger Andrews; Merle Downie; Ian Fisher
Costume Designers: Jacqueline Parry; Jo Rainforth; Philip Rainforth; Sarah Sheehan
Stage Manager: Bob Crossley
Original Music: Graham Jarvis

Running time (per episode): 30 mins

Cast (main characters and recurring guest characters, in alphabetical order)

Noah and Thomas Davis.....Baby Kenzo (series four onwards)
Alex Dawson.....Hubert
Daniela Denby-Ashe.....Janey Harper
Daisy Donovan.....Brigitte (series one)
Rachel Harvey.....Fiona
Siobhan Hayes.....Abi Harper (series three onwards)
Robert Lindsay.....Ben Harper
Kris Marshall.....Nick Harper
Keiron Self.....Roger Bailey Jnr. (series three onwards)
Sydney Stevenson.....Sophie; Claire
Gabriel Thomson.....Michael Harper
Zoë Wanamaker.....Susan Harper

Production

Ben Harper is a dentist who wishes he was anything but, especially as his dental assistants seem to come from the local lunatic asylum. At work he must contend with the likes of embittered divorcees and Hitler impersonators, and struggles to remain calm in the face of constant badgering from his colleague Roger Bailey. But that's a doddle in comparison to what's waiting for him when he gets home. Having taken what appears to be a permanent gap year, eldest son Nick thinks his Dad works so he doesn't have to. If Janey demands any more money, Ben will have to re-mortgage the house. Youngest son Michael may well be hacking his way into the international stock market. While ditzy Abi, Ben's niece and now the Harpers' unwelcome houseguest, spends most of her time in the local Casualty department. And that's all before he's seen what interesting concoction wife Susan has cooked up for dinner!

Creator Fred Barron has enjoyed a great deal of success in America, but felt My Family was better-suited to a UK audience. The series is unusual among British comedies as it uses the 'round-table' method of scriptwriting, which was developed in the US. Lines are agreed upon by a group of writers, ensuring that only the best jokes make it into the final draft of each script. Thanks to a strong team of writers and a talented cast, lead by Zoe Wanamaker and Robert Lindsay, the first series of My Family became the BBC's biggest sitcom success in five years. Although the series has not always found favour with television critics, each episode is watched by up to 11 million viewers in the UK alone, making it one of the country's most popular programmes. Indeed, according to Radio Times readers, the Harpers are our 7th favourite television family.

Pictures

Click thumbnails to enlarge (images will open in a new window).

Notes

My Family's Susan Harper is Zoë's first role in a sitcom. Interviewed during the making of the first series, she explained why she had taken the part, and also what she thinks of her character: '"I read the first two drafts of the script when I was on the way to the airport to fly to New York, and from reading it very briefly, I just thought it was a wonderful ensemble story," says Zoe. Although the actress initially thought that Susan was "quite ditzy" - a trait with which she admits a degree of familiarity - now more than half-way through the filming, she is finding herself having to reassess Susan's character. "The whole thing is a completely new experience for me and I'm learning as I go along really," she frowns, running her fingers through her elfin-cut hair. "With anything new, you're constantly trying to make it better and trying to make a path through it. Susan takes a positive view of life and she's trying to keep this eccentric family together. She lives with a man who is always negative and that's why their relationship is so good - they're complete opposites. But I also think that Susan has her own secret life, and that's the thing I hold on to because you never really get to know Susan, which is, in itself, a clue."'

Episodes of My Family are recorded live at Pinewood Studios before an audience.

My Family was nominated for the Lew Grade Audience Award at the BAFTAs in 2002. Robert Lindsay's performance as Ben Harper also earned him a Best Actor nomination at the same ceremony. The series then won the Comedy Award at the National Television Awards in 2003, and Kris Marshall was voted Best Comedy Newcomer at the British Comedy Awards in the same year.

Links

Official websites:

The official My Family website - BBC Comedy

My Family guide - BBC Comedy Guide

My Family guide - BBC America

The official Robert Lindsay website

The official Gabriel Thomson website

DLT Entertainment, Ltd.

Fan groups:

My Family fan group - Yahoo! Groups

My Family message board

Zoë Wanamaker fan group - Yahoo! Groups