TV series

Now Take My Wife

1971 · 1 season

A gentle, chatty domestic sitcom that ambles through suburban married life with mild gags and a knowing wink to the camera.

Overview: Now Take My Wife was a BBC situation comedy which ran for only one series of 14 episodes in 1971. It starred Sheila Hancock and Donald Houston as a suburban middle-class couple, Claire and Harry Love. He would start each episode by turning to the camera and saying "Now ... take my wife". They had a teenage daughter, played by Liz Edmiston. Their next-door neighbour was an eccentric German woman, who also had a daughter. Of the 14 episodes, two are currently missing from the BBC archives; they were either wiped to reuse the tapes or possibly lost at one stage after their first broadcast. Several years later, in a Guardian interview, Hancock indicated that she was not very happy with the programme, seeing it as an example of the sort of stereotyped role for women actors she landed. However, her character often got the better of her husband during each episode.
How it feels: Light, warm, satirical and whimsical. Measured and fine in the background.
About: Family, love, gender, identity
Content: No violence, gore, sexual content or swearing.
Note: Written by AI, so it can be wrong. Full breakdown