Keep It in the Family (1980 TV series)


Keep It in the Family is a British comedy television show that aired for five series between 1980 and 1983. It was about a likeable and mischievous British cartoonist, Dudley Rush. Also featured were Dudley's wife, Muriel, and their two daughters, Jacqui and Susan. Dudley's literary agent, Duncan Thomas, was also featured.
It was made by Thames Television for the ITV network.
A remake of Keep It in the Family was produced in the United States under the title Too Close for Comfort, starring Ted Knight.

Characters

Dudley and Muriel Rush own and live in a multi-storey house, of which the basement has been converted into a flat. The basement flat had been rented from them and when the tenant dies, the former tenant's family arrive to carry off all his possessions.
Dudley and Muriel have two daughters, Jacqui and Susan. Jacqui and Susan want to have the vacant downstairs flat for themselves, so they can escape from the parental home and from Dudley's obsessive gaze. Dudley wants to rent out to the flat to somebody else but his daughters' pleas win the day and the two girls move into the flat. Dudley's obsessive and possessive gaze, though, is still on them and he objects to the young men who, he notices, visit his daughters.
Dudley is a talented illustrator and he earns his living from drawing his cartoon strip "Barney – the Bionic Bulldog" which he does while holding a pencil in the paw of his ventriloquist lion glove puppet. Dudley draws the cartoon strip under protest for his literary agent Duncan Thomas, who sells Dudley's cartoon to newspapers. Dudley would rather do anything than draw the cartoon strip and he keeps procrastinating to such an extent that he keeps missing the deadline for his illustrations, much to the frustration of the long-suffering Duncan.
As well as objecting to Duncan trying to keep him to publishing deadlines, Dudley also jealously objects to Duncan's obvious approval of Dudley's wife, Muriel and he also objects to Duncan's eager consumption of Muriel's delicious cakes.
Dudley is also a compulsive practical joker, with his long-suffering agent, Duncan Thomas, usually being on the receiving end of such jokes.

Episodes

Series 1 (1980)

All Episodes Written by Brian Cooke
  1. Downs and Ups
  2. One of Those Days
  3. All Through the Night
  4. The Non-Mechanical Man
  5. Some Enchanted Evening
  6. A Friend in Need

    Series 2 (1980)

All Episodes Written by Brian Cooke
  1. Phoney Business
  2. Home Is Where the Heat Is
  3. Games People Play
  4. And Not a Drop to Drink
  5. Smoke Without Fire
  6. Takeaway Sunday
  7. The Mouthtrap

    Series 3 (1981)

  8. Splitting Headaches - written by Brian Cooke
  9. The Judas Goat - written by Brian Cooke
  10. A Game of No Chance - written by David Barry
  11. Matter over Mind - written by David Barry
  12. A Matter of Principle - written by Alex Shearer
  13. The Inferior Decorator - final episode written by creator Brian Cooke

    Series 4 (1982)

  14. In the Camera Club - written by Dave & Greg Freeman
  15. The Longest Night - written by Dave & Greg Freeman
  16. Job References - written by Peter Learmouth
  17. A Snap Decision - written by Peter Learmouth
  18. Piano Blues - written by Dave & Greg Freeman
  19. Alien Friends - written by David Barry

    Series 5 (1983)

All Episodes Written by Dave & Greg Freeman
  1. Too Many Cooks
  2. Trouble Aloft
  3. A Moving Affair
  4. Room for One on Top
  5. That Old Black Magic
  6. A Touch of the Orient

    DVD release

DVDYearRelease date
The Complete Series 1198018 October 2010
The Complete Series 2198027 June 2011
The Complete Series 3198128 May 2012
The Complete Series 4198218 February 2013
The Complete Series 519831 July 2013
The Complete Series 1 to 51980-198318 June 2018