The Lovers (TV series)


The Lovers is a British television sitcom by Jack Rosenthal, starring Richard Beckinsale and Paula Wilcox as a courting couple, Geoffrey and Beryl. It was made between 1970 and 1971 by Granada Television for the ITV network. The series was also given a repeat run on Channel 4 in 1996.
The hook for the show was the mismatch between the two, particularly in the area of sex. Beryl was a slightly dizzy character with a penchant for pet names such as "Geoffrey bubbles bonbon", while Geoffrey, though dreamy, was somewhat rough around the edges, and obsessed with taking Beryl to bed.

Episodes

The series ran for 13 episodes over two series. Like several other British sitcoms of the time, it was used as the basis for a movie. The Lovers! was released in 1973 and featured Beckinsale, Wilcox and Scott, together with Susan Littler, Rosalind Ayres and John Comer.

Series 1 (1970)

Trivia

In one episode Geoffrey plays with the word "misled", pronouncing it as "mizzled", and meaning something more like confused than deluded. This one word provided much of the humour in the show, including the last line when, talking to a companion in a pub who is complaining about his bad luck, he says "You must have been mizzled."

DVD release

The Complete Series of The Lovers was released on DVD by Network in 2007.