The Two of Us (1986 TV series)

The Two of Us is an ITV comedy series starring Nicholas Lyndhurst and Janet Dibley as Ashley and Elaine, an unmarried couple living together, at a time when this was becoming increasingly common in Britain, but still considered slightly controversial in some circles. It was produced by London Weekend Television.

Not to be confused with The Two of Us (1981 TV series).

The Two of Us
GenreSitcom
Created byAlex Shearer
StarringNicholas Lyndhurst
Janet Dibley
Patrick Troughton
Tenniel Evans
Theme music composerRod Argent
Peter Van Hooke
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original language(s)English
No. of series4
No. of episodes32
Production
Executive producer(s)Marcus Plantin
Producer(s)Marcus Plantin
Robin Carr
Running time30 minutes
Release
Original networkITV/LWT
Original release31 October 1986 (1986-10-31) –
18 March 1990 (1990-03-18)

While Ashley was keen for the pair to get married and would regularly propose, Elaine saw no reason to get married and was happy to keep her independence. Ashley's roguish grandfather Perce (played by Patrick Troughton, but later by Tenniel Evans after Troughton's death) was supportive of the couple, but Ashley's domineering mother (Jennifer Piercey) disapproved and constantly urged the pair to marry. Ashley's suppressed father (Paul McDowell) seemed less upset, but generally backed up his wife in the hope of a quiet life and the odd sherry.

After initially deciding to get married in the 1988 Christmas special, only to skip the wedding when their flight time for the honeymoon was brought forward, Ashley and Elaine finally married off-screen between the 1989 and 1990 series', with the final series instead focusing on their plans to start a family. In the final scene Elaine takes a pregnancy test, but the result is never revealed.

Two regional remakes were made of the series. In Germany, 41 episodes of Unter einer Decke (± Under one Roof) were produced in 1993/94, using most of the scripts from the original series, combined with new scripts from Germany and the Netherlands. The Dutch version Vrienden voor het leven (Friends for Life) had 65 episodes produced in 1990-95 of which 64 have been released on DVD in the Netherlands.

Cast

Episode list

Series 1
# Title Director Writer Original air date
1"Proposals"John GormanAlex Shearer31 October 1986 (1986-10-31)
Ashley invites his work colleague and his wife to dinner to show Elaine how good marriage can be. However, he didn't expect them to be in the middle of an argument.
2"Family Pressures"Marcus PlantinAlex Shearer7 November 1986 (1986-11-07)
Ashley's parents, who have old fashioned views about marriage, finally relent and allow Ashley and Elaine to share a room when they visit. However, the sleeping arrangements are different to what they expected.
3"The Limit"Marcus PlantinAlex Shearer14 November 1986 (1986-11-14)
Elaine and Ashley both pretend that they are going on a date with other people to make each other jealous.
4"Cracks in the Pavement"John GormanAlex Shearer21 November 1986 (1986-11-21)

Ashley wants to prove to Elaine that he's not the polite, nice guy that his parents make him out to be. So he transforms himself into a punk.

Featuring: Eamonn Walker as Floyd
5"Feeling Broody"Marcus PlantinAlex Shearer28 November 1986 (1986-11-28)
6"The Contract"Marcus PlantinAlex Shearer5 December 1986 (1986-12-05)
7"The End of the Beginning"John GormanAlex Shearer12 December 1986 (1986-12-12)

Series 2
# Title Director Writer Original air date
8"The Vital Spark"Robin CarrAlex Shearer11 September 1987 (1987-09-11)
9"Lifestyles"——18 September 1987 (1987-09-18)
10"Comparisons"——25 September 1987 (1987-09-25)
11"Getting Better"——2 October 1987 (1987-10-02)
12"Career Development"——9 October 1987 (1987-10-09)
13"Retirement Plans"Robin CarrAlex Shearer16 October 1987 (1987-10-16)

Christmas Special
# Title Director Writer Original air date
14"Wedded Miss"Robin CarrAlex Shearer23 December 1988 (1988-12-23)

Series 3
# Title Director Writer Original air date
15"Should Auld Acquaintance..."Robin CarrAlex Shearer6 January 1989 (1989-01-06)
16"The Poser"——13 January 1989 (1989-01-13)
17"The Party"——20 January 1989 (1989-01-20)
18"The Prediction"——27 January 1989 (1989-01-27)
19"Trust"——3 February 1989 (1989-02-03)
20"The Bargain"——10 February 1989 (1989-02-10)
21"Say It With..."——17 February 1989 (1989-02-17)
22"The Bequest"Robin CarrAlex Shearer24 February 1989 (1989-02-24)

Series 4
# Title Director Writer Original air date
23"The Telephone Only Rings Twice"Terry KinaneAlex Shearer14 January 1990 (1990-01-14)
24"Strictly Business"Terry KinaneAlex Shearer21 January 1990 (1990-01-21)
25"The Treasure"Terry Kinane—28 January 1990 (1990-01-28)
26"No Deposit No Return"Terry Kinane—4 February 1990 (1990-02-04)
27"At Last"Robin CarrAlex Shearer11 February 1990 (1990-02-11)
28"Fine Adjustments"Terry KinaneAlex Shearer18 February 1990 (1990-02-18)
29"Old Scores"Robin Carr—25 February 1990 (1990-02-25)
30"Dangers in the Night"Terry Kinane—4 March 1990 (1990-03-04)
31"The Quest"Terry Kinane—11 March 1990 (1990-03-11)
32"Best Laid Schemes"Robin Carr—18 March 1990 (1990-03-18)

DVD releases
DVDRelease date
The Complete Series 18 February 2010
The Complete Series 2TBA
The Complete Series 3TBA
The Complete Series 4TBA
The Complete Series 1 to 4 Box SetTBA
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References
  1. "BBC - Comedy - Guide - The Two Of Us". Web.archive.org. Archived from the original on 5 December 2004. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
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