A sitcom about a rather topsy turvy household.
Stella Bartholomew (Penny Downie), a middle-aged mother with a job in a garden centre, would like her adult children and their partners to move out of her chaotic suburban home so she and her husband could retire to the country, but her cookery-expert husband, Patrick (Duncan Preston), and the children are much less keen on the idea. Claudie Blakley plays eldest daughter Alison; Bruce Mackinnon, son Rick; Catherine Shepherd, his naïve girlfriend Xanthe; and Daniela Denby-Ashe, youngest daughter Egg, who is studying for A-levels.
Many thanks to Dick L for contributions to this page.
Series 101. If They Won't Go, I Will! Stella's hopes are raised as Rick and girlfriend Xanthe decide to move out - but with lots of jobs to be done in the garden, are there some benefits to having lots of people at home after all? Stars Duncan Preston, Penny Downie, Claudie Blakely, Bruce Mackinnon, Daniela Denby-ashe and Catherine ShepherdMiddle-aged Stella battles to get her grown-up children to leave home.
02. Rick's Quarrel. A domestic dispute leads to the possibility of not one, but two spare beds in the house. Could it be Stella's lucky day?
03. Pregnancy. A pregnancy scare sparks Bartholomew family chaos. Whose is it? And where will it sleep?
04. Car Boot - Everything Useless Must Go. Stella decides to dejunk the house, clear out the cellar, sort out the loft. Everything useless must go - and that includes the kids.
05. The Older Man. Patrick is delighted with Alison's new boyfriend, what about the rest of the family?
06. New House. Patrick and Stella finally find the house of their dreams, a perfect cottage with a garden in the country. However, the children aren't budging. Will their plans be scuppered at the 11th hour?
Series 2
01. New Ways To Comb Old Gravel. Alison returns from teaching English in Spain, demanding the family keep Spanish hours. But she finds Egg's taken her room and Xanthe's shrunk her favourite jeans in the wash. Rick, seeing some potential here, tries to persuade her to set up a Spanish wine importing company. Patrick disappears off to work leaving Stella to sort out the ensuing chaos.
02. Go With The Flow. Egg triumphs in the school production of Guys and Dolls. As the last-night parties roll on for weeks, and Rick's job means he's up early, and Xanthe's out working and Alison's always coming and going, Patrick makes a flow-chart to show where all the children are at any one time. Slowly it begins to dawn on Stella and the family that Egg isn't always where her little arrow says she is.
03. Brideshead Unvisited. Rick's ex-girlfriend is getting married and the whole family are invited to the wedding. Stella is desperate not to go, but Patrick is delighted the whole family will get to spend some "quality time" together. Too much time, and not enough quality, does not a happy Bartholomew family make.
04. Space Perception. Patrick, fed up with there never being any hot water in the house, makes a shower rota. The children, fed up with having to squabble over who watches what when on the telly, make one room into two. Stella, fed up with the lot of them, sends off for details of houses in the country. But before she can put the family home on the market she must make friends with the neighbours - not so easy when years of animosity and solicitor's letters linger in the background.
05. The Birds And The Bees. Stella decides that if she can't move to the country, the country must come to her. But are the family really suited to country living?
06. All Over Bar The Wrapping Paper. Stella's determined to get away, but a moveable feast is on the family Christmas menu.
Series 3
01. Love In A Cottage. Alison has moved in with her boyfriend making it one down, three to go for Stella. She and Patrick begin to think seriously about retiring and give weekending in the country a go. But what's going on back home while they are away?
02. Willing It Away. Stella's luck goes from bad to worse. Not only has Alison moved back in, but granny has come to stay, too - indefinitely. Where will everyone sleep?
03. Loophole. Patrick gets a job presenting on the Barbeque channel and filming takes place on location at the Bartholomew family home. As the flames get higher, Stella's precious garden is under threat.
04. Keeping Mum. It's Stella's birthday. And it's a big one with a nought on the end. Surely the perfect time for a big family get together?
05. Pressure Times Volume Is A Constant. Egg's boyfriend moves in. Rick moves out - and comes back. And the arrival of Alison's baby is only a couple of months away. Can Stella keep track of her wayward family?
06. Seeking Lost Gardens. It's Open Garden day at the Bartholomew family home, and Alison might give birth any minute. Who will arrive first - the garden visitors, or the latest addition to the Bartholomew family?
