About Face is a series of twelve unconnected half-hour sitcoms

British sitcom

A British sitcom tends, as it does in most other countries, to be based on a family, workplace or other institution, where the same group of contrasting characters is brought together in each episode. Unlike American sitcoms, where twenty or more episodes in a season is the norm, British sitcoms...

 all starring Maureen Lipman

Maureen Lipman

Maureen Diane Lipman CBE is a British film, theatre and television actress, columnist and comedienne.-Early life:Lipman was born in Hull in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, the daughter of Maurice Julius Lipman and Zelma Pearlman. Her father was a tailor; he used to have a shop between the...

 in the lead role. Each episode featured a guest cast of well known actors and actresses.

The episodes were written by Richard Harris

Richard Harris (television writer)

Richard Harris is a prolific British television writer, most active from the early 1960s to the mid-1990s. He writes primarily for the crime and detecitve genres, having contributed episodes of series like The Avengers, The Saint, The Sweeney, Armchair Mystery Theatre, and Target...

, Geoffrey Perkins

Geoffrey Perkins

Geoffrey Howard Perkins was a comedy producer, writer and performer, and an important figure in British comedy broadcasting. This was recognised in December 2008 when he was awarded with an Outstanding Contribution to Comedy Award...

, Chips Hardy & John Henderson, Astrid Ronning, John Wells, Paul Smith

Paul Smith (writer)

Paul Smith is a British television writer best known as creator of the Dawn French series Murder Most Horrid , and as co-creator of the Mel Smith series Colin's Sandwich....

 & Terry Kyan

Terry Kyan

Terry Kyan is a British television writer best known for writing .These include sketches/episodes for such sketch shows as Not the Nine O'clock News, Spitting Image and Alas Smith and Jones, as well as the Dawn French black comedy Murder Most Horrid, and the sitcoms The Brittas...

, Jack Rosenthal

Jack Rosenthal

Jack Morris Rosenthal CBE was an English playwright, who wrote 129 early episodes of the ITV soap opera Coronation Street and over 150 screenplays, including original TV plays, feature films, and adaptations.-Biography:...

 (Lipman's husband), Carol Bunyan and Ian Hislop

Ian Hislop

Ian David Hislop is a British journalist, satirist, comedian, writer, broadcaster and editor of the satirical magazine Private Eye...

 & Nick Newman

Nick Newman

Nick Newman is a satirical British cartoonist and comedy scriptwriter.The son of an RAF officer, Newman was born in Kuala Lumpur and schooled at Ardingly College where his satirical career began, working on revues with Ian Hislop...

. It was made for the ITV

ITV

ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...

 network by Central Independent Television

Central Independent Television

Central Independent Television, more commonly known as Central is the Independent Television contractor for the Midlands, created following the restructuring of ATV and commencing broadcast on 1 January 1982. The station is owned and operated by ITV plc, under the licensee of ITV Broadcasting...

.

Plot

All the episodes had a different plot with Maureen Lipman playing a different character each time. However, Lipman said that all the women had "a certain emptiness in their lives".

Series One (1989)

Title	Airdate	Overview
Searching for Señor Duende	6 November	Maureen Lipman plays Carol, a south London London London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...  telephonist who becomes obsessed by flamenco Flamenco Flamenco is a genre of music and dance which has its foundation in Andalusian music and dance and in whose evolution Andalusian Gypsies played an important part....  dancing, which brings to an end her relationship with boyfriend Trevor (Michael Gambon Michael Gambon Sir Michael John Gambon, CBE is an Irish actor who has worked in theatre, television and film. A highly respected theatre actor, Gambon is recognised for his roles as Philip Marlowe in the BBC television serial The Singing Detective, as Jules Maigret in the 1990s ITV serial Maigret, and as... ).
Stand By Your Man	13 November	Lipman was Helen, wife who exacts revenge on her husband Michael, a MP Member of Parliament A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,... , when the press interview her. Michael was played by Michael Jayston Michael Jayston Michael Jayston is a Nottingham-born English actor.- Early life :He attended the Becket Grammar School in West Bridgford, then worked briefly as a trainee accountant at the offices of the National Coal Board before obtaining a scholarship to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama to train as an... .
Gracie	20 November	Gracie (Lipman), a Cypriot Cyprus Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...  immigrant is a cloakroom attendant a London club. But, the celebrations to mark her quarter of a century there are altered by the arrival of Jessica, an American United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...  film star (played by Diana Weston Diana Weston Diana Weston is an English actress who has been on British television since 1975. She is a grandchild of Charles Basil Price.-Career:... ). Also starred Phyllida Law Phyllida Law -Personal life:Law was born in Glasgow, the daughter of William and Megsie Law, who divorced after World War II. She was married to Eric Thompson from 1957 until his death in 1982. Their two children Emma and Sophie Thompson are both actresses... .
Mrs Worthington's Daughter	27 November	Lipman starred as Patience, a stage manager from the USA. She attends a first-night party that improves her morale.
Send Her Victorious	4 December	Maureen Lipman played Margaret Thatcher Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990... , the then Prime Minister Prime Minister of the United Kingdom The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...  opposite John Wells as Denis Denis Thatcher Major Sir Denis Thatcher, 1st Baronet, MBE, TD was a British businessman, and the husband of the former British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher. He was born in Lewisham, London, the elder child of a New Zealand-born British businessman, Thomas Herbert Thatcher, and his wife Kathleen, née Bird...  as they are both kidnapped on holiday. Also starred Richard Vernon Richard Vernon Richard Vernon was a British actor. He appeared in many feature films and television programmes, often in aristocratic or supercilious roles... , John Cater John Cater John Edward Cater was an English actor.His television credits include: Danger Man, Z Cars, The Avengers, The Baron, Doctor Who , Follyfoot, Softly, Softly, Department S, Up Pompeii!, Dad's Army, The Naked Civil Servant, I, Claudius, Alcock and Gander, The Duchess of...  and Tony Slattery Tony Slattery Anthony Declan James "Tony" Slattery is an English actor and comedian who has appeared on British television regularly since the mid 1980s, most notably as a regular on the Channel 4 improvisation show Whose Line Is It Anyway? As a film actor, both comedic and serious, his credits include The... .
The Bag Lady	11 December	Maureen Lipman was the only cast member in this programme, and she was Wendy, The Bag Lady, who travels the streets of London in search of furniture she believes she lost to the Prime Minister thirty years ago. Writer Jack Rosenthal believed this to be one of his best works.

Series Two (1991)

Title	Airdate	Overview
Tourist Attraction	7 January	Louise, played by Lipman, a tourist guide, tries to finish work as soon as possible to meet her German Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...  boyfriend, who is only in town for one night. But she needs to persuade Ken, the coach driver played by Keith Barron Keith Barron Keith Barron is an English actor and television presenter, well-known from numerous roles on British television from the 1960s to the present day.-Career:... , to drive faster. Also starred Carol Cleveland Carol Cleveland Carol Cleveland is a British actress/comedienne, most notable for her appearances as the only significant female performer on Monty Python's Flying Circus.-Early life:...  and Libby Morris Libby Morris Libby Morris is a Canadian comic actress and clown famous for her facial contortions and fast talking. She appeared in several BBC radio shows of the 1950s and moved into TV and film from the 1960s onwards. She then moved onto London, England, where she starred in her own show doing impersonations... .
This For The Half Darling	14 January	Maureen Lipman plays Peggy, whose husband Guy prefers golf Golf Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....  to his wife. Then Peggy takes up golf as well.
Requiem	21 January	This time, Lipman plays Anne, a shop assistant and amateur opera Opera Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...  singer, who wants her husband Keith to come and see her perform solo, but he wants to attend a Rotary Rotary International Rotary International is an organization of service clubs known as Rotary Clubs located all over the world. The stated purpose of the organization is to bring together business and professional leaders to provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help...  function. Also starred Stephanie Cole Stephanie Cole Stephanie Cole, OBE is an English stage, television, and film actress, best known for playing characters a great deal older than her actual age.-Early life:... .
Briefcase Encounter	28 January	Set in an office in Reading, Berkshire Reading, Berkshire Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London.... , this focused on the romance between Deirdre (Lipman) and Graham (Simon Cadell Simon Cadell Simon John Cadell was an English actor.Born in London, he was the grandson of the Scottish character actor Jean Cadell, the brother of the actress Selina Cadell, and the cousin of the actor Guy Siner. He was educated at Bedales School at Petersfield where his close friends included Gyles... ), the area manager. Also starred Robert Bathurst Robert Bathurst Robert Guy Bathurst is an English actor. Bathurst was born in the Gold Coast in 1957, where his father was working as a management consultant. His family moved to Dublin, Ireland, in 1959 and Bathurst was enrolled at an Anglican boarding school...  and Owen Brenman Owen Brenman Owen Brenman is an English actor best known for his role as next-door neighbour Nick Swainey in the multi-award-winning BBC sitcom One Foot in the Grave, which ran for ten years and was written by David Renwick. He currently plays Dr... .
Monkey Business	4 February	Helen Firebrace (Lipman) is going through customs when cocaine Cocaine Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...  is found in her possession. The animal rights campaigner is finally let through without the customs officer (Bernard Hill Bernard Hill Bernard Hill is a British actor of film, stage and television. In a career spanning thirty years, he is best known for playing Yosser Hughes, the troubled 'hard man' whose life is falling apart in Alan Bleasdale's groundbreaking 1980s TV drama, Boys from the Blackstuff... ) having spotted the chimpanzee. Also starred Rory McGrath Rory McGrath Patrick Rory McGrath is an English comedian and writer. He is best known for roles in Who Dares Wins, Chelmsford 123, Three Men in a Boat and its successors. He was also a regular panellist on They Think It's All Over.... .
Sleeping Sickness	11 February	Maureen Lipman plays Dr MacBride, an over-worked and ambitious NHS National Health Service The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...  registrar. Also starred William Gaunt William Gaunt William Charles Anthony Gaunt is an English actor, sometimes credited as Bill Gaunt.-Early life:... , Martin Clunes Martin Clunes Alexander Martin Clunes is an English actor and comedian. Clunes is perhaps best known for his roles as Gary Strang in Men Behaving Badly, Doctor Martin Ellingham in Doc Martin and the title character in Reggie Perrin....  and James Grout James Grout James Grout is an English actor of radio and television.Grout was born in London, the son of Beatrice Anne and William Grout... .