Bedtime (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Bedtime was a British
comedy-drama
written and directed by Andy Hamilton
and broadcast by the BBC
. It ran for three series for a total of fifteen episodes between August 2001 and December 2003. The first two series had six episodes each and the third series had three episodes. Series 1 and 2 were released on DVD.
and Sheila Hancock
), appear in all three series. Their neighbors in the first series are a young couple (Claire Skinner
and Stephen Tompkinson
) with a new baby and an aspiring actress (Emma Pierson
) targeted by a reporter (Meera Syal
) hoping to write an exposé on her boyfriend (David Gillespie). The Oldfields are worried about their daughter in America whose husband may be abusive.
In the second series, Andrew Oldfield is annoyed by the noise made by Kurdish men from a nearby hostel. His wife writes a letter to the local paper in support of the hostel, causing her to be ostracized by her friends. Andrew also becomes worried that he may have Alzheimer's. Meanwhile, one neighbor (Kevin McNally
) is given an ultimatum by his girlfriend (Doon Mackichan
), while on the other side, widower Neil Henshall (Alun Armstrong
) tries to find out what's troubling his son Ralph (Adam Paul Harvey
). Ralph is visited by his girlfriend (Sienna Miller
) and the Oldfields receive a visit from an old friend (James Bolam
). A burglary at the Oldfields' house casts suspicion on various parties.
The third series has three episodes titled "Christmas Eve," "Christmas Day" and "Boxing Day."
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
comedy-drama
Comedy-drama
Comedy-drama is a genre of theatre, film and television programs which combines humorous and serious content.-Theatre:Traditional western theatre, beginning with the ancient Greeks, was divided into comedy and tragedy...
written and directed by Andy Hamilton
Andy Hamilton
Andrew Neil Hamilton is a British comedian, game show panellist, television director, comedy screenwriter and radio dramatist.-Early life:...
and broadcast by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
. It ran for three series for a total of fifteen episodes between August 2001 and December 2003. The first two series had six episodes each and the third series had three episodes. Series 1 and 2 were released on DVD.
Plot
The story centers around the bedtime conversations of couples – or in one case a father and son – living in adjoining houses on a suburban London street. An older married couple, Andrew and Alice Oldfield (played by Timothy WestTimothy West
Timothy Lancaster West, CBE is an English film, stage and television actor.-Career:West's craggy looks ensured a career as a character actor rather than a leading man. He began his career as an Assistant Stage Manager at the Wimbledon Theatre in 1956, and followed this with several seasons of...
and Sheila Hancock
Sheila Hancock
Sheila Cameron Hancock, CBE is an English actress and author.-Early life:Sheila Hancock was born in Blackgang on the Isle of Wight, the daughter of Ivy Louise and Enrico Cameron Hancock, who was a publican. Her sister Billie is seven years older...
), appear in all three series. Their neighbors in the first series are a young couple (Claire Skinner
Claire Skinner
Claire L. Skinner is an English actress, who is well known in the United Kingdom for her television career.-Biography:Born and brought up in Hemel Hempstead, Skinner, the youngest daughter of a shopkeeper and an Irish-born secretary, was immensely shy as a child...
and Stephen Tompkinson
Stephen Tompkinson
Stephen Tompkinson is a British actor. He is best known for his work in comedy and drama productions such as Drop the Dead Donkey, Ballykissangel, Grafters, In Deep, Wild at Heart and DCI Banks....
) with a new baby and an aspiring actress (Emma Pierson
Emma Pierson
Emma Jane Pierson, better known as Emma Pierson, is an English actress. She is best known for her role as Anna Thornton-Wilton in the BBC television drama Hotel Babylon....
) targeted by a reporter (Meera Syal
Meera Syal
Meera Syal MBE is a British comedienne, writer, playwright, singer, journalist, producer and actress. She rose to prominence as one of the team that created Goodness Gracious Me and became one of the UK's best-known Indian personalities portraying Sanjeev's grandmother, Ummi, in The Kumars at No...
) hoping to write an exposé on her boyfriend (David Gillespie). The Oldfields are worried about their daughter in America whose husband may be abusive.
In the second series, Andrew Oldfield is annoyed by the noise made by Kurdish men from a nearby hostel. His wife writes a letter to the local paper in support of the hostel, causing her to be ostracized by her friends. Andrew also becomes worried that he may have Alzheimer's. Meanwhile, one neighbor (Kevin McNally
Kevin McNally
Kevin McNally is an English actor who has worked in theatre and radio extensively as well as in film and television.-Life and career:...
) is given an ultimatum by his girlfriend (Doon Mackichan
Doon Mackichan
Doon Mackichan is an English comedienne and actress.-Biography:Born in London, Mackichan was brought up in Surrey until the age of 9 when she moved with her family to Upper Largo, Fife. She is a graduate of Manchester University...
), while on the other side, widower Neil Henshall (Alun Armstrong
Alun Armstrong (actor)
Alun Armstrong is a prolific British character actor. Armstrong grew up in County Durham in North East England. He first became interested in acting through Shakespeare productions at his grammar school. Since his career began in the early 1970s, he has played, in his words, "the full spectrum of...
) tries to find out what's troubling his son Ralph (Adam Paul Harvey
Adam Paul Harvey
-Early life:Harvey was born in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, the son of Andrea and Gordon Harvey, an engineer. He attended Sir William Ramsay School in Hazlemere, High Wycombe and in 1998 enrolled at JPA School of Drama and Dance, after which he began auditioning.-Career:His first professional...
). Ralph is visited by his girlfriend (Sienna Miller
Sienna Miller
Sienna Rose Diana Miller is a British-American actress, model, and fashion designer, best known for her roles in Layer Cake, Alfie, Factory Girl, The Edge of Love and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. In 2007, the London Film Criticsnamed her British Actress of the Year for Interview...
) and the Oldfields receive a visit from an old friend (James Bolam
James Bolam
James Christopher Bolam, MBE is a British actor, best known for his roles as Jack Ford in When the Boat Comes In, Trevor Chaplin in The Beiderbecke Trilogy, Terry Collier in The Likely Lads and its sequel Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?, Roy Figgis in Only When I Laugh, Dr Arthur Gilder in...
). A burglary at the Oldfields' house casts suspicion on various parties.
The third series has three episodes titled "Christmas Eve," "Christmas Day" and "Boxing Day."