Next of Kin (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Next of Kin is a British
sitcom
that aired on BBC1
from 1995 to 1997. It starred Penelope Keith
in her last regular sitcom role. It was written by
Gavin Petrie
and Jan Etherington
.
It was announced in The Mirror newspaper in April 1997 that Next of Kin had been axed by the BBC and that Penelope Keith was furious.
. However, when their estranged son Graham and his wife (they only refer to her as 'Bootface') die in a car crash, Maggie and Andrew become legal guardian
s of Graham's three children, 13-year-old Georgia, 11-year-old Philip and seven-year-old Jake. In the first series, Maggie and Andrew officially adopted
the children. Maggie especially hates this as she doesn't like children, and the children are somewhat humourless. To make matters worse the children are argumentative and fussy. Georgia is a vegetarian environmentalist, Philip only eats spam
and Jake won't eat anything round.
The Prentice's also employ a cleaner, Liz, who lives her life based on horoscopes and daytime talk shows such as Oprah
. Over the course of the series, Liz develops a relationship with Tom, a builder, who arrives to install a damp course in the kitchen and then is employed to do further jobs, including converting the garage into another bedroom for Georgia. Tom is a serial womanizer with various one night stands turning up throughout series 2 much to Liz's frustration. Both Liz and Tom only appear in series 1 and 2. It is suggested in series 3 that they went off together and Liz was pregnant.
Also making regular appearances are Rosie and Hugh, Maggie and Andrew's best friends. Complete snobs, they regularly turn their noses up at things such as pets, camping, and vacuuming whilst regaling Maggie and Andrew with their tales of their latest holiday, trip to the gym, or game of golf.
During series 2 and 3 Philip acquires a new friend/girlfriend in Roxanne. Loud, scruffy, and outspoken, she owns a very large dog named Die Hard.
) Maggie was looking forward to moving to France, drinking fine wines and eating good food. She readily admits that she did not particularly like her son Graham, nor his wife. She detests children and doesn't want to have to take in her grandchildren. Throughout the series she is shown to be more compassionate and seems to enjoy having the children around.
Andrew Prentice (William Gaunt
) Andrew is more relaxed about having the children come to live with them. He too was looking forward to early retirement in France, but he realises rather quickly that he has no choice but to look after his grandchildren. He does however show reluctance to make certain sacrifices such as selling his vintage car, his wine cellar and his weekly game of golf.
Georgia Prentice (Ann Gosling
) Georgia is a 13-year-old vegetarian environmentalist. She resents having to live with her grandparents and is determind to make things as difficult for them as possible, especially Maggie. During the series she deals with an eating disorder which brings her slightly closer to Maggie.
Philip Prentice (Matthew Clarke
) Philip is 11. He struggles to cope with the death of his parents and becomes increasingly difficult, although not as much as Georgia. He will not eat anything other than spam
. During the course of the series he develops an interest in the drums as well as girls. He is seen to be bullied in the last episode during which in the final scene he gives Maggie a Mothers Day card, giving the impression that he has accepted Maggie and Andrew as his adoptive parents.
Jake Prentice (Jamie Lucraft
) Jake is seven years old. He has a keen interest in all animals from goldfish, stick insects, hamsters and rabbits. He seems less affected by his parents deaths than Georgia and Philip.
Liz (Tracie Bennett
) Liz is the Prentice's cleaner. She has a daughter Laura and lives her every day through horoscopes, advice pages and daytime television. During the series she becomes involved with Tom, who has a string of ex lovers calling and bumping into him. Liz, unhappy and fearful that he will not be faithful becomes reluctant to stay involved with him. In series 2 when her ex-husband Jack gives her two black eyes, Tom goes to 'sort him out' only to end up in hospital himself. Liz then sees him as a hero and someone who can protect her. Liz does not appear in series 3.
Tom (Mark Powley
) Tom is a builder. He arrives at the house to install a damp course. Both Georgia and Liz immediately have a crush on him. He is then employed to convert the garage into a fourth bedroom and from then on becomes more involved with Liz. By the second series the relationship develops further with Tom hitting Liz's ex-husband after he beats her up. Tom does not appear in series 3.
During episode one of series 3 when Roxanne mistakes Rosie for the new cleaner, she mentions that 'the last one got pregnant and ran off with the builder' suggesting that Liz and Tom left together and had a baby.
Rosie & Hugh (Wanda Ventham
) & (Timothy Carlton
) Rosie & Hugh are Maggie and Andrews oldest and best friends. They regularly went to the gym, played golf and went on holiday together. After the children arrive they can very rarely do this. Rosie and Hugh depress Maggie and Andrew with stories of France, massages and golf, making them long for their old life back.
Roxanne (Diana Magness
) Roxanne is an outspoken, slightly scruffy school friend and then girlfriend of Philip's. The Prentice's are slightly intimidated by her and her dog Die Hard.
Ant (Jeremy Swift
) Ant is a social worker. He first appears in the first series when Philip is taken to hospital with a head injury after pretending to be a human cannonball. The hospital think he has been mistreated and Ant is appointed to take on the case. He makes semi regular appearances, coming back to oversee the adoption process and even directing Jake's school's nativity play. It is revealed in series 2 that his wife has left him for a woman named Ruby. He does not appear in series 3 and is not mentioned.
Jelly is a dog, bought by the children as a birthday present for Maggie in series 2. She only appears in this episode as she is re-homed when it emerges that Philip suffers from an allergy when Jelly is near him.
. It was sung by the cast.
Maggie and Andrew's hopes for retirement
in France are dashed when their
grandchildren come to live with them
after their parents are killed in
a car crash.
'Andrew takes the kids out to entertain them,
only to get himself arrested.
It's decided to build an extension to give
the children their own bedrooms, prompting
Andrew to make a tearful goodbye to his
garage wine collection.
Maggie's looking forward to some time to
herself now the children are going back to
school, but chicken-poxes intervenes.
Maggie & Andrew are to become the
children's legal guardians.
It's the school Christmas play but Andrew
is getting seduced by a young mother and
Maggie gets stopped by the police.
After reading Georgia's diary, Maggie
believes she has forgot her birthday,
prompting her to hold a belated one.
Maggie becomes concerned about
a new teacher at the kids' school.
Maggie is horrified to receive a
puppy on her birthday.
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...
sitcom
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
that aired on BBC1
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
from 1995 to 1997. It starred Penelope Keith
Penelope Keith
Penelope Anne Constance Keith, CBE, DL is an English actress.Having started her television career in the 1950s, Penelope Keith became a household name in the United Kingdom in the 1970s when she played Margo Leadbetter in the sitcom The Good Life...
in her last regular sitcom role. It was written by
Gavin Petrie
Gavin Petrie
Gavin Petrie is a British writer and producer.He first came to prominence as creator and writer of Second Thoughts along with his wife Jan Etherington...
and Jan Etherington
Jan Etherington
Jan Etherington is a British writer and producer.She first came to prominence as creator and writer of Second Thoughts along with her husband Gavin Petrie...
.
It was announced in The Mirror newspaper in April 1997 that Next of Kin had been axed by the BBC and that Penelope Keith was furious.
Plot
Maggie and Andrew Prentice have just taken early retirement and intend to spend their final years in their new home in FranceFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. However, when their estranged son Graham and his wife (they only refer to her as 'Bootface') die in a car crash, Maggie and Andrew become legal guardian
Legal guardian
A legal guardian is a person who has the legal authority to care for the personal and property interests of another person, called a ward. Usually, a person has the status of guardian because the ward is incapable of caring for his or her own interests due to infancy, incapacity, or disability...
s of Graham's three children, 13-year-old Georgia, 11-year-old Philip and seven-year-old Jake. In the first series, Maggie and Andrew officially adopted
Adoption
Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting for another and, in so doing, permanently transfers all rights and responsibilities from the original parent or parents...
the children. Maggie especially hates this as she doesn't like children, and the children are somewhat humourless. To make matters worse the children are argumentative and fussy. Georgia is a vegetarian environmentalist, Philip only eats spam
Spam (food)
Spam is a canned precooked meat product made by the Hormel Foods Corporation, first introduced in 1937. The labeled ingredients in the classic variety of Spam are chopped pork shoulder meat, with ham meat added, salt, water, modified potato starch as a binder, and sodium nitrite as a preservative...
and Jake won't eat anything round.
The Prentice's also employ a cleaner, Liz, who lives her life based on horoscopes and daytime talk shows such as Oprah
The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....
. Over the course of the series, Liz develops a relationship with Tom, a builder, who arrives to install a damp course in the kitchen and then is employed to do further jobs, including converting the garage into another bedroom for Georgia. Tom is a serial womanizer with various one night stands turning up throughout series 2 much to Liz's frustration. Both Liz and Tom only appear in series 1 and 2. It is suggested in series 3 that they went off together and Liz was pregnant.
Also making regular appearances are Rosie and Hugh, Maggie and Andrew's best friends. Complete snobs, they regularly turn their noses up at things such as pets, camping, and vacuuming whilst regaling Maggie and Andrew with their tales of their latest holiday, trip to the gym, or game of golf.
During series 2 and 3 Philip acquires a new friend/girlfriend in Roxanne. Loud, scruffy, and outspoken, she owns a very large dog named Die Hard.
Characters
Maggie Prentice (Penelope KeithPenelope Keith
Penelope Anne Constance Keith, CBE, DL is an English actress.Having started her television career in the 1950s, Penelope Keith became a household name in the United Kingdom in the 1970s when she played Margo Leadbetter in the sitcom The Good Life...
) Maggie was looking forward to moving to France, drinking fine wines and eating good food. She readily admits that she did not particularly like her son Graham, nor his wife. She detests children and doesn't want to have to take in her grandchildren. Throughout the series she is shown to be more compassionate and seems to enjoy having the children around.
Andrew Prentice (William Gaunt
William Gaunt
William Charles Anthony Gaunt is an English actor, sometimes credited as Bill Gaunt.-Early life:...
) Andrew is more relaxed about having the children come to live with them. He too was looking forward to early retirement in France, but he realises rather quickly that he has no choice but to look after his grandchildren. He does however show reluctance to make certain sacrifices such as selling his vintage car, his wine cellar and his weekly game of golf.
Georgia Prentice (Ann Gosling
Ann Gosling
Ann Gosling is a British actress.According to her Imdb page her first role was on Tracy Ullman: A Class Act in 1992, followed by a role as Joanna Tate in Chandler & Co in 1994....
) Georgia is a 13-year-old vegetarian environmentalist. She resents having to live with her grandparents and is determind to make things as difficult for them as possible, especially Maggie. During the series she deals with an eating disorder which brings her slightly closer to Maggie.
Philip Prentice (Matthew Clarke
Matthew Clarke (actor)
Matthew Clarke is a British actor.He is best known for his role as Philip Prentice in the BBC sitcom Next of Kin , alongside Penelope Keith and William Gaunt for 22 episodes over 3 series between 1995 - 1997.-References:...
) Philip is 11. He struggles to cope with the death of his parents and becomes increasingly difficult, although not as much as Georgia. He will not eat anything other than spam
Spam (food)
Spam is a canned precooked meat product made by the Hormel Foods Corporation, first introduced in 1937. The labeled ingredients in the classic variety of Spam are chopped pork shoulder meat, with ham meat added, salt, water, modified potato starch as a binder, and sodium nitrite as a preservative...
. During the course of the series he develops an interest in the drums as well as girls. He is seen to be bullied in the last episode during which in the final scene he gives Maggie a Mothers Day card, giving the impression that he has accepted Maggie and Andrew as his adoptive parents.
Jake Prentice (Jamie Lucraft
Jamie Lucraft
Jamie Lucraft is a British actor.He is best known as a child actor appearing in an episode of The Vicar of Dibley 'The Window & The Weather' in 1994 as Colin. His best remembered role is as Jake Prentice in the sitcom Next of Kin alongside Penelope Keith and William Gaunt for 3 series from 1995 -...
) Jake is seven years old. He has a keen interest in all animals from goldfish, stick insects, hamsters and rabbits. He seems less affected by his parents deaths than Georgia and Philip.
Liz (Tracie Bennett
Tracie Bennett
Tracie Bennett is an English stage and television actress. She trained at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts in Clapham, London...
) Liz is the Prentice's cleaner. She has a daughter Laura and lives her every day through horoscopes, advice pages and daytime television. During the series she becomes involved with Tom, who has a string of ex lovers calling and bumping into him. Liz, unhappy and fearful that he will not be faithful becomes reluctant to stay involved with him. In series 2 when her ex-husband Jack gives her two black eyes, Tom goes to 'sort him out' only to end up in hospital himself. Liz then sees him as a hero and someone who can protect her. Liz does not appear in series 3.
Tom (Mark Powley
Mark Powley
Mark Powley Mark Powley Mark Powley (Born 4 October 1963 Chelmsford, Essex United Kingdom is a British actor.Powley is best known for his work on television, most notably for appearing in 88 episodes of police drama The Bill as P.C Melvin (1987–1990) and as builder Tom in BBC sitcom Next of Kin for...
) Tom is a builder. He arrives at the house to install a damp course. Both Georgia and Liz immediately have a crush on him. He is then employed to convert the garage into a fourth bedroom and from then on becomes more involved with Liz. By the second series the relationship develops further with Tom hitting Liz's ex-husband after he beats her up. Tom does not appear in series 3.
During episode one of series 3 when Roxanne mistakes Rosie for the new cleaner, she mentions that 'the last one got pregnant and ran off with the builder' suggesting that Liz and Tom left together and had a baby.
Rosie & Hugh (Wanda Ventham
Wanda Ventham
Wanda Ventham is an English actress, mainly on television. She trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama....
) & (Timothy Carlton
Timothy Carlton
Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch is an English character actor. Among other work, he appeared in the sitcoms Executive Stress, Next of Kin and in the television film The Scarlet Pimpernel....
) Rosie & Hugh are Maggie and Andrews oldest and best friends. They regularly went to the gym, played golf and went on holiday together. After the children arrive they can very rarely do this. Rosie and Hugh depress Maggie and Andrew with stories of France, massages and golf, making them long for their old life back.
Roxanne (Diana Magness
Diana Magness
Diana Magness is a British actress.Magness is best remembered for her role as Evelyn Wright in 40 episodes of BBC children's drama series Grange Hill from 1997 - 2001....
) Roxanne is an outspoken, slightly scruffy school friend and then girlfriend of Philip's. The Prentice's are slightly intimidated by her and her dog Die Hard.
Ant (Jeremy Swift
Jeremy Swift
Jeremy Swift is an English actor. He studied drama at Guildford Drama school from 1978 to 1981 and worked almost exclusively in theatre throughout the 1980s, working with companies such as Deborah Warner's Kick Theatre company and comedy performance-art group The People Show...
) Ant is a social worker. He first appears in the first series when Philip is taken to hospital with a head injury after pretending to be a human cannonball. The hospital think he has been mistreated and Ant is appointed to take on the case. He makes semi regular appearances, coming back to oversee the adoption process and even directing Jake's school's nativity play. It is revealed in series 2 that his wife has left him for a woman named Ruby. He does not appear in series 3 and is not mentioned.
Jelly is a dog, bought by the children as a birthday present for Maggie in series 2. She only appears in this episode as she is re-homed when it emerges that Philip suffers from an allergy when Jelly is near him.
Cast
- Penelope KeithPenelope KeithPenelope Anne Constance Keith, CBE, DL is an English actress.Having started her television career in the 1950s, Penelope Keith became a household name in the United Kingdom in the 1970s when she played Margo Leadbetter in the sitcom The Good Life...
— Maggie Prentice - William GauntWilliam GauntWilliam Charles Anthony Gaunt is an English actor, sometimes credited as Bill Gaunt.-Early life:...
- Andrew Prentice - Ann GoslingAnn GoslingAnn Gosling is a British actress.According to her Imdb page her first role was on Tracy Ullman: A Class Act in 1992, followed by a role as Joanna Tate in Chandler & Co in 1994....
- Georgia Prentice - Matthew ClarkeMatthew Clarke (actor)Matthew Clarke is a British actor.He is best known for his role as Philip Prentice in the BBC sitcom Next of Kin , alongside Penelope Keith and William Gaunt for 22 episodes over 3 series between 1995 - 1997.-References:...
- Philip Prentice - Jamie LucraftJamie LucraftJamie Lucraft is a British actor.He is best known as a child actor appearing in an episode of The Vicar of Dibley 'The Window & The Weather' in 1994 as Colin. His best remembered role is as Jake Prentice in the sitcom Next of Kin alongside Penelope Keith and William Gaunt for 3 series from 1995 -...
- Jake Prentice - Tracie BennettTracie BennettTracie Bennett is an English stage and television actress. She trained at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts in Clapham, London...
- Liz (Series 1&2) - Mark PowleyMark PowleyMark Powley Mark Powley Mark Powley (Born 4 October 1963 Chelmsford, Essex United Kingdom is a British actor.Powley is best known for his work on television, most notably for appearing in 88 episodes of police drama The Bill as P.C Melvin (1987–1990) and as builder Tom in BBC sitcom Next of Kin for...
- Tom (Series 1&2) - Wanda VenthamWanda VenthamWanda Ventham is an English actress, mainly on television. She trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama....
- Rosie - Timothy CarltonTimothy CarltonTimothy Carlton Cumberbatch is an English character actor. Among other work, he appeared in the sitcoms Executive Stress, Next of Kin and in the television film The Scarlet Pimpernel....
- Hugh - Diana MagnessDiana MagnessDiana Magness is a British actress.Magness is best remembered for her role as Evelyn Wright in 40 episodes of BBC children's drama series Grange Hill from 1997 - 2001....
- Roxanne (Series 2&3) - Jeremy SwiftJeremy SwiftJeremy Swift is an English actor. He studied drama at Guildford Drama school from 1978 to 1981 and worked almost exclusively in theatre throughout the 1980s, working with companies such as Deborah Warner's Kick Theatre company and comedy performance-art group The People Show...
- Ant (Series 1&2)
Location
The series was mostly filmed on location in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. The Prentice household was on Tivoli Road while the school was St James' Primary School in Cheltenham.Theme Tune
The theme tune was a reworked version of the song Tea for TwoTea for Two
Tea for Two can refer to:*Tea for Two , a 1925 popular song by Vincent Youmans and Irving Caesar, introduced in the musical, No, No, Nanette*Tea for Two , a movie starring Doris Day which reintroduced the song...
. It was sung by the cast.
- Penelope Keith "Tea For Two and Two For Tea"
- William Gaunt "Me For You and You For Me"
- Both Together "Can't You See How Happy We Would Be?"
- Children Together "You Could Raise a Family"
- Matthew Clarke & Jamie Lucraft "A Boy Like Us"
- Ann Gosling "A Girl Like Me"
- Whole Cast "Can't You See How Happy We Could Be?"
Series One (1995)
- "Accidental Death" (15 May 1995)
Maggie and Andrew's hopes for retirement
in France are dashed when their
grandchildren come to live with them
after their parents are killed in
a car crash.
- "Harry" (22 May 1995)
- "Enjoyment" (29 May 1995)
'Andrew takes the kids out to entertain them,
only to get himself arrested.
- "Expansion" (5 June 1995)
It's decided to build an extension to give
the children their own bedrooms, prompting
Andrew to make a tearful goodbye to his
garage wine collection.
- "The New Term" (12 June 1995)
Maggie's looking forward to some time to
herself now the children are going back to
school, but chicken-poxes intervenes.
- "Adoption" (19 June 1995)
Maggie & Andrew are to become the
children's legal guardians.
Christmas Special (1995)
- "The Nativity Play" (21 December 1995)
It's the school Christmas play but Andrew
is getting seduced by a young mother and
Maggie gets stopped by the police.
Series Two (1996)
- "Georgia's Party" (2 January 1996)
After reading Georgia's diary, Maggie
believes she has forgot her birthday,
prompting her to hold a belated one.
- "Pollution" (9 January 1996)
Maggie becomes concerned about
a new teacher at the kids' school.
- "The Puppy" (16 January 1996)
Maggie is horrified to receive a
puppy on her birthday.
- "The Sports Day" (23 January 1996)
- "Camping" (30 January 1996)
- "The Anniversary" (6 February 1996)
- "The Theme Park" (13 February 1996)
Series Three (1997)
- "The Flu" (2 January 1997)
- "Embarrassment" (9 January 1997)
- "She's Leaving Home" (16 January 1997)
- "The Cub Mistress" (23 January 1997)
- "The Narrowboat" (30 January 1997)
- "The Fast" (6 February 1997)
- "Neighbours" (13 February 1997)
- "The Bully" (20 February 1997)
DVD releases
Whilst no episodes are available on DVD in the UK, the first series was released in Australia in 2009.External links
- Next of Kin at bbc.co.ukBbc.co.ukBBC Online is the brand name and home for the BBC's UK online service. It is a large network of websites including such high profile sites as BBC News and Sport, the on-demand video and radio services co-branded BBC iPlayer, the pre-school site Cbeebies, and learning services such as Bitesize...
- Next of Kin at British TV Comedy