Podcast appearances and mentions of laurence marks

In this episode of Talk2TheHand, we step through the magical portal of 90s television and revisit Goodnight Sweetheart, the beloved BBC sitcom that blended time travel, romance, and comedy in a way no other show quite dared. Created by Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran, this unique series followed Gary Sparrow, a hapless TV repairman who stumbles upon a time portal to 1940s London. With a wife in the present and a lover in the past, Gary's double life led to plenty of laughs, heartfelt moments, and an ever-growing tangle of lies. We explore the origins of the show, its development, and what inspired Marks and Gran to craft this genre-bending sitcom. Was Goodnight Sweetheart simply a romantic comedy with a sci-fi twist, or was it a deeper reflection on nostalgia and the idea of escaping one's reality? We'll discuss how the series balanced humor with historical detail, weaving real wartime events into Gary's adventures. From the iconic theme tune to the meticulous recreation of 1940s London, the show's dedication to its premise set it apart. Of course, we can't talk about Goodnight Sweetheart without discussing Nicholas Lyndhurst's performance as Gary. Fresh off the success of Only Fools and Horses, Lyndhurst brought charm and depth to a character who, on paper, might have been difficult to root for. We'll also take a look at the supporting cast, from his long-suffering wife Yvonne to his loyal yet clueless best mate Ron, and, of course, his great love in the past, Phoebe. Each of these characters played a crucial role in making the show work, providing both comedic relief and emotional stakes. Finally, we'll reflect on the show's legacy. Though it ended in 1999, Goodnight Sweetheart remained a fan favorite, even returning for a one-off special in 2016. But did it ever get the recognition it deserved? And how does it hold up today in an era of complex, serialised TV storytelling? We'll break down the show's lasting impact and ask whether Goodnight Sweetheart could ever make a full comeback. So grab a cup of tea, tune in, and join us as we take a trip back in time with Goodnight Sweetheart—a show that proved sometimes, the past really is another country. Talk2TheHand is an independent throwback podcast run by husband and wife, Jimmy and Beth. Obsessed with 90s nostalgia and 90s celebrities, we'll rewind the years and take you back to the greatest era of our lives.   New episodes bursting with nostalgia of the 90s released on Tuesdays. Please subscribe to our podcast and we'll keep you gooey in 1990s love. Find us on Twitter @talk2thehandpod or email us at jimmy@talk2thehand.co.uk or beth@talk2thehand.co.uk

Bear with us this month, listeners, as we take a left turn down Duckett's Passage to talk about something a little different from our usual classic British horror. Nicholas Simon Lyndhurst, born April 1961, is an English actor who began his career as a child actor and is best known for his role as Rodney Trotter in the BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses, which ran from 1981 to 2003.PART ONE: Tonight's first topic covers his role as the time-travelling bigamist Gary Sparrow in the British sitcom Goodnight Sweetheart. Created by Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran and produced by the BBC, Goodnight Sweetheart ran from 1993 to 1999, broadcasting a total of six series. The sitcom follows Gary Sparrow, an accidental time traveller living a double life through a time portal that connects 1990s London with 1940s wartime London. While the show's creators, who also made Birds of a Feather and The New Statesman, wrote most of the episodes, we chose to watch series six, episode one ("Mine's a Double") and episode five ("The 'Ouses in Between") because they had at least a tenuous link to our podcast's premise. These episodes were written by Gary Lawson and John Phelps (as a writing team) and Geoff Rowley, respectively. ‘Sweetheart featured Victor McGuire as Ron Wheatcroft, Gary's best friend in every episode of the show. McGuire is best known for playing Jack Boswell in Carla Lane's Bread. Related to our areas of interest, he appeared in an episode of Chernobyl, was a bar patron in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, played Police Officer No. 1 in 2005's Hellraiser: Hellworld, and portrayed Gerald Hardy in the 2012 Daniel Radcliffe version of The Woman in Black.Dervla Kirwan played Gary's wartime love interest and later wife, Phoebe, in the first three series before being replaced by Elizabeth Carling. Carling was briefly engaged to Neil Morrissey, whom she met while both were in the oft-mentioned Boon; she also appeared alongside him in an episode of the BBC sitcom Men Behaving Badly. After ‘Sweetheart, she released an album of wartime covers, also titled Goodnight Sweetheart. Similarly, the role of Gary's modern-day wife, Yvonne, was initially played by Michelle Holmes, who rose to prominence as Sue, one of the babysitters in Rita, Sue and Bob Too. After three seasons, she was replaced by Emma Amos, who appeared in Vera Drake, Bridget Jones's Diary, and an episode of Murder Most Horrid with Dawn French (cue Jon singing the theme tune). We've mentioned "Rear of the Year" a few times on this show, so it's worth noting that Amos was (according to Wikipedia — although Ross can't verify this) voted as having "TV's Best Legs" by readers of The Economist. PART TWO:We also listened to Channel Crossing by Rosemary Timperley. This was an episode of Haunted: Stories of the Supernatural, which ran for several years on the BBC World Service in the early 1980s and has since had a second life on Radio 4 Extra (thanks to Mysterious Magpie on YouTube for sharing some of these stories so we count listen to review it today). Rosemary Timperley was an author of over sixty novels and hundreds of short stories and feature articles, best known for her classic ghost stories The Mistress in Black and Christmas Meeting. Although primarily a mainstream writer, Timperley wrote numerous short stories that explored different aspects of the supernatural. She was well known for editing five volumes in a series of ghost story anthologies. Timperley also wrote several acclaimed radio and television scripts, and her short story Harry has been adapted to film multiple times.This episode featured Nicholas Lyndhurst as Jack, Peter Sallis as Edward, Patsy Rowlands as Frances, Gregory de Polnay as Gregory, and Sonia Fraser as Annabelle. Get bonus content on PatreonSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/general-witchfinders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we take a look at the Rik Mayall vehicle The New Statesman, written by sitcom stalwarts Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran. After only two series of their biting political satire, Thatcher was toppled. Coincidence? You decide.

Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran - Birds of a Feather, Goodnight Sweetheart and The New Statesman creators... with TRE's Hannah Murray

He's one half of an enduring double act which made people laugh for decades. Here Syd Little speaks to Caroline Heywood about his partnership with the late, great Eddie Large who died from Covid-19 complications back in April. Over two parts, Syd takes their story from the early days doing the clubs through to their heady days of tv and variety stardom. Little Remembers Large begins an occasional series in which Caroline Heywood talks candidly and in depth with legendary British comedians. This is Part 2. You can find Part 1 by scrolling through the Distinct Nostalgia feed. Meanwhile don't forget our Comedy Writing Legends series with two programmes celebrating the work of Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran. The pair started working together from a very young age and have had decades of success penning some classic British shows including Birds of a Feather, Shine on Harvey Moon and Roll Over Beethoven. Look through the Distinct Nostalgia feed for parts 1 and 2. Distinct Nostalgia is produced by MIM.The DN theme is composed by Rebecca Applin and Chris Warner.Please contact us via the contact us page at DistinctNostalgia.comSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/distinctnostalgia)

He's one half of an enduring double act which made people laugh for decades. Here Syd Little speaks to Caroline Heywood about his partnership with the late, great Eddie Large who died from Covid-19 complications back in April. Over two parts, Syd takes their story from the early days doing the clubs through to their heady days of tv and variety stardom. Little Remembers Large begins an occasional series in which Caroline Heywood talks candidly and in depth with legendary British comedians. Meanwhile don't forget the start of our Comedy Writing Legends series with two programmes celebrating the work of Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran. The pair started working together from a very young age and have had decades of success penning some classic British shows including Birds of a Feather, Shine on Harvey Moon and Roll Over Beethoven. Look through the Distinct Nostalgia feed for parts 1 and 2. Distinct Nostalgia is produced by MIM.The DN theme is composed by Rebecca Applin and Chris Warner.Please contact us via the contact us page at DistinctNostalgia.comSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/distinctnostalgia)

COMEDY WRITING LEGENDS - MARKS AND GRAN - EPISODE 1 PART TWOWe kick off our Comedy Writing Legends series with two programmes celebrating the work of Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran. The pair started working together from a very young age and have had decades of success penning some classic British shows including Birds of a Feather, Shine on Harvey Moon and Roll Over Beethoven. Here in Part 2 they tell Distinct Nostalgia about working with Rik Mayall and creating 'The New Statesman' as well as their long running, often repeated time travelling comedy hit Goodnight Sweetheart.Future programmes in the Comedy Writing Legends series will meet the talent behind Porridge, One Foot in the Grave, Man About the House and Second Thoughts among many other great shows. Look out for lots of interesting shows over Christmas. More on Corrie at 60, a new drama with June Brown and an interview with Syd Little remembering his comedy partner Eddie Large who died earlier this year from Covid-19 complications.Distinct Nostalgia - More than a Podcast!Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/distinctnostalgia)

COMEDY WRITING LEGENDS - MARKS AND GRAN - EPISODE 1 PART ONEWe kick off our Comedy Writing Legends series with two programmes celebrating the work of Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran. The pair started working together from a very young age and have had decades of success penning some classic British sitcoms - from Birds of a Feather to Goodnight Sweetheart via The New Statesman. In this first part of their chat with Ashley they talk about their very early years and how the hit comedy drama Shine on Harvey Moon helped to spawn their most enduring success, Birds of a Feather.In Part Two of Programme One, they tell Distinct Nostalgia about working with Rik Mayall and creating The New Statesman as well as their long running, often repeated time travelling comedy hit Goodnight Sweetheart.Future programmes in the Comedy Writing Legends series will meet the talent behind Porridge, One Foot in the Grave, Man About the House and Second Thoughts among many other great shows. Look out for lots of interesting shows over Christmas. More on Corrie at 60, a new drama with June Brown and an interview with Syd Little remembering his comedy partner Eddie Large who died earlier this year from Covid-19 complications.Distinct Nostalgia - More than a Podcast!Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/distinctnostalgia)

This Christmas sees the start of an occasional series celebrating Britain's 'Comedy Writing Legends'. In the first programme, Ashley chats to Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran about their long career which has seen them create among other - Shine on Harvey Moon, Birds of a Feather, The New Statesman and Goodnight Sweetheart. Listen to the trail here.Other Christmas Specials on Distinct Nostalgia include more shows marking Corrie at 60, the legendary June Brown in a special drama called 'Missing You' and 'Little Remembers Large' in which comedian Syd Little looks back at his career and his partnership with Eddie Large who lost his life to Covid-19 earlier this year. Distinct Nostalgia - More than a podcast!Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/distinctnostalgia)

Kirsty Young's castaways this week are the comedy writers Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran. They've been at the rock-face, mining for laughs, for over 40 years and they've given us plenty of gems ... amongst them monologues in the '70s for Frankie Howerd, the era-defining character Alan B'Stard MP, star of The New Statesman, and now the successful revival of their long running and much loved sitcom "Birds of a Feather". Grammar school boys from North London they first met as ten year olds at a youth club, growing up to have 'real jobs' in the civil service and journalism, before finally embarking on the precarious business of making a living from putting words into other people' mouths. Producer: Sarah Taylor.

Ed Vaizey, minister for UK Culture, Communications and Creative Industries is today asking senior figures in TV, film and arts to explain the lack of diversity in their industries. We talk to two people attending that meeting; playwright and actor Kwame Kwei Armah and senior TV executive Pat Younge, and ask the founder of the Cultural Diversity Network, Clive Jones, why he thinks black, asian and minority ethnic representation in the creative world is low and is actually going down.Tony Gallagher, editor of The Daily Telegraph, left the newspaper yesterday as part of an editorial restructure. The Telegraph Media Group said that Mr Gallagher was leaving the company as the business "moves to the next phase of its digital transformation". The newspaper has introduced new apps and subscription packages, and last year began using a metered model for access to its internet edition, which gives readers a numbers of articles for free. So, what further changes does it want to make to remain viable?With Birds of a Feather, writers Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran bucked the trend and found a formula to create a much-loved ratings smash. The British sitcom placed as its heart the adventures of a group of female lead characters; and now Dorian, Sharon and Tracy are back on our screens. The new series, being shown on ITV, has been the highest rating comedy launch on ITV in over a decade, with every episode drawing audiences way above the slot average. Laurence Marks joins Steve to discuss the success of the new series, the public's enduring love of the original Essex girls, and his views on why the biggest barrier to successful comedy is fear.Producer: Katy Takatsuki.

Show Notes Kenny Mittleider from Knights of the Guild, Alien Nation: The Newcomers Podcast & Confessions of a Fanboy Podcast, Simon Meddings from Waffle On Podcast, & Al Kessel from Tales from the Mouse House, Fast Forward & Just Because Podcast discuss one of the most successful and longest running television series in history.. M*A*S*H Today we cover Season 2, Episode #19 - The Chosen People 43rd Episode Overall Directed by Jackie Cooper Written by Gerry Renert, Jeff Wilhelm, Laurence Marks, Sheldon Keller & Larry Gelbart Production code K419 Original air date January 26th, 1974 Set during the Korean War in the 1950’s Plot Summary: A Korean woman shows up with a baby she insists is Radar's, which surprises everybody, especially Radar. A Korean family moves into the compound and claims the land is their farm. Hope you enjoy it, Kenny, Meds & Al Find Us on the Web: Main website - http://MASH4077Podcast.com Twitter - @MASH4077Podcast Facebook Fan Page - http://www.facebook.com/MASH4077Podcast MASH 4077 Podcast Blog - http://www.MASH4077Podcast.blogspot.com MASH 4077 Podcast Merchandise - http://www.zazzle.com/mash4077podcast Email Us - MASH4077Podcast@Gmail.com Podcast promo’s played during the show this week: Waffle on Alien Nation: The Newcomers Podcast The Fast Forward © Geekyfanboy Productions

This month, Jason is joined by Birds of a Feather writers Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran

In this interview taken at the Fiction and British Politics Conference in London, writer Laurence Marks discusses his political screenwriting with Maurice Gran, and in particular, The New Statesman character Alan B'Stard. How far from the truth is this notorious screen character compared to those in power? Laurence explains. The Centre for British Politics is based in the University's School of Politics and International Relations.