Pauline Quirke and the gorgeous Linda Robson first started working together on a regular basis in the '70's on 'You Must Be Joking' and Quirke's own weekly series 'Pauline's Quirkes' and then again in the early '80's when the two appeared in Laurence Marks & Maurice Gran's long running comedy drama 'Shine On Harvey Moon' for Central Television. In 1989, Marks & Gran pitched the pair together again in their next show - 'Birds Of A Feather' - a sitcom which had them as warring sisters Tracey Stubbs and Sharon Theodopolopodus. Tracey and Sharon are polar opposites to say the least. The glamorous, happily married Tracey lives in a swank house in Chigwell with her husband Darryl and their son Garth, who is studying at a private school to become a chef. The plain, downtrodden Sharon however lives in a grimy council flat in Edmonton with her sleazy, two-timing, criminal minded husband Chris ( who is of the Greek persuasion as is evident by his surname ).However's Tracey's idyllic lifestyle is soon turned upside down when Darryl along with Chris is arrested and sent to prison for armed robbery. Tracey is devastated at losing the man she loves however Sharon seems glad to see the back of her spineless husband. To help her sister get through her turmoil, Sharon moves out of her flat in Edmonton and in with Tracey. Living next door to Tracey is Dorien Green, a promiscuous middle aged Jewish woman whose amount of gold jewellery would put Mr. T from 'The A-Team' to shame. Despite her disdain for the sisters' lack of social standing, Dorien soon becomes Sharon and Tracey's closest friend. In the early episodes, Dorien is married to an accountant named Marcus but in later episodes he leaves her for a younger woman.The first series had a none too promising response from the public. The first episode, 'Nicked', caused the BBC switchboard to be jammed with complaints due to the inclusion of a scene where Sharon tries on a Basque ( over her clothes I must add in ) at an Ann Summers party taking place in Tracey's house. However, by the second series it became one of Britain's most popular sitcoms of the era, with stars such as Lionel Blair, Ray Winstone and even George Hamilton and George Wendt queueing up to appear on it. When it became established, other writers inherited the scripting duties such as Tony Millan, Mike Walling, Gary Lawson, John Phelps, Peter Tilbury, Ian Davidson and Peter Vincent. Linda Robson and Pauline Quirke had a good rapport together as the constantly fighting but devoted sisters. Robson, incidentally, was my first childhood crush and even now she still does it for me. Lesley Joseph was hilarious as Dorien, particularly in the episode in which she sang on stage Madonna's 'Like A Virgin'. Alun Lewis was excellent in those episodes he did as Darryl though I never took to Doug McFerran who replaced him. David Cardy played Chris initially though his placed was taken in series two by Peter Polycarpou up until 1997 when Cardy returned to the role. Cardy was not bad in the role though in my view Polycarpou was superior.'Birds Of A Feather', if not a classic, was an entertaining, gentle-paced sitcom which made sure it gave its viewers a good laugh each week. The BBC let it run for nine seasons, before it ended with a Christmas episode in which Tracey gave birth to her second son Travis. In 2014, 'Birds Of A Feather' made a welcome return to our screens, this time courtesy of ITV, attracting more than 8 million viewers. The success of the revival led to a further two series being commissioned, with the most recent one ending in February of this year. Whether another series makes the screen remains to be seen but let's hope that Marks & Gran & co don't bite off more than they can chew like Rob Grant & Doug Naylor did with 'Red Dwarf'.

The "girls" are nigh - on pensioners,Dorien looks like something from the health warning on a fag packet....please give it up ladies. Yet still it prospers and is being re - run on "Freeview" about every ten minutes - then there's the stage show...I'm obviously missing something. Most weeks either of the three stars are on the front page of the women's mags and it's a shame that these fine actors are mainly known for what is their least work. Miss Quirke in particular has real presence. Only Miss Joseph has maintained her accent over the years,unfailingly hitting the right note. Mesdames Quirke and Robson wax and wane with their Cockerney,sometimes in the same sentence. Back in 1989,bright - eyed and bushy - tailed,Sharon and Tracey were prison widows,dutifully visiting their worthless blokes in the nick,exchanging witty banter over the kitchen island in Chigwell. By the end of the last series they were dull - eyed and raddled,spouting crudities and less than subtle innuendo like Alan Carr without the inhibitions. Still,as long as the cheques keep coming in,eh ladies?

This series is amongst the best ever written. I grew up with this show, and after just watching it again on tele, am about to run out and grab the DVD. It is even better than I remember it as a child.This is both hilarious and heart wrenching at times, I can't remember the last time I was funny myself silly and then getting wet around the eyes in such a short time. These women are amazing actresses, and you care deeply about their characters.I think we can all see parts of Tracey and Sharon in people we know, even ourselves, although at times Dorian is a little unrealistic. However, she is there to lighten the show and provides many opportunities to laugh out loud.There has been no series made this decade that could be classed in its league.

The concept of Birds of a Feather is excellent. Two working class London sisters making it big after their now imprisoned husbands robbed a bank and the laundered money moved them to an upper class area. On arrival they discover their neighbour is a snobby, man-eating middle class woman who looks down on her new neighbours.Every episode, especially in the early days, is packed full of comedy with Pauline Quirke as the larger than life and lovable Sharon - trapped in a marriage to her Greek waste-of-space husband, but ever looking for something else. Tracey, her sister is ever dedicated to her husband Daryl and son Garth, and struggles through life without her husband by her side. Then there is the formidable neighbour Dorien who will sleep with anything that moves - so long as it isn't her husband Marcus.The comedy is very fast and occasionally a little far-fetched, but this is good all-round family entertainment which is standing the test of time well. The acting was top-notch from start to finish, and the many social bust-ups and slanging wars between Sharon and Dorien are priceless comedy. I, like many others, feel the series started to wither as ideas ran dry towards the final few series', but the early episodes are definitely worth watching time and again. 8/10 early episodes. 4/10 for the final two series.