This popular BBC sitcom ran for six series from 1993 until 1999. There was an additional episode in 2016.Nicholas Lyndhurst stars as Gary - a television repairman in present- day London. He's unhappily married to Yvonne. He finds a portal to the early 1940s, where he lives a double life with pub landlady Phoebe.In the first three series, Michelle Holmes plays Yvonne and Dervla Kirwan plays Phoebe. From then onwards, Emma Amos plays Yvonne and Elizabeth Carling plays Phoebe. Replacing Kirwan with Carling was a big mistake. Carling's portrayal of Phoebe is inferior and unbelievable - in addition to looking and sounding different, she has a different personality.

I don't think there's anything about this show I don't like, the comedy is top notch, the actors are perfect for their roles and the mix of Sci-Fi is just right, not too heavy handed. For comedy lovers it's a must see, for sci-fi fans it's a must see, for people with a heartbeat it's a must see. Lyndhurst and McGuire are perfect, you'd really believe they're best friends, the chemistry between all the actors is amazing. Hats off to the casting crew and direction. Actually the only flaw I can think of about this show is that it ended. After all, what show could make you nostalgic for a time period you weren't even alive in? I'd give it a 20 rating if I could.

Wonderful Sitcom about an average 90's guy called Gary Sparrow,(Nicholas Lyndhurst), a TV repairman who has a wife, Yvonne (Michelle Holmes then Emma Amos), a starter home and a scouse best mate named Ron Wheatcroft, (Victor McGuire).Gary accidentally stumbles across a time portal that allows him to travel from the 1990's to the 1940's. It is here in Blitz-torn London that he meets Pheobe Bamford, (Dervla Kirwan then Elizabeth Carling) a beautiful but married East-End barmaid and her highly suspicious father.With Pheobe's Husband being far from home fighting gallantly for both King & Country and Gary's wife being 50 years in the future having her nails done, the two forge a close friendship that soon blossoms into romance.That, in a nutshell, is the entire plot of this funny sitcom which over 6 years and 6 seasons shows us some of the human race's most admirable traits such as adultery, bigamy, forgery, plagiarism, deception, cowardice and BAD BAD singing from Lyndhurst.Despite being our 'hero', Gary Sparrow is actually a bit of a Sh*t. he has no qualms about either cheating on his wife or seducing the wife of a brave 'Tommy' risking his life overseas, He's also quite happy to potentially ruin Britain's war time economy by spending forged British Bank notes he has had printed in the 1990's and finally, he has no courage or patience when faced with air raids, rations, queues and George Formby.He masquerades as both an MI5 agent and a successful songwriter who has written, (amongst other things), a musical based on George Bernard Shaw's Pigmallion called My Fair Lady and also, it seems, the entire Beatles back catalogue. and his espionage duties involve nothing more than buying a book in the 1990's that detail ALL the air raids that took place over London during the war years, so he knows in advance whether Hitler is going to prevent him from getting his leg over on any given evening.In fact given the contempt I feel for Gary Sparrow, I'm surprised I actually like this show at all, but the jokes are funny, Dervla Kirwan and Elizabeth Carling are both Gorgeous and we also get to see the best and worst that both era's had to offer.Christopher Ettridge plays the well meaning yet dim-witted war-time policeman Reginald Deadman who becomes Gary and Pheobe's only ally when they start 'stepping out' together.It is Ettridge's and McGuire's characters that are the most likable and it is watching these two characters, that give us the most enjoyment.Ron is Gary's 1990's confidant and the only person who knows about his excursions in the 4th dimension and helps him out by spinning the tall tales to Gary's wife Yvonne to explain his lengthy absences and as a printer by trade is also responsible for funding Gary's double life by printing off his 'white fiver's'.Like Gary, Yvonne Sparrow's character is also not very endearing she's cold, sarcastic and bossy and is more concerned with building a career than a stable homelife so you can sort of understand Gary's motivation when he meets the innocent and homely Phoebe. Yvonne's character is constructed in such a way that you're not supposed to feel an ounce of pity for her, if you did, then the show would have ceased to be funny and would not have lasted more than the one series.sadly after the 4th series the quality of the show began to wane and the final two seasons was an uneven mixture of very funny comedy and cringe inducing clichés, even the writers were beginning to struggle to present us with something original each week.my intention over time to review each and every episode of this series on this website, but I thought that an overview would not go amiss.

Love this Show, I would not miss it, takes me back to the 40's and makes one realize just how lucky we are now, although we complain about things, We had it tough in those days. The program is amusing, and that is what is was meant to be. Think all the Actors played their parts very well, Loved Ron and Reg. The American Episode was near the mark, they thought they had won the war for us. And that is what they were like. I remember the Underground Stations-Air Raid Shelters. Loved the Noel Coward Episodes. Seeing the Ritz. OH! Yes Did I tell you that I love the Show, it is still on here in Sydney on UK TV. Thanks to the Actors and Writers etc: