Review for Meet the Wife - Series 1 - 5 (Surviving episodes)

‘Meet The Wife’ is a classic BBC sitcom from 1963 that, arguably, helped set a template that British sit-com would follow for many years hence. Like ‘Terry and June’, it features a middle-aged couple whose kids have flown the nest, through the trials and tribulations of everyday life. Curiously, it was very ‘working class’ for the BBC at the time and proved to be a huge success. Indeed, so much so that featured in The Beatles song "Good Morning, Good Morning" from ‘Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band’ with the lyric "It's time for tea and Meet the Wife".


What’s quite incredible is that, even after 50 years, its simple format, excellent scripts and superb core cast make it fun to watch to this day. Although life may have changed unrecognisably in some regards since then, most things simply haven’t and the gamut of emotions, concerns, idiosyncrasies, marital relations and so on are recognisable to some small degree today. If you’re a fan of classic British comedy then this a real treat; plenty of laugh aloud moments to be had.


Freddie Blacklock, a jobbing plumber, lives with his wife Thora somewhere in the north of England. Freddie is a typically laid back, working class bloke who enjoys a drink and a flutter on the Gee-gees. Thora, on the other hand, is determined to keep up their social standing and is determined that, if the neighbours go on a fancy foreign holiday abroad, that they should to – and to a large degree, Fred does what he can to fulfil these never-ending demands; whatever it takes. So a little bit like ‘Keeping up Appearances’ though perhaps played with a bit more subtlety than that.

The series actually started life (as these things so often do) as a one off late 1963 BBC television Comedy Playhouse production, "The Bed", which is included here. Maybe it’s because I have just enjoyed my own Silver Wedding Anniversary (with both children now living away) that this appealed so much, but as a set piece, it works superbly to this day.


Constant arguing over snoring and who has got the bed covers and a dip in the now aged mattress convince Thora that they need a new bed. Fred disagrees, despite the fact the bed is set to collapse after some 25 years of service. Not only that, Thora wants to two single beds until it transpires that Fred seems to have frittered away his savings in the betting shop and a double is all they can afford.


When they settle in for the night in the new bed, it’s not long until things start to go awry (the lights don’t work as expected, the castors mean it keeps moving etc) so Fred retires to the spare room and the old bed to try and get a decent night’s sleep. However, Thora discovers an Anniversary card and present which was why Fred had been short of funds so all ends well – setting a kind of rhythm for the whole series; a combination of constant bickering underpinned by genuine endearment.


Both the principles are excellent throughout – Thora Hird barely pausing for breath during one of her many nagging rants and Fred sighing and nodding, clearly under Thora’s thumb.

The series ran for an astonishing five seasons and all the surviving episodes are included here which, delightfully, includes all the episodes from series one, and series four, with five missing from series two, all of series three missing and just one episode surviving from series five.
In short, you get a total of 16 episodes as well as the pilot, spread out across three discs.


So we see Fred and Thora in their everyday life for much of the series, either in their bedroom (like on a Sunday morning when Fred makes breakfast in bed for Thora who has a bad back) or in the kitchen (discussing foreign holidays) or, occasionally, out and about, like when they return from their trip abroad.


The very best moments for me, apart from the excellent pilot episode, is one where Thora is entertaining another couple who she believes are wealthy and potentially good for Fred’s business, as he is a property developer. Or the one where Thora reads reads a faulty thermometer and is convinced Fred is on his way out; or the one where, coming back from visiting their son at Christmas (who we never see) they get out at the wrong station and have to spend seven hours in a waiting room – the ultimate in simple, one room comedy with just two characters. Or the one where a recent widower moves into the neighbourhood and Thora mistakes Fred’s kindness as potential hanky-panky.


Image quality varies but is generally very acceptable given the show’s vintage – though clearly not one to flex the muscles of your 60” 4K HD TV.

I thoroughly recommend ‘Meet the Wife’ to any fans of vintage British comedy. It stands up remarkable well and, despite the disappointment of the missing episodes, there are plenty here to enjoy – some of which will have you laughing aloud. Isn’t it great that we now live in a world where accessing such archival treats is possible? Thanks are due to Simply Media for putting it out, so show your support by buying a copy – and that may encourage more excellent releases like this one.