A Comedy On This Day: Marriage Lines - A Night Of Nostalgia (16 February 1965)

 "Do you suppose that the off-licence would have those thin mints with chocolate that people have in the commercials?"

 Sadly, series 4 and 5 of Marriage Lines are now lost, but the last episode of series 3 is an apt point for modern viewers to bid farewell, as it refers back to the first episode, giving what does survive a circular narrative. The Starlings have elected to stay in London and bring up baby in a shabby top floor flat while their friends have left to live in Scotland and can afford to live in a grander manner. Peter and Norah return to London on an unexpected flying visit and the Kate Starling feels that she has offer them suitable hospitality.

 I was surprised how funny this one was, with the Starlings' 'poor relation' status, unease with returning friends and coping with a two-week old baby feeling quite sharp and recognisable - on top of offering some fascinating period details which reminded me of what I understood my parents' lives to have been like about 55 years ago. The Starlings' expensive impromptu dinner includes serving sherry, tins of mock caviar (lumpfish) and artichoke hearts, some hamburger-type arrangement called 'birds with their heads off' (?) and some rainbow sugar crystals for display.

A Comedy On This Day: Marriage Lines - And Baby Makes Three (19 January 1965)

 Peculiar comic priorities this week. With Kate having delivered their baby daughter in hospital, George awakes hung-over in his friend's flat. Resulting in an enormous amount of convoluted farcical business with concocting and maintaining excuses, at the expense of the much more interesting matter in hand of a new baby and the parents' reactions to her.

 It perks up once George eventually arrives at the maternity ward, patrolled by an archetypal battle-axe Matron. Even though the actor himself was much-loved, Richard Briers' characters were usually unsympathetically selfish types, and much the funniest thing in this episode is George's poorly-disguised reactions to his new daughter: "She's not going to make that noise every night, is she?" "Why has she got blue hands? And a pointed head? And a chapped face? Oh yes, darling, she's beautiful!"