As Time Goes By

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BBC (ended 2002)
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Show Summary

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Army officer Lionel Hardcastle and nurse Jean Pargetter had a three-month affair in 1953. After Lionel is posted to Korea, the two lose touch when Lionel's letter to Jean fails to get delivered. Thirty-eight years later, they meet again.''''A sweetly charming situation comedy that ran for nine seasons. Best enjoyed with your feet up and with a cup of tea and some custard tarts at your side.moreless
8.3
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Average Rating: Great
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Episode Guide

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S 9 :  Ep 6 Aired 12/3/05
S 9 :  Ep 5 Aired 8/11/02
S 9 :  Ep 4 Aired 8/4/02
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S 9 :  Ep 3 Aired 7/21/02
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S 9 :  Ep 2 Aired 7/14/02
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As Time Goes By News

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  • TV at the Oscars! 15

    TV at the Oscars!

    By Lila Holland, Feb 27, 2006

    oscars2_header.jpg The day of reckoning is fast approaching for this year's batch of Oscar hopefuls, and we at TV.com are certainly looking forward to one of television's biggest yearly events. Though the Academy Awards exist to honor the year's most… more

  • The 78th Annual Academy Awards 6

    The 78th Annual Academy Awards

    By Lila Holland, Jan 31, 2006

    oscar_noms_header.jpg The Academy Awards celebrate big-screen accomplishments, and the exciting and glamorous ceremony is one of TV's biggest events each year. The buzz begins with much speculation about who will be given a nod, and it intensifies when the nominations… more

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Fan Reviews (16)

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  • Intelligent, positive comedy-soap opera of sorts, with a message of love and family proving stronger than time and age. Not an "adult" show, but a grown-up one.

    9.1
    "Superb"
    By The1Factotum1i1, Jul 23, 2008 Report Abuse
    This BBC production is a throwback, of sorts, to the days of cheerful sitcoms past, in that everyone in the main cast(The Hardcastle household, plus Alistair) are witty with sparkling upper class manners or they are eccentric characters with madcap quirks, none of it grounded in any possible reality. That everyone is exceedingly well off alone is unusual, but in this case it serves only to steer the stories from meaner topics like scrounging to make a quid towards more genteel pursuits like book writing and worrying about getting a computer. I think this is mainly aimed at older people who can relate to Jean and Lionel, who are very likable and upbeat. His aged parents and housekeeper are painted with a broad brush. Their absurd obsession with American country and western music is a bit too cute and taken to extremes (Their car has Texas longhorn steer horns on the bonnet), and their servant pointlessly babbles bits of weather forecasts for sailing the Irish sea.(her vehicle of choice is a great-war era motorcycle and side car, that calls for a vintage costume when driving it.)
    The overwrought whimsy aside, the series is very easy to be caught up in, and as in the best of soap operas, one gets to have hopes and dreads for the characters from week to week. The writers paced the story of their getting to know one another and rekindling of their love after so many years, and their eventual married life perfectly, and then went on to their adventures at the same time bringing us into the love life problems of the young girls Judy and Sandy. Another thought on the "throwback" theme. This series ended in 2002, with a 2005 reunion special. There won't be many more programmes like it, where the men are manly and the women fancy that most of the time, and everyone is gentle, polite, and respects the others. That these values are sadly dying out in Britain can be seen in pretty much all other shows that make it over to America, such as ab-fab, My Family, etc. So enjoy ATGB as among the final flickers of class and taste. Cheerio.moreless

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  • The best situation comedy ever broadcast in the English language in the universe...

    10
    "Perfect"
    By Theoacme, Jun 14, 2008 Report Abuse
    ...and, although the ensemble cast had a great deal to do with "As Time Goes By" being, in my opinion, the acme of television comedy, and the well-told stories also helped, there is one reason why I, as well as my mother (very hard to please, she was), really loved this program - Dame Judi Dench...

    ...and Episode 16, "Living Together, But Where?" is all the proof I need to say that Dame Judi is one of the best actresses of all time. (If you want to avoid a spoiler, just watch the episode, and wait for the end.)

    After all the confusion about whom is going to move in with whom, Lionel (Geoffrey Palmer - the second reason why the program is so wonderful) suggests to Jean (Dench) that they reevaluate their relationship. After he leaves, she looks at an armchair that she had bought for him, one that didn't exactly match her decor. Jean then lowered her head almost imperceptibly. But when Judi did that, she conveyed heartbreak more vividly than anyone else I've ever seen.

    You very seldom see that in major motion pictures, much less series television - but I saw it there. And that was more than enough for "As Time Goes By" to top my personal favorites list.moreless

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  • I have watched this series over and over again and I never get tired of it. Very heartwarming, the characters are developed so that the viewer cares what happens to them.moreless

    9.8
    "Superb"
    By redhead326, Mar 06, 2007 Report Abuse
    This is a A- Quality show. There are very few series on television that appeals to the older generation, of which I am a member. Of course, any program with Judy Dench is guaranteed to be spectacular. I only wish they would film another reunion show, it's been awhile. I commend the Public Broadcasting System for showing this fine series. Also, it's easy for Americans to relate to the characters' situations. There hasn't been a British comedy series, other than my other favorite, Keeping Up Appearances, that I can completely relate to. I hope that there are more of these series in the future.moreless

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  • A pairs of lovers is reunited after many years apart

    8.8
    "Great"
    By expatriot, Jun 16, 2006 Report Abuse
    This brilliant and very British comedy focuses on the lives of Jean and Lionel.
    A long, long time ago, they were young lovers but fate intervened and a letter sent by Jean never reached Lionel and they totally lost contact.
    After many years, Lionel is writing his autobiography "My life in Kenya" and he needs a secretary. Three guesses who's running a secretarial agency, exactly, Jean.
    After going on a date with Jean's daughter Judy, Lionel finds out who is running the agency and do meet up again.
    As it turns out, they still have feelings for each other, even though both were previously married to other people. Lionel is divorced and Jean is a widow.
    They rekindle their love and ultimately they marry, much to the delight of Judy.
    The excellent cast make this a real jem. There is real chemistry and affection between the actors.
    The series ran for 10 seasons and produced wonderful comedic moments with occasionally a tear or twomoreless

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  • This is truly a great British comedy show. Would love to see this show come back.

    9.5
    "Superb"
    By vicmackey31, May 02, 2006 Report Abuse
    This is truly a great British comedy show. I enjoy watching it over and over and over again. I can watch the same episode 2 or 3 times in a row just so I can catch things that I might have missed. I think I have all of the episodes recorded and I watch them whenever there is nothing good on TV. It is always entertaining to me. I will also have my friends and family watch the episodes with me and try and get them hooked. So far everyone has because it is that good of a show. Look for it on the air or come over to my house and watch my DVD's.moreless

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Forums

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Last Activity
Replies
  • Favorite Supporting Character
    Who is your favorite supporting character? I like Mrs. Bale the best! Her comments about the channel were so random yet so funny. ...
    By House24Fan, Jun 18, 2007
    02/12/11
    5
    Reply
  • Favorite Character
    Who is your favorite? Mine is Linoel. If you have a favorite not listed, just post it. There was only room for 5 names.
    By Maisy13, Mar 09, 2007
    04/02/09
    5
    Reply
  • New Episodes are being made
    The BBC have announced that new episodes are being made to air some time around Christmas in the UK.
    By benmatt21, Sep 28, 2005
    03/20/09
    23
    Reply
  • Jean's 'stories'
    I just rewatched 'A Personal Problem' and that just really reinforced that Jean really doesn't do overly well in the fib departme...
    By VerityJackson, Mar 16, 2006
    09/02/06
    4
    Reply

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