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TV, radio, film, Arts

Oh joy Butterflies is back

(105 Posts)
Floradora9 Fri 01-Apr-22 21:48:32

From Monday at 6 pm on Drama ( 20 ) they are showing "Butterflies "for the first time in years. I loved this programme , probably because we had teenagers ourselves at the time , and every time I hear Barber's Adagio for Strings I think of the sad bits when Rhea met with her male friend and had to walk away . I hope we still enjoy it as much as the reruns of "Yes Minister " which we are watching for the umteenth time .

Esmay Wed 13-Apr-22 13:18:53

Hi FannyC
I need IV tea stat today !!!

FannyCornforth Wed 13-Apr-22 12:29:32

Yup, you are right Esmay!
He certainly had a ‘type’

Esmay Wed 13-Apr-22 11:58:04

I think that after Tessa Wyatt left Tony Blackburn she lived with Richard O'Sullivan for a few years .
Some people have rather exciting lives!

FannyCornforth Wed 13-Apr-22 09:10:11

Sally Thomsett, sorry. This thread is a mine of misinformation! smile
I’d better have a cup of tea…brew

FannyCornforth Wed 13-Apr-22 09:08:54

Esmay

I , also thought that
Richard O'Sullivan was ill for far longer .
His relationship with Tessa Wyatt finished and his career deteriorated .
Poor guy .

Yes, I’m certain that OSullivan suffered from very ill health when he was middle aged.
I’m also pretty certain that it wasn’t Tessa Wyatt (she was married to Tony Blackburn who had a bit of an on-air ‘breakdown’ about their break up).
I think that it was Sally Tomlinson who he had a relationship with.
He did marry another lady though afterwards though.

Chestnut Tue 12-Apr-22 23:49:38

Yes, it was a real tragedy that his life was shortened by poor health. He was an absolute darling when he was young, I think everybody loved him. The first film I remember him in was 'Carry on Teacher' where he played one of the schoolchildren. A very funny and heartwarming film, look out for him when it's on again.

Esmay Tue 12-Apr-22 23:33:56

I , also thought that
Richard O'Sullivan was ill for far longer .
His relationship with Tessa Wyatt finished and his career deteriorated .
Poor guy .

FannyCornforth Tue 12-Apr-22 17:09:54

Sorry Esmay yes, he had a stroke in 2003

FannyCornforth Tue 12-Apr-22 17:08:09

I think that he had a stroke much, much earlier than that; possibly in his forties.

Esmay Tue 12-Apr-22 15:54:51

I read that Richard O'Sullivan had a stroke about 17 years ago and that's why he's in a home .

FannyCornforth Tue 12-Apr-22 15:07:17

That’s ok Pink, I’m forever doing the same. We’re just in ‘chat mode’; which is nice (no one jumping down anyone else’s throat wink)

I saw that Maureen Lipman interview too (the dreaded Daily Mail! shock)

She’s wonderful isn’t she.
A real National Treasure ♥️

PinkCosmos Tue 12-Apr-22 14:13:22

FannyCornforth

PinkCosmos

* died !!

No. Richard OSullivan is still very much alive.
He is 77 and lives at Brinsworth House.
It’s a famous place for elderly and frail show biz types. I’d love it there!

Please accept my apologies. I could have sworn I heard he had died.

Should check out my facts before I type.

I think I might have confused it with a visit a couple of years ago that Meghan (DOS) made to the home he was in. Obviously, she didn't recognise him but it was highlighted that he was a resident in the papers at the time

FannyCornforth Tue 12-Apr-22 12:58:56

PinkCosmos

* died !!

No. Richard OSullivan is still very much alive.
He is 77 and lives at Brinsworth House.
It’s a famous place for elderly and frail show biz types. I’d love it there!

PinkCosmos Tue 12-Apr-22 12:40:36

* died !!

PinkCosmos Tue 12-Apr-22 12:40:16

Kate1949

Yes indeed Chestnut. The poor man has been unwell for years.sad

I think Richard O'Sullivan dies a couple of years ago. He was living in a care home

PinkCosmos Tue 12-Apr-22 12:36:23

Maureen Lipman was saying in an interview the other day that she was disappointed that 'Agony' wasn't being repeated. She said it was trailblazing!

I had forgotten all about it but do remember enjoying it at the time.

henetha Tue 12-Apr-22 10:17:46

Having watched both Butterflies and Ever Decreasing Circles for several days now, there is no doubt that I prefer EDC. It's brilliant. And I now see why some people found Ria in Butterflies irritating. I didn't back then but do now, just a bit.
It's slightly disturbing that several people over the years have said I remind them of Ria! Oh dear confused

lemsip Tue 12-Apr-22 09:25:40

I used to love this but watch it now and not funny in this day and age!

harrysgran Tue 12-Apr-22 08:34:48

I watched an episode the other evening didn't find it funny it was even less entertaining than I'd remembered it however it made me appreciate that women are no longer just portrayed as needy irritating housewives .

mamaa Thu 07-Apr-22 12:00:08

I enjoyed watching an episode or two recently for the nostalgic element but didn't really find it funny. I also found the ‘boyfriend’ rather ‘creepy’- did anyone else?

Kate1949 Thu 07-Apr-22 10:48:34

Well I loved watching it. It's not particularly funny (in my opinion) but I find it nostalgic and quite comforting.

Pammie1 Thu 07-Apr-22 10:46:33

eazybee

Butterflies irritated me intensely.
I have a great deal of respect for Wendy Craig as an actress but her character Ria, wafting about in her modern house, lovely kitchen, new Mini and beautiful clothes whilst moaning all the time about her problems, deserved a good slap. Why not focus her extremely comfortable but aimless existence on taking a cookery course, doing voluntary work or even, perish the thought, getting a job? I had a great deal of sympathy for the long-suffering Geoffrey Palmer.
I don't think this series showed Carla Lane as a brilliant writer for women at all, just mocked perceived middle-class angst.

But then you’ve solved all her problems and you wouldn’t have a TV series would you ? And a modern home, car and a cleaner, doesn’t automatically mean happiness. I think if the series underwent a facelift now, there would probably be therapy sessions depicted to deal with the melancholy that was obviously prevalent in her life. I thought Butterflies was a lovely, sensitive handling of a difficult subject - the ‘emotional affair’. It provoked lively debate in our house at the time with various family members taking different sides.

Redhead56 Thu 07-Apr-22 10:38:42

Penelope Keith was brilliant in To the Manor Born too.

Beechnut Thu 07-Apr-22 07:55:05

Sandford

Beechnut Thu 07-Apr-22 07:54:32

yggdrasil

Beechnut

I’ll have a look in on Butterflies again and see what locations I can spot. DD used to live in Cheltenham.

I lived in Cheltenham all the time Butterflies was showing, and it used to really annoy me the way they messed with the geography of the town. They'd walk into Sandford park from one end and exit on to the far side of the town. Mind you , I did see the mini around the town at times.

One of the places DD lived was Sanford Street just down from the playhouse by that shop that has the sort of mosaic front.