After Henry

After Henry is a very well-written, amusing and also touching comedy, about a widowed grandmother, widowed mother and daughter living in three flats in a single house. They navigate various friendships and relationships throughout the four series.

After Henry is a show I loved as a youngster, and have enjoyed rewatching over the years. As a sitcom it isn't one you could say is loaded with belly laughs, it contains no slapstick, but what it does have is a very strong sense of realism.

I discovered this show by chance on a trip to Ireland and was exhilarated by its comic freshness and unexpected poignancy. The three lead actresses and one lead actor had terrific chemistry, and the writing could make you belly laugh and sob almost simultaneously.

Simon Brett's 'After Henry' was one of three BBC Radio 4 sitcoms that made a successful transfer to visual media ( the other two being the patchy 'Up The Garden Path' and the dreadful 'Second Thoughts' ), albeit on ITV. Despite its massive success on radio, the BBC felt it had limited visual potential and so passed on the idea.

I enjoyed this show very much and only wish it would be running again. Very humorous with a good mix of characters.

The Bottom Line - 2.5 out of 5"After Henry" is a mid-grade Britcom.

Television chiefs in Britain, desperate for new comedy ideas, seize on any successful radio series. When it first appeared, the idea of three generations of women under the same roof, and the sympathetic depiction of a gay man not in the first flush of youth were quite fresh.