My Family: Season 3

The Harpers are in crisis, as usual, when Janey (Daniela Denby-Ashe) leaves for university. Susan's (Zoë Wanamaker) subsequent realization that she's now the only woman in the household begins to take its toll, especially on Michael (Gabriel Thomson), whom Susan now turns to for advice on dresses and make-up. Ben (Robert Lindsay) attempts to help by inviting his cousin's daughter Abi (Siobhan Hays) to stay, but when Abi makes a documentary about typical family life for her college project with the Harpers as subject, it turns out more like a horror picture. Meanwhile, Nick (Kris Marshall) attempts to raise money through a variety of jobs, none of which lasts very long thanks to his abject incompetence.

Episode One: Absent Vixen, Cheeky Monkey - The Harper family are back and in typical My Family style, their main concern when Janey leaves for university is not whether she'll be missed, but who'll get custody of her room.
Upon claiming it for his hobbies, Ben sets to clearing out every last trace of his daughter and even the model car track that Nick has already constructed in there.
Unlike her husband, Susan misses Janey and rings her constantly, not even drawing comfort from Nick getting himself a job at the local supermarket. In a bid to shed his reputation as a layabout, Nick gets into training for his new career by pricing almost everything in the house - including his Dad and brother.
Despite his best efforts, Nick still manages to make a hash of his new job, leaving the Harpers with £1694.00 worth of tuna and his Dad with a criminal record.
Ben is played by Robert Lindsay, Susan by Zoë Wanamaker, Nick by Kris Marshall, Janey by Daniela Denby-Ashe and Michael by Gabriel Thomson.
My Family is created by Fred Barron and written by James Hendrie, Ian Brown, Steve Armogida and Jim Armogida, with guest writers including Andrea Solomons. It is produced by John Bartlett and directed by Dewi Humphreys.

Episode Two: Shrink Rap - It's the day of Michael's school fund raiser and getting into the spirit of things, Susan pledges a tour and convinces Ben to offer up a double session scale and polish.
As the auction for the session begins, Ben becomes involved in a head to head challenge with Mr Spufford, a former patient he had blacklisted because of his acute halitosis. In an attempt to prevent the bad breathed bidder being successful, Ben gets so carried away, he ends up bidding against him - and winning!
Susan's also victorious in her bid for a therapy session which Ben reluctantly agrees to attend with her. As the couple hit the fabled couch it proves to be an hour that has the therapist chewing her nicotine patches in frustration.

Episode Three: Desperately Squeaking Susan - After Janey leaves to go to university, the realisation that she's now the only woman in the Harper household begins to take its toll on Susan, although it seems Ben's cousin's daughter, Abi, could be the ideal solution.
It's not just Susan who's missing Janey - Michael fears his mum will turn him onto a girl if she continues to ask him for advice on dresses and make up. Ben, unsurprisingly doesn't share his family's enthusiasm for the new arrival, seeing her instead as a threat to the peace and quiet he has spent his entire married life longing for.

Episode Four: Of Mice and Ben - Abi's latest college assignment is to make a documentary about the everyday life of an everyday family - unfortunately with the Harpers's as the subject, home movies have a tendency to look more like horror films.
Ben isn't keen, plus he's got the small problem of an unwelcome guest to sort out. For a change it's not one of his children he's trying to get rid of, but something a lot more sinister, and no end of mousetraps are going to do the trick. As he gets into character for Crouching Dentist, Hidden Rodent, Susan is determined to present at least the facade of wedded bliss. Dispensing cookery tips along with her recipe for relationship success, Susan's recommendations are not the conventional variety, particularly if checking whether a dish is ready by the colour of the smoke is anything to go by....?

Episode Five: Imperfect Strangers - Having been turned away from janey's door, Ben and Susan decide to book into a hotel under assumed names - not the only false assumptions being made as it turns out...

Episode Six: The Second Greatest Story Ever Told - The mystery behind the play that Susan auditions for is not how she lands the diminutive role of shepherd number two, but how Nick gets the role of Jesus, when he was only coming to pick her up. If that's not rubbing it in enough, his method acting takes things just a bit too far, especially when he forgets to remove his beard and sandals at the end of the day. Then there's the carpentry - and the only birdhouse that could just as easily qualify as a prison, and finally, Nick reveals his own particular take on turning water into wine...
Meanwhile, Ben has his own problems. Not only is he giving the keynote speech at the Dentist Association conference, there is also the small matter of his own, extremely painful toothache. Wary of trusting any other dentist to his personal care, an exasperated Susan reminds him: "Other dentists don't start their check-up with the words, ‘Is it safe?'."

Episode Seven: Waiting to Inhale - Susan is worried when Michael takes a shine to Becky - a classmate she regards as "fast and slutty". While husband Ben doesn't see this as a problem, they're both surprised when Michael comes home with something rather more ominous that a love bite.
It's time for a father-and-son talk; at least, that's what Susan tells Ben. However, the sudden realisation that they may well be turning into their parents makes them both look at the situation in a much more "chilled" light.

Episode Eight: Misery - Susan is very excited about paying a visit to Janey at her halls. However, whether she's there for the good of her daughter or to re-live her own days as a student is debatable, as Janey discovers to her horror. Back at home, Ben's plans to play a profitable round of golf with his old mucker, Gerald, go from bad to worse. First, Abi manages to twist Ben's ankle, then makes matters worse when her chicken soup is mistaken for a soothing foot spa.
Enterprising Michael seizes on the opportunity to hit his father when he's down - for cash, that is. Topping off Ben's miserable day is son Nick's colourful new way of earning money - which he reveals in more ways than one. He has three spots a week at the Cherry Vanilla as a female impersonator - after all, it is 40 quid a week and all the Campari he can drink. The only thing he needs is help in deciding which colour suits him - red or green. Or should he go for his father's suggestion of black and blue?

Episode Nine: Auto Erotica - For Ben, his wedding anniversary isn't usually something he feels like celebrating but, this year, his mood is brightened by the most unlikely of sources - his inane son, Nick.
A game of poker leads to Nick returning home with a car he believes is fit only for scrap, but Ben sees it as a way of rekindling his youth. The only hitch is that his plan to renovate it doesn't quite fit in with Susan's idea of a romantic weekend away in Dorset to mark their 26 years of matrimony.
Should Ben's mechanical skills match his optimistic belief, however, then they might just be able to combine both their plans.

Episode Ten: A Handful of Dust - The Harper family never listens to Ben - well, apart from today, his birthday. Having taken literally his request for "no fuss", it seems his only present is the one he bought himself - a patch of Wembley subsoil from Clods Online.
However, that's the least of their worries as daughter Janey is home for the weekend, with a new "friend". Not sure of the relationship between them, Ben and Susan struggle to contain their curiosity, even turning to Nick for help. Indeed, it's a good week for the elder son as his new vocation as a gorilla-gram seems to be taking off as well.
As for Janey, it all becomes too much and she finally sits her parents down to reveal the truth behind her new life at university.

Episode Eleven:The Lost Weekend - For the first time in longer than they'd care to remember, Ben and Susan have the house to themselves for the whole weekend. Unfortunately, saucy plans to re-ignite their love life soon falter as it seems Ben would rather slob out, while Susan appears keener to go shopping for antiques.
The realisation that they have next to nothing in common leads them to the shocking conclusion that once the kids leave home, they'll be stuck with one another. In a bid to salvage the situation, they begin to search for common ground before it's too late - like de-scaling the downstairs toilet, for example.

Episode Twelve: Ghosts - If there's a woman who can bear a grudge, it's Susan Harper. Husband Ben knows it and Kirk Mason is about to find out too.
It's 28 years since Kirk became the first man to stand Susan up, so when he gets back in touch, she sees it as a chance to get her revenge. Unsure what his wife's up to, Ben assumes the worst. Meanwhile, Michael and Abi discover that the house is cursed - not that this is really any news to the long-suffering Ben.

Episode Thirteen: One Flew Out of the Cuckoo's Nest - For once, it seems it's Ben's dreams rather than his nightmares that are coming true, when Nick finally announces plans to move out of the family home. And if that's not enough good news, the dippy elder son also has a job - albeit at his dad's local pub.
Unlike Ben, Susan begins to miss Nick and soon drags Ben round to see their offspring's new abode. Despite Nick's enthusiasm, things aren't quite as good as Nick would have them believe.

Written by Fred Barron, Ian Brown, James Hendrie
Directed by Dewi Humphreys
Produced by John Bartlett
Executive Produced by Fred Barron, Donald Taffner, Jr., Geoffrey Perkins

"Nice, gentle humour... brilliantly done." Sunday Mail

"It's got that special something that keeps you coming back for more" Express

"How refreshing ...to begin (watching) by laughing out loud. And not just the once, either, but several times ... the script avoids the well-worn situations ... and the performers believe in their lines." Mail

"With heavyweights Robert Lindsay and Zoe Wanamaker heading the cast of this sitcom, you know it's gonna be a good ‘un. And it's a bloody good ‘un at that. The one to watch is Kris Marshall, who plays their layabout, laid-back son Nick. He shone in the first series and obviously impressed the writers as he has a lot more to do second time round." People

"My Family, with sterling performances from seriously straight actors, proves that we are starting to compete with the Americans on what they (rightly)regarded as their turf - situation comedy. My Family could easily take on Frasier with its sophisticated, articulate environment. All the elements are there for easy viewing and lots of entertainment." Western Morning News