As Time Went By

A PBS 45 & 49 British Comedy Club member shares her experiences attending a taping of season nine of As Time Goes By

by Chris Wilkinson
Member, PBS 45 & 49 British Comedy Club

As Time Goes By, it often goes too quickly. That was certainly the case on Friday, June 14, 2002 at the BBC Television Centre in Shepherds Bush, London, England as an enthusiastic audience assembled to watch the taping of the ninth and final season of As Time Goes By. Seated in the first four rows, at the BBCs invitation, was a group of 58 American fans that had previously connected on an Internet site devoted to the series.

We arrived on different days and from different corners of the country Texas, California, Massachusetts and so on. The oldest member of our group was 86. Added to our roster were fans from Canada and even a few from the United Kingdom who had not been able to procure tickets from the BBC for the show.

So how did we get tickets? The tour de force behind our group was Mary Lynn Travers of Boston. Ms. Travers had attended tapings of previous seasons and had established acquaintances at the BBC who were able to assist. When they heard that she was planning to attend the taping of the final season, and bringing a sizeable entourage with her, they pulled out the stops and rolled out the red carpet. Tickets guaranteed; we were in!

I arrived at Londons Heathrow Airport on Monday June 10 and took a big, red, double decker bus to Oxford. Setting for another popular British series, Oxford is filled with scenes that are immediately familiar to anyone who has watched Inspector Morse. Having been to Oxford before, I used it as a home base for travelling around the picturesque region known as the Cotswolds.

The Cotswold villages are lovely with their thatched roof cottages made of honey-colored stone. Their gardens were in full bloom and multicolored flowers stretched over low stone walls and tumbled out of flower boxes. Signs indicated public footpaths, which lead to the next village and often wound across fields of peacefully grazing sheep. The area gave new meaning to the word quaint, but the highlight of the four days I spent in the area was a sidetrip taken in search of an obscure village known as Hambleden. A sign directed me down a country lane lined with hedgerows which soon gave way to a large open field. Red brick chimneys suddenly appeared on the horizon as the village came into view.

Scenes in Season 5 were filmed here including the village shop Mrs. Bale can be seen exiting and the small bridge she crosses on her motorcycle. Further on is the local pub, outside of which Jean and Lionel sit while Madge is inside singing, and the street scene where the villagers surround the car as it pulls into town and laden the Hardcastles with gifts for standing up to "Red One" and his band of thugs.

Thursday I arrived in London, and that evening took the tube to Covent Garden. At Porters restaurant, located just across from the Garden, I joined Mary Lynn Travers and my fellow ATGB fans for dinner Although most of us had never met before, we had no problem making conversation. Just to get us in the mood (there was really no need) Ms. Travers held a trivia contest. Questions included Miss Ice Cubes real name (Sally Curtis), did Sandy ever mention her family (yes, a nephew) and prizes ranged from a bottle of brown sauce to custard tarts. At the end of the evening we all got the prize we had been waiting for. Ms. Travers handed out large envelopes containing a signed photograph of the ATGB cast, a BBC Production Pass with photos of Judi Dench and Geoffrey Palmer and a little pin with both American and British flags.

Friday morning a small group of us met for an informal walking tour of ATGB taping sites. We walked along Holland Park Avenue where Lionel goes to shop and pick up his newspapers. Further on we walked past the veterinary clinic on Addison Avenue, used as the front for Jeans secretarial agency, Type For You. A short walk down Addison and we turned onto St. James Gardens. There, facing a park is the townhouse with number 21 on the door. We all wanted our pictures taken in front, but the house was surrounded with scaffolding and crawling with workmen. With amusement they posed for pictures with some of the members of our group!

From there it was back down the street and across the avenue to see Lionels flat in Holland Park Gardens. We ended our excursion in Holland Park and saw the bench where Jean sat eating her lunch as the peacocks could be heard wailing in the background. Admonishing each other not to be late for the evenings festivities, we went our separate ways for the remainder of the afternoon.

And then it was showtime. We were to meet at 5:30 at the White City tube stop directly across from the BBC. I got there at 5:00 so as not to miss a moment. As our crowd swelled and spilled onto the sidewalk in front of the station, a queue was forming across the street. Once Ms. Travers was satisfied that we were all present she gave the signal to move out and we did, swarming the zebra crossing as soon as the little green man on the signal box appeared. It took longer than the allotted time and we stopped traffic in both directions looking somewhat like an aging school group on a field trip.

Those in the queue eyed us warily, but after milling about a bit, which made them nervous, we lined up behind them. While they worried loudly about ticket availability we were smug in the knowledge that we had Production Passes and would very soon be sweeping right past them. It wasnt long before a member of the BBC staff came to collect us and ushered us through a security checkpoint and into a large waiting room. The people gathered there were waiting to get into other shows that were also being taped that evening so it soon became quite crowded. To help us pass the time there was a snack bar and a BBC shop selling videos, books and clothing. The BBC was quite pleased and not just a little surprised at the way America has embraced British comedies. They seemed truly amazed that As Time Goes By had reached cult proportions and interviewed several members of our group to determine just what it is about the series that we all love so much.

Shortly after 7:00 they began calling people to queue in front of entrance doors depending upon what show they were there to see. One by one the other groups went in. We knew we were next and our excitement level exploded off the scale. Finally a BBC representative appeared before the door to Stage 8 and asked the crowd to make way for "the Americans" as they called our group. The crowd parted somewhat reluctantly and amid dark glances we filed in and took our places in the first four rows.

In front of us, from left to right were three sets ready for the scenes to be filmed that evening. At left was the front door and hallway, leading to the now familiar living room of Jean and Lionel. The living room of the country house was in the middle and at the far right was the kitchen that any of us would feel so comfortable in. Behind the kitchen was Judys bedroom, which was not visible from our seats, but was shown to us on monitors as they filmed. What we could see from our vantage point was the long hallway offstage where the actors were dressing. We could see them moving in and out of rooms and talking among themselves. Loud whispers of "Theres Alistair" and "Look, its Geoffrey" could be overheard.

Our host for the evening was Bobby Bragg. It was his responsibility to keep the audience informed about what was happening before and during the taping. Because ATGB doesnt use a laugh-track he was supposed to keep us in a "ready-to laugh" mood. No problem. We made it an easy evening for him.

After greeting us he introduced the actors we would be seeing that evening. We were so lucky to be at one of the few sessions that required all of the characters to be present. The exception was Joan Simms, who passed away earlier in the year.

Geoffrey Palmer came out to welcome us to the next to the last taping of the final season. He explained the popularity of the series by saying that they had a wonderful script and director, but that much of their success was due to having the same cast and crew for the entire ten years that the series had been in production. He went on to talk about how the cast had been brought together and mentioned that the producers originally had someone else in mind for the part of Jean. By way of introduction he expressed how glad he was that they had ended up with the lady they got, Judi Dench.

The crowd roared their approval and looking a little embarrassed, Judi came out to welcome us. Always self-deprecating, she thanked Geoffrey for his words and said that he did this sort of thing so much better than she. She thanked us for attending and for the support we have given ATGB and then she was gone, to return a few minutes later as Jean.

Bobby Bragg took over and filled us in on what had been happening in the lives of Jean and Lionel since we last saw them. The monitors played back the highlights of the two previous tapings. Alistair had finally decided that he wanted to settle down with Judy and asked her to marry him. Sandys boyfriend, Harry, was offered the chance of a lifetime to work in Canada for a year, but had to leave almost immediately. It was obvious that Sandy had hoped he would ask her to go too, but so far he had made no mention of their being together.

As this evening begins, the family is rushing around with preparations for the wedding and Jean is so wound up that she is driving the rest of the family to distraction with her last-minute instructions. Judy is busy packing for her wedding trip. Sandy is just trying to be helpful to everyone.

The wedding was taped a few days earlier in the same little church in Aldenham, Hertfordshire, where Rocky and Madge were married. They showed that to us on the monitors and then cut to the next scene being taped, which was the reception at the country house. Madges absence is explained by saying that she is on a "dig" in Egypt. Jean is trying desperately to get Harry and Sandy together, feeling sure that if they could just have some time together Harry would propose. As usual, things dont go as planned. She enlists Rockys help and his solution is to offer Harry a glass of champagne. Harry, who isnt used to drinking champagne, has more than a glass or two. The guests assemble to say farewell to the bride and groom. As the party breaks up Jean and Lionel return to the living room so find Sandy sitting forlornly next to Harry who has passed out on the couch. The scene closes as Jean looks on with dismay.

After the taping the BBC asked that the Americans stay in their seats. As soon as the rest of the audience has left, Geoffrey and Judi come back out to talk to us, along with Philip Bretherton (Alistair), Moira Brooker (Judy) and Jenny Funnell (Sandy). Judi was asked about her future plans. She responded by saying that she was going to take a short break and then would be appearing in the fall in the stage production Breath of Life with Maggie Smith. Both Jenny and Moira have young children and are going to concentrate on raising their families for a while. Everyone expressed sadness at the conclusion of ATGB, noting that it may be quite some time before they will see each other again, much less work together.

As we asked questions, members of the crew sliced up the wedding cake used in the reception scene and passed it through the audience. The cast asked if we would let them go for the night as they had to be back early in the morning to read through their scripts for the next taping. Reluctantly we agreed. Before they left they posed with us for a group photo taken by the BBC. They said good night and we were ushered out into the crisp night air, knowing that we would never again view the series in quite the same way.

I paused and looked back to secure the memory of the evening. In the following moments the previous eight seasons flashed through my mind. Meeting Jean and Judy and Sandy for the first time, the amazing coincidence of Lionel calling Type For You for a secretary, the beginning of a romance between Judy and Alistair (Lionels boy publisher), the forever-young-at-heart Rocky and Madge (rock on!), devoted Mrs. Bale (gale force winds in the Channel), Jeans and Lionels wedding, Sandys breakup with Nick, the introduction of sport-loving Harry, Alistairs financial collapse.

It saddened me to realize that this was the end of my friendship with the Hardcastles. It was like a close neighbor or friend moving far, far away. I would never know what Judys and Alistairs house would look like. Would Jean become a grandmother? Would Lionel write another book? What would happen to Sandy and Harry?

On the other hand I will never have to cry with them for, unlike life, no tragedy will strike their lives. The rest of is will age, but thanks to television, they will stay frozen in time. Young and happy and full of life. Time really does go by too quickly.