As early as 1985, Jennifer Saunders was starring in not one, but two prime time sitcoms on the main channels. On BBC One, she played multiple characters in Ben Elton’s Happy Families, and during the same few weeks, she was over on ITV in Girls On Top.
Here’s Tony Pratt’s patronising preview write up in the Daily Mirror from the 23rd October.
Over the page in the same paper, Patricia Smyllie had this to say.
The show was the Pick Of The Day in the Newcastle Evening Chronicle.
The first episode was watched by 13.79 million viewers, beaten only that night by Full House and Coronation Street, making it the 8th most watched show of the week. In contrast, Happy Families debuted the week before with 7.56 million viewers (54th), in a similar 8.30pm slot.
Peter Donnelly offered us his opinion of that opening episode in the Mirror on the 31st October.
Ruby had her own write up in the Liverpool Echo on the 30th.
