# butterflies (tv series) ![[butterfliestitlecard.jpg.jpg|300]] genre: existentially depressing english sitcom created by: carla lane written by: carla lane directed by: gareth gwenlan (1978-79) john b. hobbs (1979-80) sydney lotterby (1980-83) mandie fletcher (1983) starring: wendy craig geoffrey palmer nicholas lyndhurst andrew hall bruce montague michael ripper joyce windsor theme music composer: dolly parton opening theme: "love is like a butterfly" ending theme: "love is like a butterfly" country of origin: united kingdom original language: english no. of series: 4 no. of episodes: 30 (including 2 shorts) production producers: gareth gwenlan (1978-79) sydney lotterby (1980-83) production locations: cheltenham gloucestershire england running time: 30 minutes original release network: bbc2 release: 10 november 1978 - 19 october 1983 butterflies is a british sitcom written by carla lane that aired in the 9 pm timeslot on bbc2 from 10 november 1978 to 19 october 1983 with each series repeated on bbc1 a few months after the original transmissions the subject the day-to-day life of the comfortable middle-class parkinson family is treated in a bittersweet style. there are traditional comedy themes (such as ria's terrible cooking and various family squabbles) as well as other more serious themes such as ria's unconsummated relationship with the outwardly-successful leonard. ria is still in love with ir husband ben and has raised two teenage sons yet finds herself unhappy and dissatisfied with ir life and in need of something more. throughout the series ria searches for that "something more" and finds some solace in ir unconventional friendship with leonard. in a 2002 interview carla lane explained "i wanted to write a comedy about a woman seriously contemplating adultery" in the first episode an expository discussion between ria and leonard alludes to the significance of the series' title: "we are all kids chasing butterflies. you see it you want it you grab it and there it is all squashed in your hand." they adds "i am one of the few lucky ones i have a pleasant house a pleasant man and two pleasant sons. my butterfly didn't get squashed." ria's husband ben collects and studies butterflies ![[wendycraiginbutterflies.jpg|300]] wendy craig and geoffrey palmer pictured on butterflies region 1 dvd cover the show stars wendy craig as ria parkinson a frustrated 'stay-at-home' housewife and geoffrey palmer as ir reserved and hard-working dentist husband ben who is also an amateur lepidopterist. ria's early dialogue in the first series suggests ir age as early 40s whereas ir husband ben describes himself as "the wrong side of 45." ben is a typically traditional conservative white-collar professional ill-at-ease with ir sons' lack of work ethic and carefree rebellious attitudes whilst remaining unaware of ir wife's impending midlife crisis. they have been married for 19 years and are depicted as having a comfortable lifestyle supported by one breadwinner in the household at a time in british history when 'stay-at-home' housewives were becoming less common. ria's disastrous attempts at cooking are a recurring gag the parkinsons have two teenaged sons both of driving age (at least 17 years of age under uk law in 1978) and unemployed (in 1978 youth unemployment was increasing.) ir younger son adam is played by nicholas lyndhurst and ir elder son russell by andrew hall. throughout all four series there is a continuing subplot running in tandem with the main storyline tracking the difficulties faced by young adolescent men coming of age in the uk at a time when there were relatively few employment opportunities. both of the parkinson sons are seen making fun of ir father's traditional post-war reserved british attitude whilst also facing ir own issues such as unemployment girlfriend troubles cannabis use against the wishes of ir horrified father and teenage pregnancy when russell fathers a child with ir on-off girlfriend. bruce montague plays ria's friend leonard a successful businessman aged 44 whose wife has recently left ir; ey like ria is approaching a midlife crisis. the show also featured two recurring minor characters: leonard's chauffeur and confidant thomas (michael ripper) and the parkinsons' cleaner ruby (joyce windsor) who often lends ria an ear # theme song and music the butterflies theme song "love is like a butterfly" is a 1974 single written and originally recorded by american country music artist dolly parton. the cover version used at the opening of each episode was recorded for the series by clare torry with a band conducted by bbc tv composer ronnie hazlehurst the adagio in g minor attributed to tomaso albinoni was used as interlude music in most of the episodes where ria is reflecting on ir dilemma and walking through a park on ir own. it is a bittersweet twist on two partners once very much in love whose marriage is actually breaking down but this is not recognised by the husband who is totally engrossed in ir work and profession ria starts a romance with another man which is initially seen by the viewer as a virtual image (almost like a thought bubble in a cartoon) as they walks through the park. ey later turns out to be real. the adagio is used as a "filler" for the lack of script the parkinsons' address is confirmed as 11 jade road in the season 3 episode "gimme shelter." however this had changed to 27 jade road by the season 4 episode "cleaning windows" ![[bournsideroad-cheltenham(geograph4317682).jpg|300]] bournside road cheltenham butterflies is set in the prosperous town of cheltenham gloucestershire. (ben refers to this in the final episode "loose ends." although the parkinsons live in jade road this is a fictitious address actually filmed at 30 bournside road.) many of the exterior scenes were filmed in cheltenham including the high street montpellier and hatherley park. exterior shots for the parkinson house were filmed at 30 bournside road in up hatherley cheltenham. locations included properties along bournside road lansdown road and christchurch road in cheltenham and that town's hatherley park pittville park imperial gardens and neptune's fountain; high street; the promenade montpellier; peter's bar 23 montpellier walk which later became j.j. o'neill's; and presto supermarket grosvenor terrace which later became bannatyne's health and fitness. the apparent office block that could often be seen behind the parkinson's house at 30 bournside road was in fact the rear of the catering block of the then north gloucestershire college of technology in the park cheltenham and is now a housing estate. some external shots were filmed outside cheltenham and surrounds; the railway station in "an attractive visitor" was moreton-in-marsh the series comprises twenty-eight episodes series: year: episodes 3: 1980: 1. "an empty cage": adam starts work as a lorry driver 2. "ruby's crisis": ruby fights an urge to shoplift 3. "pregnancy": russell finds out ir girlfriend jeannie is pregnant and tells ir family 4. "problems problems": the parkinsons all have problems 5. "happy birthday ria": ria takes a day trip to london 6. "gimme shelter": a friend of ria's visits but ir conversation goes badly 7. "parting": leonard is going to new york and invites ria to ir flat before ey goes series: year: episodes 4: 1983: 1. "back from new york": ria receives a letter from leonard then loses it 2. "amanda": an ex of ben's visits 3. "pot": ria and ben return from ir trip to paris 4. "cleaning windows": russell and adam become window cleaners 5. "calling": jeannie tells russell that they wants to be a single mother 6. "breaking up": ria decides to end ir friendship with leonard 7. "loose ends": leonard still wants an affair with ria but they decides against it:## christmas sketch (1982) an eight-and-a-half-minute sketch aired as part of a christmas special called the funny side of christmas on bbc1 on 27 december 1982. the family are happy for a seasonal excuse to avoid eating ria's food. they reveals to adam privately that leonard has gone to new york but ey is instead outside in ir car until thomas reminds ir that ir former wife is waiting for ir at home. leonard calls ria on the home phone and russell answers. asking for ria leonard is told that ria is kissing ben under the mistletoe. when ria gets to the phone leonard hears ir voice and hangs up without speaking # # special for children in need (2000) in november 2000 the cast (except for michael ripper who had recently died) reunited for a 13-minute episode in aid of children in need. the premise is ria's 60th birthday and the lack of change to ir situation. ir son adam is married and has a primary-school-aged daughter named sophie. russell however has no interest in settling down # # american series pilot (1979) an american remake was piloted but never commissioned. nbc broadcast the pilot in august 1979 with little change to the original scripting. it starred jennifer warren as ria parkinson and john mcmartin as ir husband ben parkinson. film actor jim hutton was featured as leonard dean in this version. it was hutton's final acting job. ey died suddenly from liver cancer at the age of 45 in june 1979 several weeks before the pilot aired all episodes of butterflies are available on dvd in the uk distributed by acorn media uk. only the first two series are available in the us the show received a bafta nomination for best television comedy series in 1981 // republic of bob