2point4 Children

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2point4 Children
Title card, used from Series 6–8.
Genre	Sitcom
Created by	Andrew Marshall
Written by	Andrew Marshall
Directed by	Richard Boden
Starring	Belinda Lang Gary Olsen Julia Hills Clare Woodgate (series 1 & 2) Clare Buckfield (series 3–8) John Pickard
Theme music composer	Howard Goodall[1]
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of series	8
No. of episodes	56 (list of episodes)
Production
Producer	Richard Boden
Camera setup	Video; Multiple camera
Running time	30 min per average episode
Release
Original network	BBC One
Picture format	PAL (1991–1998) DVB-T 576i 16:9 (1999)
Original release	3 September 1991 (1991-09-03) – 30 December 1999 (1999-12-30)

2point4 Children is a BBC Television sitcom that was created and written by Andrew Marshall. It follows the lives of the Porters, a seemingly average, working-class London family whose world is frequently turned upside-down by bad luck and bizarre occurrences.

The show was originally broadcast on BBC One from 1991 to 1999, and ran for eight series, concluding on 30 December 1999 with the special episode "The Millennium Experience". Lead actor Gary Olsen (who played the father) died from cancer in September 2000.^[2] The show is regularly repeated in the UK. In Australia showings are on UKTV.

The show regularly picked up audiences of up to 14 million throughout the 1990s, with an average of between 6 and 9 million. The final episode was viewed by 9.03 million people.^[3]

In 1997 a remake of the show debuted in the Netherlands: Kees & Co starring Simone Kleinsma.^[4] The remake ran for eight seasons between 1997 and 2006. The first five seasons were adapted from the original English scripts, while the last three seasons featured original storylines and characters. In 2018 it was announced that the remake would return for a ninth season with Simone Kleinsma reprising her role.^[5]

Cast[]

Main characters[]

• Bill Porter (Belinda Lang)
• Ben Porter (Gary Olsen)
• Jenny Porter (Clare Woodgate, series 1 & 2; Clare Buckfield, series 3–8)
• David Porter (John Pickard)
• Rona Harris (Julia Hills)
• Christine Atkins (Kim Benson, guest appearance series 1, regular series 2–8)
• Declan (Mitchell Ray, guest appearance series 7; Alex Kew, series 8)

Supporting characters[]

• Tina (Patricia Brake, Series 1; Sandra Dickinson, series 2–8)
• Auntie Pearl (Barbara Lott)
• Gerry (Leonard O'Malley)
• Tony (Tom Roberts)
• Aunt Belle, Bette – (Liz Smith played both characters)
• Dora Grimes (Annette Kerr)
• Adam (Paul Raffield)
• Jake 'The Klingon' Klinger (Roger Lloyd-Pack, series 3–6)

Plot summary[]

The Porters are a working-class family who live in Chiswick, London who at first seem normal enough. Bill is the sensible, level-headed mother who does the cooking and housework whilst running a catering business with her highly sexed best friend Rona. Ben is the father, who is often just as immature as the children. He runs a heating repair business with his moody and sarcastic assistant Christine.

Jenny is the typical teenage daughter, keen on boys, music, and vegetarianism, and David is the mischievous younger brother, who enjoys horror films, aliens, and annoying his older sister.

However, the Porters' world is frequently upended by bizarre occurrences and bad luck. Whether it is dealing with flatulent dogs, a frozen body in a freezer in the front room, or even stumbling across a warehouse filled with Shirley Bassey's cast-off ballgowns, anything seems possible in the Porters' world. Traditionally Christmas episodes would feature characters collectively performing a musical number.^[6]

Episodes[]

The show originally ran from 1991 to 1999. 56 episodes were made over eight series, including six Christmas specials in which the cast performed carols or original theme songs.

Andrew Marshall wrote virtually all the episodes except for a few in series seven which were written by Paul Alexander, Simon Braithwaite and Paul Smith.

Home media[]

BBC Enterprises released a video in 1993, comprising the first three episodes of the series, which are known as: Leader of the Pack, Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, and When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Go Shopping.

The first three series were released on Region 2 DVD by Eureka Video in 2005. A box set of the first three series was also made available in 2008, again through Eureka Video, with music changes within the episodes. Eureka Video stated that "sales were not good" and they released no further series. 2Entertain, part of BBC Worldwide, say they have tried many times to license the series for distribution by a third party but the high clearance costs for music and imagery used has been the main deterrent.

A Facebook page to campaign for a release has existed since 2009.

Since December 2021, nearly all episodes (with only episodes 2 and 3 of series 7 missing) have been released on BritBox in the United Kingdom.

References[]

External links[]

• 2point4 Children at BBC Online
• 2point4 children at BBC Online Comedy Guide
• 2point4 Children at British Comedy Guide
• 2point4 children at Phill.co.uk Comedy Guide
• 2point4 children at IMDb
• 2point4 Children at epguides.com