1990

S1.E1 ∙ Welcome to Bayview

Wed, Jun 27, 1990

Tom Ballard is put into the Bayview Retirement Village by his weak-willed son Geoffrey and his domineering, drunk daughter-in-law Marion. Many of the residents are very passive, but retired journalist Diana Trent's mission in life is to annoy "the idiot Bains"--the home's manager, Harvey Nigel Bains. Diana initially thinks that Tom is rather dotty, but when he tries to organize the residents into action against the home's poor food, she knows that she has found an ally.

8 /10

S1.E2 ∙ A Trip to Brighton

Wed, Jul 04, 1990

Diana rows with chief carer Jane for calling her a senior citizen, and Tom does his best to ignore Marion and Geoffrey. Diana's niece Sarah has left her Porsche at Bayview, so Diana drives Tom to Brighton in it. Harvey Bains reports it missing and the couple are stopped by the police but explain that Diana has her niece's permission to use her car, and Harvey is threatened with arrest for wasting police time.

7.7 /10

S1.E3 ∙ Cheering Up Tom

Wed, Jul 11, 1990

Tom really thinks that he won't have to wait for God much longer when he says he is dying and is rushed to hospital. He is discovered to have had a heart attack but he becomes very depressed and talks about suicide, writing "die on Thursday" in his diary. To talk him out of what she believes to be his plan to end it all, Diana threatens to join him.

7.6 /10

S1.E4 ∙ The Christening

Wed, Jul 18, 1990

Tom is going to his great-nephew's christening and wants Diana to accompany him, but she is not keen because her arthritis is acting up. Because she failed to declare it on her application form, Harvey tries to get her evicted from Bayview. Tom doctors a "naughty" photo of Harvey to blackmail him into changing his mind, but Diana uses her old press contacts to "persuade" the committee to let her stay.

7.5 /10

S1.E5 ∙ Fraulein Mueller

Wed, Jul 25, 1990

Jane wants to become a nun, so Harvey sacks her and brings in stern German matron Greta Mueller, who is a tyrant and tells Sarah where Diana hid her Porsche. Tom cons Harvey into making him the head of the Residents' Association and gets up a petition, which Harvey thinks is to get rid of Diana, so he signs it. Actually it's to get rid of Greta, so he is forced to fire her and reinstate Jane.

7.6 /10

S1.E6 ∙ The Psychiatrist

Wed, Aug 01, 1990

Harvey decides that if Diana and Tom are seen to be mentally incompetent, he will gain power of attorney over them and end all of his trouble, particularly as Bayview is in financial difficulties, so he refers them to psychiatrist Dr. Darrow, for whom they act out a well-rehearsed pantomime of odd behaviour that leads the doctor to conclude that they are not mad--just a touch eccentric; unexpected help comes from Sarah.

7.8 /10

S1.E7 ∙ The Helicopter

Wed, Aug 08, 1990

With upcoming by-elections, Councillor Ferguson is courting the grey vote and visits Bayview. At the same time Diana, once a photo-journalist, takes Tom up in a helicopter to take aerial shots of local houses to sell to their owners. Among her shots is one of Ferguson and the Swedish nanny being very naughty on the lawn. This comes in handy at scuppering Ferguson's plan to support a Japanese spare-parts factory being built next to Bayview.

7.6 /10