In this BBC comedy drama, a suburban housewife is forced to rebuild her life when her husband of twenty years abruptly leaves.
Shirley Frame (Brenda Blethyn) is a 39-year-old housewife whose comfortable life collapses when Phil (Warren Clarke), her husband of two decades, announces he is leaving her for a work colleague, Dolly (Deborah Findlay). Thrown into emotional and financial turmoil, Shirley struggles to find her footing while receiving little support from her two teenage sons, Anthony (Paul Reynolds) and Paul (Timothy Stark). Supported by her friend Rachel Bromley (Celia Imrie), Shirley begins the difficult process of creating a new identity, a journey marked by domestic mishaps, a difficult trip north to visit an old friend, and a fraught encounter with a suicidal poet.
Written by Lesley Bruce, this six-part serial rejected the conventions of plot-driven sitcoms for a naturalistic style rooted in character observation. The production’s tone, frequently compared by critics to the work of director Mike Leigh, was built on the absurdities and minor tragedies of suburban life. Brenda Blethyn’s central performance was the anchor of the programme, creating a portrait of a woman whose gentle, sometimes whiny, disposition masked a resilient spirit. This deliberate, character-focused approach divided opinion; while some found its humour authentic and quietly affecting, others considered the pacing slow and the characters uncomfortably close to parody.
Broadcast: BBC One, 6 Episodes, Tuesdays, 14 May 1991 – 18 June 1991
Written by: Lesley Bruce
Director: Sharon Miller
Producer: Lynn Horsford
Main Cast: Brenda Blethyn (Shirley Frame), Warren Clarke (Phil Frame), Paul Reynolds (Anthony Frame), Timothy Stark (Paul Frame), Celia Imrie (Rachel Bromley), Deborah Findlay (Doll), Ken Stott (Lawrence Wilson), Jemma Redgrave (Elaine Wilson), Barbara Young (Hetty Wilson), Ron Pember (Victor Wilson)
