A Marriage of (In)Convenience

Stress as an executive these days is usually defined as which golf course to visit or what to do with the millions shovelled into your bank account. Back in the 80’s it was a lot tougher. You had to work in an office with your wife but not let on you’re married, and then be barked at by a meglomanic American.

Starring Penelope Keith and Geoffrey Palmer, this is a classic 80’s Thames comedy. There were three series in total with the first oddly comprising of 7 episodes (it’s usually 6 right?)

The central plot revolves around Caroline and Donald Fairchild, a middle aged couple with five children and whose last child has just left home to study at Oxford.

Donald is Sales and Marketing Director for Ginsberg, a stuffy, down-at-heel publishing house owned by spendthrift 74 year old Herman Ginsberg (played by Richard Marner, best known as Colonel Kurt von Strohm in Allo Allo).

Caroline previously worked in publishing as an editor; her main success was editing a series of top-selling books called the Dartington Trilogy.

However, she had to give this up to raise all those children, but now some 20 year on, wants to resume her career much to Donald’s amusement who suggests that working in the local flower shop might be more suitable.

In the first episode two major events happen. Firstly, and unbeknown to Donald, Caroline manages to get a job interview for Editorial Director at a modern, dynamic publishing corporation called Oasis run by brash New Yorker Edgar Frankland (the third no less!).

“We Need Someone Like You Here”

She easily gets it thanks mainly to the fact that Oasis now own the rights to the lucrative Dartington Trilogy and also that Caroline’s old secretary from that period is now a senior director and bumps into her in the reception.

Donald meanwhile, is fully expecting to take the reins at Ginsberg when Herman announces his imminent retirement.

Unfortunately, the announcement actually made is that Oasis has bought out Ginsberg’s (with Herman pocketing a cool £3million for the Soho building) which somewhat wipes the smug smile off Donald’s face.

Somewhat concerned at first, he is then pleased to learn that he is to be made Sales and Marketing Director at Oasis “with the usual stock options” according to Edgar.

“Somebody You’re Going to be Working Closely With”

On Donald’s first day at Oasis, Edgar introduces Donald to his senior staff – including of course Donald’s wife Caroline! Both have to suppress their embarrassment (and the truth about their marriage as Caroline used her maiden name in the job application).

Things get complicated later when they decide to confess to their marriage only to learn in a chance conversation that Oasis has a strict company rule – no married couple are allowed to work together, so one will have to leave!

I don’t know how prevalent this actually was at the time, or if it still exists in some organisations today, but trying to keep the truth secret, and the resulting scrapes this gets them into, forms the basis of most of the plots for the subsequent episodes. This usually results in Caroline getting the upper hand over Donald much to his exasperation.

At one point, Donald confides to a friend his dismay at working with his own wife, and the friend arranges for a headhunter to make a (doomed) attempt to poach Caroline for a new publishing startup.

The headhunter is played by Norman Eshley – Geoffrey Fourmile in George and Mildred. Much to Caroline’s amusement he prefers to be called an “Executive Recruitment Executive”.

For the subsequent two series, Palmer was unavailable and so Peter Bowles assumes the role of Donald – thus re-uniting the famous double act of Keith/Bowles that was so successful in To The Manor Born.

(Also being replaced was the character of Peter Stewart, now played by David Neville).

Executive Stress was written by actor turned writer George Layton and was actually inspired by issues his own wife had returning to work after raising their children.

His most famous TV appearances were in the Doctor In The House series, and It Ain’t Half Hot Mum and he also played a dodgy mechanic friend of Terry in Minder. Prior to Executive Stress he wrote the comedy Don’t Wait Up starring Nigel Havers.

As with most TV series of these vintage, there are no extras on the DVD. It would have been nice for at least an interview with the stars or some commentary.

The casting is perfect and the plots are cleverly constructed – just when you think the game is up for the couple they somehow manage to get out of it.

At first I though that some of the ideas that Palmer’s character had about women in the workplace were perhaps a bit far-fetched, but at the time I think some husbands probably did have this attitude so if you bear this in mind you can sort of see the pain that his character is going through!

Mention has to be made too of the catchy theme tune – “Remember why we fell in love” penned by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber no less, and sung by Julie Covington.

Executive Stress is a rather gentle comedy – if you liked As Time Goes By (also starring Palmer) then you’ll love this. It’s not all fluffy married couple humour – there are some important lessons to be learnt, predominantly about sexism in the workplace.

Train Trivia

The scenes at “Paddington Station” were actually filmed at Marylebone (probably on a quiet Sunday). Marylebone looks similar and is far less busy.

The couple’s local station, supposedly Seer Green near Beaconsfield in Buckinghamshire was actually Oxshott in Surrey!

Also

HR Executive Peter Stewart is played by Timothy Carlton whose wife, Wanda Ventham appears in one episode. Together they are the parents of Benedict Cumberbatch!