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	==Cast and setting==		==Cast and setting==
	[[~~Image~~:Wendy Craig in Butterflies.jpg\|~~left~~\|thumb\|[[Wendy Craig]] and [[Geoffrey Palmer (actor)\|Geoffrey Palmer]], pictured on ''Butterflies'' Region 1 DVD cover]]		[[File:Wendy Craig in Butterflies.jpg\|right\|thumb\|[[Wendy Craig]] and [[Geoffrey Palmer (actor)\|Geoffrey Palmer]], pictured on ''Butterflies'' Region 1 DVD cover]]
	The show stars [[Wendy Craig]] as Ria Parkinson, a frustrated [[Homemaking\|'stay-at-home' housewife]], and [[Geoffrey Palmer (actor)\|Geoffrey Palmer]] as her reserved and hard-working dentist husband, Ben, who is also an amateur [[lepidopterist]]. Ria's early dialogue in the first series suggests her age as early 40s, whereas her husband, Ben, describes himself as "the wrong side of 45". Ben is a typically traditional, [[Conservatism\|conservative]] [[White-collar worker\|white-collar]] professional, ill-at-ease with his sons' lack of [[work ethic]] and carefree, rebellious attitudes whilst remaining unaware of his wife's impending [[mid-life crisis\|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 show stars [[Wendy Craig]] as Ria Parkinson, a frustrated [[Homemaking\|'stay-at-home' housewife]], and [[Geoffrey Palmer (actor)\|Geoffrey Palmer]] as her reserved and hard-working dentist husband, Ben, who is also an amateur [[lepidopterist]]. Ria's early dialogue in the first series suggests her age as early 40s, whereas her husband, Ben, describes himself as "the wrong side of 45". Ben is a typically traditional, [[Conservatism\|conservative]] [[White-collar worker\|white-collar]] professional, ill-at-ease with his sons' lack of [[work ethic]] and carefree, rebellious attitudes whilst remaining unaware of his wife's impending [[mid-life crisis\|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.

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	{{Infobox television		{{Infobox television
	\| image = Butterflies ~~title card~~.jpg		\| image = Butterflies (TV series).jpg
	\| genre = [[Sitcom]]		\| genre = [[Sitcom]]
	\| creator = [[Carla Lane]]		\| creator = [[Carla Lane]]

Kurt at 18:36, 17 March 2023

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	~~{{short description\|British sitcom}}~~
	~~{{distinguish\|Butterfly (TV series)}}~~
	~~{{Use dmy dates\|date=March 2022}}~~
	~~{{Use British English\|date=November 2017}}~~
	{{Infobox television		{{Infobox television
	\| image = Butterflies title card.jpg		\| image = Butterflies title card.jpg
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	== DVD release ==		== DVD release ==
	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.~~{{citation needed\|date=May 2020}}~~		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.

	== References ==		== References ==

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Cast and setting

New page

{{short description|British sitcom}}
{{distinguish|Butterfly (TV series)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2022}}
{{Use British English|date=November 2017}}
{{Infobox television
| image = Butterflies title card.jpg
| genre = [[Sitcom]]
| creator = [[Carla Lane]]
| writer = Carla Lane
| director = {{nowrap|[[Gareth Gwenlan]] (1978–79) John B. Hobbs (1979–80) [[Sydney Lotterby]] (1980–83) [[Mandie Fletcher]] (1983)}}
| starring = [[Wendy Craig]] [[Geoffrey Palmer (actor)|Geoffrey Palmer]] [[Nicholas Lyndhurst]] [[Andrew Hall (actor)|Andrew Hall]] [[Bruce Montague]] [[Michael Ripper]] [[Joyce Windsor]]
| theme_music_composer = [[Dolly Parton]]
| opentheme = "[[Love Is Like a Butterfly (song)|Love Is Like a Butterfly]]"
| endtheme = "Love Is Like a Butterfly"
| country = United Kingdom
| language = English
| num_series = 4
| num_episodes = 30 (including 2 shorts)
| producer = {{nowrap|Gareth Gwenlan (1978–79) Sydney Lotterby (1980–83)}}
| location = [[Cheltenham]], [[Gloucestershire]], England
| runtime = 30 minutes
| network = [[BBC Two|BBC2]]
| first_aired = {{Start date|1978|11|10|df=y}}
| last_aired = {{End date|1983|10|19|df=y}}
}}
'''''Butterflies''''' is a [[British sitcom]] written by [[Carla Lane]] that aired on [[BBC Two|BBC2]] from 10 November 1978 to 19 October 1983, with each series repeated on [[BBC One|BBC1]] a few months after the original transmissions.

The subject, the day-to-day life of the comfortable [[social class in the United Kingdom#Middle class|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<ref name="lane_interview">{{cite interview |last=Lane |first=Carla |subject-link=Carla Lane |interviewer= |title=Butterflies – Series 1 |type=Interview |publisher=[[Acorn Media UK]] |year=2002 }}</ref> relationship with the outwardly-successful Leonard. Ria is still [[in love]] with her husband, Ben, and has raised two teenage sons, yet finds herself unhappy and dissatisfied with her life and in need of something more. Throughout the series, Ria searches for that "something more", and finds some solace in her unconventional friendship with Leonard. In a 2002 interview, Carla Lane explained, "I wanted to write a comedy about a woman seriously contemplating [[adultery]]."<ref name="lane_interview" />

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." She 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.

==Cast and setting==
[[Image:Wendy Craig in Butterflies.jpg|left|thumb|[[Wendy Craig]] and [[Geoffrey Palmer (actor)|Geoffrey Palmer]], pictured on ''Butterflies'' Region 1 DVD cover]]
The show stars [[Wendy Craig]] as Ria Parkinson, a frustrated [[Homemaking|'stay-at-home' housewife]], and [[Geoffrey Palmer (actor)|Geoffrey Palmer]] as her reserved and hard-working dentist husband, Ben, who is also an amateur [[lepidopterist]]. Ria's early dialogue in the first series suggests her age as early 40s, whereas her husband, Ben, describes himself as "the wrong side of 45". Ben is a typically traditional, [[Conservatism|conservative]] [[White-collar worker|white-collar]] professional, ill-at-ease with his sons' lack of [[work ethic]] and carefree, rebellious attitudes whilst remaining unaware of his wife's impending [[mid-life crisis|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). Their younger son Adam is played by [[Nicholas Lyndhurst]], and their elder son Russell by [[Andrew Hall (actor)|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 their father's traditional post-war reserved British attitude, whilst also facing their own issues such as unemployment, girlfriend troubles, [[cannabis]] use against the wishes of their horrified father, and [[teenage pregnancy]], when Russell fathers a child with his on-off girlfriend. [[Bruce Montague]] plays Ria's friend Leonard, a successful businessman aged 44, whose wife has recently left him; he, 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 (song)|Love Is Like a Butterfly]]", is a 1974 single written and originally recorded by [[United States|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 her dilemma, and walking through a park on her own.<ref>{{cite web |title=Butterflies (TV Series)|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081838/ |website=Internet Movie Database (IMDB) |accessdate=8 June 2016}}</ref> 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 his 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 she walks through the park. He later turns out to be real. The Adagio is used as a "filler" for the lack of script.

==Continuity==
The Parkinson's 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".

==Filming locations==
Unlike most Carla Lane sitcoms, ''Butterflies'' is not set in [[Liverpool]], but 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, Gloucestershire|Montpellier]] and Hatherley Park.<ref name="sites.google.com">[https://sites.google.com/site/gloucestershireonscreen/home/1970s/butterflies-tv-1978 Gloucestershire On Screen Relocated Website]</ref> Exterior shots for the Parkinson house were filmed at 30 Bournside Road in [[Up Hatherley]], Cheltenham.<ref name="sites.google.com"/> 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.<ref>{{citation |title=''Butterflies'' (TV 1978) |publisher=Gloucestershire Onscreen |url=http://www.gloucestershireonscreen.co.uk/home/1970s/butterflies-tv-1978%20%27Butterflies%20TV%20Locations%27 |archivedate=26 October 2010 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101026085219/http://www.gloucestershireonscreen.co.uk/home/1970s/butterflies-tv-1978}}</ref>

== Episodes ==
The series comprises twenty-eight episodes.

{|class=wikitable
|-
!Series !!Year !!Episodes
|-
|1 ||1978 ||
#"When Ria Met Leonard": Ria meets a man and is [[sexual attraction|attracted]] to him
#"Breaking the Silence": Ben and Russell start talking to each other again
#"Thinking About a Job": Ria is bored and wants a job – but Ben forbids it
#"How About Lunch?": Leonard wants Ria to spend his 45th birthday with him
#"The Lovers": Russell chains himself to a statue to protest against it being exported
#"He'll Have to Go": Ria considers 'spring-cleaning' her life
|-
|2 ||1979 ||
#"Leaving": Adam's girlfriend [[breakup|ends]] their [[intimate relationship|relationship]]
#"Fox Hunting": Ria protests against a fox hunt
#"Worrying": Ria meets a woman in the park who hates not having children
#"A Dog's Life": Ria narrowly avoids running over a dog, then lectures it
#"Keeping Fit": Ria takes a keep-fit class
#"An Attractive Visitor": Ria invites a sexy young divorcée to the house
#"Lunch with Leonard": Ria meets Leonard
#"Christmas with the Parkinsons": Ria finds Christmas difficult
|-
|3 ||1980 ||
#"An Empty Cage": Adam starts work as a lorry driver
#"Ruby's Crisis": Ruby fights an urge to shoplift
#"Pregnancy": Russell finds out his girlfriend Jeannie is pregnant, and tells his family
#"Problems, Problems": The Parkinsons all have problems
#"Happy Birthday, Ria": Ria takes a day trip to London
#"Gimme Shelter": A friend of Ria's visits, but their conversation goes badly
#"Parting": Leonard is going to New York and invites Ria to his flat before he goes
|-
|4 ||1983 ||
#"Back from New York": Ria receives a letter from Leonard, then loses it
#"Amanda": An [[ex (relationship)|ex]] of Ben's visits
#"Pot": Ria and Ben return from their trip to Paris
#"Cleaning Windows": Russell and Adam become window cleaners
#"Calling": Jeannie tells Russell that she wants to be a single mother
#"Breaking Up": Ria decides to end her friendship with Leonard
#"Loose Ends": Leonard still wants an affair with Ria, but she 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. She reveals to Adam privately that Leonard has gone to New York, but he is instead outside in his car, until Thomas reminds him that his former wife is waiting for him at home. Leonard calls Ria on the home phone and Adam answers. Asking for Ria, Leonard is told that Ria is kissing Ben under the [[mistletoe]]. When Ria gets to the phone, Leonard hears her voice and hangs up without speaking.

===Special for Children in Need (2000)===
In November 2000, the cast (save 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 her situation. Her 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 her husband, Ben Parkinson. Film actor [[Jim Hutton]] was featured as Leonard Dean in this version. It was Hutton's last acting job. He died suddenly from liver cancer at the age of 45 in June 1979, several weeks before the pilot aired.

== DVD release ==
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.{{citation needed|date=May 2020}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
*{{BBC programme}}
*{{BBC Online|comedy/guide/articles/b/butterflies_7771125.shtml|''Butterflies''}} Comedy Guide
*{{IMDb title|0081838|Butterflies}}
*{{Screenonline TV title|1180242|Butterflies}}
*{{British Comedy Guide|tv|butterflies}}
*[http://www.phill.co.uk/comedy/bflies/ ''Butterflies''] at Phill.co.uk

{{Carla Lane}}

[[Category:1978 British television series debuts]]
[[Category:1983 British television series endings]]
[[Category:1970s British sitcoms]]
[[Category:1980s British sitcoms]]
[[Category:BBC television sitcoms]]
[[Category:English-language television shows]]
[[Category:Midlife crisis in television]]
[[Category:Television series about brothers]]
[[Category:Television series about marriage]]
[[Category:Television shows set in Gloucestershire]]

Butterflies (TV series) - Revision history

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