Best of Friends is a Britcom that aired on ITV in 1963, starring Charles Hawtrey and Hylda Baker.
Charles (Hawtrey) is an insurance salesman who works in an office next to a café owned by Hylda (Baker). Charles is rather wimpish, effete, and bumbling, and so Hylda takes it upon herself to look out for him, accompanying him on insurance assignments.
Charles' boss is his Uncle Sidney (Henry Longhurst), who is unable to but greatly wishes he could fire his useless employee/nephew. Hylda takes none of this and stands up for Charles against Uncle Sidney whenever she can. Another key player in the series was Sheena (Sheena Marshe).
The series was never repeated after its initial run and all thirteen episodes are now lost.
Not to be mistaken for the 2004 Game Show of the same name.
Best of Tropes:
- Alliterative Title: The seventh episode was titled "Star Struck".
- British Brevity: Only one series of thirteen episodes was made.
- The Millstone: Charles is to the insurance office he works for, to the point where he struggles to get anything done without Hylda. Uncle Sidney wishes he could fire him, and only keeps him on as Charles is his nephew.
- Nepotism: Charles' boss at the insurance office is his Uncle Sidney, who wishes he could fire him but can't as he is his nephew.
- No Full Name Given: We don't get to find out Charles, Hylda, or Sheena's last names. As they
share the first names of their actors (Charles Hawtrey, Hylda Baker, and Sheena Marshe) it could be assumed that they also share their surnames. Uncle Sidney's surname is also unknown, but presumably would be the same as Charles'. - One-Word Title: The first episode was titled "Incognito".
- Pop-Culture Pun Episode Title:
- The twelfth episode was titled "Desert Island Risks", a play on Desert Island Discs.
- The final episode was titled "This Is Your Wife", a play on This Is Your Life.
- Pun-Based Title: The third episode was titled "Stars and Strife", a play on "stars and stripes".
- Short-Runners: The series ran for only thirteen episodes.
