The Abbott family, clockwise from top to bottom - Sid, Sally, Jean, Mike.
"You know that generation gap they keep going on about? It's between his ears!"
— Sid Abbott complaining about his son, Mike.
Bless This House is a Britcom that was produced by Thames Television for ITV from 1971-76, starring Sid James as Sid Abbott, a travelling stationery salesman and middle-aged family man desperate to find some peace and quiet in his home life. This is easier said than done, thanks to the presence of his son, Mike (Robin Stewart) - an unemployed art student drop-out - and his daughter, Sally (Sally Geeson) - who is growing up far too quickly for Sid's liking! Attempts to keep peace in the household from his wife, Jean (Diana Coupland), do far more harm than good, and the generation gap in the Abbott household quickly turns into a generation chasm!
Other recurring characters on the show were the Abbott's neighbours - Trevor and Betty Lewis (Anthony Jackson and Patsy Rowlands). Trevor is Sid's best mate, while Jean and Betty gang up on the two whenever they find themselves in trouble.
A Non-Serial Movie came out between Series 2 and 3, notable for recasting Mike and Trevor (with Robin Askwith and Peter Butterworth respectively) and featured a plot about Sid's cold war with his new neighbours, Ronald and Vera Baines (Terry Scott and June Whitfield). Both Askwith and Whitfield played unrelated characters in the TV series.
Bless These Tropes:
- A-Cup Angst: Sally wears a padded bra, a fact that causes Sid great distress when he discovers this in "The Generation Gap".
- Ask a Stupid Question...: When Mike finally leaves the bathroom only to find an extremely annoyed Sid in "The Generation Gap":Mike: Oh, 'ello, dad. Y'waitin' for the bathroom?Sid: No. I'm waitin' for the cross-Channel 'overcraft.
- Birthday Episode:
- "People in Glass Houses" takes place on Mike's birthday, when he clashes with Sid over a gift he wants.
- "Happy Birthday Sid" sees the family getting Sid a present they hope he'll love.
- Crazy Jealous Guy: Sid becomes one in the appropriately titled "I'm Not Jealous, I'll Kill Him" after Jean reunites with an old flame.
- Curse Cut Short: Jean stops Sid from saying "crumpet" (British slang for an attractive woman) in "The Generation Gap".Sid: When I was 'is age, I 'ad more crum-Jean: Yes, Sidney?
- Double Take: Sid has a hilarious one after seeing Sally's (mercifully fake) boobs in "The Generation Gap".
- Dumbass Teenage Son: Mike is an unemployed drop-out who frequently gets on Sid's nerves.
- Forgotten Anniversary: Sid forgets his silver wedding anniversary party in "The First 25 Years Are the Worst".
- Holiday Episode: "Father's Day" revolves around Sid getting a surprise Father's Day gift.
- Hypocritical Humour: In "The Generation Game", Sid complains that Mike hasn't been out with enough girls... completely ignoring the fact that right before he was complaining about Sally trying to attract boys. Naturally, Jean calls him out on this.
- Inconsistent Spelling: The family's surname alternates between being spelt "Abbott" and "Abbot", although the former is more commonly used.
- Likes Older Men: Angela from "The Generation Gap". While Sid was hoping for her to seduce Mike, she instead throws herself at him, much to his horror.
- Manchild: Sid is quite fond of playing "Dive Bombers" in the bath, a fact which both Jean and Mike tease him about in "The Generation Gap".
- Mistaken for Gay: Sid believes Mike may be gay in "The Generation Gap", and uses his lack of stereotypical male interests (going to the pub, football and fighting) as proof.
- Modesty Towel: One is all that Mike wears after his bath in the first scene of "The Generation Gap".
- My Girl Is Not a Slut: In "The Generation Gap", Sid is disgusted at the idea that Sally would try to pick up boys, before funnily enough complaining that Mike hasn't gotten with enough girls.
- New Job Episode: "A Woman's Place" has Jean get a job working in a Soho bookshop.
- One-Steve Limit: Jean was not only the name of Diana Coupland's character, but Gene Fletcher (short for Eugene) also was the name of a friend of Mike's in "The Generation Gap". This ends up confusing Sid, who thought Mike was going out with a girl.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: Sid and Mike are short for "Sidney" and "Michael", the two of which are only used for scoldings.
- Percussive Maintenance: Jean always knows where to hit the TV when it stops working, which causes Sid a spot of bother when she isn't around to do it for him in "Mum's the Word".
- Pop-Culture Pun Episode Title:
- "Another Lost Weekend" is a play on the film The Lost Weekend.
- "The Loneliness of the Short Distance Walker" is a play on the film The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner.
- Pun-Based Title:
- "If the Dog Collar Fits... Wear it!", a play on the phrase "If the boot fits, wear it".
- "Parents Should Be Seen and Not Heard", a play on the phrase "Children should be seen and not heard".
- "One Good Turn Deserves a Bother", a play on the phrase "One good turn deserves another".
- "Home Tweet Home", a play on the phrase "Home sweet home".
- Questioning Title?:
- "Who's Minding the Baby?" from Series 4.
- "Remember Me?" from Series 6.
- Shirtless Scene: Mike is introduced with one in "The Generation Gap" after an extraordinarily long bath.
- Shout-Out: The episode "Will the Real Sid Abbott Please Stand Up" gets its title from the phrase "Will the real ____ please stand up?" from the Game Show To Tell the Truth.
- Sick Episode: Jean, Sally, and Mike all catch the flu in "Atishoo! Atishoo! We All Fall Down".
- Speak in Unison: Jean, Sally and Mike all drone "No" when Sid asks if the phone is ringing during his attempt to dodge the question of what happened to Angela in "The Generation Game".
- Status Quo Is God: Mike moves out after an argument with Sid in "Be It Ever So Humble" but returns to the household by the episode's end.
- Teen Pregnancy: Sid is horrified at the idea of Sally falling victim to this:Sid: You'd change yer tune if she should come home with a... bun in the oven.Jean: She can't get a bun in the oven. She's on the pill, remember?
- Titled After the Song:
- The episode "Friends and Neighbours" gets its title from the song of the same name.
- The finale, "Some Enchanted Evening", is titled after a song from South Pacific.
- Transatlantic Equivalent: In Australia, the show was remade into Home Sweet Home starring John Bluthal. It ran for three series from 1980-82 with 26 episodes in total.
- Traveling Salesman: Sid works as one selling stationery.
- What Did I Do Last Night?: Sid is unable to remember the events of his Boy Scout annual get-together in "The Morning After the Night Before", but once Jean helps him begin to trigger his memories, Sid has to scramble to make sure that she doesn't find out anything she shouldn't.
