You're Only Young Twice is a Britcom that aired on ITV in 1971, starring Liam Redmond, Adrienne Corri, Peter Copley, George Woodbridge, Leslie Dwyer, Vic Wise, Carmen Munroe, Anthony Jackson, Walter Swash, and John Dolan.
The series takes place in Twilight Lodge, an old folk's home run by the Matron (Corri), with the help of employees Corrinna (Munroe) and Benny (Jackson). Their latest resident is ex-detective Henry Armitage (Redmond), who is joining the ranks of fellow old folks Peter (Copley), Mark (Woodbridge), Reg (Dwyer), Giulio (Wise), Mr. Freestone (Swash), and Ambrose (Dolan).
While the residents of Twilight Lodge may be old, they still enjoy life enough to get into mischief and pull the odd practical joke or two, much to the annoyance of Matron, who wants to keep the home running smoothly.
The series was never rerun or released on home media or streaming as all six episodes have been wiped.
Not to be mistaken for the 1952 film or the 1977-81 series of the same name. The latter was also set in a retirement home.
You Only Trope Twice:
- Battleaxe Nurse: Matron is constantly trying to spoil the residents' fun if only to keep the running of Twilight Lodge efficient.
- British Brevity: Only one series of six episodes was made.
- Broke Episode: In "Innocents in Peril", Matron discovers that Twilight Lodge is in serious debt. To earn the cash they need, the residents put bets on the horses.
- December–December Romance: In "Born Again", Peter discovers he is a year younger than he thought. Following this revelation, he attempts to do everything he couldn't do when he was a vicar, such as getting a girlfriend, the similarly elderly Miss Puffin.
- Everyone Calls Her "Barkeep": Matron is only known by her title, with no first or last names given.
- Last-Name Basis: Armitage's first name is "Henry", but he mostly goes by his surname.
- Minimalist Cast: Both "Innocents in Peril" and "Collapse of Stout Party" featured only the lead cast.
- Mystery Episode: "Conspiracy of Silence" follows Armitage's attempts to crack the case on who is the arsonist who keeps ruining Ambrose's gardening tools.
- No Full Name Given: Aside from Armitage, none of the Twilight Lodge residents (Peter, Mark, Reg, Guilio, Mr. Freestone, and Ambrose) or staff (Corrinna and Benny) have their full names given.
- No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: The residents of Twilight Lodge try to organise a holiday for Matron and the staff in "Collapse of Stout Party" as thanks for all their hard work. In true comic fashion, however, all their best-laid plans go astray.
- Posthumous Character: Cuthbert Fogarty, a former resident of Twilight Lodge who passed before Armitage moved in. Armitage tries to distract himself from the fact that he is stuck in an old folk's home in "Home Sweet Homicide" by investigating the mysterious circumstances surrounding his death.
- Pun-Based Title: The first episode is titled "Home Sweet Homicide", a play on the phrase "Home, sweet home".
- Short-Runners: The series ran for only six episodes.
- Token Minority: Corrinna is the only regular character not to be a white person, being a black woman.
- The Vicar: Peter was a vicar before moving into Twilight Lodge. When he discovers in "Born Again" that he is a year younger than he thought, he decides to do everything he denied himself during his clerical days, including getting a girlfriend, Miss Puffin.
- "Walk on the Wild Side" Episode: In "Born Again", Peter discovers he is actually a year younger than he thought he was, and so decides to let loose and do everything he wasn't allowed to do while he was a vicar.
- Welcome Episode: "Home Sweet Homicide" is for Armitage, wherein he is the newest resident to join the ranks at Twilight Lodge.
