Agony

Agony is a British sitcom that aired on ITV from 1979 to 1981. Made by London Weekend Television, it stars Maureen Lipman as Jane Lucas who has a successful career as an agony aunt but whose own personal life is a shambles. It was created by Len Richmond and real-life agony aunt Anna Raeburn, both of whom wrote all of the first series. The second and third series were written by Stan Hey and Andrew Nickolds. Agony was the first British sitcom to portray a gay couple as non-camp, witty, intelligent and happy people. Cast Maureen Lipman - Jane Lucas Simon Williams - Laurence Lucas Maria Charles - Bea Fisher Peter Blake - Andy Evol Jeremy Bulloch - Rob Peter Denyer - Michael Diana Weston - Val Dunn Jan Holden - Diana Robert Gillespie - Mr. Mince (Series 1) Robert Austin - Junior Truscombe (series 2 and 3) Bill Nighy - Vincent Fish (series 2) Josephine Welcome - Indira Patel (Series 2) Premise Jane Lucas is an agony aunt, who is highly successful in her career working at radio call-in show (for Happening Radio 242) in London and writing the "Dear Jane" advice column for Person magazine, but whose own marriage and personal life is a complete disaster. Her Jewish mother, Bea, interferes in all aspects of her life, and her gentile psychiatrist husband Laurence is unreliable and emotionally inept during the course of their on/off relationship. Jane's friends and colleagues include her assistant Val, her boss Diana, and her gay neighbours Rob and Michael, all of whom come to her with problems of their own. Meanwhile, Jane has to contend with the constant advances of oversexed, smarmy radio disc jockey Andy Evol and the equally libidinous Vincent Fish.