Comedy starring Ruth Dunning and Edward Evans. A builder finds his life becoming increasingly complicated when he innocently receives some stolen property. He also has deadlines to meet, as an impending royal visit to the housing estate that he is building draws closer.
The Grove Family was one of BBC television's great popular successes, a series that today would be termed soap opera, but was then a compulsive, if low-key, look at the busy life of a very average suburban family. The excellent Ruth Dunning and Edward Evans were Gladys and Bob Grove, and the acting honours, and the popularity stakes, were hijacked by formidable Nancy Roberts as Gran. This cheaply made feature version of the show, produced quickly and efficiently by Butcher's Films with the original cast, now looks like a perfect period artefact. The plot is wonderfully naive, casting doubt on upright Mr Grove's integrity, and the cast is studded with marvellous 1950s faces such as Sid James, Victor Maddern, Michael Balfour and Vera Day. It's a treat for nostalgists and those who cherish that period of postwar austerity, when such a cosy family unit was perceived as the ideal.
| role | name |
|---|---|
| Gladys Grove | Ruth Dunning |
| Bob Grove | Edward Evans |
| Harry Mason | Sidney James |
| Blondie | Vera Day |
| Pat Grove | Sheila Sweet |
| Jack Grove | Peter Bryant (1) |
| Gran | Nancy Roberts |
| Daphne Grove | Margaret Downs |
| Lennie Grove | Christopher Beeny |
| role | name |
|---|---|
| Director | John Warrington |
