A Fine Romance

Written by: Jake Godfrey
Published: Sunday 8th June 2025

Judi Dench is unquestionably a national treasure, though in interviews she often scoffs at the idea. Her status is the result of countless performances on the stage, working her way up through rep, the National Theatre, Shakespeare and bit parts on television shows like Z Cars and ITV's Play Of The Week.

In 1981, Dench and her husband Michael Williams, also a noted Shakesperean actor, teamed up onscreen to take the lead roles in A Fine Romance, written by Bob Larbey. At this point, Larbey was known for his collaborations with writing partner John Esmonde, most notably Please Sir! and The Good Life. (Their 1977 sitcom The Other One, starring Michael Gambon and Richard Briers, is near enough forgotten today but it deserves to sit alongside their best known shows.)

A Fine Romance. Image shows left to right: Laura Dalton (Judi Dench), Mike Selway (Michael Williams)

A Fine Romance, as the title suggests, is a gentle romantic comedy that follows translator Laura Dalton and landscape gardener Mike Selway as they awkwardly navigate perils and pitfalls of a new relationship. The show ran for four series on ITV, concluding in 1984.

Susan Penhaligon (who in the 1970s was dubbed 'The British Bardot') and Richard Warwick play Laura's sister Helen and her husband, Phil, who introduce the pair at a party and act as matchmakers, eager to see Laura and Mike tie the knot.

A Fine Romance. Image shows left to right: Mike Selway (Michael Williams), Laura Dalton (Judi Dench), Helen (Susan Penhaligon), Phil (Richard Warwick)

One of the things that sets A Fine Romance apart from its contemporaries is that the two protagonists are not overly confident and are quite happy as singletons. They also display an acute lack of social skills, often choosing to take refuge in the bedroom or bathroom rather than deal with people. Their clumsiness often leads to social faux pas, and a running gag has Mike constantly fail at doing little things, whether it's his hat missing a peg, beermat sticking to the bottom of his glass or his ball going missing on the golf course. He is always denied life's little victories, a forlorn fellow who nevertheless perseveres, because the one thing he actually can get right is his relationship with Laura, even if it does take a long time getting there.

A Fine Romance. Image shows left to right: Mike Selway (Michael Williams), Laura Dalton (Judi Dench)

When talking about Williams in interviews, Dench often maintains that their shared sense of humour was one of the most important parts of their relationship, and it is this impossible-to-fake chemistry that makes A Fine Romance such a joy to watch. For example, a scene in the third episode has Mike imagining what Fred Astaire might do as they are looking round a museum, and he proceeds to sing and dance, startling an old lady and making Laura giggle. It is in these joyful little moments where their genuine affection for each other lights up the screen, you can tell it is just as much Dench enjoying Williams' performance as it is Laura laughing at Mike. Laura herself is often self-deprecating, such as the scene where she is trying on dresses for a party:

Helen: You want to look glamorous.

Laura: Fatty Arbuckle wanted to look thin!

In comparison with Larbey and Esmonde's Ever Decreasing Circles, which featured a marriage always on the precipice of a problem and an undercurrent of melancholy, A Fine Romance is far more hopeful. Though both Laura and Mike desperately want more, in many ways they are their own worst enemies, whether it's Mike's ineptitude or Laura's social anxiety. Although at the time Dench would have been considered the star of the show, it is Williams who truly endears the audience to their plight, persevering through despite life throwing everything at him.

Though it is not really an ensemble show, one recurring character was Mike's boss Charlie, played by George Tovey, then best known for appearing in My Old Man with Clive Dunn.

A Fine Romance. Image shows left to right: Mike Selway (Michael Williams), Helen (Susan Penhaligon), Laura Dalton (Judi Dench), Phil (Richard Warwick)

Helen becomes pregnant in Series 3, causing Laura to get broody. However, Mike doesn't want children, which ends the third series on something of a cliffhanger, they ostensibly part ways as Laura accepts a job in Brussels. However, Series 4 brings her back to England. Larbey does not choose the easy way out, which would have been Laura and Mike marrying. Mike does at least get to propose, though events are inevitably intertwined with miscommunications and errors, as all of his gestures to try to make the proposal more romantic backfire. He ends up having to scream his proposal over the dulcet tones of an opera singer in an Italian restaurant.

Mike and Laura, though very much in love, end the series still unsure about having children and struggling to buy a house, but nevertheless they still look to the future with optimism.

Dench would reunite with Larbey in 1992 to star opposite Geoffrey Palmer in As Time Goes By, an equally gentle romantic comedy that examined the idea of finding love in old age. The show became incredibly popular and ran for nine series and three specials.

A Fine Romance. Image shows left to right: Mike Selway (Michael Williams), Laura Dalton (Judi Dench), Phil (Richard Warwick), Helen (Susan Penhaligon)

Williams also reunited with Larbey, starring in his and Esmonde's 1988 sitcom Double First. He also played old school comedian Billy Balsam, starring opposite Russ Abbot, in Ken Blakeson and Tom Mennard's 1993 comedy drama September Song. He sadly passed away in 2001. Penhaligan concentrated mainly on dramatic roles, but she did star opposite Richard O'Sullivan in 1991 sitcom Trouble In Mind, written by Colin Bostock-Smith, Tony Millan and Mike Walling.

Larbey continued to write with Esmonde, penning five series of Brush Strokes and the magnificent, melancholy Ever Decreasing Circles. Their collaboration came to an end in 1995 with Down To Earth, which once again starred Richard Briers. Larbey's final solo sitcom was My Good Friend, which featured George Cole. He penned a final Christmas special of As Time Goes By in 2005, and he passed away in 2014.

Although Larbey's writing is as sharp as ever, it is seeing Dench and Williams' real-life bond onscreen that makes A Fine Romance not only a lovely sitcom, but also a wonderful tribute to their relationship.

Where to start?

Series 2, Episode 2 - A Trip To The Dentist

One of the most enjoyable episodes has Laura, who is initially terrified, visit a dentist, where she begins to get amorous under the influence of the sedative. Dench gets to show her full range as an actor, from tentative to coy and even slapstick.

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Love comedy? Find out more

A Fine Romance - The Complete Series

Real-life husband and wife team Michael Williams and Dame Judi Dench prove it's never too late to fall in love in this classic British comedy series about the bumpy road to romance for an unlikely couple of middle-aged lovebirds.

First released: Monday 16th October 2006