Quote: Alfred J Kipper @ 2nd October 2023, 8:47 AMThe age gap thing is quite noticeable in the show, not helped by Briers looking older than his age, as some people do. Going over old ground here but Anne looks more like his carer in the pics above, which she was in a way. But if they'd cast an actress who looked more his age then Slimy Paul wouldn't have been attracted to her, which is where much of the early series revolved around.
It's so well acted and with some interesting characters as well that many were surprised this didn't make the 2004 top 50 sitcom list the Beeb did, but I go with the general theory that viewers didn't like seeing one of their favourite TV actors being given the runaround by a suave know it all who wanted to give his wife one. A very well made show with a premise that was just a touch too dark for 1980s mainstream audiences to be a favourite of many.
I agree, Martin Bryce looks of an indeterminate age - anything between 40 and 60 and Ann - 30 or suchlike? He's a man born into an old body and I concur with previous posts which suggest that he is has OCD and is almost certainly on the autistic spectrum, as many comedy characters seem to be in retrospect. I won't debate whether this is OK, lest fools on here make fun of the condition.
I recall watching the show with my parents when it first came out in 1984. My mum found Paul's character very attractive indeed but in retrospect, he's a sneaky git who absolutely delights in putting Martin down at every opportunity. Granted that Martin is a deeply annoying fussbudget but Paul's a git.