Birds Of A Feather (1989)
- TV sitcom
- ITV1 / BBC One
- 1989 - 2020
- 128 episodes (12 series)
Sitcom about mismatched sisters Tracey and Sharon, and their glamorous friend, Dorien. Stars Pauline Quirke, Linda Robson, Lesley Joseph, Charlie Quirke, Samuel James and more.
- Series 5, Episode 12 repeated at 7am on Drama
Streaming rank this week: 1,269
Episode menu
Series 12, Episode 1 - Knocking On Heaven's Door
Further details
Darryl, Tracey's ex-husband and father to Travis and Garth, has died whilst doing what he loved - burglary.
Darryl's passing brings the ladies together with some undesirable local characters, including Sharon's would-be suitor, Lenny, for a big Essex funeral.
Meanwhile gangster Vince catches Dorien's eye.
Broadcast details
- Date
- Thursday 7th January 2016
- Time
- 8:30pm
- Channel
- ITV1
- Length
- 30 minutes
Repeats
Show past repeats
Cast & crew
| Pauline Quirke | Sharon Theodopolopodous |
| Linda Robson | Tracey Stubbs |
| Lesley Joseph | Dorien Green |
| Charlie Quirke | Travis Stubbs |
| Samuel James | Garth Stubbs |
| Jamie Foreman | Lenny |
| Mark Powley | D.S. Barry Farmer |
| Martin Kemp | Vince |
| Seun Shote | Vicar |
| Laurence Marks | Writer |
| Maurice Gran | Writer |
| Gary Lawson | Writer (Additional Material) |
| John Phelps | Writer (Additional Material) |
| Martin Dennis | Director |
| Humphrey Barclay | Producer |
| Jon Rolph | Executive Producer |
| Steve Sheen | Executive Producer |
| Jon Blow | Editor |
| Heather Gibson | Production Designer |
| Irving Berlin | Composer |
| David Arch | Composer |
| Ian Masterson | Composer |
Press
The resuscitated comedy commences its 12th series, which begins with Tracey receiving news that her ex-husband has left this mortal coil. A send-off paid for and attended by "every dodgy geezer in east London" follows. A very traditional sitcom, but well crafted and far more snappily scripted than when it first returned. To wit, Dorien spots a handsome silver fox of a gangster (Spandau Ballet's Martin Kemp) and asks: "Is that a gun in his pocket? Or ..." Sharon: "It's a gun, keep walking." Boom, boom!
Jonathan Wright, The Guardian, 7th January 2016Radio Times review
The First Ladies of Essex return with their panto style of comedy. Gags and situations are set up with as much subtlety as Dorien's outfits (in this episode she sports a supremely tasteless funeral frock), but there are some good lines as well as guest appearances from former EastEnders Jamie Foreman and Martin Kemp.
Sharon, Tracey and Dorien are at a funeral attended by what they describe as the "Don Corleone Appreciation Society" and featuring a spectacularly decorated hearse. Plus as Dorien's publisher has described her latest bonkbuster Eighty Yards of Ecstasy as "more like 70 yards of yawn", she seizes the opportunity to do some erotic research.
Jane Rackham, Radio Times, 7th January 2016