
- Genre
- Sitcom
- Broadcast
- 1986 - 1991
- Channel
- BBC One
- Episodes
- 74 (7 series)
- Starring
- Jean Boht, Peter Howitt, Ronald Forfar, Jonathon Morris, Victor McGuire, Gilly Coman, Nick Conway, Graham Bickley and others
- Writer
- Carla Lane
- Directors
- Susan Belbin, Robin Nash and John B Hobbs
- Producers
- Robin Nash and John B Hobbs
The Liverpool-based Boswell family are experts at exploiting the system to get by in life. Despite the fact that none of the Boswells are officially employed, they manage to live a fairly good life thanks government handouts and various cash-in-hand jobs.
Family life for the Boswells centres around their God-fearing Catholic mother, Nellie. With her husband having left her for "a tart", she relies upon her eldest son, Joey, to play the father's role to her other three sons, Jack, Adrian and Billy, and her daughter Aveline.
Their ability to squeeze the DHSS dry, while the boys earn a living on the side, is legendary. But, although the family is the focus of their lives, they each have different reasons to be unhappy!
- Production company
- Laugh track
- Live audience
Broadcast details
- First broadcast
- Thursday 1st May 1986 on BBC One at 9:30pm
- Last new broadcast
- Sunday 3rd November 1991 on BBC One at 7:45pm
- Last repeat
- Friday 24th April 2020 at 5:20pm on Drama
Website links

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