A Fine Romance, Most Definitely!
I couldn't agree less with the review of A Fine Romance that puts it second to As Time Goes By. In fact, I started out enjoying Time, but soon tired of the glib, constantly facile (terribly rehearsed-seeming) patter between the love interests. It seemed they were always trying to outdo each other. While I am willing to consider the possibility that by the time I was watching it they had begun to tire of it themselves, I can't help thinking it was less satisfying than Romance. I just learned that Dame Judi and Michael Williams were married. Now I know why they seemed wonderfully suited for one another. When I see this show I pull for them, because the "chemistry" is so amazing.

A fine Romance whips the socks off of As Time Goes By.

Call all Judi Dench fans!
I stumbled upon this series by accident. Living in the USA, we've never been privy to this series with Judi Dench. What's even more delightful is, her co-star in the series is Dame Judi's real husband. But, on to the story:

The relationship and it's progression couldn't be more awkward.
Judi plays an accomplished, successful, professional translator, much in demand in her field. She lives well, travels extensively, but is middle-aged and unmarried.

Next to her beautiful, perky, popular, MARRIED, younger sister, she always comes off badly and out of place. And despite all of her loving sister's (and her husband's) efforts to treat her well, be kind, be loving, be considerate AND try to draw her out socially and introduce her to men, each episode documents the disasters.

They do introduce her to an equally socially gauche "landscape gardener' whose business skills are as tattered as his favorite sweaters. They grate on each other, but team up to avoid further interference by their well-meaning friends.

The series is slow paced, low key, sometimes subtle, but always very funny. We bought all nine tapes at once. And the last tape was, in fact, the last episode of the series. We were VERY disappointed to learn there were no more.

We enjoyed it immensely. And now, my mother is in the process of screening the tapes. She's so pleased!

fine romance it is!
I caught a glimpse of this show on a PBS station following a popular BBC - with "Mrs. Bucket" and loved it! It gives you a glimspe of average life in Britian and is very clever, cute, and funny!

Real-life romance from real-life husband and wife
I was so excited at the release of A FINE ROMANCE on videocassette that, after viewing set 1, I hounded Acorn Media for the release date of set 2. Now having seen set 2, set 3's release later this year can't come a minute to soon! This second series charts Mike and Laura's progress as they stumble forward in their relationship by moving in together. The wonderful comedic timing of Judi Dench and Michael Williams, the obvious chemistry between them, and the realistic romantic plot make this a winner. Dame Judi's large talent is recognized far and wide by now, so the real treat is Michael Williams, whose gift for acting has been seen by most Americans in only small doses (EDUCATING RITA, TEA WITH MUSSOLINI). His portrayal of the shy, bumbling Mike Selway is alternately hilarious and touching. Sadly, Michael Williams passed away earlier this year, but A FINE ROMANCE is a fitting tribute to both his acting abilities and his own "fine romance" with Judi Dench. What a treat for Britcom fans!

For Judi Dench fans....
I bought the ACORN Media's tapes BBC series A FINE ROMANCE for two main reasons. I am a big fan of Judi Dench, and I love British comedy. For me, ROMANCE is very fine, although it seems to be a warm-up for Ms Dench's "other" series shown in the U.S. on PBS stations -- AS TIME GOES BY. ROMANCE is not quite as "real" as TIME. One might even say it is fluffy in comparison. I find Dench's character Laura in ROMANCE a bit less likeable and somewhat of a loser compared to Jean Pargetter Hardcastle in TIME (the blurb on the series calls Laura a misfit).

However, I also found it fascinating to observe Ms. Dench's development of Laura's character. As some of the same writers worked on both series, an overlap of episode "ideas" exists. For example, the theme of strong woman meets shy/reserved man and attempts to "manipulate" him is present in both series, though Jean Pargetter is far more subtle than Laura. Ms. Dench convinces me through her acting that Laura and Jean are two different characters. (Dench is NOT like Lucille Ball who was always Lucy no matter which tv series she appeared in.) In fact, the most compelling reason to watch/own these tapes, in addition to merely enjoying them, is to study Ms. Dench's acting skills. I have followed her career for years, and it's no surprise to me she became a Dame of the British Empire.

Ms. Dench stars in ROMANCE with her husband Michael Williams. The focus of the series is a middle-aged couple--how they meet and begin to form a relationship with the assistance of her match-maker sister. ROMANCE contains more slapstick comedy than AS TIME GOES BY (Laura's trip to the dentist is a hoot), but I don't find it more amusing. Michael Williams reminds me of a rumpled version of the American comedian Robin Williams (I wonder if they are related), but rumpled can only go so far before the viewer is saying geez, what does she see in that guy. Fortunately, he doesn't overdo it. Michael was a very gifted actor, and not nearly as frentic as Robin.

ACORN seems to have taken the original films and simply recorded them "as is" and they are okay. There are three "shows" on each tape, and thank God for 'fast forward' on the VHS control because while I appreciate the multi-talented Judi's rendition of the theme song, listening to her sing "A Fine Romance" six times per tape is tiresome. Each tape is about 75 minutes long (must have been a half hour show) so you can watch all the tapes for Parts 1 & 2 (episodes 1-19) in one day if you're up for a marathon. Or, you can save them and savor them. I like the series well enough I will buy the third set when it is relased next fall.