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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mel O&#039;Drama" data-source="post: 149957" data-attributes="member: 23">The Lovers is something of a showcase of familiar faces in small roles or single episodes (most of them seem to have done Corrie too). Bill Dean as a grouchy cafe worker. A very young Maureen Lipman as a bitter newlywed (somewhat ironic considering the episode was written by her future husband). Roy Barraclough as a grouchy waiter. Rosalynd Ayres as a partygoer.I've noticed the same woman - Alison King - in a number of episodes, including the first, playing what appears to be the same character in a subtle running gag where she overhears a fragment of the main characters' dialogue which disturbs her (more than once Geoffrey has been proffering rape) and leads to an awkward smile, a glower of disapproval or a speedy exit.Jack Rosenthal's dialogue continues to enthral. He has a wonderful ear for phrases that are both natural and incredibly funny. And he pairs it with small, real moments of interaction.  Scenes between Beryl and her mum are a great example of this. They're full of warmth and love but tinged with the kind of scathing put-downs that can only be shared between people who know each other to the point of weariness. "Don't try to raise one eyebrow at me", Beryl chides her mum in one such scene. "You know you can't do it." After yet another of Beryl and Geoffrey's break-ups, her mum sighs "We're not in for another Joan Crawford weekend, are we?"Her mum's actually stealing almost every scene she's in with her wry observations and pearls of wisdom, all delivered with pitch-perfect disinterest. As when Beryl said she'd try to force down a cup of tea, despite her heartbreak:The final episode of the first series saw the two leads play "the truth game" in which they pointed out each other's flaws. Which gave Rosenthal the opportunity to make some great observations of his own characters' foibles. Even...Geoffrey pointing out that this gets annoying after hearing it so many times has somewhat endeared me to the phrase. Sometimes, all it takes is for someone to point out the obvious to change the way it's viewed. But it happens so rarely on TV.I really hope the first episode of the second series is an example of what's to come for the rest of the run, because it's really cooking now. The dialogue was absolutely sparkling, with the one liners coming thick and fast. The best line of the series so far came from Beryl as she and Geoffrey went through that day's break-up:Why did this make me laugh so hard? Is it the surrealism? The stupidity? Well, a bit of both. But it's also the fact that I had to think about it. Even mid-laugh, I found myself trying to make sense of it. Was there in fact a logical explanation that I'd overlooked? Had I misheard the word "pudding"? I actually asked someone.And so as I continued to watch past the break for the adverts it was a bizarre treat to find Geoffrey and his colleague having the same conversation I'd just had. I'm picturing millions of viewers in 1971 who shook their heads over the line and discussed it as they made a cuppa. And then returned to their living rooms to find the characters replaying their conversation. It's a very bonding experience between viewer and audience. Another rarity.It's fascinating to get a sense of a certain time through the prism of an ITV sitcom. Particularly when it's an era that's largely a mystery to me, being both before I was born and slightly underrepresented in terms of widely available contemporary material. It looks like an exciting time. The lingering freedom of the sixties with a looming sense of social responsibility that hadn't yet taken hold (from what I've seen on the Network DVDs, early Seventies Corrie, for example, is one of my favourite eras). And it could be said The Lovers encapsulates this well. The battle between commitment and freedom. And the contradictory messages of togetherness and liberation. The scenes which take place at home feel very much like a good Seventies sitcom, but then more social scenes - most notably the "rave" in the final episode of the first series - feel very Sixties. It's a time when society was trying to find its way and strike a balance, just as Beryl and Geoffrey are. Even pop culture references feel like they straddle two eras. Beryl is reading papers which talk about more strikes among Ford workers. And even her crush since episode one - an icon of 1960s youthful freedom - has betrayed her with his newfound commitment:MUM: "Who've you gone into mourning for, then. Paul McCartney?"BERYL: "I hate him."MUM: "Why, what's he done to upset ya?"BERYL: "Nothing. And I hope she's made him very happy."Richard Beckinsale and Paula Wilcox are just enthralling. It's difficult to know who to watch when both are onscreen for fear of missing something. The small details really make it - like Geoffrey nervously touching his ear at every mention of the M-word.</blockquote>

Verification: Who played JR Ewing?