My
Family is based on a 'typical' British household. Ben Harper is a dentist with a cynical outlook on life who spends most of
his time moaning. He is married to Susan, a control freak who can't cook. He has three children who are all very different,
Nick the oldest is very laid back and changes jobs every episode. Janey meanwhile pesters her parents constantly for money
whilst clever geeky Michael tries to avoid his dad. The fifth series of the show aired in
2004, and there was speculation that this may have been the last, as no series was recorded or aired in 2005, but the BBC
recently announced that a new, shorter than previous, series is going to be filmed, starting in October 2005, and will be
broadcast in 2006. This series will definitely be the last.
The series is notable as it is scripted
by a team of writers, following the American model. Historically, British sitcoms were more generally written by one or two
authors. By employing a wider number of writers to brainstorm jokes for each episode, the BBC has been able to maintain a
consistent and relatively long-lived product without having to wait for a single writer to produce more material.
The production values for the programme
are also different from the traditional 'Brit-com'. The set itself is laid out like an open plan North American house rather
than a less commodious British abode and the family's standard of living is more aspirational than realistic. The first series
was shot in field-removed video (FRV), to give it a film-like effect
similar to American sitcoms (although most American sitcoms are actually shot on film rather than video), and thus in order
to maximise overseas sales potential. The 2004 DVD release is presented without the FRV effect.
The programmes were recorded in front
of a live audience, except where the set used was too large, this was then filmed, and played out to an invited audience 'as-live'.
Also, the show, unlike most British sitcoms but in common with most American television comedies, has no location footage.
The show plays midnight Monday to
Thursday in Canada on YTV,
and includes adverts, making the broadcast 38 minutes long, but this isn't much of a problem as it is shown so late at night.
It has been shown on BBC America and is also available on video and
DVD.
