Goodnight Sweetheart (TV series)

Did You Know?

• The 2016 special 'Many Happy Returns' was released digitally on the BBC Store in September 2016.
• All six series and the 1995 Christmas Special have been released on DVD in the UK with music edits.
• The first five series have been released on DVD in Australia.

Premise

Gary Sparrow, a TV repairman in 1993, struggles with his life and marriage to his ambitious wife Yvonne. His best friend is Ron Wheatcroft, a printer whose own marriage is failing. While on a repair call in London's East End, Gary accidentally discovers a time portal at Duckett's Passage that leads to wartime London in the 1940s. There he meets Phoebe Bamford, a barmaid at the Royal Oak pub; her father Eric, who runs the pub; and Reg Deadman, a dim-witted policeman. Gary begins a relationship with Phoebe and uses the portal to travel between the two eras. To avoid altering history, he enlists Ron as a confidant to supply 1940s five-pound notes and identity documents. Gary explains his absences to Phoebe by claiming to be a secret agent and a singer-songwriter, passing off modern pop songs as his own and providing rationed items from the present. After losing his job in 1995, he buys a shop called Blitz 'n' Pieces, selling 1940s memorabilia he acquires, and tells Yvonne he is away on buying trips.

Episodes

The series ran for 59 episodes, which included a 1995 Christmas special and another special in 2016. The first series was written by its creators, Marks and Gran, while other writers handled many later episodes. Episode titles mostly came from popular songs, with a few taken from films. The show’s name references the 1930s song “Goodnight, Sweetheart,” made famous by Al Bowlly in 1931, which Nick Curtis performed as the theme tune. A script-editing mistake led to two episodes—series one, episode six and series four, episode two—both being called “In the Mood,” though they have no special link.

Future

The show's writers and producers have received thousands of emails and letters wishing for its return. Marks and Gran have stated that while there are no plans to bring the series back, it might return if the musical is made and successful. On 5 July 2016 it was announced that the show would return for a one-off special as part of the BBC's landmark sitcom season. Filmed at dock10 studios in Salford Quays, the special aired on 2 September 2016 on BBC One and received a positive response. A jukebox musical featuring songs from the 1940s and 1980s was announced in December 2017, with its world premiere at the Brookside Theatre, Romford in September 2018. In July 2025, a Kickstarter campaign was successfully funded for a novel titled Many Happy Returns, licensed by Fremantle Media and published by Idiot Box Books, serving as a seventh series.