2point4 Children

Following a decade of writing cult sitcoms including Whoops Apocalypse and Hot Metal, the writing duo of David Renwick and Andrew Marshall disbanded, and at the beginning of the 1990s, they each penned new BBC One sitcoms that would achieve both critical acclaim and mass popularity.

With Renwick beginning a decade-long success with One Foot in the Grave, Marshall’s family sitcom 2point4 Children immediately struck a chord with audiences of up to 13 million viewers and remained a fixture on the flagship channel for eight years.

The series centres on the Porter family, led by mother Bill and father Ben, their two precocious teenagers, Jenny and David, and their neighbour and family friend Rona, who is thrown into the mix. With a familiar concept, title, happy-go-lucky theme tune, and formulaic opening credits, one could be forgiven for dismissing the series as a run-of-the-mill family sitcom.

And yet, much like One Foot in the Grave, scratch beneath the surface and the inclusion of pathos, the dark and surreal, made it one of the most subversive prime-time sitcoms ever broadcast. The irony of the title – which referenced the national average family unit at the time – is that the situations the Porters found themselves in were anything but average. With plotlines including the regular accidental killing of their neighbour’s pets, addiction to chocolate bars, hacking into Bill Clinton’s email, or even believing a vampire lived next door (to name but a few), the stories may sound preposterous in description but succeeded remarkably well in execution. Then there were the annual Christmas specials, which would often conclude with a big-budget, sugary-sweet musical number.

The series was also renowned for its quirky humour, with regular parodies of films and TV shows that wouldn’t have seemed out of place in an episode of The Simpsons. In one memorable episode, Ben is kidnapped by his arch-nemesis Jake Klinger (played by Roger Lloyd Pack) and taken to Portmeirion, where he becomes embroiled in a spoof of The Prisoner, from which he cannot escape.

Beyond its subversive edge, 2point4 Children always felt naturalistic, thanks to Marshall’s carefully crafted scripts, sharp-tongued dialogue, and superb cast. Unlike many studio-based sitcoms, where characters play knowingly to the audience, the Porters felt real – never caricatures. Their dynamic was dysfunctional, yes, but like any family, they cared for one another, and this portrayal felt far more credible than that found in many other family sitcoms.

The series was also groundbreaking in its depiction of wife and mother Bill. Played excellently by Belinda Lang, she was a well-rounded, hard-working woman who was not defined solely by her family. She offered a refreshing departure from previous sitcom mothers – like those often portrayed by Wendy Craig – with the exception of Butterflies. Subverting stereotypes also applied to father Ben, whom Marshall described as the "point 4" of the children, due to his childish antics. Gary Olsen played Ben with warmth and charm, providing a welcome change from the stereotypical grumpy, out-of-touch sitcom dads frequently seen on television.

As for Rona, while on paper she may have sounded like a more grounded version of Birds of a Feather’s Dorien Green, Julia Hills’ energetic performance gave her real depth – from fertility struggles to complex family issues. As for the children, Jenny (played first by Clare Woodgate and then Clare Buckfield) and David (John Pickard) held the typical sitcom traits of a moody teenage girl and immature teenage boy, yet the chemistry between them and their on-screen parents gelled so naturally that the family dynamic felt genuinely relatable.

Set in an average house and often dealing with themes such as financial strain, the future, and even death, the show offered far more than retrospective reviews often give it credit for. While 2point4 Children is sometimes unfairly lumped in with more conventional family sitcoms such as Not in Front of the Children or My Family, it truly deserves comparison with more ambitious series like Butterflies, Bread, and Till Death Us Do Part. It can also be seen as a credible precursor to Outnumbered.

Sadly, after eight hugely successful series, tragedy struck in 2000 when Gary Olsen, who played Ben, died of cancer at the age of 42. As a result, the 1999 special, The Millennium Experience, became the Porters’ final outing.

While 2point4 Children has inevitably dated, with its 1990s setting now alien to contemporary viewers, its themes and exploration of family life still resonate – not least the recurring shouted phrase: “Don’t slam your door!” Despite what some critics may say, the show stands out as an experimental and inventive prime-time sitcom. Though it may not always receive the retrospective acclaim it deserves, it remains fondly remembered by those who grew up with the daft and bizarre adventures of the Porter family.