About Face

A series of 12 unconnected half-hour sitcoms, all written by different writers, created as a starring vehicle for Maureen Lipman who had previously had a huge hit with Agony, but for the past two years had been starring in a series of hit TV commercials for British Telecom as Beattie (a play on BT and suggested by Lipman herself who thought the name more apt than Dora, as created by Richard Phillips, an advertising copywriter who devised the campaign). There were two series of About Face, 1989 and 1991 and the first appeared less than two weeks before Victoria Wood launched a similar series on BBC1. During the run Lipman played a South London telephonist, a Cypriot immigrant, an overworked doctor and Margaret Thatcher. The last show in the series was written by her husband, Jack Rosenthal. 

Guest stars included Michael Gambon, Phyllidia Law, John Wells, Keith Barron, Libby Morris, Stephanie Cole, Martin Clunes and Bernard Hill. 

Published on November 26th, 2018. Written by Laurence Marcus for Television Heaven.