Me & My Girl

Created by Keith Leonard and developed for television by John Kane, Me & My Girl was a quintessentially 1980s British sitcom that deftly mixed family warmth with workplace comedy. Conceived as a starring vehicle for Richard O’Sullivan—already beloved from Man About the House and Robin’s Nest—the series offered audiences a familiar yet fresh portrayal of modern parenthood and middle-class muddle.

O’Sullivan played Simon Harrap, a charming yet perpetually frazzled widower juggling life as a single father to teenage daughter Samantha (Joanne Ridley) and as head of an advertising agency, aptly named Eyecatchers. The show’s humour came from Simon’s constant balancing act: trying to maintain control at home and at work while failing to follow his own advice about love and responsibility. His romantic escapades provided endless fodder for gentle comedy, particularly as his moral lectures to Samantha often backfired.

Tim Brooke-Taylor’s Derek, Simon’s brother-in-law and business partner, offered genial meddling and comic contrast—happily married yet perpetually entangled in Simon’s romantic and parental woes (although he also found himself single by the end). Joan Sanderson’s Nell, Simon’s formidable mother-in-law, brought both tension and heart, her interference both maddening and, at times, surprisingly helpful. Housekeepers Maddie (Leni Harper) and Isobel (Sandra Clark) completed the ensemble, adding slapstick energy and a sense of chaotic domesticity that offset the show’s sentimental core.

An interesting production detail lies in the show’s scheduling: the first three series (1984–85) were filmed and aired in quick succession due to fears that Ridley would age out of her teenage role. When Me & My Girl became a surprise hit, later series (1987–88) embraced Samantha’s maturity, shifting from parental control to mutual understanding between father and daughter. This organic evolution gave the sitcom emotional depth rare for the genre, allowing it to grow alongside its characters.

Behind the scenes, Keith Leonard drew directly from his own life—he, too, was a divorced father raising a daughter named Samantha—lending the series a personal authenticity. With additional writing contributions from Bernard McKenna and Colin Bostock-Smith, and guidance from veteran producer Humphrey Barclay, Me & My Girl, with a theme tune composed and performed by Peter Skellern, maintained a consistent tone of gentle wit and warmth across its six series.

While Me & My Girl never reached the iconic heights of O’Sullivan’s earlier sitcoms, it remains one of his most endearing performances—more tender, more grounded, and tinged with a real sense of affection between father and daughter. It also marked the twilight of O’Sullivan’s television career; after one more sitcom he withdrew largely from public life. His last appearance on television was as a guest on a 1999 edition of This Is Your Life held in honour of his Doctor... co-star George Layton. At the time of writing (Nov 2025) he lives in Brinsworth House, a retirement home for entertainers in Twickenham, since suffering a stroke in 2003.