At Home with the Braithwaites
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At Home with the Braithwaites was a British television programme about a typical dysfunctional suburban family from Leeds. It was first broadcast on January 20, 2000. The show begins when the mother of the family, Alison Braithwaite (played by Amanda Redman), unexpectedly wins 38 million pounds on the lottery on her 40th birthday, from a lottery ticket bought for her by her youngest daughter, Charlotte.
Each of the Braithwaite family — David (Peter Davison), Alison, Virginia, Sarah and Charlotte — have their own issues and flaws. At the start of the first series, David is a weak-willed philanderer, but overall a nice enough guy. Alison is frustrated in her position as a housewife and during the first season attempts to keep the money and the charity trust that she has set up for it a secret from her family, who she believes will waste it all on themselves. Virginia is a lesbian and in love with their next door neighbour, the self-absorbed manipulative Megan. Sarah has a crush on her drama teacher. Charlotte is having problems at school.
As events unfold, the story takes many convoluted turns, many related to the fortune that they have unexpectedly gained, and many related to misunderstandings.
The show ran for four series. It is unlikely that it will ever return, mainly because Amanda Redman wished to move onto new projects. In a recent tabloid interview, the actress confirmed that a one-off Christmas special had been planned for 2004, however claimed that ITV did not organise it quickly enough. Redman added that future one-off specials would not go ahead, because she feels that it has been too long since the series ended to make any more. The series was written by British television writer Sally Wainwright who initially came to prominence with her work on Coronation Street. Wainwright has gone on to work with actress Sarah Smart who played Virginia Braithwaite, scripting starring roles for her in two other dramas; Sparkhouse and Jane Hall.
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[edit] Series One (2000)
Series One follows Alison's attempts to keep her lottery win a secret, and use the money to set up a charity trust. What Alison doesn't know is that her husband is cheating on her with a worker at his office. Virginia is the first family member to discover the truth about Alison's wealth, and by the end of the series, the whole family knows the truth.
[edit] Series Two (2001)
In Series Two, the family has moved to a huge new home, now that Alison has finally decided to use some of her money to enjoy herself. However, her family life is as dysfunctional as ever, and she becomes increasingly attracted to her husband's brother. Meanwhile, Virginia remains obsessed with former next-door neighbour, Megan. By the end of the series, Alison discovers that her new lover is still interested in his ex-wife and breaks up with him.
[edit] Series Three (2002)
Series Three sees the family go back to their roots. The lottery company discovers that it was Alison's underage daughter Charlotte who bought the winning ticket, and as a result, the Braithwaites lose all of their money. The family are forced to move back to their old home. Alison has also discovered that she is pregnant - but the father of the baby is Graham, her husband's brother. Elsewhere, Virginia's relationship with Tamsin is put to the test as she is still in love with Megan, and Sarah falls in love with her teacher. Luckily, the Braithwaites manage to get their fortune back before the end of the series.
[edit] Series Four (2003)
In the final series, Alison falls in love with her gardener, Megan finally gets what's coming to her, and relations in the family are more strained than ever. Alison's daughters struggle to get along with her, disapproving of her recent actions. The final scene of the series shows the whole family arguing bitterly with each other - as they have been doing for four years!
[edit] Cast
- Amanda Redman as Alison Braithwaite
- Peter Davison as David Braithwaite
- Sarah Smart as Virginia Braithwaite
- Sarah Churm as Sarah Braithwaite
- Keeley Fawcett as Charlotte Braithwaite
- Julie Graham as Megan Hartnoll
- Kevin Doyle as Mike Hartnoll
- Lynda Bellingham as Pauline Farnell
- Sylvia Syms as Marion Riley
- Judy Holt as Elaine Fishwick (Series 1, 2 and 4)
- Ray Stevenson (actor) as Graham Braithwaite (Series 2 and 3)
- Lucy Whelan as Tamsin
- Hazel Douglas as Audrey Crowther
- Damian Zuk as Phil Skidmore
- Ishia Bennison as Denise Skidmore
- Garry Cooper as Colin Skidmore (Series 1, 2 and 3)
[edit] Trivia
The EuroLottery is paid in Euros, and the promotional synopsis itself says that Alison wins 38 million Euros (€). However, in the first episode, the teletext page shows the jackpot is 38 Million Pounds (£).
[edit] Overseas
The series has been shown on ABC andUK.TV in Australia, TV One and Prime in New Zealand, and BBC America in the United States.
[edit] DVD release
The first and second series of At Home with the Braithwaites are available on DVD (Region 2, UK) from Network Network DVD The first and second series are available on DVD (Region 1, USA and Canada) from Acorn Media.
