By Mark Nobes, chief editor
If you were asked to name your top five favourite comedies from the 80s, then Chance in a Million is, more than likely, not on your list. One of the reasons for this is because the British sitcom originally aired on Channel 4, which, in the 80s, didn't attract the same viewing figures as BBC1 and ITV. Also, the sitcom is rarely repeated, and I had actually completely forgotten about the series until I spotted it on the ITVX streaming service during Christmas 2022.
So I decided to watch all three series again (although not in one sitting!) to remind myself of what it was all about. Talk about a forgotten gem, the sitcom is bursting with inventiveness, clever story lines and funny slapstick gags, and quite why it's never repeated is a mystery.
The sitcom originally aired on Channel 4 between 1984 and 1986 and was produced by Thames Television. There were 18 episodes in total. The very first episode aired on Monday 10th September 1984 at 8:30pm.
The series was produced and directed by Michael Mills, who had previously been the head of comedy at the BBC from 1967 to 1972. He also directed and produced 15 episodes of Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em, which starred Michael Crawford as Frank Spencer.
Alison Little (Brenda Blethyn) and Tom Chance (Simon Callow)
Tom often ends up getting wrongly arrested in the series, and Sergeant Gough (Bill Pertwee) becomes so used to him staying at the police station that he eventually orders his force not to arrest him under any circumstances.
Alison is a shy, nervous librarian, and is also a character that I warmed to instantly. The fact that she sticks with Tom, no matter what circumstances they find themseves in, causes much upset for her parents, who want her to find another, less troublesome partner - they also try to avoid being around him, knowing full well what the consequences will be!
I guess, both lead characters bear some similarities to Frank Spencer and Betty in Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em. As with Frank, trouble follows Tom around, and anyone who knows him avoids him like the plague! Alison is similar to Berry in that she is often a nervous wreck but also is very much in love.
Tom and Alison get married in the final episode of series 3, although the wedding is plagued by disastrous circumstances, of course!
I really enjoyed the catchy theme music, which was composed by Ronnie Aldrich and was used throughout the entire series 1 to 3. It definitely has a 1940s wartime big band vibe.
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In 2022, Simon Callow reached the age of 63 and appeared in the Christmas Special of the BBC comedy Inside No.9.
Brenda Blethyn played the lead role of cafe owner kate Abbott in the ITV sitcom Kate & Koji, which aired from March 18 2020 to April 12 2022.