Joking Apart
Joking Apart is a BBC television sitcom written by Steven Moffat about the rise and fall of a relationship. It juxtaposes a couple, Mark and Becky, who fall in love and marry, before getting separated and finally divorced. The twelve episodes, broadcast between 1993 and 1995, were directed by Bob Spiers and produced by Andre Ptaszynski for independent production company Pola Jones. The show is semi-autobiographical; it was inspired by the then recent separation of Moffat and his first wife. Some of the episodes in the first series followed a non-linear parallel structure, contrasting the rise of the relationship with the fall. Other episodes were ensemble farces, predominantly including the couple's friends Robert and Tracy. Paul Mark Elliott also appeared as Trevor, Becky's lover.
Mark goes into a newsagent to buy a ‘paper but finds himself inexorably drawn towards the top shelf magazines….Not the ideal circumstances, then, in which to bump into your estranged wife for the first time in two months….
Mark has been having fantasies about murdering Trevor and a night of heavy drinking only adds fuel to the fire. When his wife’s lover turns up at his flat for a secret heart-to-heart, can Mark resist the urge to vent his repressed anger?
Mark and Becky are talking in a pub, when Robert pops in. He seems unhappy at being spotted and acts suspiciously. Why is he so anxious to conceal his whereabouts, and what dark secret might he be hiding?
Mark's elderly Aunt Helen is due to visit from Australia, and is very keen to be introduced to Becky. He hasn’t dared mention the divorce, as she has a weak heart. Will Becky maintain the pretence? And if so, can Mark avoid ruining his chances with an attractive new neighbour?
Mark is suffering from concussion and can't be left on his own. But who is the mysterious visitor who claims to be his 'very best friend' and will Mark take his one-eyed advice?
Tracy takes part in a television phone-in show about divorce....Just not how she imagined. Inevitably, Becky and Mark are soon centre-stage in the discussion. As more and more revelations come out, some relationships will never be the same again....
Mark meets Becky for the first time at a "party", and after a whirlwind romance, they tie the knot. But Mark is oblivious as his marriage begins to slowly crumble and when, after five years, his wife asks for a divorce, the scene is set for a night of utter humiliation for the both of them
Robert and Tracy stay with Mark to try to help him get through his first night apart from Becky, as he reminisces about their first night together, at the end of an eventful first date.
Robert and Tracy have invited Becky and her new lover, Trevor, to dinner, but their plans go awry when Mark turns up shortly before they are due. Can the two parties be kept apart or will the night end in acrimony?
A retrospective episode in which Mark proposes to Becky four times, only to be rebuffed on each occasion. With Becky adamant she's looking for nothing serious, their relationship appears to be over, particularly when Mark does something stupid.
Robert has left his mobile phone at Mark’s flat, so Mark drives round to the house to return it. But separation can make for strange bedfellows….
Mark has two women at his flat who both want to spend the night alone with him. When Becky turns up unexpectedly, he suspects she desires the same, but unless he can keep all three apart, he knows he’ll be in for a night of frustration.
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| Language | English |
| Release | 1993-01-07 |
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