As Time Goes By

British sitcom AS TIME GOES BY follows a couple's second try at romance after chance separated them for 38 years. Oscar winner James Bond boss Dame Judi Dench stars as Jean Pargetter, who runs a secretarial agency and lives with her twice-divorced daughter, Judith (Moira Brooker), in London. When a call comes in from an unhappy client, Jean finds herself face to face with ex-army officer/Kenyan coffee planter named Lionel Hardcastle (Geoffrey Palmer), with whom she had been romantically involved during the Korean War. Their relationship had come to an ambiguous end 38 years before when a case of bad luck -- and one wayward letter -- made each think the other wasn't interested in marriage. Now, with Lionel back in London to write his personal memoirs, he and Jean begin to spend time together -- but for two independent singles set in their ways, it's not always easy to slide into a relationship. During the first few seasons of the show, the focus stayed on Lionel and Jean's re-budding romance. But partway through the series' eight-year stint, they married, after which storylines followed the ups and downs of newlywed life. Judith continued to live with them, and Jean's secretary, Sandy (Jenny Funnell), often hung around the house as well. Lionel's egotistical agent, Alistair (Philip Bretherton), shared an on-again/off-again relationship with Judith, which eventually culminated in their marriage late in the series.