| Joking Apart | |
|---|---|
 The opening title is superimposed over a stack of legal documents. | |
| Created by | Steven Moffat |
| Directed by | Bob Spiers |
| Starring | Robert Bathurst Fiona Gillies Tracie Bennett Paul Raffield Paul Mark Elliott |
| Theme music composer | Chris Rea |
| Opening theme | "Fool (If You Think It's Over)" (also end theme) |
| Composers | Kenny Craddock, Colin Gibson |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 12 (+ pilot) (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Producer | Andre Ptaszynski |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC2 |
| Release | 12 July 1991 – 7 February 1995 |
| Related | |
| Coupling | |
| Infobox instructions (only shown in preview) | |
Joking Apart is a BBC television sitcom written by Steven Moffat about the rise and fall of a relationship. It juxtaposes a couple, Mark (Robert Bathurst) and Becky (Fiona Gillies), 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.[1][2] 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 (Paul Raffield) and Tracy (Tracie Bennett). Paul Mark Elliott also appeared as Trevor, Becky's lover.
Scheduling problems meant that the show attracted low viewing figures. However, it scored highly on the Appreciation Index and accrued a loyal fanbase. One fan acquired the home video rights from the BBC and released both series on his own DVD label.[3]
- ^ Sternbergh, Adam (7 September 2003). "Selling Your Sex Life (page 2)". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 April 2008.
- ^ Kibble-White, Graham (May 2006). "Fool If You Think It's Over". Off the Telly. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
- ^ Jarvis, Shane (8 May 2006). "Farce that rose from the grave". The Telegraph. Retrieved 11 August 2016.