Tommy has to face the uncomfortable truth that his home is being demolished, and the only option left is to move in with his daughter Vera and her husband Brian. Tommy and Brian are at odds from the off, but Tommy does find an unlikely ally in Charlie, a schoolboy who becomes a real companion.
I'll admit, seeing Vince Powell's name on the credits had me braced for something crass and a bit long in the tooth. I was wrong.
The opening music sets the tone perfectly - soft, melodic, and strangely reassuring. It's an early sign of the gentle humour to come. Within the first couple of episodes you're pulled into something rather wonderful. You get a clear sense of who Tommy and Charlie are, how their families fit around them, and why these two outsiders click so naturally.
The laughs are steady throughout, but always warm and well meant. What's refreshing is that the series never really wanes. It matures, certainly, but the heart and the humour stay firmly in place.
One moment Tommy and Charlie are sharing laughs in the pub, the next they're standing at the grave of Tommy's father in France. The show has real depth, and it isn't afraid to use it.
Jimmy Jewel is outstanding. His performance carries that perfect mix of mischief, stubbornness, and genuine heart. I tore through 'Nearest and Dearest' and found not a shred of warmth, and years later it's clear why - compare the frosty dynamic with Hylda Baker to the genuine ease he shares here with Charlie Hawkins.
This is a warm, fuzzy, quietly optimistic comedy, and an easy one to recommend.
9/10.
