Close to Home is a British television sitcom created by Brian Cooke, and made by LWT. Two series were originally broadcast on ITV in the United Kingdom between 1 October 1989 and 18 November 1990.
Set in North London, it starred Paul Nicholas as vet and divorced father of two, James Shepherd, Angharad Rees as his ex-wife Helen DeAngelo, and Jane Briers as quirky veterinary nurse Rose. James and Helen's 19-year-old daughter Kate was played in both series by Lucy Benjamin. Their 14-year-old son Robbie was played by Andrew Read.
Each episode featured James Shepherd's attempts to juggle life as the single father of two teenagers, while running a busy veterinary practice. His attempts to find happiness with a new partner were frequently sabotaged by clingy ex-wife Helen.
Actor and comedian Stephen Frost was a regular guest star during series one, playing Helen DeAngelo's Italian second husband Frank. In series two, actress Pippa Guard joined the cast as James' on-off love interest, Vicky.
Synopsis
James Shepherd (Paul Nicholas), a 40-something vet and divorced father of two, lives in north London with his two teenage children. His veterinary practice is based in his home, with the result that he finds it impossible to escape the dual pressures of fatherhood and running his business. In his surgery, James is assisted by cat-hating veterinary nurse Rose (Jane Briers), who is almost part of the family.
James is divorced from Helen (Angharad Rees) after 14 years of marriage. Initially, she had custody of their children, but when Helen remarried, 19-year-old Kate (Lucy Benjamin) and 14-year-old Robbie (Andrew Read) moved back in with their father.
Helen still holds a flame for James, and to his infuriation frequently visits to meddle in his affairs and generally check up on him. Her Italian husband Frank (Stephen Frost) is becoming equally annoyed with his new wife's ways.
In series one, the situation focuses primarily on the domestic difficulties James faces, bringing up teenage children as a single father while dealing with a clingy and unpredictable ex-wife. The sitcom-staple storylines included James' children trying to fix him up with a blind date ("Double Date"), his daughter being stood up by her boyfriend ("Kate's Broken Heart") and Helen's elderly father falling for a 20-something musician ("Helen's Parents").
In series one, James' work as a vet served to provide sub-plots featuring cute animals which would appeal to a family audience and inject comedic caricature pet owners. In series two, James' work provided the catalyst for the introduction of new love interest Vicki (Pippa Guard), who runs a local city farm.
Throughout the second series, James has an on-off relationship with Vicky. Recently widowed, she initially finds James infuriating, particularly when he lets a ram loose in a field of ewes at her farm, crashes his Range Rover into her car and accidentally covers her in profiteroles. Meanwhile, having discovered that new husband Frank is having an affair with a 22-year-old in Italy, Helen harbours hopes of a reconciliation with James, and does her best to derail his relationship with Vicky at every opportunity.
While series one had concentrated on comedy derived from domestic family situations, the recurring theme of James and Vicky's relationship formed the backbone of series two. Storylines often featured farcical misunderstandings. For example, in "Mum's the Word", Vicki thinks her dog is pregnant, James believes it is his daughter Kate who is pregnant while his children mistakenly convince Helen that Vicky is the pregnant one. In "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?", Kate and Robbie mistakenly believe their father wants to take Helen to a dinner dance, when he is actually meeting a blind date. Unbeknownst to him, Vicky is also at the event.
As the series progresses, their on-off, love-hate relationship slowly becomes closer. James and Vicky learn to respect each other, and realise how similar they really are. In the last episode of series two, "While the Vet's Away...", James persuades Vicky to accompany him for a weekend in the Cotswolds. However, James has forgotten to confirm their hotel booking and so is forced to return with Vicky to the Shepherd family home. Here, they unexpectedly find Kate partying with her college friends, Robbie enjoying a video night with school friends and Rose holding a murder mystery re-enactment evening. As usual, events conspire against the couple and their relationship remains unresolved.