Robin’s Nest: Series Three

Robin’s Nest is a real guilty pleasure to watch. Leading man Richard O’Sullivan is so at home with his character (after playing him in Man About The House for six series) that he seems to savour the role, playing it naturally and clearly enjoying doing so.

Robin and Vicky are now happily married, while co-owner and Vicky’s father James Nicholls (an excellent Tony Britton) is still money grabbing and desperate to undermine the young chef in any way he can. One-armed Irish washer-upper Albert Riddle (David Kelly) is stealing every scene he is in - his meandering stories and tales of his family are sublimely hilarious even today.

This third series is tightly written, the stories are simple and often surround confusion or a mix-up that leads to mayhem, the core cast playing their parts superbly to carry even a poorer one along with ease. These thirteen episodes show a sitcom that was still at its peak and in no way running out of steam (there would be three more series to follow). It’s probably not politically correct to have a one-armed Irishman as the butt of jokes and many of the comedy set pieces, but it is something that the 1970s did so well that it's forgivable and it's easy to enjoy the show for what it is - a truly classic sitcom that has aged very well indeed.

Extras: None.

Released on 12th May 2008 by Network.

Written by Phil Allely.