The lowdown:  Ain't Misbehavin' is not a Fats Waller song of the same name, but a British sitcom that was broadcast on
BBC1 between 20 March 1994 and 14 February 1995. A total of 12 episodes were made, and starred Peter Davison as Clive
Quigley, who runs an office supplies firm and is seemingly happily married to Melissa (played by Lesley Manville in series 1
and Karen Drury in series 2. However, Clive's world is turned upside down when he goes out to meet a potential client, Sonia
Drysdale (Nicola Pagett), who owns a local hairdressing salon. Clive is walking across the road when a woman in a red BMW
knocks him down. It turns out to be Sonia, who arranged to meet Clive to tell him some bad news - Melissa is having an affair
with her husband, Dave. Clive initially refuses to believe her, saying he trusts Melissa implicitly, but Sonia warns him that the
only way they can keep their marriages intact is by keeping Dave and Melissa apart (in Sonia's case she does not care too
much about her husband, but does not want him getting her salon in a divorce settlement). A running gag in the first episode
has Clive fainting at any mention of Melissa's infidelity, while the episode ends with him trying to hang himself using packing
tape. Sonia finds him suspended from the ceiling talking to his mother on his mobile phone.

The first series is largely concerned with the attempts by Clive and Sonia to keep their cheating partners apart, including hiring
a private detective to spy on them. As the series progresses, it is revealed that Dave and Sonia have been meeting regularly at
hotels but have yet to commit adultery, as Melissa feels sick every time Dave tries to get intimate. We also learn that despite
appearances, Clive's married life is somewhat lacking. Melissa refuses to share a bed with him and sleeps in a separate room,
and at times it seems she can barely tolerant his presence. One can't help wondering just why Clive is so desperate to save a
clearly loveless marriage. To complicate matters, Clive's mother is always calling him at difficult times, and insists that he goes
to her house because she is convinced that she will die at a certain time (but never does, of course). Meanwhile, the amount of
time Clive and Sonia spend together causes Clive's secretary Ramona (Polly Hemingway) to become convinced that they are
having an affair, although she keeps coming on to Clive herself. Ramona's husband Lester appears in the second series, and is
convinced that his wife is having an affair with the long-suffering Clive. For his part, Clive initially dislikes Sonia, but they become
increasingly attracted to each other over the course of the series.

The verdict: Ain't Misbehavin' is a typically British sitcom that has interesting characters and some genuinely funny moments.
It is written by Roy Clarke of Last of the Summer Wine fame, and the humour is very similar. The character of Clive would in fact
fit very well into the latter show, and many of his wry observations on life are reminiscent of the character played by Peter Sallis.
It may not be remembered as a classic Britcom, but Ain't Misbehavin' is well worth watching if you are a fan of British comedy.

Video clips:    Clive meets Sonia    8.4mb              The truth about Melissa    4.7mb              Suicide attempt    7.9mb
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