No, Honestly

No, Honestly is a British sitcom that was originally produced in 1974. No, Honestly featured the real-life married couple of Pauline Collins and John Alderton respectively as Clara and Charles "CD" Danby, a newlywed couple living in London.

The character of Clara was a ditzy dreamer who hoped to write books for children. Charles Danby by contrast was a struggling actor with a more serious streak.

At the start of each episode, the couple appeared in front of an audience telling stories about their first meeting, courtship and life as newlyweds. The entire programme, therefore, was a series of flashbacks as the couple recounted the earlier days of their romance.

Filled with witty and sparkling banter, the episodes featured comic situations ranging from problems with mistaken identity to decorating and makeover mishaps.

In homage to George Burns and Gracie Allen, CD would end each episode with the phrase "Say goodnight, Clara."

The series is based on the novels Coronet Among the Weeds and Coronet Among the Grass written by Charlotte Bingham, who was co-creator of the TV series with her husband Terence Brady.

The theme song for "No, Honestly" was written and performed by Lynsey De Paul. It peaked on the UK charts at number 7.

A subsequent television series entitled Yes, Honestly starred Liza Goddard and Donal Donnelly as sweethearts Lily and Matthew Browne who marry halfway through the second series. Twenty-six half-hour episodes of Yes, Honestly were telecast in Britain between 10 January 1976 and 23 April 1977.

Episodes

• "The Facts of Life"
• "The Object of the Game"
• "More Royle Than Noble Really"
• "Finding the Form"
• "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner"
• "Just Cause or Impediment"
• "Now We Are Married"
• "Everything in the Garden"
• "Having Them Back"
• "Plenty of Shoulder Not Much Wheel"
• "Bed, Beautiful Bed"
• "Only Make Believe"
• "Surprise, Surprise!"

Home Video

In 1999 Acorn Media released 2 VHS Box sets of the series in the USA and Canada. The first set contained the first 7 episodes of the series. While the second set contained the remaining 6 episodes.

External links

• No, Honestly at the Internet Movie Database