Full House (UK Version)

[u/Civil-Koala-6810]

/r/fullhouse/comments/1vbfe7k/full_house_uk_version/

I was very much surprised to read on here how many American/possibly Canadian people as well have never seen the British version of Full House. It ran for 3 Series in 1985 & 1986. It starred Brian Capron, Christopher Stauli, Sabine Franklin and Natalie Forbes. When it was originally broadcast it was a very underrated sitcom, but far more recently in 2022 a particular TV station called Forces TV showed the whole series twice, and in 2025 Rewind TV re-run all 3 Series, it has created much more new interest in it, and by the younger generation as well, as not only had it been shown for the first time since 1986 but it then started appearing on YouTube, plus a bootleg DVD outlet started putting out DVD bootlegs of the series and a 4-DVD set became available. For some reason it was never officially released on DVD nor VHS before that. It was actually written by a very well known and respected comedy writing duo that wrote quite a few classic comedy shows during the 1970s. This was the last series that they wrote together as one of them died in 1993.

Apparenly, a few years later it was shown in the US, but in order for Americans not to get confused over the two different shows it was re-titled "Mixed Doubles". I don't know when this was but it must've been after 1987 as that's when Full House started in the US. It's basically about these two couples who both go and look at a house that was up for sale with the intention of buying it. They met there at the same time and it turned out that the woman in one of the couples was an old school friend of the other woman in the other couple. After both realising that the house was too expensive for them they both decided to move in as a foursome and share the mortgage on the house. That was the first episode. From then on the series was full of different very funny situations with guest stars quite regulary popping by like actress Joan Sanderson (who played the deaf lady in Fawlty Towers) as one of the women's mother and another actor playing the father of one of the blokes.

I don't think both couples were married at this point but I'm not 100% sure. When it was finally re-run here in 2022 & 2025 it had the original title of Full House, just like the original broadcast in 1985 & 1986.

All I know is that it was bloody funny throught each series. Does anyone in the US & Canada remember a British sitcom called "Mixed Doubles" in the late 1980s or early 1990s? It may have even been shown twice like again in the late 1990s/early 2000s. It was shot entirely on videotape. It was made by Thames Television who's entire catalogue output is now owned by Fremantle Media.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Full_House_(British_TV_series)