New comedy tomorrow

Press, 21 July 1982, Page 19

New comedy tomorrow

When Gemma (Felicity Kendal), attractive and single, reaches 30. she decides her life needs a new look, in “Solo," a new, sixpart comedy series starting on One tomorrow at 9.30 p.m. Up till now she had thought she was happy — after all she was an independent, modern young woman with her own flat, a secure job and a live-in lover, Danny. She ought to be happy with that lot going for her.

But when Danny has a quick carnal fling with her busty friend, Gloria, Gemma’s patience finally snaps. Suddenly it dawns on her that her boyfriend, her best friend, her boss and almost everyone else have been walking all over her. She gives herself a good talking to and decides the time has come to go solo.

The first thing Gemma does is dump her bewildered boyfriend. Then she walks out of her job and tells her disloyal girlfriend a few unpleasant home truths, resolving once and for all to stop leaning over backwards to be nice to people. From now on she intends to go it alone because only then can she truly be herself. The great stumbling block, however, is her conditioning,

which always seems to get in the way of her theories. She tries very hard to avoid all traps but does not always succeed. As Gemma embarks on her lonely road her determination sometimes gives way to fear. The theme of Carla Lane’s new comedy is very much of its . time — the continuing emotional dependence of women in what is still a man’s world. Carla Lane is the creator of those other popular single girls Sandra and Carol, (“The Liver Birds") and of Ria Parkinson, the housewife heroine in “Butterflies.”

"Solo” stars Felicity Kendal, Stephen Moore, Elspet Gray, Susan Bishop and Debbie Wheeler. It was produced by Gareth Gwenlan for 8.8. C. Television.