The premise is that Henry Willows, a 40-something who has been divorced from his wife for seven years and is perfectly happy living alone in London until his oldest child, Matthew arrives to live with him after being thrown out by his mother. The episodes generally revolve around Henry's annoyance at having his solitude disturbed and the age gap between father and son. Henry employs two cleaners during the show's life; first Enid Thompson and in the third series, Fiona Fennell.
The series was later repeated on Channel 4, ITV3 and Forces TV. All 29 episodes have now been released on DVD by the Network imprint.
Main cast
John Thaw as Henry Willows - Henry is a divorced middle-aged man who lives by himself, but when his son, Matthew, turns up on his door step, expecting to be waited on hand and foot, his life is turned upside down.
Reece Dinsdale as Matthew Willows - Matthew is a teenager who gets himself into trouble, and is obsessed with girls and money.
Elizabeth Bennett as Enid Thompson - Enid is Henry's first cleaner. She is nosey and appears to be attracted to Henry.
Joan Blackham as Fiona Fennell - Fiona is Henry's second cleaner.
Rebecca Lacey as Julie Willows - Julie is Henry's daughter and Matthew's sister. Despite living with her mother after her parents' divorce she appears to be a daddy's girl.
Sheila Hancock - Sue Willows - Henry's ex-wife. She only appears in one episode. Hancock is the real-life wife (widow as of 2002) of Thaw.
Series overview
Regular Series
Series
Start date
End date
Episodes
1
19 April 1985
31 May 1985
7
2
5 September 1986
17 October 1986
7
3
24 October 1987
5 December 1987
7
4
1 December 1989
19 January 1990
7
Christmas Special
Episode Title
Date
Episodes
Family Ties
27 December 1987
1
Episode list
Series 1 (1985)
Episode
Episode title
Transmission
Episode Description
1 (1-1)
"A New Life"
19 April 1985
Henry's bachelor lifestyle is turned upside down when his son Matthew asks to stay.
2 (1-2)
"Bad Apples"
26 April 1985
Henry must find a new school for Matthew.
3 (1-3)
"All You Need is Love"
3 May 1985
Henry objects to Matthew's choice of girlfriend.
4 (1-4)
"Suspect"
10 May 1985
Matthew suspects that the neighbour's college student son is not all he seems.
5 (1-5)
"Dating Henry?"
17 May 1985
Henry is acting very strange and Matthew sets out to find out why.
6 (1-6)
"Small Change"
24 May 1985
Henry refuses to invest in Matthew's future until he finds suitable employment.
7 (1-7)
"The Way We Were"
31 May 1985
Matthew sets up a meeting between his divorced parents.
Series 2 (1986)
Episode
Episode title
Transmission
Episode Description
8 (2-1)
"Protest"
5 September 1986
Henry and Matthew's relationship is strained when Matthew becomes an animal rights activist and a vegetarian.
9 (2-2)
"Open House"
12 September 1986
Matthew throws a party whilst Henry is away.
10 (2-3)
"Plastic Dreamworld"
19 September 1986
Matthew inherits a large sum of money but struggles to keep it.
11 (2-4)
"Acting out"
26 September 1986
Matthew becomes an actor much to the anger of Henry.
12 (2-5)
"The Test"
3 October 1986
Henry reluctantly teaches Matthew how to drive.
13 (2-6)
"Any Questions?"
10 October 1986
Henry is standing for councillor as an Independent, but can he convince first time voter Matthew and staunch conservative Enid to vote for him?
14 (2-7)
"Julie"
17 October 1986
Henry's daughter (and Matthew's sister) Julie comes to stay, but Henry and Matthew discover that three is a crowd.
Series 3 (1987)
Episode
Episode title
Transmission
Episode Description
15 (3-1)
"Human Interest"
24 October 1987
Henry and Matthew search for a new cleaning lady.
16 (3-2)
"Success Story"
31 October 1987
Henry's brother comes to stay and Henry finds himself no longer wanted.
17 (3-3)
"High Spirits"
7 November 1987
Matthew becomes obsessed with ghosts.
18 (3-4)
"The Real thing"
14 November 1987
Henry tries to play matchmaker for Matthew.
19 (3-5)
"Crimewatch"
21 November 1987
Henry becomes paranoid about security and joins the neighbourhood watch.
20 (3-6)
"Getting on?!"
28 November 1987
A visit to the hospital urges Matthew to adopt a homeless old man.
21 (3-7)
"Paper Chase"
5 December 1987
Matthew sits his exams, but can he resist his friend's offer of cheating.
1987 Christmas Special
Episode
Episode title
Transmission
Episode Description
22
"Family Ties"
27 December 1987
Henry's hopes of a quiet Christmas are dashed when his kids turn up.
Series 4 (1989-1990)
Episode
Episode title
Transmission
Episode Description
23 (4-1)
"Bridge of Sighs"
1 December 1989
A blast from the past sets Henry thinking of romance.
24 (4-2)
"Front Runner"
8 December 1989
Henry suggests Matthew gets a job in order to pay for his college fees.
25 (4-3)
"The Boyfriend"
15 December 1989
Henry quickly takes a dislike to Julie's new boyfriend.
26 (4-4)
"Thought for the Day"
22 December 1989
Henry takes in a lodger which turns into a disaster for Matthew.
27 (4-5)
"Return to Clagthorpe"
5 January 1990
Henry and Matthew go to Clagthorpe for a holiday.
28 (4-6)
"High Noon"
12 January 1990
Matthew's involvement with a boxer's girlfriend leads to a fight.
29 (4-7)
"Leaving"
19 January 1990
Matthew is leaving for college. Will Henry's life ever be the same again?
Foreign versions
The US version, You Again? was less successful and lasted two seasons, totalling 26 episodes. Elizabeth Bennett reprised the role of Enid in the show.
The Dutch version, Ha, die Pa! (Hello, Dad!) ran from 1990 to 1993 and was broadcast by NCRV. Luc Lutz (1924-2001) and his son Joris starred as Norbert and Matthijs Hoogendijk. Keeping it in the family, Pieter Lutz (1927-2009) guested as the homeless old man in the adaptation of the 'Getting on?!' episode. Matthijs' sister Freddie was played by Bettina Berger.
