Mike and Angelo S7E1 (1995) - FULL EPISODE

Mrs Shoutfire. Rita's career has taken off and she's left her brother in the lurch - but he can't look after Mike too much longer. So, naturally, they start auditioning housekeepers. Which, if any, will get the job? This episode was first broadcast on Thursday, 5th January, 1995, and it marks the point that the series went full-Sugababes. That is to say, the first Angelo had regenerated, the first Mike had left home, and now sole remaining original lead cast member Rita had moved on to pastures new. And thus began the Katy era: actress Katy Murphy (who you may remember from Spatz) took the role of house matriarch from now until the very end of the run. So, which era of the show is your favourite? Obviously the one you grew up with. But viewing the series with the distance of time now, a very good case can be made for these three being the best line-up of main actors. I'd say that the funniest episodes are in this era, and they strike a good balance of not being too zany. Then again, the earlier character-driven storylines have their charm, too. What do you think? One thing that works against Katy is that it's difficult to shake the feeling that she's the new girl in town. But if IMDB's figures are to be believed, Rita was in 63 episodes while Katy was only three behind on 60 - coincidentally, the same as this Mike, Michael Benz. Only Tim Whitnall as Angelo clocked up more appearances (103). Anyway, there's a recurring guest turn from Ron Berglas as Uncle Bob (also seen in The Tomorrow People and proper films such as Highlander), a scary one from Janet Henfrey (The Singing Detective, and recently in Toast of London and Wolf Hall), and a sickly sweet one from Annette Badland (currently in EastEnders, previously a Slitheen in Doctor Who). There's a tiny bit of CITV continuity at the beginning, but it's from the faceless voiceover-only era. Speaking of Doctor Who: Janet Henfrey played Miss Hardaker in that back in 1989. Here, her character is named Mrs Hardacre. I doubt that's a coincidence. Grateful thanks to Lee for providing this recording. (This is a transfer from an old videotape, so please don't expect full HD quality. To the best of my knowledge, this material is not available commercially anywhere in the world, and has been uploaded for its historic interest. That said, if you are a copyright holder and object, please don't hesitate to contact me.)