About this season
Ria Parkinson is a bored housewife and mother. She spends her time daydreaming, and meets regularly with wealthy businessman Leonard to relieve the monotony. Husband Ben, a dentist and avid butterfly collector is oblivious to it all, and her unemployed grown up sons, who both live at home also have other things on their minds, especially girlfriends.
Episodes (7)
1. An Empty Cage
Aired 9 September 1980 • 30 min
Adam has a job as a long-distance lorry driver. He has to take a load of timber to London, deliver it and pick up another load to drive to Scotland. Russell goes with him for the ride. Ben comments on how peaceful the house is without the boys, but Ria finds the silence unnerving, like an empty cage. Leonard rings - his wife has gone away again, and he'll meet Ria in the park the next day. In the meantime, Ben takes her to London. A radio newsflash announces long delays on the road to London after a lorry carrying timber shed its load.
2. Ruby's Crisis
Aired 16 September 1980 • 30 min
Ruby, the housekeeper, starts shoplifting. Ria helps her cure the habit.
3. Pregnancy
Aired 23 September 1980 • 30 min
As Leonard celebrates getting his licence back, Ria struggles to emulate a television cook's recipe. The boys come in, and Russell announces that his girlfriend Jeanie is pregnant, so they are getting married. Ben takes the news well, and a meeting is organised with Jeanie and her parents, though only she turns up, gives Ben a note for Russell and leaves. The family assume she is not pregnant after all. In fact, she wants the baby but not marriage.
4. Problems, Problems
Aired 30 September 1980 • 30 min
Adam gets the sack. Ria accidentally plays a taped conversation between Russell and Jeannie, which confirms Jeannie's pregnancy. Ria becomes preoccupied with her sons' troubles and makes mistakes whilst out shopping. Leonard crashes his car and rehires Thomas - he smiles to himself as he takes a photo of Ria out of his desk drawer. Ria tries to get the boys to confide in her, but with little success. She then tells her troubles to Ben, but he's taken sleeping pills and is sound asleep.
5. Happy Birthday, Ria
Aired 7 October 1980 • 30 min
It's Ria's birthday, and Ben takes her to London, dropping her off and arranging to meet her later. Leonard follows her to London and books a room next to Ria's in the hotel, which flusters her. She agrees to an afternoon of sightseeing with him, but will go no further. He looks wistfully on as she eventually greets Ben.
6. Gimme Shelter
Aired 14 November 1980 • 30 min
Whilst the boys build a fallout shelter - which annoys Ben when he falls in the hole - Ria meets up with an old friend, Kathleen, an American on her third marriage, and she is no more faithful to this husband than the others. She is amazed that Ria and Leonard have not had sex and asks Ria to pretend to her husband Tony that they have been together whilst she is with her lover. Tony turns up and catches Ria off guard - she is hesitant, and when Kathleen returns, she argues with her, unaware that Adam is listening. He finds out about Leonard but is happy to keep his mother's secret, and when Leonard rings, he answers and hands the phone to Ria.
7. Parting
Aired 21 November 1980 • 30 min
Ben is off to a conference in the South of France and Leonard is off to New York. They both want Ria to see them off at six in the morning. Fortunately an airport strike comes to her aid. Ben sets out by car and Ria goes to Leonard's flat after his flight is postponed. After several interruptions she finally stays the night. Next day the boys tell her she looks good and happy but she wells up as she sees Leonard's plane fly overhead.