Grandma's House

- Season 1

(2010)

On their latest Sunday outing to his grandparents' house young television presenter Simon tells the family that he is quitting as the sarcastic host of his successful quiz show in order to soften his image. Gran criticizes Auntie Liz's new hairdo. Simon criticizes his mother Tanya's maddeningly jolly new boyfriend Clive,whose selling point is his wide screen television. The sanest family member,Grandpa Bernie,confides in Simon that he believes he has prostate cancer,news that overshadows Tanya and Clive's announcement.

Simon buys Tanya a second-hand bright yellow Smart car. Grandpa thinks it's unsafe whilst Tanya is reluctant to accept such an expensive gift. Clive buys her a Yaris car,which she does accept,and she tells Simon he can keep the Smart car for himself. Clive thinks he was conned by the vendor. The family force an unwilling Simon to read out the play he has written,in which all the characters are eggs. It is anything but a cracking success.

The family tease Liz for pretending to be a Catholic to get Adam into the local church school, and Simon,who has a crush on actor Ben Theodore. Grandpa invites an old flame, the ebullient drama coach and former actress Deborah Arden,for tea. Deborah is critical of Simon's career,annoying the family in the process, though she is impressed by Adam's rude jokes. When Deborah explains that her acting pupil Ben Theodore is coming to collect her, Simon is excited but he is also nervous and overplays his hand with the shy,withdrawn Ben. His family do not help.

Simon has been asked to take part in a documentary where he flies over Africa in a balloon with Wyclef Jean for charity but he would prefer to be a recluse and hide for a year.The feeling intensifies when a red top publishes an article from a musician who claims Simon's on-screen sarcasm destroyed his life. Liz,anxious for the family to go out to dinner,picks a fight with him,after which Clive turns up with footage of Simon's early show-biz appearances,all highly blush-making.

After attending a life-changing course,Simon sets out to 'heal' the family,offering Liz therapy and Grandpa an exercise ball. The women are planning a pre-nuptial lunch but Simon,hoping to 'resolve the past',asks his father Richard over to visit. All the family hate Richard after he left Tanya for another woman and things are not about to change,especially when Clive rolls up with tickets to take Tanya to see Bette Midler in Las Vegas.

After Grandpa is briefly taken ill Tanya feels she should postpone her wedding to Clive for a while. True Liz has the reception ready for the afternoon but next day her parents are off on a cruise and Simon hopes to fly to New York with love object Ben - which means he won't be able to open the new arts wing at Adam's school. Given that the Las Vegas holiday did not go too well,she starts to have second thoughts about the wedding. These are reinforced when Clive turns up drunk and threatens Simon,and then,accidentally, runs Grandpa over.