Shelley

*Shelley* is a British sitcom produced by Thames Television and originally aired on ITV from 12 July 1979 to 12 January 1984, and then from 11 October 1988 to 1 September 1992. The series stars Hywel Bennett as James Shelley, a 28-year-old sardonic, anti-establishment 'freelance layabout' with a doctoral degree who remains perpetually unemployed. In the original run, Belinda Sinclair portrayed Shelley's girlfriend Fran, while Josephine Tewson played his landlady, Edna Hawkins. The show was created by Peter Tilbury, who also wrote the first three series. Later scripts were written by Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin, Colin Bostock-Smith, David Frith, Bernard McKenna, and Barry Pilton. All 71 episodes were produced and directed by Anthony Parker. The seventh series, titled *The Return of Shelley* on screen, was broadcast in 1988. In this series, Shelley is separated from Fran and lives alone, still avoiding gainful employment. The series begins with Shelley returning to the UK from Saudi Arabia, where he had taught English for several years. Upon his return, he finds that his calls to old friends are now intercepted by answering machines and that his former neighborhood has become influenced by "yuppieness." The final three series reverted to the on-screen title *Shelley*.

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