Galton and Simpson's 'Casanova 73' was a spoof of the so-called 'permissive society' which everybody believed to exist but nobody could actually find! Leslie Phillips played 'Henry Newhouse', a lech of the first order. Week in week out his philanderings landed him in hot water with his wife, the sexy 'Carol' ( the late Jan Holden ). It was funny farce, well performed and enjoyable. But Mrs. Mary Whitehouse and her sorry ilk did not see the joke and it was eventually cancelled. Looked at now, the show's a wonderful snapshot of its era - the sensational 70's. Of course now we have political correctness and its exponents have been keen to lump the show in with 'Love Thy Neighbour' as examples of 'unacceptable' television. Nobody complains when middle-aged women ( such as the 'Sex And The City' gang ) chase after handsome hunks so it seems unfair to brand Philips 'creepy' just because he lusts after younger women. Men like that did - and still - exist. My favourite episode was the beauty contest one.
Review of Casanova '73
