Home to Roost
Home to Roost is a British sitcom produced by Yorkshire Television between 19 April 1985 and 19 January 1990. Written by Eric Chappell, it stars John Thaw as Henry Willows and Reece Dinsdale as his teenaged son Matthew.
The premise is that Henry Willows, who is forty-something, has been divorced from his wife for seven years, and is perfectly happy living alone in London until his oldest child, Matthew, arrives to live with him after being thrown out by his mother. The episodes generally revolve around Henry's annoyance at having his solitude disturbed, and the age gap between father and son. Henry employs two cleaners during the show's life; first Enid Thompson, and, in the third season, Fiona Fennell.
The show's theme tune is Lionel Bart's "Consider Yourself" from Oliver!, arranged in a jazz style by Peter Knight.
The series was later repeated on Channel 4, and ITV3. All 29 episodes have now been released on DVD by the Network imprint.
Main cast
- Henry Willows – Henry is a divorced middle-aged man who lives by himself, but when his son, Matthew, turns up on his door step, expecting to be waited on hand and foot, his life is turned upside down.
- Matthew Willows – Matthew is a teenager who gets himself into trouble, and is obsessed with girls and money.
- Enid Thompson – Enid is Henry's first cleaner. She is nosey and appears to be attracted to Henry.
- Fiona Fennell – Fiona is Henry's second cleaner.
- Julie Willows – Julie is Henry's daughter and Matthew's sister. Despite living with her mother after her parents' divorce she appears to be a daddy's girl.
- Sue Willows - - Henry's ex-wife. She only appears in one episode.
Episode list
Series 1
| Episode | Episode Title | Transmission | Précis |
| 1 | A new life | 19 April 1985 | Henry's bachelor lifestyle is turned upside down when his son Matthew asks to stay. |
| 2 | Bad apples | 26 April 1985 | Henry must find a new school for Matthew. |
| 3 | All you need is love | 3 May 1985 | Henry objects to Matthew's choice of girlfriend. |
| 4 | Suspect | 10 May 1985 | Matthew suspects that the neighbour's college student son is not all he seems. |
| 5 | Dating Henry? | 17 May 1985 | Henry is acting very strange and Matthew sets out to find out why. |
| 6 | Small change | 24 May 1985 | Henry refuses to invest in Matthew's future until he finds suitable employment. |
| 7 | The way we were | 31 May 1985 | Matthew sets up a meeting between his divorced parents. |
Series 2
| Episode | Episode Title | Transmission | Précis |
| 08 | Protest | 5 Sep 1986 | Henry and Matthew's relationship is strained when Matthew becomes an animal rights activist and a vegetarian. |
| 09 | Open house | 12 Sep 1986 | Matthew throws a party whilst Henry is away, but when Henry suddenly returns, he joins in the festivities rather than putting a stop to them. |
| 10 | Plastic dreamworld | 19 Sep 1986 | Matthew inherits a large sum of money but struggles to keep it. |
| 11 | Acting out | 26 Sep 1986 | Matthew becomes an actor much to the anger of Henry. |
| 12 | The test | 3 Oct 1986 | Henry reluctantly teaches Matthew how to drive. |
| 13 | Any questions? | 10 Oct 1986 | Henry is standing for councillor as an Independent, but can he convince first time voter Matthew and Conservative Enid to vote for him? |
| 14 | Julie | 17 Oct 1986 | Henry's daughter Julie comes to stay, but Henry and Matthew discover that three is a crowd. |
Series 3
| Episode | Episode Title | Transmission | Précis |
| 15 | Human interest | 24 Oct 1987 | Henry and Matthew search for a new cleaning lady. |
| 16 | Success story | 31 Oct 1987 | Henry's brother comes to stay and Henry finds himself no longer wanted. |
| 17 | High spirits | 7 Nov 1987 | Matthew becomes obsessed with ghosts. |
| 18 | The real thing | 14 Nov 1987 | Henry tries to play matchmaker for Matthew. |
| 19 | Crimewatch | 21 Nov 1987 | Henry becomes paranoid about security and joins the neighbourhood watch. |
| 20 | Getting on?! | 28 Nov 1987 | A visit to the hospital urges Matthew to adopt a homeless old man. |
| 21 | Paper chase | 5 Dec 1987 | Matthew sits his exams, but can he resist his friend's offer of cheating. |
Special
| Episode | Episode Title | Transmission | Précis |
| 22 | Family ties | 27 Dec 1987 | Henry's hopes of a quiet Christmas are dashed when his kids turn up. |
Series 4
| Episode | Episode Title | Transmission | Précis |
| 23 | Bridge of sighs | 1 Dec 1989 | A blast from the past sets Henry thinking of romance. |
| 24 | Front runner | 8 Dec 1989 | Henry suggests Matthew gets a job in order to pay for his college fees. |
| 25 | The boyfriend | 15 Dec 1989 | Henry quickly takes a dislike to Julie's new boyfriend. |
| 26 | Thought for the day | 22 Dec 1989 | Henry takes in a lodger which turns into a disaster for Matthew. |
| 27 | Return to Clagthorpe | 5 Jan 1990 | Henry and Matthew go to Clagthorpe for a holiday. |
| 28 | High noon | 12 Jan 1990 | Matthew's involvement with a boxer's girlfriend leads to a fight. |
| 29 | Leaving | 19 Jan 1990 | Matthew is leaving for college. Will Henry's life ever be the same again? |
Foreign versions
- The US version, You Again?, was less successful and lasted two seasons, albeit running to some 26 episodes. Elizabeth Bennett reprised the role of Enid in the show.
- The Dutch version, Ha, die Pa!, ran from 1990 to 1993 and was broadcast by NCRV. Luc Lutz and his son Joris starred as Norbert and Matthijs Hoogendijk. Keeping it in the family, Pieter Lutz guested as the homeless old man in the adaptation of the 'Getting on' episode. Matthijs' sister Freddie was played by Bettina Berger.