Life with the Lyons

Following a highly publicized trial against their stalker, American actors Ben Lyon and Bebe Daniels moved to London in 1935.[1] For several years, the couple commuted between London and Los Angeles, where their children resided with Daniels' mother and Lyon was under contract to 20th Century Fox.

At the advent of World War II, Lyon and Daniels were touring England in vaudeville when Lyon developed the idea for a radio series in an effort to boost morale. In 1940, the couple debuted Hi, Gang!, in which they starred with Vic Oliver with scripts written by Daniels. During the war, Lyon joined the newly formed Special Services unit of the United States military while Daniels served as a war correspondent. Following the war, the Lyons moved to London permanently with their children. Deciding to expand their show into a family effort, Hi, Gang! ended in 1949.[2]

Life With the Lyons was created by Daniels, which she developed with Bob Block and Bill Harding. The trio would often work on scripts late at night in the family's basement.[2] The show featured a fictionalized version of the family, with Barbara Lyon and Richard Lyon starring as their children. Molly Weir as also cast as the family's Scottish maid, Aggie MacDonald. For the fifth through seventh series of the radio show – and the first two series of the television adaption – Richard Bellaers starred as Robin Lyon, the couple's youngest child.[2] Also cast were Horace Percival as their henpecked neighbor, Mr. Wimple, and Doris Rogers as Florrie Wainwright, Bebe's nosy friend who frequently spars with Ben.[2]

Life With the Lyons debuted on BBC Radio on 5 November 1950. It was the first scripted situation comedy show in the United Kingdom. The series ran for 252 episodes over eleven seasons, ending on 19 May 1961.[2]

Daniels and Block served as writers for all eleven seasons. Harding departed the series after seasons three, and was replaced by Ronnie Hanbury.[2] Other writers for the series used on occasion included Jill Allgood, Brad Ashton, Robert Hounsome, and Ray Sonin.[2]

Many radio episodes were not kept by the BBC and only three episodes are in the archives; these were on BBC Radio 7 in early 2011. Following this broadcast, the BBC were alerted to a private collection of around 200 episodes owned by Graeme Stevenson in Scotland, and a selection of 14 episodes were rebroadcast on Radio 7's successor BBC Radio 4 Extra between July and December 2011 [3] and rebroadcast at later dates.

Two feature films both directed by Val Guest were made with the cast of the series between the radio and television versions. The Lyons' contract called for them to receive a percentage of the film's profits.

• Life with the Lyons (1954)
• The Lyons in Paris (1955)

In 1954, the family appeared in a special on BBC Television. Following its success and that of the first feature film, the network approved a television adaption of Life With the Lyons. BBC aired the first two series, consisting of four episodes each, in the summers of 1955 and 1956 respectively. In 1957, ITV picked up the series for a full fall series of 10 episodes.[2] The show remained on ITV for another three seasons until it ended in 1960.

Only six episodes survive in television archives. One from the first series, two each from the third and fourth, and one from the final series. The surviving first-season episode was shown on BBC Four on 27 March 2005 as part of the "TV on Trial" season. The episode was not shown "in the clear" – viewers had the choice of a version without commentary but with on-screen logos, or with commentary by Roy Hattersley and Kathryn Flett.

Life With the Lyons also appeared as a play, and in seven Royal Command Performances.

• John Lennon was a fan of the radio show, and paid tribute to the show in his second album with Yoko Ono Unfinished Music No.2: Life with the Lions.[2]
• In his song "Post World War Two Blues" (Past, Present & Future, 1973), Al Stewart sang, "We were locked up safe and warm from the snow / With 'Life with the Lyons' on the radio...".

• The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet

• Life with the Lyons (TV series) at IMDb
• Life with the Lyons (radio series) at BBC Online
• Life with the Lyons (radio series) at the Internet Archive