A Fine Romance (1981)

Comedy · Romance

A Fine Romance is a British situation comedy starring husband-and-wife team Judi Dench and Michael Williams. Dench's sister was played by Susan Penhaligon. It was produced by London Weekend Television and written by Bob Larbey. It was first broadcast on 8 November 1981. It lasted for 26 episodes over four series; the final episode being broadcast on 17 February 1984. The series takes its name from a song in the 1936 film Swing Time, starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, which Dench recorded as the theme music. The series was nominated for nine BAFTA British Academy Television Awards and a winner of two, both for Dench's performance in 1982 and 1985.

IMDb rating: 7.1 (854 votes)
Episode average: 7.8 +0.7 vs IMDb
Seasons: 4
Streaming (US): Amazon Prime Video
Language: EN
Type: TV series

Rating trend: this show's seasons do not settle into one shape. Rising Shows ranks whole shows by the shape of their rating trend rather than one average score, which is how you find a show that got better rather than a show that started well.

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Ratings refreshed Oct 3, 2026 · 4 seasons indexed

Cast

Seasons

Season 1 (1981)

7.80 avg 7 episodes 7.4 → 8.1 26 min avg

Season 1 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	First Meeting	7.4	62
2	Different Answers	7.6	50
3	The Restaurant	7.7	43
4	Unlucky in Love	7.9	44
5	How to Avoid Bankruptcy	7.9	39
6	Keep Them Apart	8.0	39
7	Playing Games	8.1	34

Season 2 (1982)

7.80 avg 6 episodes 8.1 → 7.8 26 min avg

Season 2 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	A Helping Hand	8.1	35
2	A Trip to the Dentist	7.9	34
3	Was That a Proposal?	7.6	28
4	The New Secretary	7.8	28
5	Boulogne	7.6	30
6	Furniture	7.8	28

Season 3 (1983)

7.67 avg 6 episodes 8.0 → 7.4 26 min avg

Season 3 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Missing	8.0	30
2	The Hotel	7.6	24
3	The Dinner Party	7.5	27
4	Business Problems	7.8	26
5	Parenthood	7.7	29
6	Extreme Measures	7.4	30

Season 4 (1984)

7.73 avg 7 episodes 7.4 → 8.0 26 min avg

Slow burn

Season 4 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	The Telephone Call	7.4	33
2	In Hiding	7.2	29
3	Mike's New Girlfriend	7.5	29
4	A Weekend Away	7.9	29
5	Problems	8.0	28
6	A Romantic Meal	8.1	30
7	Happy Ever After?	8.0	29