As Time Goes By

As Time Goes By fans Devoted fans prepare to say good-bye to the long-running Britcom
By Jennifer Fletcher

JoAnn Avants' obsession with the Britcom As Time Goes By began in February of 1999.

Since then, she has been hooked, tuning in religiously to watch it on WHYY TV12 and even joining an Internet fan group.

So, it is no surprise that Avants was ecstatic when she was one of few people in the Philadelphia area asked to join other fans from the steadily-growing Internet group, whose membership is close to 800 fans from across the United States and even some parts of England and other countries, to be part of the studio audience this past June for a taping of the ninth and final season of the popular Britcom. The final episodes of As Time Goes By air Tuesday, September 17 at 7:30 p.m. on TV 12.

Avants says she feels that viewers are drawn to the show over other Britcoms or even American comedies like Friends because of its substance and humanistic quality. "It just relates to a lot of experiences people have."

The trip to the show's London studios is the second trip Avants has taken to England this year. Both times she met Oscar-winning actress Judi Dench, who plays one of the main roles. "The majority of [fans] are in their 30s and 40s and they can relate to Judi Dench, who gets older, has gray hair and does not get her face lifted," Avants says, "and I think people like that."

The program is based on the accidental reunion of hardworking widow Jean (Dench) and divorced ex-army officer Lionel (Geoffrey Palmer), whose brief affair was halted four decades earlier when Lionel, then a young army officer, left for the Korean War.

Judi Dench and Geoffrey Palmer
Acclaimed actress Judi Dench shares her thoughts on the popularity of As Time Goes By

Learn more about the cast of As Time Goes By

The passion of their youth has dissipated, but Jean and Lionel's feelings for one another are still apparent, and the two lovebirds attempt to recapture the romance they had once lost. As the two reacquaint and eventually marry, the show progresses and Jean and Lionel attempt to overcome the challenges that didn't apply when they first met.

Now, two years after the eighth season was taped, As Time Goes By is back with all new adventures, including the long-anticipated wedding of Jean's daughter, Judith (Moira Brooker) and Lionel's young publisher, Alistair Deacon (Philip Bretherton) and a special flashback episode in which Lionel and Jean look back at the best moments in their lives.

Even though the show is wrapping up, the fans apparently still feel as connected as ever. Avants and her friend Carmella Coia (who only just recently started watching As Time Goes By) especially felt a part of things during their trip to see the final taping. The fans were given a tour of the studios, watched the taping of the wedding episode (even getting to taste some of the wedding cake), were asked to stay after for a question-and-answer session with the actors and invited to a special dinner that included the entire cast.

"The best part was meeting everybody and getting together," Avants says, explaining that another part of show's appeal is the real-life personalities of the actors, who are all very down-to-earth and sociable. "[Dench] will talk to you and she will always sign autographs and [Palmer] was naturally relaxed and casual after the [taping]."

Although both expressed sadness that their trip to London had gone by so quickly and that the show is ending, Avants and Coia's relationship with As Time Goes By is not over. They both look forward to watching the show's final season on TV12 and are planning another trip to London this fall to see Dench in the play The Breath of Life.

The final episodes of As Time Goes By air Tuesday, September 17 at 7:30 p.m. on WHYY TV12.