Mother and Son
Mother and Son was a multiple Logie Award-winning Australian television sitcom produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation from 16 January 1984 until 21 March 1994. The show stars Ruth Cracknell, Garry McDonald, Henri Szeps and Judy Morris. It was created and written by Geoffrey Atherden AM. Its classic theme song features the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, playing to I Want a Girl, a jazz standard which was recorded by Al Jolson in the 1920s.
Seasons
1. The Nursing Home
Air Date: 1984-01-16
Arthur begins to finally consider putting Maggie in a rest home after his wife leaves him.
2. The Milk
Air Date: 1984-01-23
After sending Maggie out for some milk 3 hours ago, Arthur discovers Maggie has been faking a broken wrist to get meals on wheels for free. This prompts the meals on wheels volunteer to think Arthur is incapable of looking after Maggie and sends a social worker to discuss the situation.
3. The Oysters
Air Date: 1984-01-30
Arthur discovers Maggie has been arriving home on the back of a garbage truck, and making a nuisance of herself at a local hospital. This forces Arthur to tell Maggie not to go out during the day any more, but to no avail.
4. The Tickets
Air Date: 1984-02-06
Arthur tries his best to get out of the house, and away from Maggie, for a holiday with a new girlfriend. But a series of misunderstandings leads his ex wife to believe he wants to take her on the holiday.
5. The Babysitter
Air Date: 1984-02-13
After spending several Saturday nights at home with Maggie, Arthur questions why he doesn't have a girlfriend. So he makes a date with Deidre, prompting Maggie to discover she hates to be left alone at night.
6. The Boyfriend
Air Date: 1984-02-20
It's Maggie's birthday and the entire family gets together to celebrate. Maggie sees the family gathering the perfect chance to bring home a new boyfriend, and tells Arthur she'd like to marry again.
7. The Illness
Air Date: 1984-02-27
Maggie thinks she's dying and finally wonders what to do about her will. After discovering Robert wants to sell the family home, she anxiously wishes to change her will... But finding the will is the problem for her and Arthur, who is looking for his own house to live in.
1. The Money
Air Date: 1985-03-04
After receiving a letter from the government, Maggie thinks they think she's dead, but in fact, they are investigating why she hasn't cashed in her pension cheques. Arthur wonders as well, and discovers she has been hiding the cheques...and other sums of money, around the house.
2. The Divorce
Air Date: 1985-03-11
The day of Arthur's divorce is approaching, and Maggie can't understand why he has to divorce. This prompts Robert to consider his marriage to Liz after they have a big argument.
3. The Funeral
Air Date: 1985-03-18
Arthur's uncle dies, and not even a funeral can keep peace within the family. After Maggie buys a bag of oranges and drops them accidentally into the open grave, Arthur's other uncle visits him and Maggie...with an unexpected situation.
4. The Promotion
Air Date: 1985-03-25
Arthur is offered a new job, but must make a move to Canberra. But trying to convince Maggie to move away with him proves harder than first anticipated.
5. The Aunt
Air Date: 1985-04-01
Maggie's sister Lorna visits, and the meeting is far from pleasant. Arthur is hoping Lorna's company will give him a chance to go out with his new girlfriend.
6. The Card Game
Air Date: 1985-04-08
Arthur is having some friends over for a card game, and Maggie is shocked that she won't be joining them for the game. When the cards go missing, Maggie is the prime suspect and a whole house search is in order, and Maggie becomes the centre of Arthur's friends attention..in many bad ways.
7. The Morning After
Air Date: 1985-04-15
Arthur's girlfriend spends the night, which shocks Maggie. Enough for her to walk out and threaten to move in with Robert and Liz. Robert tries to steadily convince Arthur to take his girlfriend somewhere else to be alone, and also to convince Maggie not to move out.
1. The Christmas Drinks
Air Date: 1985-02-27
It's a hot summer Christmas for Arthur, who is having a party for all his friends and family. But as far as Maggie is concerned, she just wants Arthur to take her to church and forget about the party. A series of incidents leads to an argument between the family... And finally to the church.
2. The Sign
Air Date: 1986-03-03
Maggie becomes anxious about the whereabouts of her late husband, so she finds solace in religion, in the hope of meeting up with her husband in heaven, but to Arthur, Maggie is just, once again, being crazy...or is she?
3. The Picnic
Air Date: 1986-03-10
A day at the park with the whole family turns out to be a disaster as Maggie goes missing...only to wonder off on a bus, for an old folks home!
4. The Accident
Air Date: 1986-03-17
Arthur accidentally drops a typewriter on his foot, forcing him to stay home, and have Maggie as his carer...could things get any more worse for Arthur? Trying to buy a sandwich for Arthur lands Maggie in a baby clinic, and then at a hospital, where she meets a friend.
5. The Last Will
Air Date: 1986-03-24
Maggie reads her last will to the family, and Arthur is shocked at what she has to say-but not so for Robert and Liz.
6. The Neighbours
Air Date: 1986-03-31
A feud arises between Maggie and her next door neighbour, who is a Greek immigrant. After an exchange of threats and property damage, Arthur and the neighbours son decide to fix up the ladies relationship.
7. The Cruise
Air Date: 1986-04-07
Maggie and her new friend Claude make plans to go on a cruise, which surprises Arthur, and shocks Robert..but not is all as it seems for Claude.
1. The Medals
Air Date: 1988-02-01
Maggie assumes that it's ANZAC day, and tries her hardest to go and see the parade...but Arthur tries his hardest to convince her it isn't the day yet.
2. The Friend
Air Date: 1988-02-08
Arthur feels Maggie needs a friend after he discovers she's talking to herself...so he hires a woman to help Maggie with the housework, as well as look after her.
3. The Car
Air Date: 1988-02-15
Maggie wishes to visit the place of her honeymoon, but Arthur wants to do otherwise..so Maggie wants to drive there herself. The car then becomes the centre of attention as Robert buys it off Maggie, leaving Arthur carless..there's only one way to get the car back from Maggie...
4. The Surprise
Air Date: 1988-02-22
Arthur, Maggie and Liz plan a surprise party for Robert's birthday but when Robert turns up late, Liz starts to think if he is having another affair with one of her friends.
5. The Dog
Air Date: 1988-02-29
Robert needs to dump a dog that Liz doesn't want, so he gives it to Arthur and Maggie...who have more than a hard time looking after it.
6. The Fridge
Air Date: 1988-03-07
The fridge needs to be fixed, Maggie is working on her memoirs and at the same time, Robert begins to question his mothers love for him, compared to Arthur. Bitterness arises between the family.
7. The Last Straw
Air Date: 1988-03-14
Arthur has finally had enough of Maggie, so walks out on her to go on a holiday..leaving Robert in charge...what will come of this arrangement?
1. The Deed
Air Date: 1992-02-10
Trying to get Maggie to sign over Power of Attorney to the house is a hard journey for Arthur when she accidently loses the deed in her bedroom.
2. The Budgie
Air Date: 1992-02-17
Feeling that Maggie could use some companionship after a fight with Robert, Arthur brings home a budgie for her to look after...this is harder than it seems for Maggie, who decides to feed the bird some chicken.
3. The Big Sleep
Air Date: 1992-02-24
Maggie's having trouble falling asleep...causing Arthur sleepless nights too, for her fear of death has arisen once again. She begins making several arrangements for her death..which prompts her to think about her husbands funeral, and how little she did for him.
4. The Clock
Air Date: 1992-03-02
All Arthur wants is a nice, quiet Saturday at home, but Maggie believes a neighbour across the street stole her clock many years ago, so she returns to claim it, but is caught taking it. Arthur and Robert need to find a way to find out if the clock is genuinely hers or not. But there is something else up Robert's sleeve...
5. The Rest
Air Date: 1992-03-09
Maggie can't understand why Arthur is being so cranky lately, so she decides to visit the doctor to get some answers. The answer, give Arthur a holiday. But Arthur has something else in mind...
6. The Baby
Air Date: 1992-03-16
Secretly doing some babysitting during the day, Maggie gives away what shes doing when Arthur sees she's knitting a baby booty, but when he discovers the baby, he thinks she's kidnapped it from the shop. A visit from Robert and Liz prompts them to check on the baby and a letter that Maggie received in the mail for Robert leads Arthur, and eventually Liz, to think the baby is Robert's. Will Arthur find out what Maggie is up to?
7. The Sunday Roast
Air Date: 1992-03-23
All Arthur wants is to bring home a girlfriend for Sunday lunch, but convincing Maggie is the trouble. So he disguises his girlfriend as a distant cousin who is visiting the family, and this impresses Maggie, who just loves the family. Arthur gets the whole family together and lets Robert and Liz in on the secret, but they have a hard time keeping it from Maggie when an argument breaks out between Maggie and Liz.
1. The Ride
Air Date: 1994-02-07
It seems that Robert is about to turn over a new leaf when he takes Maggie out for a drive, but secretly is meeting up with another woman. After Maggie walks out of the car and Robert loses her, he and Liz go to search for her, but the mystery woman is discovered by Liz as they are searching for Maggie. Is this the end of Robert and Liz?
2. The Trip
Air Date: 1994-02-14
We see the return of Maggie's younger sister, Lorna, who has just lost her husband, and wants to take Maggie to England, but will they even make it to the plane without fighting?
3. The Family Feud
Air Date: 1994-02-21
Maggie and Lorna are about to return home from England, and Robert has moved in with Arthur since Liz kicked him out. Once Robert finally leaves, and the sisters return home, Arthur is not surprised to find the sisters are not speaking, but it is over something that Lorna said about Arthur. This prompts a family meeting with everyone, and they turn against poor Arthur, who discovers what his family really thinks of him.
4. The Caravan
Air Date: 1994-02-28
After a bitter fight over "the favourite son contest", which Maggie is entering Robert in, Arthur moves into Robert's caravan. However, this isn't the joyous experience he was hoping for.
5. The Lamingtons
Air Date: 1994-03-07
Maggie, without knowing it, promises to make 216 lamingtons for various groups at a cake stall, and at the same time must present herself on a jury. Will she succeed in all this, which must be done in one day? Or will Arthur be forced to help?
6. The Promise
Air Date: 1994-03-14
Arthur pleads with Maggie to start helping around the house cleaning when he goes to work, but even more so, he wants her to become independant due to the fact that he might be sick. After Robert tells Maggie Arthur is dying, Maggie starts to believe Arthur will die unless she helps him around the house.
7. The Ring Cycle
Air Date: 1994-03-21
It seems that Arthur and Deidre may be getting back together, and hopes Maggie will accept it. Arthur tries to ship Maggie off to Robert and Liz's for one night so he and Deidre can sort things out, but this is interrupted when Maggie's wedding ring goes missing...
Select an episode to start watching
Rating
7.5/10
Release Date
1984-01-16
Episodes
42 (6 seasons)
Status
Ended
Cast
Videos
Production Companies
Australian Broadcasting Commission