Rhona – Nostalgia Central

2 0 0 0 (UK)
6 x 30 minute episodes

Scottish stand-up comedian Rhona Cameron made an effortless transition to sitcom with this self-titled show, playing an asthmatic Scottish lesbian living in London.

Rhona’s two best friends (both heterosexual) were level-headed Lisa (Mel Giedroyc) and “emotionally androgynous” Geoff (Dave Lamb), with whom she shared the ups and downs of her life.

They could be a neurotic and temperamental bunch, but mostly managed to smile through their troubles without taking life too seriously.

So, too, did Ally (Vicki Pepperdine), the confident barmaid at Rhona’s local watering hole. Rhona’s long-suffering, overpowering mother (Janet Brown), though, liked to carp.

Rhona was both funny and pleasingly angst-free, and if viewers were determined to look for influences, then The Mary Tyler Moore Show was more on the mark than Ellen – the upbeat girl-in-the-big-city theme music, and also the show’s credit sequence, bore more than a passing resemblance to the great US comedy.

The series – written by Cameron and Australian Linda Gibson – aired between 25 July and 29 August 2000.

Rhona
Rhona Cameron
Lisa
Mel Giedroyc
Geoff
Dave Lamb
Mother
Janet Brown
Ally
Vicki Pepperdine