it is hard to see how anyone else could have played Timothy Lumsden. Ronnie Corbett is just about perfect as the eternal mommy's boy. He is middle-aged and totally downtrodden by his domineering mother, a wonderful performance by the sadly late Barbara Lott. She plays her part to the hilt and often looks on the verge of corpsing when she delivers some of her fantastic lines. She is a terrible cook who does nothing but nag Timothy and her long suffering but incredibly laid back husband. The stories revolve around Timothy's quest for a mate hampered all the time by Mother. She gives him lick washes and feeds him the most dreadful leftovers from her dreadful meals. She treats him like a small child all the time which he resembles. This is obviously a tailor made vehicle for Ronnie Corbett's comic talents and he acquits himself more than adequately. Dated but still enjoyable.
4 Reviews
For Love or Mummy
Prismark108 March 2022
Sorry! Is a sitcom that was tailor made for the diminutive stature of Ronnie Corbett.
In that way his character Timothy can be infantilised by his mother.
Timothy Lumsden is a 41 year old librarian who lives at home with his domineering Mother Phyllis.
His dad Sydney is henpecked and is prone to shout 'language Timothy' at his son.
In the first episode, Timothy's best friend Frank has set Timothy up with a date.
Only for his mother to do her best to ruin it. Timothy goes to a party dressed as a cat, it is the only clothes he has.
Instead of relaxing with his date, Timothy worries about his mother.
At the time of broadcast, I was a schoolkid and I remember many of my classmates found this funny, especially dad's catchphrase.
It is gently amusing and you feel for Timothy. Ronnie Corbett made it work.
It was also horrendously creepy. A grown man controlled by his mother. It was something of a cliche in British sitcoms. ITV had That's My Boy being broadcast in the same era. It had a similar premise of an overbearing mother.
In that way his character Timothy can be infantilised by his mother.
Timothy Lumsden is a 41 year old librarian who lives at home with his domineering Mother Phyllis.
His dad Sydney is henpecked and is prone to shout 'language Timothy' at his son.
In the first episode, Timothy's best friend Frank has set Timothy up with a date.
Only for his mother to do her best to ruin it. Timothy goes to a party dressed as a cat, it is the only clothes he has.
Instead of relaxing with his date, Timothy worries about his mother.
At the time of broadcast, I was a schoolkid and I remember many of my classmates found this funny, especially dad's catchphrase.
It is gently amusing and you feel for Timothy. Ronnie Corbett made it work.
It was also horrendously creepy. A grown man controlled by his mother. It was something of a cliche in British sitcoms. ITV had That's My Boy being broadcast in the same era. It had a similar premise of an overbearing mother.
Mummies Boy
ygwerin115 November 2022
Here we see in this first ever episode just how much of a wally "Timmie Lumsden" really is, he is most certainly his own worst enemy.
What we don't see yet is Timothy's sister, she by this stage as long since flown the nest, and as I recall the mother has disowned her.
The Mum's total disregard and disdain that mum has for her son, is illustrated by the food that she serves him, it's stuff she has hoarded for yonks and still expects him stomach it. It's quite literally garbage that she most certainly would never eat, she wouldn't even palm it off on her long suffering spouse.
Like all dogsbodies he would never dare complain even about her pigswill, he would prefer to hide it out of sight but never out of her mind.
As he knows full well but could never admit it even to himself, that he hasn't got a cat in hells chance of getting anything past her.
A problem for many of us in this comedy, is that it can make somewhat of a painful watch, with a forty something over blown school boy, still firmly tied to his mummies apron strings.
What we don't see yet is Timothy's sister, she by this stage as long since flown the nest, and as I recall the mother has disowned her.
The Mum's total disregard and disdain that mum has for her son, is illustrated by the food that she serves him, it's stuff she has hoarded for yonks and still expects him stomach it. It's quite literally garbage that she most certainly would never eat, she wouldn't even palm it off on her long suffering spouse.
Like all dogsbodies he would never dare complain even about her pigswill, he would prefer to hide it out of sight but never out of her mind.
As he knows full well but could never admit it even to himself, that he hasn't got a cat in hells chance of getting anything past her.
A problem for many of us in this comedy, is that it can make somewhat of a painful watch, with a forty something over blown school boy, still firmly tied to his mummies apron strings.
Cat overboard!
ShadeGrenade6 August 2023
Warning: Spoilers
I used to preface my IMDB reviews with an unrelated opening comment. These had the unintended effect of baffling readers, mainly because they were unconnected to the main subject. Since then, others have started to do the same thing. Anyway, its time for me to revive the tradition. According to a You Tube poster, John Alderton is the last surviving member of the 'Please Sir!' cast. Which would be true only if Peter Cleall, David Barry, Penny Spencer, Jill Kerman and Carol Hawkins were no longer with us. And, thankfully, they are. Its lazy journalism time, folks.
Onto 'Sorry'. This is the opening episode. 'Timothy Lumsden' ( Ronnie Corbett ) goes home from work to face his fearsome mother ( Barbara Lott ) who immediately shoves a pickled onion left over from 1945 down his throat. She is like something out of the Victorian era. Though Tim is in his forties, he treats him as though were a child. Tim's friend 'Frank' ( the late Roy Holder ) fixes him up with a date, the lovely 'Annette' ( Wendy Allnutt, who would play 'Jennifer' in later episodes ). Mother is aghast. Father ( William Moore ) is indifferent. Mother takes steps to prevent Tim from going on the date; she puts all his pairs of trousers in the wash. With nothing to wear, poor Tim is forced to put on a left-over costume from an amateur production of 'Dick Whittington'. He turns up at the party dressed as a cat...
This episode starts the series as it means to go on. Tim thinks he has found a woman to love, Mother interferes and Tim winds up right back where he started. The role of 'Tim' was a better fit for Corbett than his previous sitcom 'The Prince Of Denmark' in which he played a married man running a pub. Barbara Lott was brilliant as 'Mother'. During the run of the series, children used to go up to her in the street and rebuke her from being cruel to Timothy!
Funniest moment - in the pub, Tim puts on a crash helmet, lowers the visor and walks into a wall!
Onto 'Sorry'. This is the opening episode. 'Timothy Lumsden' ( Ronnie Corbett ) goes home from work to face his fearsome mother ( Barbara Lott ) who immediately shoves a pickled onion left over from 1945 down his throat. She is like something out of the Victorian era. Though Tim is in his forties, he treats him as though were a child. Tim's friend 'Frank' ( the late Roy Holder ) fixes him up with a date, the lovely 'Annette' ( Wendy Allnutt, who would play 'Jennifer' in later episodes ). Mother is aghast. Father ( William Moore ) is indifferent. Mother takes steps to prevent Tim from going on the date; she puts all his pairs of trousers in the wash. With nothing to wear, poor Tim is forced to put on a left-over costume from an amateur production of 'Dick Whittington'. He turns up at the party dressed as a cat...
This episode starts the series as it means to go on. Tim thinks he has found a woman to love, Mother interferes and Tim winds up right back where he started. The role of 'Tim' was a better fit for Corbett than his previous sitcom 'The Prince Of Denmark' in which he played a married man running a pub. Barbara Lott was brilliant as 'Mother'. During the run of the series, children used to go up to her in the street and rebuke her from being cruel to Timothy!
Funniest moment - in the pub, Tim puts on a crash helmet, lowers the visor and walks into a wall!
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