Season 4 • Episode 7
LatestRia Parkinson is a bored housewife and mother. She spends her time daydreaming, and meets regularly with wealthy businessman Leonard to relieve the monotony. Husband Ben, a dentist and avid butterfly collector is oblivious to it all, and her unemployed grown up sons, who both live at home also have other things on their minds, especially girlfriends.
Acting
Wendy Craig's wordless longing in close-ups is devastating.
Writing
Carla Lane's bittersweet dialogue makes almost-cheating feel tragicomic.
Creator
Carla Lane
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Butterflies was revolutionary for 1978 — a sitcom about female desire where the 'happy ending' is staying married. Carla Lane reportedly got hate mail from women who wanted Ria to actually run away with Leonard.
The butterfly metaphor isn't subtle: Ben pins dead specimens while Ria feels equally trapped. Geoffrey Palmer improvised much of Ben's oblivious monologuing about Lepidoptera.
GB
