Life with the Lyons

Image: The Lyon Family : Barbara, Richard, Bebe Daniels and Ben Lyon in February 1955.

Life with the Lyons was first heard on 5 November 1950. The situation comedy was written by popular American actress Bebe Daniels, who starred in it along with her real life family - husband Ben Lyon, and children Barbara and Richard. Daniels played a scatterbrained version of herself, and the script drew on events from her own domestic life. The show attracted over 11 million listeners, and transferred to television, the West End stage, and became a feature film.

Daniels and Lyon were a well known Hollywood couple - Daniels had starred in many films including Rio Rita and 42nd St. They were appreciated by British radio audiences for choosing to remain in London during the war to make Hi Gang, which continued on air throughout the Blitz. By the time Life with the Lyons started the family were settled, with Barbara studying at RADA and Richard at school in the country. The sitcom reflected their real lives to the extent that when Daniels and Lyon moved home, the sitcom family moved too.

Life with the Lyons ran until 1961. After two series on the BBC the television version transferred to ITV, but continued on BBC radio. As one of the first family situation comedies it formed the template for many sitcoms that followed, up to and including My Family and Outnumbered.