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The Best Episodes of As Time Goes By

Every episode of As Time Goes By ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of As Time Goes By!

Two lovers are reunited after decades apart following a mutual misunderstanding.
Genre:Comedy
Network:BBC One

Best Episodes Summary

"A Surprise for Jean" is the best rated episode of "As Time Goes By". It scored 8.6/10 based on 110 votes. Directed by Sydney Lotterby and written by Bob Larbey, it aired on 6/29/1997. This episode scored 0.2 points higher than the second highest rated, "Visiting Rocky".

  • A Surprise for Jean
    8.6/10110 votes
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    #1 - A Surprise for Jean

    Season 6 Episode 7 - Aired 6/29/1997

    Jean tells Lionel that she wants him to surprise her more. So Alistair suggests Lionel surprise Jean with a trip. However it turns out not to be the easiest thing to do.

    Director: Sydney Lotterby

    Writer: Bob Larbey

  • Visiting Rocky
    8.4/10133 votes
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    #2 - Visiting Rocky

    Season 2 Episode 3 - Aired 1/24/1993

    Lionel takes Jean to see his eccentric father Rocky, the complete opposite of Lionel's gruff self.

    Director: Sydney Lotterby

    Writer: Bob Larbey

  • Wedding Day Nerves
    8.4/10117 votes
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    #3 - Wedding Day Nerves

    Season 4 Episode 8 - Aired 4/23/1995

    Lionel and Jean's wedding day arrives. Lionel has to deal with a case of nerves while Jean has to deal with her sister-in-laws meddling.

    Director: Sydney Lotterby

    Writer: Bob Larbey

  • The Copper Kettle
    8.3/10143 votes
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    #4 - The Copper Kettle

    Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 1/26/1992

    Lionel is about to go on a lecture circuit, so he invites Jean for a day out. The revisit some old haunts, only to discover that a lot has changed. However, after a trek through an overgrown field, they find 'The Copper Kettle', an old place which Lionel and Jean were quite fond of.

    Director: Sydney Lotterby

    Writer: Bob Larbey

  • Rocky's Wedding Day
    8.3/10130 votes
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    #5 - Rocky's Wedding Day

    Season 3 Episode 2 - Aired 1/9/1994

    It's Rocky and Madge's wedding day but, things don't go quite as planned.

    Director: Sydney Lotterby

    Writer: Bob Larbey

  • The Anniversary Party
    8.3/10121 votes
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    #6 - The Anniversary Party

    Season 4 Episode 6 - Aired 4/9/1995

    Stephen plans a surprise anniversary party for Penny but, mixes up the dates. While Jean and Lionel argue about being ""engaged"".

    Director: Sydney Lotterby

    Writer: Bob Larbey

  • Wedding Preparations
    8.3/10113 votes
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    #7 - Wedding Preparations

    Season 4 Episode 7 - Aired 4/16/1995

    Jean and Lionel finally set a date for the wedding. While the women are planning the wedding, Lionel finally finishes his script for the miniseries.

    Director: Sydney Lotterby

    Writer: Bob Larbey

  • Pardon?
    8.3/10117 votes
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    #8 - Pardon?

    Season 7 Episode 1 - Aired 4/19/1998

    Jean suspects that Lionel is going deaf. But despite the fact that he clearly can't hear very much, Lionel resists going to a doctor. Meanwhile, he becomes convinced that Jean is having problems with her eyes, and sets about solving this dilemma.

    Director: Sydney Lotterby

    Writer: Bob Larbey

  • Christmas Special Part One
    8.3/10136 votes
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    #9 - Christmas Special Part One

    Season 10 Episode 1 - Aired 12/26/2005

    Jean feathers the nest for grandchildren, even though Lionel points out that neither Judy nor Sandy have gotten pregnant yet. It turns out that Judy and Alistair have been trying, with no results, and Judy suspects the problem may be Alistair--who is wildly overcompensating to prove his virility. Meanwhile, Sandy is upset because Harry seeks a promotion that may put him in harm's way. And in the middle of all this, Lionel gets a very unexpected visitor from Africa.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Misunderstandings
    8.2/10126 votes
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    #10 - Misunderstandings

    Season 2 Episode 5 - Aired 2/7/1993

    During a weekend at Jean's sister-in-law's house, Jean and Lionel invent more and more ridiculous claims to cover-up their romance thirty-eight years ago.

    Director: Sydney Lotterby

    Writer: Bob Larbey

  • The Book Signing
    8.2/10120 votes
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    #11 - The Book Signing

    Season 2 Episode 7 - Aired 2/21/1993

    The book is finally published, and Lionel begins a nationwide book-signing tour.

    Director: Sydney Lotterby

    Writer: Bob Larbey

  • Getting Rid of Gwen
    8.2/10119 votes
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    #12 - Getting Rid of Gwen

    Season 4 Episode 3 - Aired 3/19/1995

    Jean trys to help Lionel come up with a plan to get rid of Ms. Flack. While Ms. Flack decides to move away to her sister's.

    Director: Sydney Lotterby

    Writer: Bob Larbey

  • Judith's New Romance
    8.2/10107 votes
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    #13 - Judith's New Romance

    Season 4 Episode 9 - Aired 4/30/1995

    Judy gets a new boyfriend and Jean decides to ""help"" out her daughter.

    Director: Sydney Lotterby

    Writer: Bob Larbey

  • Showered with Gifts
    8.2/10104 votes
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    #14 - Showered with Gifts

    Season 5 Episode 7 - Aired 2/25/1996

    Lionel and Jean befriend the villagers who shower the couple with gifts.

    Director: Sydney Lotterby

    Writer: Bob Larbey

  • The Old Folks' Party
    8.2/10105 votes
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    #15 - The Old Folks' Party

    Season 7 Episode 6 - Aired 5/24/1998

    Jean ropes everyone into helping at a party for the oldies ... bottoms are pinched, Alastair excels as a DJ, and Jean and Lionel hope to be treated as well in their old age. Madge and Rocky spice things up with booze.

    Director: Sydney Lotterby

    Writer: Bob Larbey

  • The World Will Always Welcome Lovers (a.k.a The Wedding)
    8.2/10108 votes
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    #16 - The World Will Always Welcome Lovers (a.k.a The Wedding)

    Season 9 Episode 3 - Aired 7/21/2002

    Rocky comes to the rescue when there is a problem with the best man at Alistair and Judith's wedding. Lol's wedding outfit does not go quite according to plan. The family is introduced to an unusual wedding custom. And Jean is still trying to matchmake between Harry and Sandy.

    Director: Sydney Lotterby

    Writer: Bob Larbey

  • You Must Remember This
    8.1/10167 votes
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    #17 - You Must Remember This

    Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 1/12/1992

    We meet the two main characters: Lionel and Jean. In the pilot episode, Lionel is in a hotel cafe giving a waitress a hard time. He is scathingly sarcastic. Jean is, similarly, seen being brittle and unbending. Lionel is working on his book "My Life in Kenya" about his life in Kenya. (This joke comes up in numerous episodes.) He requires a secretary to help with the revisions. That's where Jean's secretary service ""...Type for You"" comes in. Judith, Jean's daughter, meets Lionel at his hotel to apologize for the terrible secretary. Lionel asks Judith out. When he arrives to pick her up he is introduced to Jean. After about two seconds Jean and Lionel both independently figure out who they each suspect the other person to be: a lover last seen in 1953.

    Director: Sydney Lotterby

    Writer: Bob Larbey

  • Surprise, Surprise
    8.1/10150 votes
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    #18 - Surprise, Surprise

    Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 2/2/1992

    Judith persuades Jean to surprise Lionel by going along to his lecture in Nowrich. However, it is Jean who gets the surprise when she finds that Lionel already has a lady friend to stay with. While Lionel attempts to deal with the embarrasing position he is in, as well as his new found reputation as an elephant killer (thanks to Alistair's hyped-up blurb), Jean faces the romantic advances of Alistair.

    Director: Sydney Lotterby

    Writer: Bob Larbey

  • The Picnic
    8.1/10138 votes
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    #19 - The Picnic

    Season 1 Episode 6 - Aired 2/16/1992

    Jean and Lionel are both flattered by the romantic attentions of Alistair and Judith, but decide that things cannot continue as they are. Jean bets that if all four of them go on a picnic together, Judith and Alistair will hit it off. But perhaps it will be Jean and Lionel who grow closer...

    Director: Sydney Lotterby

    Writer: Bob Larbey

  • White Hunter
    8.1/10139 votes
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    #20 - White Hunter

    Season 2 Episode 1 - Aired 1/10/1993

    Lionel is nervous regarding an upcoming photo shoot for the cover of his book. Despite advice from Jean and Judith that whatever helps sell the book is worth it, Lionel is completely taken aback by what Alistair has in mind.

    Director: Sydney Lotterby

    Writer: Bob Larbey

  • We'll Always Have Paris
    8.1/10137 votes
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    #21 - We'll Always Have Paris

    Season 3 Episode 1 - Aired 1/2/1994

    While on a romantic holiday in paris Jean and Lionel must help a young couple who are fighting.

    Director: Sydney Lotterby

    Writer: Bob Larbey

  • Dealing with Sally
    8.1/10124 votes
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    #22 - Dealing with Sally

    Season 3 Episode 9 - Aired 2/27/1994

    Jean comes back from the states to find that the new branch manager she hired isn't working out. So she decides to handle it but, makes things worse.

    Director: Sydney Lotterby

    Writer: Bob Larbey

  • The Affair
    8.1/10112 votes
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    #23 - The Affair

    Season 4 Episode 4 - Aired 3/26/1995

    Jean's sister-in-law decides to move in with her and Lionel after she finds out her husband is having an affair. Actually he being so secretive because he is planning a surprise anniversary party for her.

    Director: Sydney Lotterby

    Writer: Bob Larbey

  • Welcome News
    8.1/10117 votes
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    #24 - Welcome News

    Season 4 Episode 5 - Aired 4/2/1995

    Rocky decides to give Lionel his country house in-which the film crew for the miniseries has decided to shoot. Jean and Lionel get engaged.

    Director: Sydney Lotterby

    Writer: Bob Larbey

  • Lionel's Ex-Wife
    8.1/10121 votes
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    #25 - Lionel's Ex-Wife

    Season 5 Episode 2 - Aired 1/14/1996

    Lionel's ex-wife, Margaret, asks him out for a drink, and he asks Jean to go with him. When Margaret arrives she isn't at all like Jean anticipated. Turns out she has changed a lot since the divorce and is now rich with a very young boyfriend.

    Director: Sydney Lotterby

    Writer: Bob Larbey