Alison Steadman, John Cleese and Jason Watkins star in Hold the Sunset

The beeb comedy, previously announced as Edith, will soon occupy a Sunday night slot on BBC One.

“Edith is a bright woman. She is a typical middle-class mother. She is very concerned and very giving towards her children – much more than I would ever be! She really does forgive them. Like all mothers, when other people criticise her children, she is always ready to leap their defence and say: “That’s not their fault. That’s because of this or that.” – Alison Steadman

For Edith (Alison Steadman), life is pretty good. She’s been a widow for some years now, but her children live locally and drop by regularly, and she enjoys daily visits from Phil (John Cleese), an old boyfriend who now lives across the road.

Phil dreams of marrying Edith, and the pair of them upping sticks and moving abroad to the sunshine. But after months of turning him down, on the happy day Edith finally says ‘yes’, there’s a knock on the door – and there on the step, with a large suitcase, is her 50-year-old son Roger (Jason Watkins) who’s left his life behind to come home in pursuit of lost happiness. In a blink, to Edith’s dismay and Phil’s fury, all dreams are on hold.

The cast also includes Rosie Cavaliero as Roger’s abandoned wife Wendy, Anne Reid as interfering housekeeper Queenie, Joanna Scanlan as Roger’s money-driven sister Sandra, James Cosmo as Edith’s troublesome ex-boyfriend Bob and Peter Egan as the confrontational local resident Mr Dugdale.

“I’ve only just realised that Phil is almost exactly like me! When you stop reading it and start playing it, you can immediately see that. Phil sits around making sarcastic remarks – that’s exactly how I am in real life! I keep thinking: “I know how to say that line because that’s exactly how I’d say it in real life.” It’s been an absolute pleasure to play him.” – John Cleese