Executive Stress

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title: "Executive Stress" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1986-british-television-series-debuts", "1988-british-television-series-endings", "1980s-british-sitcoms", "itv-sitcoms", "television-series-by-fremantle-(company)", "television-shows-produced-by-thames-television", "british-english-language-television-shows", "1980s-british-workplace-comedy-television-series", "television-shows-shot-at-teddington-studios"] topic_path: "geography/united-kingdom" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executive_Stress" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::data[format=table title="Infobox television"]

Field	Value
image	Executive Stress.jpg
genre	Sitcom
creator	George Layton
director	David Askey (series 3)
John Howard Davies (series 1–2)
starring	Penelope Keith
Geoffrey Palmer
Peter Bowles
Harry Ditson
Elizabeth Counsell
Mark Caven
theme_music_composer	Andrew Lloyd Webber
open_theme	"Why We Fell in Love"
country	United Kingdom
language	English
num_series	3
num_episodes	19
producer	James Gilbert
John Howard Davies
runtime	30 minutes
company	Thames Television
network	ITV
first_aired
last_aired
::

Executive Stress is a British sitcom that aired on ITV from 1986 to 1988. Produced by Thames Television, it first aired on 20 October 1986. After three series, the last episode aired on 27 December 1988.

Written by George Layton, Executive Stress stars Penelope Keith as Caroline Fairchild, a middle-aged woman who decides to go back to work. Her husband, Donald, is played by Geoffrey Palmer in the first series. Palmer was unable to return for the second series, so Peter Bowles played Donald in the remaining two series. Keith and Bowles had previously appeared together in the BBC comedy series To the Manor Born.

Production

The programme was set in the world of publishing as it was one of the few industries of the era dominated by women, meaning Donald and Caroline could realistically be on an equal footing at work. Producer John Howard Davies commissioned a second series before the first series had even aired.

The opening theme, "Why We Fell in Love", was performed by Julie Covington. The lyrics were written by Tim Rice with the music composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Cast

Penelope Keith as Caroline Fairchild (née Fielding)
Geoffrey Palmer as Donald Fairchild (series 1)
Peter Bowles as Donald Fairchild (series 2 and 3)
Harry Ditson as Edgar Frankland Jr
Elizabeth Counsell as Anthea Duxbury
Mark Caven as Anthony
Hilary Gish as Nicky
Richard Marner as Herman Ginsberg (series 1)
Timothy Carlton as Peter Stuart (series 1)
Elspeth March as Patricia Fairchild, Donald Fairchild’s mother (series 2)
David Neville as Peter Stuart (series 2)
Lorraine Doyle as Jackie (series 1 and 2)
Ben Robertson as Stephen Cass (series 1 and 2)
Wanda Ventham as Sylvia (series 2)
Donald Pickering as Gordon (series 2)
Vincent Brimble as Tim Jackson (series 3)
Geoffrey Whitehead as Peter Davenport (series 3)
Eve Karpf as German Operator (series 3)

Plot

After 26 years of marriage, mother-of-five Caroline Fairchild decides to go back to work. Her husband Donald would like her to work part-time in their home town of Amersham in Buckinghamshire. Instead she gets a job in London as an Editorial Director for a company called Oasis Publishing. At the company she is reunited with her former secretary, Anthea Duxbury, who is a sales export director.

Oasis Publishing is owned by the American Frankland Corporation, which is run by Edgar Frankland, Jr., the son of the corporation's boss. On Caroline's first day at work, The Frankland Corporation takes over Ginsberg Publishing, the company that Donald works for. Donald is moved to Oasis, and Caroline and he find themselves working together. However, an unwritten rule at Frankland states that married couples cannot work together, so they have to pretend not to know each other, so Caroline uses her maiden name of Fielding. In Series Two, Edgar finds out they are married, but does not sack them and makes them joint managing directors of Oasis.

Episodes

Three series of Executive Stress were broadcast from 1986 to 1988. The first series, made of seven episodes, aired on Mondays at 20:00 following Coronation Street, as did the six-episode second series. The third series, also of six episodes, aired on Tuesdays at 20.30 following The Bill.

Series overview

Series 1: 1986

Series 2: 1987

Series 3: 1988

Broadcast around the world

In the United States, many PBS member stations aired at least the first series in the 1980s and 1990s.

The series was broadcast in Australia around the time it was made with reruns of the series also airing in 2009 on ABC Television.

DVD release

The complete first and second series were released on 26 April 2010 and 24 January 2011, by Network, The third (and final) series was finally released on 20 May 2013, followed by a complete series set (consisting all three series) on 13 August 2018.

::data[format=table]

DVD	Release date
The Complete Series 1	26 April 2010
The Complete Series 2	24 January 2011
The Complete Series 3	20 May 2013
The Complete Series 1 to 3 Box Set	13 August 2018
::

References

Jennifer J. Bogdanski. "Sir Tim Rice – Singles & Other Songs". Tim Rice official web site.
Lewishohn, Mark. (2003). "Radio Times Guide to TV Comedy". [[BBC Worldwide]].
(2006). "Summary". British TV Comedy.
"Executive Stress Episode Guide". TV.com.
"ABC Television airing schedule". ABC Television.

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