The central character is Gordon Maple (George Cole) who was formerly a successful playwright, but is now procrastinating, lacking self-confidence and suffering from writer's block.
He is seen at home with his supportive wife Mabel (Gwen Watford), son Wilfred (Ron Emslie) and daughter Kate (Claire Walker).
They are frequently visited by neighbour Tom Lawrence (Francis Matthews) who is a confident, suave and successful playwright and cleaner Mrs Field (Daphne Heard).
Each of the 12 episodes ran for longer than most sitcoms at 50 minutes and there is no laugh track or live studio audience.
In 2013 a Region 4 DVD was released by BBC Worldwide for the Australian market.