Granny's Game

Young Joanna Edwards is a computer whizz-kid, which means nothing to her down-to-earth working class parents, Ruth and Eddie. More pressing to them is their friends’ reaction to Eddie getting drunk while a guest at their house-warming party the night before and not only terrifying their dog, but causing many of their tropical fish to have heart attacks. Ruth is especially upset at Eddie’s seeming infatuation for another guest, young and attractive Tessa, so he receives short shrift when he appears for breakfast with a hangover.

She has another problem in Eddie’s mother who lives in a granny flat attached to their house and seems to be getting dafter by the day. So when Jo announces that she is expecting a visit from a representative of a software house, it has to be explained this is because she has invented a computer game called ‘Escape to Switzerland’. At least her parents understand her when she adds that she could earn quite a large sum if the game is taken up, and Ruth determines that the rep’s visit will go off smoothly.

She hasn’t banked on the fact that Gran has overheard her talking on the phone to a Care Home which is also sending a member of staff to vet the old lady’s suitability. This leads to the first of many cases of mistaken identity as the two visitors are confused with one another, and the mayhem escalates when Hans, a German buyer, turns up wanting to sell Jo’s game across Europe. In fact, his real mission is to steal the game with the help of journalist Tessa, his daughter.

It will shortly be Gran’s 75th birthday and as she has already taken a dislike to Hans because of her family home being bombed during WW2, it’s a recipe for trouble. Then there’s Ruth’s brother Barry, a saloon bore who thinks everything he says is hilarious, so things can only get worse.

In the end, it’s good old Gran who sees off the ‘pirates’ and returns the situation to normal again - although the police may have something to say about that after she inadvertently damages one of their cars. There are plenty of opportunities for creating some memorable eccentric characters in a plot laced with laughs.