Martin Wade's nineteenth century sitcom set in the offices of Spavin and Spavin, a quietly-declining publishers' firm specialising in uplifting religious texts.  Serious problems begin when the hapless Gerald Spavin (David Horovitch) marries Cordelia (Maggie Steed), a flighty actress of questionable felicity, who brings in tow her idiotic son from a previous marriage, Primus (Michael Cochrane).  Much to the disgust of Gerald's mother Edith Spavin (Elizabeth Spriggs), Primus becomes a junior partner in the firm, and rapidly shakes up its traditionalist approach -- mainly because his extravagance and incompetence push the company to the point of bankruptcy, thus forcing it out of the religious literature market and into a succession of improbable get-rich-quick schemes, revolving around various real-life figures of the period including Wilkie Collins, explorer Richard Burton and Prince Albert.  Charles Simpson played Primus's equally useless personal secretary Simeon, David Antrobus appeared regularly in regular support roles in the first series, and Joan Sims featured as housekeeper Mrs Quirk.