Daniel Ford and his wife Martha wish to have an amicable divorce, neither wishing to cause the other any unnecessary anguish. But such traumatic transactions rarely run smoothly and the Fords find numerous personal problems interfering with their plans.

Leaving represented more bitter-sweet fare from writer Carla Lane, who had started to invent a new genre, moving further and further away from conventional sitcom towards serial humorous drama. Some critics bemoaned the paucity of laughs, ignoring the series' intentionally serious premise and the writer's attempt to try something new. The low-key comedy element was no real problem, it just acquired an attitude adjustment on the part of the viewer; but the series suffered a more fundamental flaw in that its characters, while believable, were, unfortunately, rather dull.

Mark Lewisohn

Last Update: 07:01:2002