Life With The Lyons was a British radio and television domestic sitcom dating from the 1950s.
This programme was unusual in that it featured a real-life American family. Ben Lyon and his wife Bebe Daniels settled in London during the Second World War and featured with the comedian Vic Oliver in the radio series Hi, Gang! that ran from 1940 to 1949. Life With the Lyons followed on from this and, together with Ben and Bebe, featured their children Richard and Barbara Lyon. Although scripted, it expanded on real-life events (but it was definitely not reality television).
Molly Weir was their housekeeper Aggie Macdonald, Doris Rogers was the nosey neighbour Florrie Wainwright and Horace Percival played Mr Wimple. Two cinema films were produced and the show then transferred to BBC television. It later transferred to ITV.
A 1955 episode of the series was shown on BBC Four on March 27 2005 as part of the "TV on Trial" season. Unfortunately it was not shown "in the clear" - viewers had the choice of a version without commentary but with several on-screen logos, or a version with commentary by Roy Hattersley and Kathryn Flett.
