Line #31 Characters/MyFamily


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10	!!'''Main Characters'''
11
12	!!'''Ben Harper'''
13
14	->'''Played by:''' Creator/RobertLindsay
15
16	* ButtMonkey: He is ignored, harassed and humiliated non-stop by his family, his colleagues, his patients and just about everyone he speaks to.
17	* DeadpanSnarker: It's not hard to see why.
18	* DepravedDentist: Mostly [[AvertedTrope averted]] as he seems to be reasonably competent and professional at his job, but he has been shown to get rather sadistic when his patients annoy him and nearly tortured a patient who he believed (wrongly) had attempted to assault his daughter.
19	* DiggingYourselfDeeper: He's always doing this.
20	* FluffyCloudHeaven: He experiences this while receiving a life-saving operation in the 2006 Christmas Special.
21	* INeedAFreakingDrink: He's always looking for an excuse to do this.
22	* ItsAllAboutMe: As the series progresses, he becomes more and more like this.
23	* ItsAWonderfulPlot: He experiences this in Series 4's "It's a Window-filled Life".
24	* JadedWashout: A lifetime of being a ButtMonkey has turned him into this.
25	* {{Jerkass}}: He borders on this in the later series.
26	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold:
27	** He's very sarcastic to his family and appears to have a low opinion of them, but way, way deep down inside, he still cares about his family.
28	** He was willing to help a young girl bring her feuding family back together in the 2010 Christmas Special.
29	* LazyBum: He becomes more prone to trying to find an excuse to be this when he's not at work in the later series.
30	* MeanBoss: He is frequently verbally abusive to his dental assistants. To be fair to him pretty much all of his assistants are irritating, incompetent or full on [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} Cloudcuckoolanders.]]
31	* NoRespectGuy: Except from his wife now and again and Roger
32	* NotHelpingYourCase: He's notorious for it.
33	* OnlySaneMan: Sometimes takes on this role. One episode where he's shown what life would be like if he was never born shows the rest of the family acting pretty much the same, and made him realise he was ''the normal one''. This is much more questionable in the later series though.
34	* PapaWolf: Surprisingly so. He may not particularly ''like'' his children but they are still his children and when they're really in trouble he can get very protective.
35	* TheScrooge: His general demeanour in the Christmas Specials.
36	%% * TheSnarkKnight
37	* StrawNihilist: It's established as early as the final episode of Series 1 that he is one. He even upsets a young boy as a result of this in Series 4's "Friday the 31st".
38
39	!'''Susan Harper (nee Riggs)'''
40
41	->'''Played by:''' Creator/ZoeWanamaker
42
43	* AwfulWeddedLife: How she sees her marriage to Ben in the later series.
44	* ControlFreak: Her husband and children aren't afraid to point this out.
45	* DeadpanSnarker: Usually with Ben on the receiving end.
46	* DudeMagnet: Quite a few men are interested in her, not all of them age appropriate, such as when a schoolmate of Michael's is attracted to her.
47	* {{Hypocrite}}: For instance, she'll often try to act as the voice of reason in times of tension, especially if Ben is already the one obsessing over who or what is causing it but she usually eventually loses her rag over it herself.
48	* IWasQuiteALooker: Or at least she thinks she was, still doesn't stop her inflating her ego about her looks.
49	* InstantlyProvenWrong: She can't stand it at all when this happens.
50	* ItsAllAboutMe: Usually out of a combination of NeverMyFault, being a {{Jerkass}} and generally feeling she's been wronged (though usually she hasn't and is just being petty and, more often than not, she deserves it).
51	* {{Jerkass}}: She's not afraid to take delight in the misery of others, among other things, she chooses to willingly hold up a passenger-laden tube train by refusing to apologize for insulting the driver in the 2003 Christmas Special.
52	* KnowNothingKnowItAll: So don't try to prove her wrong, even if she is.
53	* LethalChef: Her family always react with horror once they know she's cooking, usually to the point of warning each other. She eventually [[BerserkButton snaps over such complaints]] in the flashback scenes of the 2009 Christmas Special.
54	* ManipulativeBitch: Runs in the family, which is ironic, considering she can't stand her own mother.
55	* MyBelovedSmother: To her children, even though they're all grown up.
56	* NeverMyFault: Even when she obviously is at fault, she always tries to absolve herself of all blame.
57	* ObnoxiousEntitledHousewife: Emphasis on the "entitled" part.
58	* OnlySaneMan: Sometimes. Not as often as she'd like to think, though.
59	* SoapOperaRapidAgingSyndrome: She is 40 in Series 1 (2000), the final episode of Series 7 (2007) implies that she's now 50.
60	* SoreLoser: She can't stand being beaten at anything, not even petty arguments.
61	* UngratefulBastard: No matter how much Ben tries (when he does of course) she's always more disappointed than satisfied.
62	* WomenAreWiser: Subverted. She likes to ''think'' women are more competent than men and that she's specifically more reasonable than her husband, but in reality she's just as crazy as Ben.
63
64	!'''Nick Harper'''
65
66	->'''Played by:''' Kris Marshall
67
68	* BasementDweller: Lives at his parents well into his mid twenties.
69	* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: He moves into his own flat in Series 3 and makes fewer appearances in Series 4 & 5, disappearing for good after the 2004 Christmas Special (and the 2005 Comic Relief Short), aside from flashback scenes in the clip-show episode "Kenzo's Project" in Series 9.
70	* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: All his attempts at getting a job fail due to his own harebrained schemes and stupidity.
71	* InsaneTrollLogic: He applies this to pretty much every aspect of his life and life in general.
72	%% * LazyBum
73	* ManChild: When he comes of age, he is as irresponsible as he was as a teenager and is incapable of holding down a job because of it.
74	* ObfuscatingStupidity: Occasional moments seem to hint he is this.
75	* ThePigPen: Nick is often noted to have very poor hygiene and both his room at the Harper house and his later flat are ''filthy''.
76	* {{Schemer}}: Let down only by his own stupidity and the harebrained nature of his schemes.
77	* TooDumbToLive: The most glaring example being the final episode of Series 2 in which he tries to form a motorcycle stunt display team without actually getting in any practice before hks first gig, one NoodleIncident later, he's in hospital with several broken bones.
78	* TheUnfavourite: Of his entire family, which is hardly surprising.
79
80	!'''Janey Harper'''
81
82	->'''Played by:''' Daniela Denby-Ashe
83
84	* AnnoyingYoungerSibling: She sees Michael as this [[BigSisterInstinct but she won't stand for anyone bullying him]].
85	%% * BasementDweller
86	* BigEater: She is shown to be this in the future, where she has become enormously obese.
87	* BigSisterBully: She'll never resist an opportunity to pick on Michael ...
88	* BigSisterInstinct: ... but she also won't stand for anyone else bullying Michael.
89	* BrattyTeenageDaughter: In earlier seasons.
90	%% * DumbBlonde
91	* FourthDateMarriage: Janey marries a guy she's known for only ten days, because they met at a wedding where a fortune teller said Janey would meet her true love. [[spoiler: She runs off with someone else and asks for a divorce on the same day.]]
92	* ItsAllAboutMe: Becoming a mother doesn't do much to change this.
93	* ManipulativeBitch: On occasions; sometimes even outsmarting her mother.
94	* ObfuscatingStupidity: Janey, who studied French, Economics and History at A-Level and went on to university, is a clear-cut example of this trope because she often plays dumb.
95	* ParentalNeglect: After Kenzo is born in Series 4, she spends most of the following series trying to fob him off on her parents, Ben eventually calls her out on this.
96	* PutOnABus: Her going to University in Series 3 leads to her being absent from Series 4.
97	** TheBusCameBack: She returns in Series 5.
98	%% * ReallyGetsAround
99	* SoapOperaRapidAgingSyndrome: Janey is 16 in the first series, gives birth to Kenzo in series four when she is 19, but by the time of series 10 is "almost 30" (chronologically, she'd have to be 28 at the oldest by the end of the series).
100	* StageMom: She tries to get Kenzo to audition for a cereal commercial and take piano lessons among other things.
101	* TheUnfavorite: She believes herself to be this in the earlier series as a result of her own perceived MiddleChildSyndrome.
102
103	!'''Michael Harper'''
104
105	->'''Played by:''' Gabriel Thomson
106
107	* BasementDweller: In the later series.
108	* ChildProdigy: At the beginning of the show.
109	* CoolUncle: He tries to be this to Kenzo in the later series, mainly because of their similar interests, it takes time [[spoiler: but he succeeds.]]
110	* DeadpanSnarker: Gradually becomes one as he gets older.
111	* DidNotGetTheGirl: In Series 1-9, this is the story of his life.
112	* HatesTheirParent: The feelings become more mutual with every passing series.
113	* [[LittleMissSnarker Little Mr Snarker]]: In the earlier seasons.
114	* LoserSonOfLoserDad: Although he will refuse to admit, it's safe to say he devolves into this towards the end of the series.
115	* MommasBoy:
116	** Not to extreme levels, but some episodes do draw attention to the fact that his mom adores him. He's the youngest child of the family and significantly younger than his brother and sister.
117	** He plays along with this but only to the extent that he respects her more than he does his father.
118	* NerdGlasses: In Series 1 & 2, he starts to wear them less often over the course of Series 3-5, they're gone completely by Series 6.
119	* OnlySaneMan: Usually. Not always though.
120	* TheReveal: [[spoiler: He comes out as gay in Series 10.]]
121	* SoapOperaRapidAgingSyndrome: He is 12 in Series 1 (2000) and 15 by Series 3 (2002).
122	** Averted in the later series as he takes until Series 9 (2009) to reach his 20s.
123	* TeenGenius: Later became this.
124	* YoureNotMyMother: He wishes this upon Susan but who can blame him? He still respects her more than he does his father though.
125
126	!'''Roger Bailey'''
127
128	->'''Played by:''' Kieron Self
129
130	* AxCrazy: When Michael convinces him to destroy anything that reminds him of Abi with a mallet....
131	* BadFuture: For him at least in the 2009 Christmas Special.
132	* BewareTheNiceOnes: On the rare occasions where he's really upset...
133	* ButtMonkey: Even moreso than Ben.
134	%% * CloudCuckoolander
135	%% * CommutingOnABus
136	%% * DoggedNiceGuy
137	* EarlyBirdCameo: He first appears in Series 3 but doesn't become a main character until Series 6.
138	* TheFriendNobodyLikes: Except for Abi.
139	* HappilyMarried: To Abi from Series 7's "Abi Ever After" to Series 8's "The Abi Habit".
140	* {{Manchild}}: Taken to LUDICROUS extremes. Roger, despite being a dentist, is child like, simple minded, always cheerful and enthusiastic.
141	* MommasBoy: As a result of years of mollycoddling on his mother's part.
142	* MyBelovedSmother: His mother Nerys mollycoddles him even though he's grown-up and willingly tries to sabotage his relationship with Abi.
143	* PromotionToOpeningTitles: From Series 6 onwards.
144
145	!'''Abi Bailey (nee Harper)'''
146
147	->'''Played by:''' Siobhan Hayes
148
149	* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: She joins a convent at the end of Series 8 and disappears for good, aside from flashback scenes in the clip-show episode "Kenzo's Project" in the following series.
150	%% * CloudCuckoolander
151	* TheDitz: She once got Nature confused with Naturism for example.
152	%% * DumbBlonde
153	* {{Expy}}: She's like a British [[Series/{{Friends}} Phoebe Buffay]] - blonde, kooky, eccentric, upbeat and a bit of a hippie.
154	* HappilyMarried: To Roger from Series 7's "Abi Ever After" to Series 8's "The Abi Habit".
155	* TheKlutz: She is quite accident prone in her early appearances such as putting her hand through a window and unintentionally beating Ben with a cricket bat, thinking he's an intruder.
156	* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: For Janey. They are of similar age and have somewhat similar personalities (though Abi's less cynical than Janey). Abi comes into the Harper household to stay with them while she is at college. Susan invites her to stay when Janey goes off to University.
157
158	!'''Alfie Butts'''
159
160	->'''Played by:''' Rhodri Meilir
161
162	* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: He is never seen or mentioned after Series 9.
163	%% * CloudCuckoolander
164	* DreadfulMusician: Though he doesn't realise this.
165	* PromotionToOpeningTitles: From the 2008 Christmas Special to the end of Series 9.
166	* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: For Nick. He says that he is a friend of Nick's and he moves in with the family when Nick is away. He is lazy and slow. He's not very successful in his chosen profession of a musician.
167
168	!'''Kenzo Harper'''
169
170	->'''Played by:''' Tayler Marshall; Creator/PascalLangdale (adult Kenzo, ''A Christmas Oddity'')
171
172	* BadassAdorable: He tricks Ben into leaving the house and spends the rest of the episode keeping him locked out and only makes an exception for Michael.
173	* ChildProdigy: In the later series, even more so than Michael.
174	* HatesTheirParent: He once said he didn't like his mother.
175	* [[LittleMissSnarker Little Mr Snarker]]: In the later series.
176	* PromotionToOpeningTitles: From the 2009 Christmas Special onwards.
177	* SecurityBlanket: Janey trying to get him to give it up kicks off the sub-plot of the 2008 Christmas Special.
178	* SoapOperaRapidAgingSyndrome: He is born in Series 4 (2003) but the 2005 Christmas Special focuses on his third birthday and by the 2007 Christmas Special, he's 7.
179	** Averted as he's 8 in Series 11 (2011) like he should be.
180	* StillSucksThumb: In Series 10, Janey tries to get him to break the habit on the condition that she gives up her favourite teddy bear, [[spoiler: both mother and son end up reneging on the deal.]]
181	* YoureNotMyMother: He often denies Janey is his mother as she often embarrasses him.
182
183	!!'''Recurring Characters'''
184
185	!'''Grace Riggs (nee Ryman)'''
186
187	->'''Played by:''' Avril Elgar (Series 2), Rosemary Leach (Series 4-7)
188
189	* AccidentalMisnaming: The end credits of her debut episode refer to her as "Rebecca".
190	* BrainlessBeauty: A trait she shares with her granddaughter.
191	* ControlFreak: An alcoholic one who can't cook, according to Susan.
192	* TheDreaded: No one looks forward to her visits, except maybe Janey, and Michael if he can think of a way of taking advantage of her.
193	* TheFavourite: Out of her three grandkids, only Janey really gets on with her.
194	* {{Hypocrite}}: She claims her daughter has a drinking problem, SHE'S the one with the drinking problem!
195	* ItsAllAboutMe: She's even worse than Susan!
196	* KilledOffscreen: In Series 11.
197	* ManipulativeBitch: Mainly to her daughter Susan.
198	* ObnoxiousInLaws: She and Ben have a mutual hatred for one another.
199	* TheReveal: [[spoiler: She reveals Susan's previous marriage to a wrestler called Troy the Punisher in her final appearance.]]
200
201	!'''Brigitte'''
202
203	->'''Played by:''' Daisy Donovan
204
205	* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: She is never seen or mentioned after Series 1 and Ben spends much of Series 2 and 3 going through many assistants who are no better than her until Roger is introduced.
206	* ComicallyMissingThePoint: Such as when Ben tries to tell her the story of ''The Cobbler's children who had no shoes''.
207	* DisproportionateRetribution: She often gets upset at Ben for petty reasons and refuses to cooperate until he apologizes.
208	* TheDitz: For one, she claims her van to have been stolen, turns out she just forgot where she parked it.
209	* GeorgeJetsonJobSecurity: Ben often threatens to sack her and her absence after Series 1 suggests he did.
210	* WomanChild: She's old enough to drive and in "Farewell to Alarms", she claims to own a van ... with ''Bob The Builder'' painted on it.
211	----
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Context Characters / MyFamily