Plot
For sisters Sharon Theodopolopodos and Tracey Stubbs, life is never the same again when their husbands are convicted of armed robbery and sent to prison. Sharon, a common, large and loud-mouthed character from Edmonton, moves into her wealthy sister's luxury home in Chigwell, so that the two can give each other support.
Sharon has always felt inadequate next to her slimmer, elder sister Tracey and felt she had the tougher childhood. Her marriage to Chris, a waster of Greek Cypriot descent, was miserable and childless, due to her "inability" to have children. She is condemned by Chris's family for this but Sharon discovers, during series one, that Chris is the infertile one. Sharon happily cheats on Chris and gives him grief when visiting. Despite this, she never once attempts to divorce him.
Tracey, however, loves her husband, Darryl, whose legitimate business was building conservatories (he was a bank robber on the side). Unlike Sharon who tends to be more level-headed regarding their husbands, Tracey often deludes herself into believing her husband is innocent, especially in the Christmas Special "The Chigwell Connection", and when Darryl is finally released in series seven, she once again grows naive and gullible, which leads to Darryl defrauding her out of her business assets. He and Tracey have a son, Garth, who becomes a chef after going to boarding school, and eventually marries Kimberley.
The sisters' neighbour is the wealthy, snobbish, man-eating Dorien Green, a middle aged woman who strives to create the impression that she is a glamorous young beauty, and who dresses in a sexually provocative style, preferring mini skirts, high heels and leopard prints. Dorien is married to the rarely seen Marcus, but is always getting involved with other men. Dorien and Marcus are Jewish. Her marriage was also childless, due to her vanity and the lack of affection between her and Marcus. She is a regular, if uninvited, guest at Tracey's house, and mocks Sharon about her weight, whilst Sharon teases Dorien about her lifestyle and age. This mutual teasing is friendly and playful rather than serious or hurtful, and it is often shown that Sharon and Tracey care for Dorien and vice versa. If any of them get into trouble or have a problem, the others are often the first to help, regardless of the consequences.
Although Dorien had several flings with younger men, Luke, was her most frequent lover and she appeared to genuinely love him. From the first series until he left Dorien for a younger woman in the second series. He later appeared in the eight series, his first and only appearance, where it is revealed he has married and settled down. Dorien's arch-nemesis is the acid-tongued Melanie Fishman, a vindictive gossip who Dorien constantly attempts to outdo.
Marcus eventually tires of Dorien's selfishness and infidelity and leaves her to begin a new life with his secret mistress and love child. Dorien later starts a loving relationship with Richard Summers, which is initially strained due to Richard's teenage children taking an instant dislike to Dorien, which she gladly reciprocates.
There is some uncertainty about Dorien's maiden name. She says that her father's name was Arthur Friedman, but a wedding invitation to Sharon and Tracey reveals her mother's name to be Estelle Kapper. Later, Dorien refers to her maiden name as Kapper and an old flame remembers her as Dorien Kapper, also. Dorien's mother appears on screen once but is often mentioned by her daughter as an icy, domineering woman, and the two clearly have a stormy relationship. Dorien also has a brother named Jeffrey, who she believes to be their mother's favourite, as he lives a modest life in a semi-detached home, and, unlike Dorien, has given their mother grandchildren.
In the series seven episode, "Cheers", Darryl and Chris are released from prison and are determined to start afresh. Chris feels remorse for his crimes and for not treating Sharon better during their marriage. He impresses Sharon by getting an honest job as a pizza delivery man. Darryl, however, feels that the only way to treat Tracey is to return to unscrupulous tactics. He attempts to launder counterfeit money into Sharon and Tracey's swimming pool business but is caught and once again imprisoned - along with an innocent Chris, much to Sharon's dismay. Darryl and Tracey's marriage is severely strained after this, and Tracey contemplates leaving Darryl, but decides against it. However, she does warn him that she will not stay faithful.
Sharon and Tracey's maternal aunt, "Auntie Sylvie" (Vivian Pickles), is frequently mentioned and appears twice.
Read more about this topic: Birds Of A Feather
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