Under One Roof (Singapore TV series)

Under One Roof was an English-language sitcom in Singapore. First aired in 1995, it was the first locally produced sitcom in Singapore. A critical and popular success, the show won the Best Comedy Programme or Series Award at the Asian Television Awards in both 1996 and 1997, a Best comedy actor award (Moses Lim in 1996), three best comedy actress awards (Koh Chieng Mun in 1996, Norleena Salim in 1997, and Vernetta Lopez in 1999) and was a finalist in the "Best Sitcom" category at the International Emmy Awards as well as the New York Festivals Awards. It paved the way for future Singaporean local sitcoms such as Phua Chu Kang Pte Ltd and Police & Thief. It was also one of the most popular sitcoms in Singapore just like the other 2 popular Singaporean local sitcom and drama Phua Chu Kang Pte Ltd and Growing Up respectively.

It starred a multicultural cast reflecting the ethnic makeup of Singapore: Moses Lim (Tan Ah Teck), Koh Chieng Mun (Dolly), Vernetta Lopez (Denise), Nicholas Lee (Ronnie), Andrew Lim (Paul), Norleena Salim (Rosnah), Zaibo (Yusof), Daisy Irani (Daisy), and Rajiv Dhawn (Michael).

Plot
The series revolves a multiracial cast of characters. The plot tells the story of a Chinese family living in Bishan North, Singapore, headed by Tan Ah Teck―the owner of a mini-mart and his family: homemaker Dolly Tan and children Denise, Ronnie and Paul Tan ― along with their neighbours, namely married Malay couple Rosnah and Yusof Hassan, and Daisy, a lady of Indian descent, and her younger brother Michael, all living together in an apartment building.

Cast

 * Moses Lim as Tan Ah Teck, the patriarch of the Tan family and a mini-mart owner. He is prompted by any situations that occur to tell his unappreciated and seemingly-irrelevant stories with the intent of teaching the other characters some moral lesson. The stories frequently begin with "This reminds me of a story! Long before your time, in the Southern province of China..."
 * Koh Chieng Mun as Dolly Tan, a stoic peacemaker and faithful wife of Ah Teck, and also the housewife of the Tan family. She is one of the few characters willing to sit through and even appreciate her husband Ah Teck's stories. She is best friends with neighbour Rosnah.
 * Vernetta Lopez as Denise Tan, the University-educated daughter of Ah Teck and Dolly, and the only sensible one in the family who tries to keep the household sane.
 * Nicholas Lee as Ronnie Tan, the younger son of Ah Teck and Dolly. He is frequently skirt-chasing and is full of schemes and ridiculous ideas which irk his family, especially Ah Teck, Denise and Paul.
 * Andrew Lim as Paul Tan, the elder son of Ah Teck and Dolly. He is a hypochondriac accountant who enjoys classical music.
 * Norleena Salim as Rosnah Hassan, Yusof's large, sharp-tongued wife who often dominates her husband, and also Dolly and Ah Teck's best friend and neighbour of the Tan family. In the first episode of Season 6, it was mentioned that she had passed away from overeating and choking to death in a buffet restaurant.
 * Zaibo as Yusof Hassan, a Mee Rebus Seller and Stall Owner of Hassan Rasa Istimewa, Rosnah's husband and Ah Teck and Dolly's best friend and neighbour of the Tan family.
 * Daisy Irani as Daisy, a single advertising executive and also neighbour of the Tan family. She is excitable and outspoken, and constantly bickers with her younger brother Michael.
 * Rajiv Dhawn as Michael, Daisy's younger brother.

Release
The series has been exported to Australia, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, France, and Canada. It was the first Singaporean series to be aired in Canada, and Australia on SBS.

It was also brought back shortly during Channel 5's 40th anniversary in 2003 for Season 7, only to run for a short period of time. The sitcom then rebroadcast in May 2011 and aired on weekdays around 12pm before being dubbed into French.

In September 2011, 30 episodes of Season 1 were dubbed into French and aired in other countries worldwide. It became Singapore's first-ever English sitcom to be dubbed into a foreign language. Some episodes of Seasons 1 and 2 have been dubbed into French and aired in some other countries in 2011, becoming Singapore's first ever English-language sitcom to be dubbed into a foreign language. Season 3 was then dubbed into French in early 2012.

Singlish
This comedy is notable for its characters' use of Singlish (an English-based creole with Malay, Chinese, and other influences) in everyday conversation. Due to its use of Singlish, a pidgin English spoken in Singapore, the show came under pressure by the Singaporean government to use only "proper" English. This was mainly because of the worry that the younger school going viewers would start speaking Singlish more and bring down the standard of spoken English in Singapore. Another popular Singaporean sitcom that also received similar pressure was Phua Chu Kang Pte Ltd where lead character Phua Chu Kang was criticised for speaking Singlish and this sitcom was put under pressure by the government to use formal English instead of intermittently incorporating colloquial Singlish.