Original title
Growing Up
Released
1/1/1996
Origin country
SG
Genre
Drama
Production companies
MediaCorp
Status
Ended
Number of seasons
6
Number of episodes
128
An award-winning drama, "Growing Up" is the answer to Singapore in the sixties and seventies. The earlier seasons see stern father Mr Tay struggling to hold onto a familiar way of life amidst tumultuous changes that threaten to tear the family apart. Some of the most memorable moments include the death of Mrs Tay, which left the Tay family devastated; Vicki's divorce from her unfaithful doctor husband; Tammy graduating from university; David's decision to move to England; and Gary's marriage to Karen. In the latest season, expect more drama when Gary commits adultery, Karen suffers from a miscarriage, and Vicki's son contracts leukaemia. Expect to also see two new faces: Aileen Tan, who plays Mr. Tay's love interest; and Cynthia Koh, who plays Gary's mistress.
Local English drama goes nostalgic! Rediffusion radio, the wayang, the Beatles..icons which evoke memories of the 60's in this new series. It charts the ups and downs of the Tay family living in the era as seen through the eyes of the second son (Steven Lim). Lim Kay Tong plays the stern patriarch; Wee Soon Hui, the typical stoic mother and Andrew Seow as a James Dean--like rebel.
Local English drama goes nostalgic! Rediffusion radio, the wayang, the Beatles..icons which evoke memories of the 60's in this new series. It charts the ups and downs of the Tay family living in the era as seen through the eyes of the second son (Steven Lim). Lim Kay Tong plays the stern patriarch; Wee Soon Hui, the typical stoic mother and Andrew Seow as a James Dean--like rebel.
With a little help from his friends, the Tays and Ismail, Govinda comes up with a plan to impress his daughter Shanti, her fiance', and her future mother-in-law when they fly down to Singapore to see him, but the best-laid plans have a way of going wrong..
Poh Choo returns and creates a stir in the family. Just when you thought it was safe to give away your first daughter.
Mr Tay's old classmate comes for a visit. Everyone's excited but soon feel uneasy when they find out he's a leper. However he eventually impresses the family with his strong determination and willpower. David especially learns a lesson or two about life from him when the former encounters a bully in school.
When Mr Tay's old classmate visits, everyone's excited, but they soon feel uneasy when they find out that he's a leper. However, he eventually impresses the family with his strong determination and willpower. David especially learns a lesson or two about life from him when he encounters a bully in school.
When David is accused of stealing in his class, no one believes he is innocent. He gets a big surprise when he finds out who the real culprit is.
Gary, David, and Vicky attend Ismail's wedding and experience a taste of kampung life. Vicky has the hardest time adjusting. Find out why.
David finds out the real reason that his best friend Ah Guan stammers.
Mrs Tay suspects that her husband is having a fling with a wayang performer; Mei Lee accuses Vicky of stealing her boyfriend.
The story of how Mr Tay met his wife: Once upon a time, in a war far, far away, a boy met a girl.
In this last installment, Mr Tay is promoted. But happiness in the Tay household is short-lived when he must work.
It's 1968 and David is part of the second batch to be enlisted into NS, to the distress of Mrs Tay. Meanwhile, Vicky is in a dilemma - should she go to the Teachers Training College or join Whiteley's Department Store to pursue her interest in fashion.
It's 1968 and David is part of the second batch to be enlisted into NS, to the distress of Mrs Tay. Meanwhile, Vicky is in a dilemma - should she go to the Teachers Training College or join Whiteley's Department Store to pursue her interest in fashion.
Tammy wins a school swimming contest but a sore loser insists that she won the race unfairly. Meanwhile, Gary wants to buy a scooter and tries to find a way to earn instant cash.
Mr Robinson has to leave Singapore after the British Forces (British Army) pull out. So Tay is called upon to be the Acting Restaurant Manager. Meanwhile, Ah Guan takes David and Fatty on their last 'freedom fling' before army life begins.
David begins a new chapter of his life in the army and his mother is worried for him. Meanwhile, Tay is promoted to Restaurant Manager and calls for a celebration. Vicky dresses her mother to the nines for the occasion.
Gary appears on national TV in the RTS Talentime 1968, to the excitement of the Tay family. Meanwhile, Vicky gives Mrs Tay a make-over for Mr Tay's hotel staff party.
The path of love is never easy as Govin finds out when his friendship with a widowed schoolteacher starts tongues wagging. Meanwhile, the Tays are in for a rude shock when they realise they may have to move into a cramped HDB flat.
All about sexual harassment in the '60s. Vicky finds herself in a tough spot when one of her colleagues, John, tries to be funny with her, and it turns into a case of 'his word vs her word'.
After a night out with the boys, Gary wakes up from a drunken stupor only to find himself alone in the driver's seat and potentially responsible for knocking down a teenage girl. If only he could remember what had happened on the sly.
Which young man has never dreamt of becoming a pilot at some point in his life? David entertains such fantasies, but meets with parental objections. Mr and Mrs Tay are further aggravated by Vicky, who is smitten with a singer and goes out with him on the sly.
It's swoon time as Gary falls in love with an old school enemy of Vicky's: Sherry. But poor Gary has trouble understanding women, and his parents worry that this might just be another of their son's fleeting interests.
A friend's death triggers Mr Tay's pre-occupation with his own mortality, unsettling the whole family.
Mr Tay meets his mother again after several years. They find speaking to each other difficult and trust Mrs Tay to play mediator.
While staying in Butterworth with Grandma, Vicky is smitten with a dashing young man--who unfortunately turns out to be a sleazebag. Disappointed, she returns home and runs into another young suitor, Steven.
Gary's past catches up with him when he runs into an old gangster acquaintance who invites him to take part in a robbery. Gary declines but still gets into trouble when the robbery goes awry; the gangsters suspect he has snitched on them.
Tammy quarrels with Mrs Chong's son and things get ugly before they get resolved.
Mr Tay and Gary argue over whose contractor friend should build the extra room for Granny.
Tammy discovers that breaking up is hard to do when best friend Haslinda's father gets an overseas posting and she must follow. Meanwhile, panic mounts when Mrs Chong's seven-year old son disappears, and stories fly about kids being kidnapped.
Vicky makes it to the cover of "Fanfare" but not everything's rosy--she breaks up with Francis and her mother wants to be her matchmaker.
When Gary decides to set up his own carpentry business, his mother tries to raise the capital by participating in a tontine group, much to her husband's ire.
Gary becomes jealous of Teck Ann when Mr Tay treats him like his own son.
To hitch or not to hitch? Vicky and Teck Ann consider getting married, but before any plans can get underway, Vicky's grandma Mdm Lau falls ill and passes away.
Major developments on the homefront: after inheriting Mdm Lau's money, the Tays consider moving out of their present house.
New developments in the third season, the Tay family moves into the 1970's. The family has moved to a three-room HDB flat in Toa Payoh in 1972, while Mrs Tay dies.
Newcomer Jamie Yeo takes over as Tammy, and Pierre Png plays her love interest. Anna Belle Francis ("Forever Fever") is David's girlfriend. Jacintha Abisheganaden sings the theme song.
Vicky has nowhere to go after a quarrel with her mother-in-law; Gary faces problems in his business; a stuttering Ah Guan must make a presentation, and he succeeds with help from David and Fatty.
David riles everyone when he cuts back on his monthly allowances to his parents. Meanwhile, Tammy's secret admirer pays a visit.
Been there, done that? Robert's ex-girlfriend has been spreading vicious rumours that Tammy has "done it" with Robert. Meanwhile, Gary's plan for Mrs Tay's birthday bash goes awry.
Mrs Tay tries to help Gary in his business but messes things up for him. Meanwhile, David is in love with a new girl in his office.
Mrs Tay is stabbed by a burglar and the family tries to cope when they learn that the wound is fatal. They say their painful goodbyes.
Accusations fly as the Tays buckle under the strain of their mother's death.
After their mother's death, the Tay family struggles with their day-to-day cleaning, cooking, and washing...until Mrs Boon comes along. Samantha Foo guest-stars.
Gary and Keng Joo fall out over a joint venture that goes wrong. Tammy's bosom pal Chak Ho tries to make her jealous. Mr Tay's friends start quarrelling when they are about to embark on a trip to Malaysia.
Vicky suspects that something's going on between Mr Tay and Auntie Boon; Gary overcharges a customer by mistake.
David suspects housekeeper Auntie Boon of stealing his money; Gary is asked to be "master" to a couple of gangster wannabes; Vicky can't find strength to sack a salesgirl.
Tammy enters a beauty pageant on a dare. Vicky's bad hat ex turns up asking for money and more.
Gary makes a cabinet for a rich young lady who wants more than getting her hinges fixed. The senior Mr Tay is coaxed by his friends to meet other women. Meanwhile, housekeeper Auntie Boon faces problems with being accepted as part of the family.
An eye for an eye? The mother of the robber who killed Mrs Tay goes to the Tays' with a request to pray at Mrs Tay's grave. She believes that her criminal son has died because of Mrs Tay's unhappy spirit, and now her younger son is seriously ill.
Vicky is at Robinson's Departmental Store for an interview when a fire breaks out. Meanwhile, Gary sees an older woman but gets jeered by his peers.
New developments in the third season as the Tay family moves into the 1970s: they have moved into a three-bedroom HDB flat in Toa Payoh in 1972, while Mrs. Tay dies.
Evelyn Tan plays Poh Choo, the daughter who was given away and now lives in Malaysia. She returns with her son to find out more about Mrs Tay's death.
Father knows best: Mr Tay reconciles with Poh Choo, both coming to terms with her being given away, as well as Mrs Tay's death. Meanwhile, David and Jenny go on a date, but Tammy loses Poh Choo's son while baby-sitting him.
During a medical checkup, Vicky learns that she might be barren. Meanwhile, to her father's dismay Tammy befriends a Eurasian boy, Mark Lopez.
Mr Tay feels out of joint with the times and with his children. He pines for the good old days, but can only find comfort in an old friend. Vicky suspects that a rich customer has been pinching merchandise from Whiteleys but there is scant support from her boss. Tammy is incensed when the law lecturer starts dishing out arbitrary punishment to her class for damaging library books.
Mr Tay is extremely happy when Gary's business does well and when he finds out that Gary has a girlfriend he's been hiding from the family, but his expectations are dashed when he meets Lily. He tells Gary that she is too old and too rich for him. Meanwhile, Vicky decides to start a boutique, but finds that financial backers are hard to find; and Tammy tries out as a radio DJ, but it's not what she dreams it is.
The course of true love never did run smooth: Gary proposes to Lily despite the family's objections; a heartbroken Vicky discovers Teck Ann's infidelity; and Ah Guan quarrels with his girlfriend.
A disillusioned Vicky moves back in with her family and focuses her energies on her boutique; after Tammy's bad experience during her stint at a law firm, she decides to follow her boyfriend to Germany.
Gary borrows money from the bank to buy over the shop and David acts as his guarantor, but Gary runs into a financial crisis so David must redeem him. Meanwhile, Vicky holds a soft launch for her new boutique.
When Vicky opens her first boutique, the stress gets to her and she faints; later, she discovers that she is pregnant. Meanwhile, the Tay family is happy to see Govin return from India, but his visit causes a small misunderstanding between Mrs Chong and her husband.
Vicky works too hard for the good of her baby and herself as she starts proceedings for divorce; Gary wants to forget Lily but is reminded of his pain.
The return of the popular local series set in Singapore in the 60s. This season, Vicky becomes a mother, and has a busy time juggling her maternal duties with running a boutique and searching for a new love. Gary settles down in his work and gets involved with several girls in succession before finding the perfect wife. The rest of the family also have their ups and downs, but as is always in the world of the Tays, things turn out right in the end.
Season 4 opens with the clan frantically preparing for Chinese New Year, circa 1975, so the youngsters are still safely clad in those oversized shirt-collars and campy bell-bottoms. But Vicky has plans to stay ahead of the times by redecorating the family home, and she decides to toss out the long-cherished sewing machine that belonged to her late mother--much to Dad's chagrin.
Sweet romance soon turns sour for Gary when he discovers Karen's secret; David's ex-flame Annie returns from England to haunt him; vain Vicky struggles with motherhood.
As Vicky's boutique is hit by bad times, Mr Tay suggests that she reassess her priorities--especially parenting obligations--but she thinks otherwise. Gary rounds up his old band members to give a shot at the Talentime, while David has sleepless nights over a leaky tap.
Mr Tay discovers that Auntie Boon is a victim of domestic abuse. After some hesitation, he intervenes and finds out he's actually the cause of it. Meanwhile, Gary is elated that Chee Keong looks up to him, but crumbles under the pressure of being a role model.
Mr Tay manages to persuade Gary to attend a matchmaking session, only to disapprove of the girl who shows up. Meanwhile, Tammy has problems with her netball team, and David hopes to buy a car although he can't afford it.
Vicky gives birth to a baby boy and suffers a postnatal blues; Chee Keong drives everybody crazy with his questions of "Where do babies come from?"
Refusing to heed the confinement lady's advice, Vicky is determined to do things her own way; Mr Tay helps resolve the differences between Govin and Frankie; Tammy is shocked when Chak Ho professes his love for her.
Mr Tay angers a triad gang when he defends his family's honour; David must deal with a pompous Fatty when the latter returns after making it big; Tammy gets into trouble while driving David's car.
This season, Vicky becomes a mother and has a busy time juggling her maternal duties with running a boutique and searching for a new love.
Vicky allows Teck Ann and his mother to visit baby John, only to have them snatch the infant away. Meanwhile, Gary agrees to employ Keng Joo's wayward brother as his assistant, but things go awry.
When everyone around him is gripped by football fever, David decides to move out, but he regrets it when loneliness hits him. Karen reappears and goes all out to get Gary's attention.
After visiting Mr Brook at the hospital, Mr Tay is forced to confront his own fears of aging and abandonment. Meanwhile, Karen's fiance' James shows up and throws her budding romance with Gary into disarray.
Tammy is infatuated with her netball coach. Vicky tries to help but becomes an inadvertent third party. Meanwhile, Gary and David are obsessed with kite flying.
Mr Tay meets a Mrs Tay look-alike--or so he thinks; Gary embarrasses himself in front of Karen's sikit atas friends.
Tammy takes up piano lessons but Mr Tay refuses to let her buy the instrument. Meanwhile, in a bid to outdo his rival Monica, David takes on the seemingly impossible task of rousing his staff to participate in an interdepartment contest.
Gary finds himself torn between Karen and his first love Sherry. Meanwhile, Sulaiman's estranged sister returns with her Chinese husband, and everyone accuses Sulaiman of racism when he treats his brother-in-law with hostility.
Things get personal when Tammy and Chak Ho take part in a debate; Gary clinches a role in a Ribena commercial but must deal with the meddlesome Mrs Chong, who also wants the part.
Tammy treads in deep waters when she starts taking drugs; Gary fights off pressure to get married.
David announces that he has decided to move to England; Gary faces the formidable challenge of winning his future father-in-law's favour; Vicky gets upset when John addresses Chong Soh as "Mummy."
Gary gets cold feet before his wedding; Mr Tay is affected when he learns that their old house will be demolished; David asked Shirley to go to England with him.
All grown up and into their fifth season, the Tay kids find themselves up against temptations, tragedies and, generally, trying time. Aileen Tan and Cynthia Koh cross over to play love interests.
All grown up and into their fifth season, the Tay kids find themselves up against temptations, tragedies and trying times in general. Aileen Tan and Cynthia Koh cross over to play love interests.
Vicky suspects Mrs Chong of abusing John and confronts her. Things turn ugly when John develops a persistent fever and is diagnosed with leukaemia. Gary wants Karen to quit her job and help take care of the household.
When will things get easier for the Tays? This week, a match is found for John's bone marrow transplant, but the donor can't be. Found, that is. Meanwhile, Vicky's decision to go to the States bums out Mr Tay.
Mr Tay suffers from loneliness and depression after Vicky and John depart; Gary wants to start his own family but faces business difficulties with a competitor's arrival. Watch out for Aileen Tan who joins the cast.
Gary's furniture business flounders and finally flops. Mr Tay enrolls Chee Keong in a chess competition; he ends up organising it gets accused of rigging the game.
Despite their non-too-cordial acquaintance, the friendship between Mae and Mr Tay blossoms. Meanwhile, while trying to make a quick buck, Gary bumps into Tracy, a bargirl (Cynthia Koh) working in JB. Will TV's bad boy succumb to temptation?
As his business flounders, Gary faces irate customers who want their money back. Meanwhile, father-son relations sour when Gary's business scams upset Mr Tay--as Mr Tay's involvement with a much-younger woman starts to bug Gary.
Mae puts her son in Mr. Tay's care while she goes on a short trip. Mr Tay spends a lot of time with the boy, and Gary is unhappy. Gary later gets Tracy a job in Karen's shop as Karen discovers that she's pregnant.
Suspected of doctoring donation cards from the fund-raising campaign, Douglas gets Mr Tay implicated. Karen is devastated when she learns of Gary's affair with Tracy--and suffers a miscarriage soon afterward.
Gary manages to save Tracy's life, but Karen suffers a miscarriage, for which the family blames him. Tammy turns villainous as Richard continues to harass her. Meanwhile, Gary, Kheng Joo, and Mrs Chong are trapped in the burning Greek oil tanker, S. T. Spyros.
Gary and Keng Joo are admitted to the hospital with severe burns. Tracy's visit upsets the family, and when Gary comes to, he is forced to choose between her and Karen.
Tragedy strikes as the Karen/Gary/Tracy love triangle reaches a climax in which a murder is committed. Meanwhile, David returns to find chaos on the domestic front.
In the show's 100th episode, Gary is charged with murdering Tracy, and held in remand; however, he refuses to see his family. As the day of his trial approaches, the frantic folks back home decide to take a short trip to Malaysia to forget their troubles.
Gary's trial begins, and his family fears the worst as the proceedings turn against him.
Gary goes on the stand to defend himself, but things go terribly wrong. Is this the end of the road for bad-boy Tay?
Hold on to your seat. After weeks of court battles, the identity of the murderer--gasp!--is finally revealed.
It's a typical day of high drama for the Tay family: Karen realises that her shop assistant could be her long-lost mother, while Mae hides a dark secret. After all these years, there's still no reason for Mr Tay to smile.
Love is a wonderful thing? If you're a Tay: no way. Gary finds out that Karen is back, but disturbed to find her spending time with David. Tammy meets the guy of her dreams, but gets into a row with Mr Tay when he thinks that she is two-timing Beng Tat.
Mr Tay is missing; meanwhile, a love triangle forms among Gary, Karen, and David.
Poor Mr Tay. Maybe he'll be far happier in a coma. After suffering a knock to the noggin and losing his memory, he finds out that his family is hiding a dark secret from him. Could it be that they are actually...happy?
Papa Tay shuns the whole family. But no matter, they've enough troubles of their own as Karen leaves Gary again.
More doom and gloom in the season's climax: The much-anticipated showdown between Gary and Karen turns tragic when Gary gets stabbed.
After so many years of being with each other, Tay and Mae finally decide they can't be friends forever and so decide to get married. Poh Choo emigrates to Singapore with her husband Jimmy and daughter Li Lien. And for the first time in years, she and Jimmy will live together with their son, Chee Keong.
After so many years together, Tay and Mae finally decide to get married. Poh Choo emigrates to Singapore with her husband Jimmy and daughter Li Lien, and for the first time in years, she and Jimmy will live together with their son, Chee Keong.
Tay and Mae spend quality time in a chalet--David's wedding gift to them. They must also deal with the issue of sex after marriage: each not knowing if the other wants it and each not wanting to disappoint the other. Tay in particular must deal with a lot of internal conflicts, including guilt.
Tensions rise between Mae and Poh Choo and Mr Tay is caught in the middle. Meanwhile, Jenny goes to work as David's boss. If that doesn't bruise his ego, her flirting with his colleague should crush whatever pride he has left.
Relationships suffer at the Tay home as Poh Choo and Jimmy get on Mae's nerves and Gary's closeness to Chee Keong irks Karen and Poh Choo. On a brighter note, Jimmy gets free juice and David and Jenny get married.
Trouble is afoot (surprise!) when money disappears from the coffeeshop till. Elsewhere, Jimmy meets an old friend, and Poh Choo and Chee Keong call a truce.
Mae gets her son Meng to work in Tay's coffeeshop in hopes that they will bond. Unfortunately, it backfires and things turn nasty when Jimmy frames Meng for stealing from the till. Li Lien finally breaks through to Meng, and although he keeps his feelings to himself, he fancies her as well--of course, unknown to both of them, they are supposed to be uncle and niece.
Li Lien and Meng's relationship takes off and she sneaks into the disco where Meng works to meet him--and of course, have some fun. She gets into trouble with Gorilla Sam and his gang of glue sniffers, and is sabotaged by Sam's girl Rose. Gary and Karen re-establish the status of their relationship and decide to try for a second child.
Mae's auntie dies; ironically, her death gives Mae an opportunity to reunite with Meng. Meanwhile, Li Lien and Meng discover the unpleasant truth of their relationship, and Jimmy falls back to his old gambling ways. Following symptoms of possible pregnancy, Karen consults a doctor to do a test. The test turns out negative and she gets a second blow when she finds out that she needs to have her womb removed.
Gary and Karen treat Elvis like a precious commodity when they realize that he will be their only child. Jimmy buys a karaoke machine and brings it to the flat and once again, Mae finds living in the crammed flat increasingly intolerable. She pushes Tay to move into her flat, but plans are suddenly scrapped when she finds out from Karen that she must undergo surgery.
Poh Choo's conflict with Mae over Li Lien and Meng's relationship deepens, and Meng discovers that he is not really Mae's son. This gives him the idea of further pursuing his relationship with Li Lien now that they are no longer blood-related. Karen seeks a second option on her condition and is relieved to know that she will not need to lose her whole womb and might still be able to conceive. Gary starts working at the coffeeshop.
Li Lien is nearly raped by Gorilla Sam--and Meng, who rescues her, is ironically accused of the attempt. The fracas causes Mae to break up with Tay and she moves out. Jimmy's gambling addiction worsens and he borrows money from head loan shark Leng Kor.
Jimmy fails to pay his debt and is forced to convert the coffeeshop into a gambling den. Gary discovers this much to his shock--and worse, that Keng Joo is involved as well. The loan sharks vandalise the coffeeshop and Jimmy disappears, leading his family to suspect that he might have been murdered.
Li Lien does some growing up when she learns of her father's chronic gambling habit and that her mother is actually a much stronger woman than she thought. Meanwhile, Mae is pregnant and Tay must deal with the shock and responsibility of being a father again.
Poh Choo's dreams of a better life in Singapore are shattered and she becomes depressed. The family worries about her and even fears that she might attempt suicide. Jimmy, who's been hiding in an abandoned house, sneaks home for food and to clean up, but runs into Chee Keong, who wants his father to return and face the consequences, but Jimmy refuses because he is basically a coward.
Poh Choo has enough of Jimmy and decides to divorce him, much to her children's distress. Chee Keong finally gets to speak with the girl of his dreams, Donna--but his happiness is short-lived when she gets killed in a road accident the next day. Meanwhile, Mr Tay is preoccupied with a drive to keep fit and stay young and healthy to prepare himself for his new child-to-be.
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