Running as a tribute to Eddie Braben who sadly passed away yesterday.  We will be looking at Eddie Braben when we spend a week looking back at some of comedy’s greatest writers in the not too distant future.

After contract negotiations with ATV failed and following Eric Morecambe’s desire to appear in colour for their next series it was off to the BBC.  In 1968 the first of their new series was broadcast.  This time round the series was in their own names, the Morecambe And Wise Show and from 1969 was broadcast in colour.  Morecambe and Wise produced nine series for the BBC and eight Christmas Shows.
The first series of the new show written by Dick Hills and Sid Green followed the same formula as Two Of A kind.  Eric Morecambe felt under pressure with this formula, but before any changes could be considered, Morecambe suffered a heart attack in 1968. At this time the writers Hills & Green felt the situation had exhausted itself and it was time to move on to pastures new. It wasn’t clear if the double act would ever perform again.
Series Two was written by Eddie Braben and the show began to take the shape of the show we all came to love so much.
In 1977 after a record breaking Christmas Special Eric and Ernie left the BBC for Thames.  For the first two years of their stint at Thames there was no regular show instead a Special episode was broadcast in 1978 followed by two Christmas Specials in 1978 and 1979, before a regular show in 1980.  The 1983 Christmas Special was the duo’s last TV show appearence together.
Five months after the Christmas Special Eric Morecambe tragically died of a heart attack in 1984.

Summary

A typical Morecambe and Wise show would begin with the duo appearing “as themselves” on a mock stage in front of curtains emblazoned with an M and W logo (this was usually to open the show).  There would be sketches often set in the duo’s fictional flat.  Musical numbers with Star Guests, a play wot Ern wrote.  At the end of the show Eric and Ernie sang and danced. They were forced to abandon this practice when Morecambe’s heart condition prevented him from dancing. The solution was that Eric would walk across the stage with coat and bag, ostensibly to ‘wait for his bus’, while Ernie danced by himself.

Clips

The Thames Years

Starring

Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise

Details

Channel: BBC 2 and ITV
Written By:
(BBC): Series One Dick Hills and Sid Green
Series Two – Nine (BBC) Eddie Braben
(ITV): 1978 – 1980 Morecambe and Wise, Barry Cryer, John Junkin
1980 – 1983: Eddie Braben
Original Transmission:
2nd September 1968 – 25th December 1977 (BBC)
18th October 1978 (first special), 25th December 1978 & 1979 (Christmas Specials), 3rd September 1980 – 25th December 1983 (Thames)

Merchandising

Another seldom heard of sitcom from ITV, this one stars Sid James.

Two in clover ran for two series between 1969 and 1970, for thirteen episodes.  It was around this time that colour was fast becoming the must have television medium as more of television’s output was produced in colour.  Two In Clover was no exception, the first series was screened in black and white, the second series in colour.  The themes of self sufficiency (although on a grander scale) are not dis-similar to those in The Good Life which would appear six years later.

The series was written by the successful writing team that would go on to pen such classics as Love Thy Neighbour and Bless This House and produced by Thames Television for ITV.

Summary

Two city clerks, Sid Turner and Vic Evans abandon the nine-to-five to run a small farm out in the country. A recurring theme throughout the two series was Sid’s love of his Friesian cow “Fanny”.

Clips

Cast

Sid James
Victor Spinetti

Details

Channel: ITV
Written By: Vince Powell and Harry Driver
Original Transmission Dates: 18th February 1969 – 24th March 1970

Merchandising

Perhaps Sid James’ finest moment.  Produced for ITV by Thames Television, Bless this House ran for 65 episodes over six series between 1971 and 1976.  The show rated 67 in a poll to find Britain’s best sitcom.

Summary

Bless This House centres around life in Birch Avenue, Putney, where travelling stationery salesman Sid Abbott and his wife Jean live with their teenage children, Mike, who is fresh from art college and more preoccupied with protests than finding a job, and Sally, a trendy schoolgirl. The children are 18 and 16 years old at the start of the series. Sid and Jean constantly battle to comprehend the permissive ways of the new generation and are usually out of touch. Their neighbours and best friends are Trevor and his wife Betty.

Clips

Cast

Sid James
Diana Coupland
Robin Stewart
Sally Gleeson

Details

Channel: ITV
Written By:
Vince Powell
Harry Driver
Carla Lane
Myra Taylor
Dave Freeman
Bernie Sharp
Original Run; 2 February 1971 – 22 April 1976

Spin Offs

Like many TV sitcoms of the time there was a movie version in 1972

Extras

Bless This House came to an abrupt end in 1976, when, just four days after broadcast of the final episode of the sixth series, Sid James died. He collapsed on stage at the Sunderland Empire, during a performance of The Mating Season after failing to respond to a cue. James had suffered a heart attack. He later died on the way to the hospital.

Merchandising

All six series of Bless This House are available on DVD on the Network label.

An all time comedy classic and possibly one of the best produced by London Weekend Television, Mind Your Language ran for three series (four in some ITV regions) totalling 42 episodes.

After running for three series the show was cancelled by Michael Grade, the then Deputy Controller of Entertainment, who considered the stereotyping of the students to be offensive.  There had been debate at the time that many people found it offensive.  It was subsequently sold all over the world.  It was resurrected by an independent production company in 1986 with some of the original cast.  Not all ITV regions showed the 1986 version, only Granada transmitted all 13 episodes as a complete series.

Summary

Set in a London College Of Further Education the series focused on the activities of the Evening Classes, in particular – English as a Foreign Language, as taught by Mr Jeremy Brown whose class was a motley crew of foreigners, most of who could barely speak English.

The comedy comes from the students inability to grasp the basic command of English.  This leads to misunderstanding of words and  terms causing all manner of disagreements and cultural differences.

Clips

Cast

Barry Evans
Albert Moses
George Camiller
Kervok Malikyan
Zara Nutley
Robert Lee
Dino Shafeek
Pik- Sen Lim
Tommy Godfrey
Iris Sadler
Francoise Pascal
Ricardo Montez
Jacki Harding
Jamila Massey
Anna Bergman
Gabor Vernon
Jenny Lee-Wright
Marie-Elise Grepne
Raj Patel
Vincent Wong
Sue Bond
Harry Littlewood

Details

Channel: ITV
Written By: Vince Powell
Original Run: 30th December 1977 – 16th December 1979 and 1986

Merchandising:

The complete 3 LWT series are available as a box set.  Unfortunately the 1986 series has yet to make an appearance.

Agony was the ITV sitcom that ran for 31 episodes (3 Series) between 1979 and 1981.  It was voted in that now famous poll to find Britain’s Best Sitcom at No 92.
Agony was noted for being the first British sitcom to portray a gay couple as non-camp, witty, intelligent and happy people.

Summary
Maureen Lipman plays Jane Lucas, an agony aunt, who is highly successful in her career working at radio call-in show (for Happening Radio 242) in London and for magazine Person, but whose personal life is a shambles.  Her Jewish mother, Bea, interferes in all aspects of her life and her psychiatrist Christian husband Laurence is unreliable, all the people she works with are tireless self-promoters including the libidinous journalist Vincent Fish.
Other characters included the editor of Person magazine Diana, secretary Val Dunn, radio colleague Andy and her gay neighbours Rob and Michael.

Clips

Cast
Maureen Lipman
Simon Williams
Maria Charles
Peter Blake

Details
Channel: ITV
Written By: Len Richmond, Anna Raeburn, Stan Hey and Andrew Nickolds.
Produced By: London Weekend Television for ITV
Original Run: 11th March 1979 – 1st March 1981

Merchandising

On The Buses was a hugely successful sitcom that was initially rejected by the BBC who did not see any great comedy potential in the idea, despite the writers having had previous success for the BBC with The Rag Trade and Meet The Wife.  The idea was offered to Frank Muir then head of Entertainment for London Weekend Television.  He loved the idea and commissioned the series that would for six seasons and  seventy four episodes.  Unlike many television programs of the time all seventy four episodes still exist in the archives, enjoying regular repeats on digital channel ITV3.

Summary

The series followed two threads: the antics of Stan Butler a bus driver with the Luxton And District Bus Company, his conductor Jack and the Inspector Cyril ‘Blakey’ Blake.  It also followed Stan’s less than ideal home life.  Living with his Mother, frumpy Sister Olive and her lazy Husband Arthur.
In the later years Arthur left, Stan left to make buses in the North as the money was better than driving them in the South.  Olive got a job with the bus company and forced out of his lodgings Inspector Blake became the Butlers’ new lodger.

Clips

Cast:

Stan Butler – Reg Varney
Jack Harper – Bob Grant
Inspector Blake – Stephen Lewis
Mum – Cicely Courtneidge (series one)
Mum – Doris Hare (from series two)
Olive – Anna Karen
Arthur – Michael Robbins

Details

Channel: ITV
Written By: Ronald Wolfe and Ronald Chesney

Spin Offs

Don’t Drink the water 13 episodes over two series 1974 – 1975.  This featured Blakey retiring to Spain with his Sister played by Pat Coombs.  there were also three Film adaptations were produced by Hammer Films.  These were: On The Buses – 1971, Mutiny On The Buses – 1972 and Holiday On The Buses – 1973.

Extras
There was a stage play  On The Buses based on the series of which we assume featured all or at least some of the original cast.  After touring Australia in 1988 rumours began circulating that a revival show Back On The Buses, featuring the original cast, was to be made.  Despite an appearance on Wogan in 1990 by Reg Varney and the publicity, the series was never made and scripts were never written.
Today the series enjoys regular repeats on ITV3, check your TV guide as it comes and goes.

Merchandising
A board game On The Buses from toymaker Denys Fisher was available around the time the series was on air.  A book “On The Buses The Complete Story” written by Craig Walker published by Apex Publishing Ltd October 2009.

In October 2011 Network DVD released a Box Set entitled On The Buses – The Complete Omnibus.  This mammoth set is a must for fans of the series as it contains contains all seven series – a total of 74 shows – plus the three feature film spin-offs On The Buses, Mutiny On The Buses and Holiday On The Buses. Also included is the complete series of Don’t Drink the Water – a spin-off sitcom featuring Blakey in Spain – plus exclusive special features, including archive news footage and Reg Varney’s TV play The Best Pair of Legs in the Business.  The best price we’ve found was direct from Network follow the link www.networkdvd.net/product_info.php?products_id=1438.

As we count down to comic relief day on Friday, every day this week we’ll look back at some of the best     episodes from classic sitcoms.

We’ll start with my personal favourite Rising Damp episode.  Taken from season two of Eric Chappell’s classic comedy, Leonard Rossiter’s comic timing and reactions are flawless as his lodgers scare the life out of him.

Summary

There’s a new lodger in the house in the form of Brenda and Alan could be in with a chance, if only he can avoid Rigsby.

Gullible Alan is scared by a joke werewolf hand, worn by Rigsby, realising how gullible Alan is  Rigsby tries to spook him even more by telling him about the house ghost,the Grey Lady.

Philip persuades Alan to put on a long dress and a bonnet to impersonate the ghost,to scare Rigsby, which he does on several occasions,including at a seance Philip has stage managed. Rigsby then calls in the vicar to exorcise the ghost but the vicar only catches Alan and Brenda kissing on the sofa. By this time Rigsby has found the dress and bonnet so that the Grey Lady makes one final appearance.

 Clips

http://youtu.be/GVBb4bfe7No

Details

Channel: ITV
Written By Eric Chappell
Originally Transmitted: December 19th – 1975

We go right back to the beginning of what was to be a golden decade of sitcoms – 1970 for this often forgotten sitcom.

Written by Vince Powell and Harry Driver, who would later go on to write Love Thy Neighbour.  For The Love of Ada ran for four series and twenty eight episodes between 1970 and 1971.  Broadcast two series each year, the show came to an end with a Christmas Special on 26th December 1971.  A year later Wilfred Pickles and Irene Handl would reprise their roles in a film version.

Summary

Ada Cresswell is a Cockney pensioner widow who lives with her daughter Ruth Pollitt  and son-in-law Leslie Pollitt.

Ada starts a relationship with Walter Bingley, the gravedigger who buried her husband, after meeting him at the cemetery while laying flowers on her husband’s grave.

Walter is a stout Yorkshireman whose relationship with Ada slowly changes from one of companionship to one of romance. They get engaged and later marry after which they move in together at his cemetery lodge abode.

Clips

Cast

Irene Handl
Wilfred Pickles
Barbara Mitchell
Jack Smethurst

Details

Channel: ITV
Written By: Vince Powell and Harry Driver
Produced By: Thames Television for ITV
Original Transmission Dates: 20th April 1970 – 26th December 1971

Merchandising

Doctor On The Box is the generic title given by Network DVD (who released a box set of the same name to a series of series of sitcoms revolving around the misadventures of a group of young Doctors.

The series followed on from a series of Cinema releases of the same name, all based around the books by Richard Gordon.  Beginning in 1969 with Doctor In The House, each series carried it’s own title and ran for nine years, over five different titles.  We’ve covered some of these before, but due to lack of footage we’ve brought all five series together.

Doctor In The House – 1969

Doctor In The House introduced us to a young Barry Evans who would later star in another hit ITV comedy Mind Your Language, that can be found in our archive.  The show ran for 26 episodes over 2 series between 1969 and 1970.

Summary

The plot revolved around the trials and misadventures of  a group of medical students at St Swithin’s hospital in London.

Cast

Barry Evans – Michael Upton
Robin Nedwell – Duncan Waring
Geoffrey Davies – Dick Stuart-Clark
George Layton – Paul Collier
Simon Cuff – Dave Briddock
Yutte Stensgaard – Helga, Dave’s girlfriend
Martin Shaw – Hugh Evans(series 1)
Jonathan Lynn – Daniel Hooley (series 2)
Ernest Clark – Professor Geoffrey Loftus
Ralph Michael – The Dean
Joan Benam – Mrs Loftus
Peter Bathurst – Dr Upton, Michael’s Father.

Details

Channel: ITV
Written By:
Graham Chapman
John Cleese
Barry Cryer
Graeme Garden
Bill Oddie
Bernard McKenna
Produced By: Humphrey Barclay
Directed By: Maurice Murphy
Original Transmission Dates: 12th July 1969 – 3rd July 1970
Follow On Series: Doctor At Large

Doctor At Large – 1971

Picking up directly where Doctor In The House left off, this series whilst the second title of the series, was the third to be broadcast as we saw previously, Doctor In The House was broadcast over two series.

This particular series comprised twenty nine episodes, that were broadcast back to back in 1971.  It was a sign of the times that the first six episodes were recorded in Black and White due to an ITV colour strike.

Summary

Newly qualified Doctor Michael Upton begins life in his chosen profession of medicine. Obtaining a series of posts, that include working in Otolaryngology and as a general practitioner, before returning to St Swithin’s Hospital (where he received his training) as a Junior Registrar.

Details

Channel: ITV
Produced By: London Weekend Television for ITV
Written By:
Bill Oddie
Graeme Garden
John Cleese
Graham Chapman
Bernard McKenna
Geoff Rowley
Andy Baker
Jonathan Lynn
David Yallop
George Layton (under the pseudonym of “Oliver Fry”).
Original Transmission Dates: 28th February 1971 – 12th September 1971 (dates are based on London ITV region)

Doctor In Charge – 1972

The regulars are back for a third installment of the Doctor….series.  Screened over two series between 1972 and 1973, clocking up an impressive forty three episodes.

Look for a young Richard O’Sullivan in this series as Doctor Lawrence Bingham.

Summary

Doctor At Large see the students moving further up the promotion ladder, but there’s no change to their slacking off, chatting up girls, nor their ability to drive Professor Loftus round the bend.

However there’s more trouble for the boys from brown-noser Lawrence Bingham who trots about after Loftus in the hope of crawling into the good books.

Cast

Robin Nedwell – Dr. Duncan Waring
George Layton – Dr. Paul Collier
Geoffrey Davies – Dr. Dick Stuart-Clark
Ernest Clark – Professor Geoffrey Loftus
Richard O’Sullivan – Dr. Lawrence Bingham

Details

Channel: ITV
Written By:
David Askey
Graham Chapman
Graeme Garden
George Layton
Jonathan Lynn
Bernard McKenna
Bill Oddie
Phil Redmond
Gail Renard.
Produced By: London Weekend Television for ITV
Original Transmission Dates: 9th April 1972 – 29th December 1973

Doctor At Sea – 1974

By now this popular TV series was in it’s fifth year.  Still being produced by London Weekend Television, this was the fourth title in the series and ran for a series of thirteen episodes in 1974

Summary

When Dick (Geoffrey Davies) finally gets himself the sack from St Swithin’s Hospital, Duncan (Robin Nedwell) resigns in support. They sign up for what they hope will be a cushy job as medical officers on the cruise ship MS Begonia. Unfortunately they didn’t realise Professor Loftus’ twin brother would be the captain!

Details

Channel: ITV
Written By:
Richard Laing
George Layton
Jonathan Lynn
Bernard Mc Kenna
Gail Renard
Phil Redmond

Produced By: London Weekend Television for ITV
Original Transmission Dates: 21st April – 14th July 1974

Doctor On The Go – 1975

The final outing for the young doctors in the continuing series, there would be an Australian series – Doctor Down Under (not screened in this country) and then a comeback outing in the 1990′s with Doctor At The Top.  There were effectively two series of Doctor On The Go screened over twenty six episodes in 1975 and 1977.

Summary

Returning from their misadventures on the high seas aboard the MS Begonia (‘”Doctor at Sea” (1974)’ ), the young Doctors manage to find themselves new jobs back at St Swithin’s Hospital. However, Professor Sir Geoffrey Loftus (‘Ernest Clark’ ) is still on their case…

Cast

Robin Nedwell
Geoffrey Davies
George Layton
Ernest Clark

Details

Channel: ITV
Produced By: London Weekend Television for ITV
Written By:
Douglas Adam
Rob Buckman
Richard Laing
George Layton
Jonathan Lynn
Bernard McKenna
Steve Thorn
Paul Wolfson.

Doctor On The Box Clips

Merchandising

The hugely popular Cult Saturday morning children’s TV series which ran from  1974 to 1982, produced for the ITV network by ATV Network Limited.
It’s creator was ATV continuity announcer Peter Tomlinson, who would later become a regular presenter on the show.  The idea originated when Tomlinson had a test period in 1973 when he tried out a few competitions and daft stuff between the programmes. It had a huge following among all age groups including parents and children a like.

The show introduced us to many faces familiar today: Lenny Henry, Chris Tarrent, Jim Davidson appeared briefly as did Bernard Manning and who could foeget the legendary Sally James.
Originally produced as a Midlands Regional Program, the make up of ITV at the time with it’s different regions meant that when the series was available for broadcast across the network not all the companies took it up at once.  Although most did Granada and Southern were last in 1979 and Tyne Tees finally took it 1981 for it’s final series.  For a full background story on this hugely popular program click the link www.//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiswas#Overview

Summary
The show was a stitch-together of competitions, film clips and pop promos, just about held together by sketches and links from the cast. The show also regularly featured spoofs of BBC children’s programming.
One of the show’s most popular features was The Cage wherein initially the child audience, and later their fathers, were confined and periodically doused in water , whilst the series was also frequently visited by the Phantom Flan Flinger, who would throw flans around the studio at all and sundry. Both Tarrant and the Flan Flinger would take great delight in trying to ‘flan’ cameramen who would go to great lengths to avoid being hit.

Clips

Presenters:
Peter Tomlinson
Chris Tarrent
Sally James
Lenny Henry
Bob Carolgees
John Gorman

Details
Created By: Peter Tomlinson
Channel: ITV
Produced By: ATV
Original Run: 5th January 1974 – 3rd April 1982

Extras
Like many programs of the time episodes were wiped after transmission, therefore very little of the original program remains.

Merchandising
Tiswas was a pioneer for children’s television, making its way to shop shelves. Books, t-shirts, a regular magazine, an album, various singles and even a ceramic money box have all been daubed with the Tiswas logo.  although no longer available die hard collectors may find items for sale on ebay.

The Reunion
A new programme was broadcast by ITV on 16 June 2007 – Tiswas – Reunited  it started with the traditional ATV logo and jingle. The programme had been delayed from May, to allow for an extended transmission slot. Celebrities and ‘old Tiswas mates’ alike joined in the fun. In an interview publicising this, Chris Tarrent put out an appeal to the public to submit any surviving video footage of the series to be included in the new programme – which resulted in the discovery of further footage.

A DVD release of the programme, featuring an extended edition plus a short featurette on the history of Tiswas was released shortly after transmission.

Merchandising