Roy Kinnear's last TV role before his death was in thie ill feted sitcom Hardwicke House

Roy Kinnear’s Last TV Role Was In This Cancelled Sitcom

Hardwicke House

One of the last roles Roy Kinnear played before his sad death in 1988.  Hardwicke House was a seven part ITV sitcom.  Too say this sitcom was a little contraversial might be an understatement.  The show caused such a stir it was taken off the air after just two episodes.

Hardwicke House referred to the name of a fictional comprehensive school in which the series was set.  The series had been heavily trailed and featured on the front cover of the TV Times for it’s first week.

That the show never made it past these first two episodes is not not difficult to see why.  As you’d expect in a sitcom the pupils were dysfunctional.  However in this sitcom the teachers were as dysfunctional as the pupils.

In fairness, dysfunctional doesn’t really describe it.  One teacher was a multiple murderer, while the deputy headmaster lusted after male pupils.  Another teacher, Moose Magnusson, was on an extended exchange placement, as his own school in Iceland refused to have him back.  More the kind of characters you would find in a dark drama rather than a sitcom.

Needless to say with characters like that there was a huge public and press outcry and the series was pulled after the first two episodes had gone out.

Summary

Hardwicke House: a large comprehensive school where the teachers are as dysfunctional as the pupils.

The series followed the day to day goings on this chaotic setting.

Clips

 

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Cast

Roy Kinnear
Pam Ferris
Duncan Preston

Details

Channel: ITV
Created and Produced By: Paula Burdon
Written By: Richard Hall and Simon Wright
Original Transmission Dates: 24th February 1987 – 25th February 1987 (5 episodes un-transmitted)

Merchandising

The series has never been repeated and never been released to Video or DVD.