Holding The Fort, 1980
Doctor Who At 60!
As Doctor who gets ready to celebrate it’s 60th anniversary later this week we are looking back at some of the show’s comedy connections. Today it’s the turn of the fifth Doctor Peter Davison who has starred in a number of TV comedies, but we’ve picked this one as it aired around the time Davison was offered the keys to the Tardis.
Here’s a sitcom that seems to have slipped under the radar in it doesn’t appear on any repeat schedules or benefit from a DVD release. It seems strange, considering all the well known names associated with it.
Holding The Fort was an early piece of work from writers Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran, of Birds Of A Feather fame. Produced for ITV by London Weekend Television it ran for three series of twenty episodes between 1980 and 1982.
Summary
Russell Millburn (Peter Davison) works for a brewery. When the company decide to relocate him he’s told that he’ll have to move to Workington in order to keep his job. Not wanting to relocate he decides to set up in business himself.
However things are never as straight forward as they seem as Russell’s wife Penny (Patricia Hodge) decides to resume her Army career as a captain in the Women’s Royal Army Corps, leaving Russell to look after their baby daughter Emma during the day, whilst she goes out to work.
Russell enlists the help of his friend Fitzroy, or “Fitz” (Matthew Kelly), who only adds to the problem with his encouragement of Russell’s enthusiasm for football, pacifism and beer.
Clips
Cast
Peter Davison
Patricia Hodge
Matthew Kelly
Christopher Godwin
Details
Channel: ITV
Written By: Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran
Produced By: London Weekend Television for ITV
Original Transmission Dates: 5th September 1980 – 29th August 1982