Wild, Wild Women, 1968
From the writers of On The Buses and The Rag Trade came the BBC sitcom Wild, Wild Women.
Starting life as an episode of the long running BBC Comedy Playhouse in 1968 it was commissioned as a full series in 1969. The show was seen by many as a a variation of another BBC sitcom The Rag Trade. However despite a strong cast headed up by Barbara Windsor the series failed to catch on and lasted just six episodes.
From the pilot episode Barbara Windsor was the only cast member to feature in the series.
Like many TV shows of the day very little still exists in the archives. Sadly of the six episodes and the pilot only episode three of the series still exists.
Summary
Set in 1902, Barbara Windsor plays Millie, a cockney girl leading the women in a Milner’s shop.
The show centres around the conflict between the female workers and the management, Mr Harcourt and his apprentice Albert.
Reflecting the mood of Britain in the late 1960s, the women adopted a new feisty spirit not seen in most characters in it’s comparison series; The Rag Trade. In the pilot episode the women are shown as strong supporters of the suffragette movement, however it was decided not to make much of this in the series that followed.
Clips
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Watch the only remaining episode here
Cast
Barbara Windsor – Millie
Paul Whitsun-Jones – Mr Harcourt
Pat Coombs – Daisy
Ken Platt – Albert
Toni Palmer – Ruby
Jessie Robins – Blossom
Daphne Heard – Ginny
Yvonne Paul – Flo
Anna Karen – Maude
Joan Sanderson – Mrs Harcourt
Details
Channel: BBC1
Written By: Ronald Wolfe and Ronald Chesney
Original Transmission Dates: 24th May 1968 (Pilot), 6th January – 10th February 1969