LWT Comedy - Shows L-Z
Me and My Girl1984 - 1988 This sitcom was developed for TV by John Kane from an idea by Keith Leonard, a divorcee who raised his daughter Samantha from the age of three. In the show, the idea is given more poignancy by making the central character Simon Harrap (Richard O'Sullivan) a widower. His daughter Samantha is seen growing up during the title sequence, ending up as a teenager played by Joanne Ridley. Simon's sad story is made humorous by his need to be caring and protective of her, whilst still needing to exercise his own libido with a string of glamorous dates. The show was funny but unremarkable, although it became a hit for O'Sullivan and ran to six series in four years. Those 52 episodes made a good showcase for guest stars Tim Brooke Taylor (brother-in-law) and Joan Sanderson (mother-in-law). The only drawback was Peter Skellern's syrupy theme tune.
Mind Your Language1977 - 1979 LWT boss Michael Grade considered this sitcom "manifestly irresponsible." As a seven year-old, I thought it was the best programme ever, but more than 30 years later its failure as entertainment is apparent. It gains easy laughs at the expense of foolish foreigners who can't understand English or stand each other. It's more lame than racist, but Asian viewers would probably still recoil from the stereotypes played by Albert Moses, Dino Shafeek and Pik-Sen Lim. The only redeeming feature is the title music by Max Harris, to accompany the animated title sequence by Martin Lambie-Nairn. Our clip is from the first season episode "All Through the Night" (20/01/1978). It's one of the few in which the comedy springs from the characters reacting to a tricky situation, when the tipsy caretaker locks everyone in, rather than their ignorance. Some of the cast thought kindly of it, because Moses produced a revival in 1986. It was screened in the Granada, HTV, Central & Ulster regions, but not by LWT...
No Honestly1974 - 1975 A fey sitcom by Terence Brady and Charlotte Bingham starring, in past and present, husband and wife John Alderton and Pauline Collins, as husband and wife Charles and Clara Danby. Each episode opens and closes with CD and Clara in the present day, chatting directly to the viewer, but the bulk of the humour arises from flashbacks to their days of courting and marriage a decade earlier. CD is an orphan-turned-actor, who met the posh debutante Clara at a party in Hampstead. Lynsey de Paul wrote and sang the hit theme tune. (tx 04/10/74 to 05/01/75)
No That's Me Over Here1970 This sitcom was Ronnie Corbett's first starring role, encouraged by executive producer David Frost. The first two series were made in monochrome by Associated Rediffusion during 1967-68, but when that company lost its franchise the idea was picked up by LWT for another spin in colour. Ronnie plays Ronnie, a little man who thinks big thoughts and will do anything to improve his status. He works for the same insurance company as his sniffy neighbour (Henry McGee) and competes with him for the approval of their boss (Ivor Dean). In fact, the show is full of bowler-hatted civil servant types of the kind you might find in Monty Python's Ministry of Silly Walks. Python-to-be Graham Chapman co-wrote all three series with Barry Cryer, with assistance from Eric Idle on series 1.
On The Buses1969 - 1973
In a 1989 BBC documentary, John Cleese tried to explain the bizarre appeal of certain comedy shows, and observed that On The Buses repeats were top-raters in Yugoslavia, with subtitles in Serbo-Croatian. The 76 episodes passed their sell-by date in the mid-1970s, but one cannot deny that the writers Ronald Wolfe & Ronald Chesney created a big hit. The first two series were made in 1969 in monochrome; the first was blessed with live-action titles, but from series 2 onwards the intros were animated.
On The Buses1969 - 1973
Colour titles from series 3 and 5. On The Buses gave us such unforgettable characters as the plain and pathetic Olive, the toothy lothario conductor Jack and the obsessive Inspector Blake. The series was an earthy vehicle for Reg Varney, supported by Bob Grant, Cicely Courtneidge - later Doris Hare - Anna Karen, Michael Robbins and Stephen Lewis. It also inspired three absolutely revolting spin-off movies, which were among the last satanic rites of Hammer Films.
Please Sir!1969 - 1972
John Alderton starred as idealistic teacher Bernard "Privet" Hedges in this school sitcom by John Esmonde & Bob Larbey. It eventually ran to 53 episodes & 3 specials, and sprouted two spin-offs, The Fenn Street Gang and Bowler. This clip shows the opening and closing titles of episode one, plus a 1992 TV Heaven introduction by Frank Muir, who commissioned the series.
Please Sir!1969 - 1972
Clips from series 3 (1970) and series 4 (1971), the latter not involving John Alderton. By this time the series was better known for the grotesque comedy janitor Norman Potter, portrayed by Deryck Guyler, plus Joan Sanderson's waspish deputy headmistress. It was also notable for featuring a class of rebellious teenagers played by actors at least ten years older...
The Rag Trade1977 - 1978 Created by Ronald Wolfe & Ronald Chesney, this sit-com had begun life in 1961 on BBC Television, where it ran for three years. It was created for star Reg Varney, and also featured Peter Jones, Miriam Karlin and Sheila Hancock. This revival was initiated at the BBC, but after filming a pilot which was never shown, the writers took the project to LWT for 22 episodes. Only Jones and Karlin kept their original roles, with other parts offered to former On The Buses star Anna Karen, plus Eastender-to-be Gillian Taylforth.
Square Deal1988 - 1989
Late 1980s sit-com about "Yuppie" Londoners caught in a love triangle. It ran to two series of seven episodes and starred Lise-Ann Mclaughlin, Timothy Bentinck and Brett Fancy; our clips show the opening titles plus an LWT trailer. The title music is down to Brian Bennett, the scripts to Richard Ommaney.
Thick as Thieves1974
John Thaw's career took in just two sitcoms: Yorkshire's Home to Roost (1985-89) and Thick as Thieves, in which he co-starred with Bob Hoskins and Pat Ashton. Created by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, it ran for just eight episodes. The music is similar in style to the theme from Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads, the duo's other comedy classic. Thick as Thieves is a great title, in every sense: Hoskins is released from prison to find his dim-witted old pal Thaw shacked up with his missus, with hilarious consequences.
The Top Secret Life of Edgar Briggs1974 Some people think that this David Jason vehicle is one of the most under-rated comedies of 1974. Few remember it, and it would seem that Jason wants it to stay that way, since video and DVD releases have been suppressed. Jason stars as a bumbling British spy who is clearly unsuited to the post. The witty title sequence involves Jason with co-stars Gary Waldhorn and Noel Coleman, and a ring-binder full of bacon and eggs.
Two's Company1975 - 1979 As the wry opening titles suggest, this sitcom derives its humour from the clash of attitudes between a brash American novelist (Elaine Stritch) and an old-school British butler (Donald Sinden). She hires him to look after her Chelsea town-house and though the pair are soon firing off at each other, they share a grudging respect. There were occasional guests in the house, but most of the shows consisted of two-handers, bristling with excellent comic dialogue. The first series in 1975 was only shown within the LWT region, but the three subsequent runs were fully networked by ITV and became very popular. Peter Cook starred in a cheesy 1981 American spin-off, The Two of Us, as butler to Mimi Kennedy.
Whoops Apocalypse1982 Arguably the best ITV sitcom ever, period! Created by Andrew Marshall and David Renwick, it spoofs the USA and USSR superpowers, driven to nuclear holocaust by sheer inanity. President Johnny Cyclops has recently had a lobotomy, the British Prime Minister thinks he's Superman and the Shah of Iran is trapped aboard the Space Shuttle as it collides with the Kremlin! This series boasts a hugely inventive and surreal script, plus an exceptional cast: Peter Jones, Barry Morse, John Barron, Richard Griffiths, John Cleese, Geoffrey Palmer, Leonard Montague, David Kelly, Alexei Sayle and Rik Mayall. The writers turned their six half-hour episodes into a feature film starring Peter Cook, but it fails to hold a candle to this. (tx: 14/03/82 - 18/04/82)
