ITV Sitcoms of the ‘70s’ and ‘80s’

 

(with Leonard Rossiter, Yootha Joyce and Richard O Sullivan)

 

(TELEVISION MEMORIES 11)

 

 

Last night I was catching up on the remainder of all the weekend newspapers, when I noticed that one of the ‘redtop’ tabloid newspapers had mocked ‘Stockport Sarah’ from ‘Girls Aloud’ for having a new haircut that made her look like 1970s sitcom star Yootha Joyce.

 

Now, whereas I would expect that more people would be interested in talking about all the ‘Alternative Comedy’ from the 1980s and all the surreal comedy from the late 1960s, I think that there might be somebody who is also interested in shows such as ‘Man About The House’ or ‘George & Mildred’. Even if there are few fans of the output, I guess there will be numerous people who grew up with all these types of ITV sitcoms of the 1970s and early 1980s to get a varied opinion on all the different shows.

 

Excepting the ever wonderful ‘Rising Damp’, ITV situation comedy has always had a bad reputation, especially when viewed against the ‘comedy powerhouse’ that was the BBC. It is true to say that a lot of these shows have not ‘stood the test of time’. The shows are very dated, but then again so is every situation comedy from the past, that was filmed in a studio setting with fixed cameras whilst an audience laughed along (or should I say when ‘canned laugher’ was added).

 

Back when I was younger I used to watch and enjoy a great deal of the comedy shows that ITV put out, whether they were shows in prime-time such as ‘Duty Free’ and ‘Keep It In The Family’ or ones that featured post-watershed material, such as ‘Hot Metal’ (a Sunday night show featuring Richard Wilson, that was similar in concept to ‘Drop The Dead Donkey’) or ‘The New Statesman’.

 

Some shows were utter rubbish, but were made enjoyable by the talent involved in the production. For example, ‘Tripper’s Day’ is usually voted as one of the worst sitcoms ever made, but at the time, the show was made bearable by the presence of Leonard Rossiter, a brilliant actor who had built up a lot of ‘good will’ in the audience from appearing in shows like ‘Reggie Perrin’ and ‘Rising Damp’. Unfortunately, not so long after the first series, Rossiter died and a second series was unbelievably put into production as ‘Slinger’s Day’ with Bruce Forsyth taking over Rossiter’s role. Whilst Forsyth is a brilliant entertainer and quiz show host with his ‘Generation Game’ and ‘Play Your Cards Right’, as a fill-in for an extremely gifted and skilled comedy actor such as Rossiter he was just doomed to fail and so no further series were made.

 

I've been a big fan of Man About the House ever since I saw a series of repeats on UK Gold about a decade ago. PC it aint but the chemistry between George and Mildred and Robin and Chrissy and Jo is fantastic. When the series 'split' into George and Mildred and Robin's Nest neither quite hit like the original ensemble.

 

Another thing about 70s sitcoms is that the theme tunes were nearly always absolutely ace and, of course, we have the late, great Ronnie Hazlehurst to thank for many of those.

 

Other 70s and 80s sitcoms I've enjoyed include Porridge, Terry and June, Mind Your Language (I know! I know! But I still find it pretty funny), Never the Twain, Hi-De-Hi, Allo Allo, Some Mothers, The Good Life, Open All Hours, Bread...

 

In fact, when I was a kid I loved a lot of them more than I do now. Somehow back then I even used to enjoy watching Birds of a Feather!

 

Comedy now seems to be too adult-orientated, imported from the USA or inspired by the US imports cf. My Family.

i didnt like itv sitcoms, they were just daft. i liked bbc ones though, hi-de-hi, dads army, even terry and june! sorry was good too.

ITV`s best sitcom must have been BLESS THIS HOUSE. SID JAMES and DIANA COUPLAND were just great, it was hilarious from beginning to end. It just timeless...its scripts have been reworked over the years for many BBC shows, like NO PLACE LIKE HOME and even MY FAMILY. It can`t be denied.

FATHER DEAR FATHER was also hilarious with PATRICK CARGILL. Then there was more sombe comedy with JIMMY JEWEL in SPRING and AUTUMN which included the original Peggy Mitchell too! Thames biggest hit was of course LOVE THY NEIGHBOUR...I think is possibly taken the wrong way, by the PC brigade. Very controversial!!!! It was poking fun at racist people in truth, but maybe the pc can`t see it. ITV`s answer to ALF GARNETT in the form of EDDIE BOOTH.

 

BLESS THIS HOUSE could be repeated by ITV and get millions of viewers, it was a strong series 68 episodes long. ON THE BUSES was LWT`s strongest, ROMANY JONES and YUS MY DEAR had THERE moments, MIKE REID playing the neighbour in YUS MY DEAR. Later in the 70s ITV revived the RAG TRADE and PATRICK CARGILL returned in the MANY WIVES OF PATRICK also hilarious. The Doctor series..DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE, DOCTOR AT LARGE, DOCTOR IN CHARGE, DOCTOR AT SEA, DOCTOR ON THE GO, DOCTOR DOWN UNDER run forever but was a bit hit and miss, but they had there moments. The late 70s with MIXED BLESSINGS and MIND YOUR LANGUAGE were controversial, but they were funny. So much so, that in 1985, another production company made a further 13 episodes of MIND YOUR LANGUAGE, which only got shown in a few areas. Sitcoms are hard to find today because, PC culture kills them. Are people really afraid to laugh, at themselves, or is PC just made up, and really not such a big deal in a sitcom? Its just a case of TV companies worrying I guess.

Paramount Comedy Channel 2, starting from about midday and then again from about 4.30pm each day show Bless This House (the Sid James comedy), Man About The House, George & Mildred and Robin's Nest. I don't care much for Bless This House and Robin's Nest just seems a bit dull these days - but I still like Man About The House and George & Mildred.

 

Probably one of the worst comedies from the 70s that ran on ITV was Nearest and Dearest which starred Hylda Baker. After she died in 1986 LWT ran a few episodes on a saturday afternoon - they were by then totally dated, totally un-PC (and mostly quite unfunny) and most of the jokes seemed to be about farting! Needless to say, the programme was soon dropped and replaced by old reruns of Airwolf!

ITV`s best sitcom must have been BLESS THIS HOUSE. SID JAMES and DIANA COUPLAND were just great, it was hilarious from beginning to end. It just timeless...its scripts have been reworked over the years for many BBC shows, like NO PLACE LIKE HOME and even MY FAMILY. It can`t be denied.

FATHER DEAR FATHER was also hilarious with PATRICK CARGILL. Then there was more sombe comedy with JIMMY JEWEL in SPRING and AUTUMN which included the original Peggy Mitchell too! Thames biggest hit was of course LOVE THY NEIGHBOUR...I think is possibly taken the wrong way, by the PC brigade. Very controversial!!!! It was poking fun at racist people in truth, but maybe the pc can`t see it. ITV`s answer to ALF GARNETT in the form of EDDIE BOOTH.

 

BLESS THIS HOUSE could be repeated by ITV and get millions of viewers, it was a strong series 68 episodes long. ON THE BUSES was LWT`s strongest, ROMANY JONES and YUS MY DEAR had THERE moments, MIKE REID playing the neighbour in YUS MY DEAR. Later in the 70s ITV revived the RAG TRADE and PATRICK CARGILL returned in the MANY WIVES OF PATRICK also hilarious. The Doctor series..DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE, DOCTOR AT LARGE, DOCTOR IN CHARGE, DOCTOR AT SEA, DOCTOR ON THE GO, DOCTOR DOWN UNDER run forever but was a bit hit and miss, but they had there moments. The late 70s with MIXED BLESSINGS and MIND YOUR LANGUAGE were controversial, but they were funny.

 

 

Were all these shows from the 1970s? I do not remember watching any of those when I was a child in the 1980s, but have seen many reviewed in magazines and on ‘Cult TV’ retrospectives.

Probably one of the worst comedies from the 70s that ran on ITV was Nearest and Dearest which starred Hylda Baker. After she died in 1986 LWT ran a few episodes on a saturday afternoon - they were by then totally dated, totally un-PC (and mostly quite unfunny) and most of the jokes seemed to be about farting! Needless to say, the programme was soon dropped and replaced by old reruns of Airwolf!

 

Nah - disagree totally - Nearest and Dearest was great - Hylda Baker was one of our best comedy actresses. I bought the DVD reissue of Nearest and Dearest for a few quid in Asdas recently and, yes, they're really dated and amateurish (the DVD I had, the ad indents were still in the show...and in one, it's wobbling...and someone walks past the camera!) -but I think this adds to the appeal.

 

The BBC comedies were undoubtedly better made because it had a lot more money - but some of the ITV comedy and drama from the 70s and early 80s was top notch.

Were all these shows from the 1970s? I do not remember watching any of those when I was a child in the 1980s, but have seen many reviewed in magazines and on ‘Cult TV’ retrospectives.

FATHER DEAR FATHER ran from 68 - 73, though an Australian series was made in 77, it was Thames very first sitcom. BLESS THIS HOUSE ran from 71 - 76, the DOCTOR series ran from 69 - 78, with a BBC version DOCTOR AT THE TOP in the early 90s. LOVE THY NEIGHBOUR came back for Australia in 1980, but originally ran from 72 - 76.

 

I think the worse sitcoms were political based things, like NO JOB FOR A LADY and EXECUTIVE STRES both with PENELOPE KEITH. I would say NOT ON YOUR NELLY was a tad better than NEAREST AND DEAREST it was the follow up series. MY MOTHER, LOVE ALBERT starred RODNEY BEWES on ITV circa 1970, it was very very similar to 80s BBC series SORRY. In such way that AND MOTHER MAKES THREE/FIVE was similar to NOT IN FRONT OF THE CHILDREN all with WENDY CRAIG. ITV in the 80s could well be quite $h!te, with HIGH AND DRY with BERNARD CRIBBINS, and HOPE IT RAINS that was set in a waxworks (who moved more than the people! ALL AT NO`20 was ok. While WE`LL THINK OF SOMETHING was not. GRUNDY with HARRY H. CORBETT and LYNDA BARRON was dodgy. But I quite like THE UPCHAT LINE with JOHN ALDERTON. There was also MICHAEL CRAWFORD in CHALK AND CHEESE, another dodgy one. ODD MAN OUT with JOHN INMAN could have been his ARE YOU BEING SERVED character MR HUMPHRIES. MOLLIE SUGDEN was in GOODBYE MRS NOAH, and THATS MY BOY..and MY HUSBAND AND I, they were watchable but still dodgy! I was never a fan of NICHOLAS LYNDHURST, in either THE TWO OF US, or GOODNIGHT SWEETHEART. ELAINE STRITCH and DONALD SINDEN did TWO`S COMPANY, but I preferred the U.S. version THE 2 OF US with PETER COOK. KEEP IT IN THE FAMILY was good (the U.S. version was TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT (not a patch on the original) RUSS ABBOTT did the UK version of MARRIED WITH CHILDREN, called MARRIED FOR LIFE, again absolutely c**p. If anyone remembers BBC`s WILDERNESS ROAD in 86, that was abysmal! Best ITV in the 80s must be SHELLEY with HYWEL BENNETT.

 

Anyone Remember DAVID JASON in A SHARP INTAKE OF BREATH 78 - 81, I think this was his best series(he hates it), but I loved it..it was similar to SOME MOTHERS DO `AVE EM, well nearly! On TERRY AND JUNE it was a good laugh, but I prefer the original HAPPY EVER AFTER 74 - 78. Also I love the last few series of SYKES (without the MR BROWN character), some of these are just brilliant. I was not a big fan of early NEVER THE TWAIN (DONALD SINDEN/WINDSOR DAVIES..the later series were ok, but rehashed scripts from previous Thames shows, like BLESS THIS HOUSE and again LOVE THY NEIGHBOUR. ALL of CENTRALs sitcoms were c**p, much the same could be said of THE SQUIRRELS an ATV series of the 70s, an early version of IS IT LEGAL. I would say of IS IT LEGAL 93 - 95, they could have made more. Not a big fan of JIM DAVISON`s attemps in HOME JAMES/UP THE ELEPHANT AND ROUND THE CASTLE..but never a fan of his first up (bit of an egotist, me thinks)!!

One sitcom that no-one mentioned yet is Chance in a Million with Simon Callow, a pint drinking social inept and his girlfriend played I think by Brenda Blethyn.

One sitcom that no-one mentioned yet is Chance in a Million with Simon Callow, a pint drinking social inept and his girlfriend played I think by Brenda Blethyn.

 

Yep I forgot to mention that one! TOM CHANCE, the man who could drink a pint in 10 seconds. He also, did not puntuate his sentences, like he would say "come for package" or "want bread"...instead of "I have, or I would like"!! I did like that one very much...BRENDA BLETHYN would come out with a squeaky voice saying "oh Tom"..THAMES used to team it up with FRESH FIELDS on a Tuesday evening..FRESH FIELDS was good, but the follow up FRENCH FIELDS was not, because half the characters from the original, were missing

What was Fresh Fields about? I don't remember that one.

What was Fresh Fields about? I don't remember that one.

FRESH FIELDS was ITV`s answer to TERRY AND JUNE...ANTON RODGERS and JULIA MCKENZIE as husband and wife, kids have moved out. Hester (JULIA MCKENZIE) lets her granny flat in the garden to her mother. The mothers ex husband turns up quite a bit (played by BALLARD BERKLEY(the major from FAWLTY TOWERS)..There next door neighbour is always popping round and sayiny "its only Sonia"...some of the storyline was nicked for BBC`s 2P0OINT 4 CHILDREN..because the neighbour and Hester, do a catering thing. There was a Christmas special, that was absolutely hilarious...but so similar to a Christmas edition of TERRY AND JUNE!

ANTON RODGERS and JULIA MCKENZIE as husband and wife, kids have moved out. Hester (JULIA MCKENZIE) lets her granny flat in the garden to her mother. The mothers ex husband turns up quite a bit (played by BALLARD BERKLEY(the major from FAWLTY TOWERS)..

 

After that show they revamped the format to ‘French Fields’ and situated the action in ‘France’, though I cannot remember if they actually filmed in France or if it was like ‘Allo ‘Allo and used just a mock-up.

After that show they revamped the format to ‘French Fields’ and situated the action in ‘France’, though I cannot remember if they actually filmed in France or if it was like ‘Allo ‘Allo and used just a mock-up.

I believe that ANTON RODGERS was actually living in France, in 1989, when this spin off began..thats why it was re-named etc. Thames tv, joined forces, with French tv, to write it. Personally, I think the French show, was dire! Not a patch on Fresh Fields. Mainly, because the main characters of Sonia, Guy, and Hester`s mother were not in it. Really, they made the programme, what it was. Of course FRESH FIELDS was originally taken off, because stupid tv bosses, put it on a Thursday evening, up against Eastenders...what a stupid move!!! So, it lost viewers, from a peak of 10million down to just 1.5million.

 

I suddenly thought of LORRAINE CHASE (Emmerdale, these days). Remember the LWT sit-com, THE OTHER `ARF (1979 - 82), and again 1987? That was pretty lame...then of course she did LAME DUCKS in 1984, on BBC2...a sitcom that involved a group of social outcasts, who all lived in one house! There was a bloke, who was planning to travel around Britain, on this giant ball, and lots of other strange people!

70s british comedies have always been popular here in Australia. We recently had the Benny Hill show and Some mothers do have Em as part of a Saturday night comedy festival.

I recently bought a DVD collection of Dave Allen who was a genius.

 

I really hate modern comedies as they often have canned applause and they seem to laugh at lines that aren't even funny.

The beauty of the old comedies is that they were filmed for real audiences and the audience sound genuinely humoured.

 

Not to mention that the writers of old were just more funny IMO. People are way too serious these days and it shows.

Especially in so called comedy writing.

70s british comedies have always been popular here in Australia. We recently had the Benny Hill show and Some mothers do have Em as part of a Saturday night comedy festival.

I recently bought a DVD collection of Dave Allen who was a genius.

 

I really hate modern comedies as they often have canned applause and they seem to laugh at lines that aren't even funny.

The beauty of the old comedies is that they were filmed for real audiences and the audience sound genuinely humoured.

 

Not to mention that the writers of old were just more funny IMO. People are way too serious these days and it shows.

Especially in so called comedy writing.

I agree with everything you say, Naomi. I think writers/tv bosses, are too way scared, incase (the non-existent pc brigade) complain. Its nice too know, they are still laughing down under. UK comedies, certainly did well in Australia, Many versions, of uk comedies...were remade there such as, DOCTOR DOWN UNDER, FATHER DEAR FATHER, LOVE THY NEIGHBOUR in the late 70s, even THE TWO RONNIES, DAVE ALLEN, PETER COOK and DUDLEY MOORE, BENNY HILL did their own new series there, when dumped by BBC/ITV. I believe JOHN INMAN did a different series based around ARE YOU BEING SERVED (the story being he transferred to an Aussie store)...and scripts for BLESS THIS HOUSE, were reworked for HOME SWEET HOME. Long live the greats!

 

Did you get ITV shows like KEEP IT IN THE FAMILY and FULL HOUSE over there? Both were JOHNNIE MORTIMER/BRIAN COOKE comedies 1980 - 84.