Comedy Premiere (lost ATV comedy series; 1975)
Surviving photo of For Richer For Poorer.
Status: Lost
Comedy Premiere is a British comedy series broadcast throughout 1975. Produced by ATV, it consisted of five comedy pilots, as well as a one-off episode of The Kids from 47A titled "Home Sweet Home".
Background
Comedy Premiere helped to showcase the potential of five new comedy shows.[1] These included What A Turn Up, For Richer For Poorer, Honey, The Truth About Verity, and Milk-O.[2][1] Ultimately, none of these shows' pilots were deemed successful enough to warrant full series, but surviving documents detail each's premise.[2][1]
The Episodes
What A Turn Up's pilot was broadcast on 7th August 1975.[3][2] It starred Bernard Lee, perhaps being best known for playing M in the James Bond series,[4] as Wally Warner, a Grandad who recently returned from Australia back to England.[3][2] Written by Brian Clemens and Dennis Spooner, who would later both work on The New Avengers, the pilot featured Warner making an unexpected appearance just as his granddaughter is due to be married.[3][2] This causes great turbulence among the Warner family, with some also questioning whether Wally became rich Down Under.[3][2]
For Richer For Poorer was broadcast a week later on 14th August.[5][6][2] It starred George Layton and Susan Dury as Richard and Fiona Bunting, and Ian Olgilvy and Jane How as Nigel and Penelope Benson, two middle-class couples struggling to not only pay their mortgage, but also maintain status among their peers.[6][5][2] To achieve this, and overcome a sudden cash shortage in the pilot, the Bunting couple invent new means of accumulating money.[5][6][2] Honey's pilot aired on 21st August.[7][2] It starred Sandra Dickinson, an actress perhaps known for playing a variety of stereotypically "dumb blonde" characters.[8][2][7] Honey followed a similar premise, with Dickinson playing Honey Jones, who takes an insincere invitation to stay from a family seriously, much to their displeasure.[7][2]
The Truth About Verity was televised on 28th August, starring Sylvia Syms as Verity Martin.[9][2] Described as a "female Jekyll and Hyde", the pilot supposedly involved Martin providing bad advice, while the other characters determine who the real personality of Martin is.[2][9] The next episode deviated somewhat from Comedy Premiere's original premise, as it featured the last episode of The Kids from 47A, a children's show running for three series from 1973 to 1974 that featured four children coping on their own following the loss of their parents.[10][2] The episode, called "Home Sweet Home", saw a relative become a home guest, only for them to quickly outstay their welcome.[2][10] George, played by Russell Lewis, executes several ideas to get them to leave, only for said plans to also affect the other household members.[2][10] The episode was broadcast on 31st August under the billing of Children's Comedy Premiere.[2][10]
Finally, Milk-O (also known as Milko) was originally set to be broadcast on 14th August.[11] It was then pushed back to 6th September, and delayed again in favour of repeated episodes of Man About the House.[12][2] The pilot was instead broadcast on 26th November, and was written by Anthony Marriott and Bob Grant.[2][12] The show starred Grant and Anna Karen, who are best known for playing Jack Harper and Olive Rudge in the comedy show On the Buses.[13][12] For Grant, Milk-O may have presented an opportunity to gain steady employment following the end of On the Buses.[13][11] He starred as the milkman Jim Wilkins, with Karen being his wife Rita.[12][2][13] In the pilot, Jim oversleeps on the day of the Empty Milk Bottle Competition, an it is up to him to make a comeback in the competition so he can win the £10 prize.[12][2] Ultimately, the show was not picked up for a full series, with the pilot marking Grant's final acting role on television.[14][13]
Availability
Ultimately, none of the six episodes of Comedy Premiere survive within any known archives, most likely having been wiped.[15] A few surviving photos of What A Turn Up, For Richer For Poorer, and Honey exist, but nothing from The Truth about Verity, Home Sweet Home and Milk-O has resurfaced.[3][5][7][9][10][12] The On the Buses Fan Club in particular have sought and requested for new information and photos surrounding Milk-O, but seemingly little else has been uncovered.[14][12]
Gallery
Images
Surviving photo of What A Turn Up.
Surviving photo of Honey.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 British Comedy Guide summarising Comedy Premiere's premise. Retrieved 22nd Aug '22
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 2.18 2.19 2.20 2.21 The British Television Pilot Episodes Research Guide 1936-2015 summarising all six episodes. Retrieved 22nd Aug '22
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 British Comedy Guide summarising What A Turn Up. Retrieved 22nd Aug '22
- ↑ BFI Screenonline page for Bernard Lee. Retrieved 22nd Aug '22
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 British Comedy Guide summarising For Richer For Poorer. Retrieved 22nd Aug '22
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Memorable TV's summary of For Richer For Poorer. Retrieved 22nd Aug '22
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 British Comedy Guide summarising Honey. Retrieved 22nd Aug '22
- ↑ London Theatre 1 interview with Sandra Dickinson. Retrieved 22nd Aug '22
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 British Comedy Guide summarising The Truth About Verity. Retrieved 22nd Aug '22
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 British Comedy Guide summarising The Kids from 47A and the episode "Home Sweet Home. Retrieved 22nd Aug '22
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Issue 638 of The Sunday Mirror reporting on Milk-O (listed as Milko) and its original broadcast date. Retrieved 22nd Aug '22
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 12.6 British Comedy Guide summarising Milk-O. Retrieved 22nd Aug '22
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 On the Buses: The Complete Story summarising Milk-O. Retrieved 22nd Aug '22
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 On the Buses Fan Club noting Milk-O was not picked up for a full series and requesting images of the pilot. Retrieved 22nd Aug '22
- ↑ Kaleidoscope noting all six episodes are missing. Retrieved 22nd Aug '22