UKRIDGE
Stanley Featherstonehaugh Ukridge is a fictional character from the short stories and novels of P. G. Wodehouse. And while Ukbridge (pronounced Ewkridge) never enjoyed the same popularity as Bertie Wooster and Jeeves here was another of the author's amiable eccentric characters from the 1920s bought to life in exemplary style by the BBC. Ukridge is a bounder, a schemer and an outrageous conman who will do anything for financial gain - as long as it doesn't involve working. He is an opportunist who never passes up a chance to exploit any kindness shown to him. And yet, as with so many other television rogues down the years, the viewing public took him straight to their collective heart, due in no small part to the amiable performance of Anton Rodgers in the lead role, suitably accompanied by Julian Holloway as his chum, Corky, and Marian Spencer as Aunt Julia. Richard Waring adapted Wodehouse's scripts for television. Wodehouse must have retained a certain fondness for him; his last appearance in a Wodehouse story being was as late as 1966.
7 episodes of 30 minute duration. BBC TV. 1968.
UP POMPEII
The bawdy tales of ancient Rome as told by Lurcio (Frankie Howerd), slave to the womanising senator Ludicrus Sextus (Max Adrian, and later Wallas Eaton). The show was loosely based on the Burt Shevelove, Larry Gelbhart and Stephen Sondheim musical 'A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum', in which Howerd had starred on the London stage. Written by Carry On stalwart Talbot Rothwell, the series featured lots of women showing lots of cleavage, awful puns and smutty asides crudely but brilliantly delivered by Howerd, who 'oohed' and 'aahed' through every episode in the camp comic style that made him a cult figure in his later years. Howerd was a past master at the double entendre and in this series he had the chance to relish in it. Each show started with 'The Prologue', where Howerd participated with his audience and let them in to his confidence whilst bringing them up to date with the comings and goings in Ancient Rome, until he was interrupted by Senna, The Soothsayer (Jeanne Mockford), who would reveal that weeks plot in the form of a prediction. From that moment on Howerd would have to contend with his master, his master's wife (Elizabeth Larner) and their offspring (Kerry Gardner and Georgina Moon), as poor Lurcio became the innocent pawn in their lusty machinations.
Popular enough on television to generate a 1975 feature film and a 45 minute Easter special ('Further Up Pompeii') in the same year. LWT made a one-off special in 1991 ('Up Pompeii's Missus'), a revival that failed to recapture the feel of the 'titter ye not' original. A sequel, 'Whoops Baghdad', followed Pompeii in 1973.
14 shows of 30 to 35 minutes duration. 1970.
VAN DER VALK
British made detective series starring Barry Foster in the title role as Dutch detective Commissaris Piet Van der Valk. The series was based on the novels of Nicolas Freeling (the first of which was published in 1962) but this was not the detective's first screen outing, having first appeared in a 1968 British made b-movie entitled 'Amsterdam Affair' featuring German actor Wolfgang Kieling in the main role. Following the TV series debut in 1972 a Dutch language version was made by Filmking in 1973, 'Because of the Cats' was a Dutch/Belgian co-production starring British actor Bryan Marshall and there was also a Franco-German series of made-for-TV movies starring Frank Finlay: 'Van der Valk und das Mädchen' (1972), 'Van der Valk und die Reichen' (1973), and 'Pas de frontičres pour l'inspecteur: Le bouc émissaire' (1975). But it is Barry Foster's portrayal which is best remembered as the moody blond, curly haired detective who works for the local CID. Also memorable was the beautifully filmed extensive Amsterdam location shots which acted as a backdrop for the investigation of such gritty cases of drugs, prostitution and murder. After an initial two-year run (6 episodes in 1972 and 7 episodes in 1973) the series disappeared from our screen for four years returning in 1977 in a longer, twelve-episode, third series made by Thames Television's subsidary, Euston Films. The format was revived once again towards the end of Thames' life as a part of the ITV network, with four two-hour episodes of the fourth series in January and February 1991, and the fifth series three two-hour episodes in February 1992 in a longer two-hour format. The series signature tune, Eye Level played by the Simon Park Orchestra, reached number one in the UK singles charts in 1973.
25 episodes of 60 minute duration and 4 of 120 minutes. Thames Television. 1972-73. 1977. 1991-92.
VENDETTA
Underworld investigations series based on an idea and format by writers Brian Degas (co-creator of 'Colditz') and Tudor Gates and starring Italian actor Stelio Candelli as ex-Mafia man turned investigator, Danny Scipio. The series, produced by the BBC, ran for two seasons (between 1966 and 1968) and was filmed mainly on location in Malta, which doubled (trebled or even quadrupled for that matter) for any of the foreign locations where the particular episode was meant to be set. Scipio was aided by fellow crime-busting partner Angelo James (Neil McCallum), and the series featured a number of British actors in supporting roles. (Kenneth Cope is featured in the above photograph with Candelli and McCallum from left to right). Kieron Moore took over as Mike Hammond, a District Attorney, half-way through the last series when Neil McCallum's character Angelo James was badly wounded in an ambush. All 36 episodes were produced by William Slater whose other TV credits include 'Maigret,' 'Drama Playhouse' and 'The Onedin Line.'
36 shows of 50 minute duration. 1966-1968.
THE VIRGINIAN
Based on a 1901 Owen Wister novel of the same name, 'The Virginian' was TV's first feature length Western series, running at 90 minutes per episode and previously told thrice on the big screen, the most notable being a 1929 production that kick-started the career of Gary Cooper. Set on the Shiloh Ranch in Medicine Bow, Wyoming, the stories centred around the ranch foreman known only as 'The Virginian' (James Drury) and his impulsive young friend Trampas (Doug McClure), one of a supporting cast of ranch hands. Originally Judge Henry Garth owned the ranch, (Hollywood screen star Lee J. Cobb) before passing into the hands of brothers John and Clay Grainger (Charles Bickford and John McIntire, respectively). With the arrival of the next owner (Colonel Alan McKenzie -another big Hollywood name -Stewart Grainger), the series setting was moved on to the 1890's and the show was re-titled The Men From Shiloh. Many other top stars of the day passed through and these included George C Scott, Robert Redford, Bette Davis, Charles Bronson, Telly Savalas, Lee Marvin and Ryan O'Neal. Even the production and writing teams were littered with famous names such as Sam Fuller, Ida Lupino and Glen A Larson.
*Owen Wister's book was the first Western novel to be published, spurring a revolution in publishing that has not stopped to this day. The Western novel business has turned out more pages and earned more revenue than any other genre!
*"The Virginian" hotel in Medicine Bow, Wyoming, literally filled with antiques, was named after the novel in honour of Owen Wister. (additional information Scott deBeaubien of Denver, Colorado).
208 shows of 90 minute duration. 1962-1970.
THE WALRUS AND THE CARPENTER
Developed from a single 'Comedy Playhouse' presentation, 'The Walrus and the Carpenter' starred veteran actors Felix Aylmer and Hugh Griffith as a mismatched pair of septuagenarians who discover they have one common aim; to live their remaining years to the fullest by quite literally 'living it up.' Aylmer played the wonderfully named Gascoigne Quilt, a highly literate retired schoolteacher, whilst Griffith played Luther Flannery, a womanising alcoholic who is completely illiterate. What draws them together at first is the fact that each possesses qualities the other wants, and while Flannery can improve his social standing by getting an education from his new schoolteacher friend, Griffith is equally keen to be educated by his Irish pal in the lessons of life. And so the pair set off on a number of adventures, normally embarked upon on the spur of the moment. The pilot, (originally to have been titled 'You're Only Old Once') as well as the series was written by Marty Feldman and Barry Took but due to contractual obligations Took's name did not appear on the credits for the pilot. A number of guest actors (they had not become stars yet) appeared throughout the 6-episode run, including Warren Mitchell and Ronnie Barker. Years later the same theme was revisited even more successfully by Roy Clarke in 'Last of the Summer Wine.'
6 episodes of 25 minute duration 1965. Pilot 35 minutes duration 1963.
WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE
The series that set Steve McQueen off on the road to super-stardom drew on the real life exploits of the bounty hunters of the late 19th century, a small band of indepentent men who earned their living from the rewards offered for the capture of wanted criminals, whether they be dead or alive. These men were virtually a law unto themselves and few of them felt any emotion when tracking and capturing those with a price on their head. Josh Randall was no exception to this rule, and his portrayal as the mean-and-moody man-of-little-words was almost a blueprint for the future screen persona of McQueen. Randall wasn't equipped with the usual type of gun and instead armed himself with a wicked sawn-off carbine referred to as a "Mare's Leg" -a cross between a handgun and a rifle that handled like a pistol but had an explosive impact when it found its target. Randall acquired a sidekick in the form of Jason Nichols (Wright King) for a brief period of time before going it alone for the final season. The series was developed from an episode of another Western series, 'Trackdown' (starring Robert Culp of 'I Spy' fame), which ran from 1957-59. 'Trackdown' was taken from the records of the Texas Rangers thereby winning it the official approval of the state of Texas (the only show ever to have this distinction) and the episode in which Randall first appeared was entitled 'Bounty'. 'Wanted: Dead or Alive' was computer-colourized in the 1980's for US syndication and although 94 episodes were made between 1958 and 1961, it didn't debut in Britain until 1985!
94 episodes of 30 minute duration. Black and White. 1958-1961.
WHACK-O!
50's comedy series from the pens of Denis Norden and Frank Muir and starring Jimmy Edwards who had been awarded the DFC during the war when he fought with the RAF. Edwards, whose trademark was a magnificent handle-bar moustache, had been a radio star since the 1940's as Pa Glum, but it was for his role as Professor Jimmy Edwards, the corrupt, crafty and cane swishing headmaster of Chiselbury School for which he will always be most famously remembered. His bullying tactics were not confined simply to his students, and members of his staff were given a particularly rough ride, especially his weedy right-hand man, Mr. Pettigrew (played by Arthur Howard, brother of movie star Leslie). During it's initial four-year run Kenneth Cope (Marty Randall in 'Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)'), and Peter Glaze of 'Crackerjack' fame appeared regularly. A cinema version 'Bottoms Up' was released in 1960. and the series itself was revived in 1971.
55 episodes of 30 minute duration. B&W and Colour. BBC TV 1956-60 and 1971-72.
THE WHITE HORSES
Enchanting children's series originally made in 1965 as a collaboration between RTS (Radio Television Serbia) of Belgrade and BR-TV of Munich. 'The White Horses' followed the adventures of Julia, a fifteen-year old girl, played by Helga Anders, who leaves Belgrade to spend a holiday with her uncle Dimitri (Helmuth Schnider), on his stud farm where, with the help of head groom Hugo (Franz Muxeneder), he trains valuable white Lappizaners. In the opening story, Boris, one of the horses is stolen by gypsies who dye his white coat brown so that no one will recognise him. Julia and Hugo set off to find Boris and upon his recovery an affinity is formed between girl and horse thus setting the scene for the 12 hour-long adventures that followed. The series was originally shown in Germany as 'Ferien in Lipizza' and in Slovenian it is known as 'Počitnice v Lipici'. It didn't reach the UK until 1968 when the BBC began broadcasting a dubbed English language version at 5.20pm on Monday afternoons. Although the series still exists on film (in Germany) it is thought that the English soundtrack has long since been lost. Most people remember the evocative theme song, 'White Horses,' sung by Jacky, which reached number 10 in the pop charts in April 1968 and was recently used on a TV commercial prompting a new generation of fans to scan the internet trying to find a copy to download. What many may not know is that under the name Jacky Lee the same singer had another TV theme song hit with in 1971 with 'Rupert.'
13 episodes of 60 minute duration. Black and White. 1965 (Not until 1968 in UK)
WHO PAYS THE FERRYMAN?
'Who Pays The Ferryman?' was the second major drama series from the pen of Michael J. Bird. Rooted in the tensions between old Cretan values and modern Greece, it tells how British ex-serviceman Alan Haldane's return to Crete after 30 years becomes the catalyst for a frightening chain of events. Haldane discovers that while he was on the island he fathered a child, who is now a young woman with a family of her own. Unable to tell them the truth he decides to settle on the island to be near his new family, unaware that there are others who are secretly plotting against him.
The theme of undisclosed parentage was one to which Bird would return more than once in future writings, and the central story of an old-woman's "vendetta" is in every sense a Greek tragedy. Although not strictly a sequel to Bird's earlier series, 'The Lotus Eaters,' there were many similarities. Set in the same part of Crete it features one recurring character in the form of the police chief played by Stefan Gryff. Also very much in the style of 'Lotus Eaters' Bird offered diversions along the way in a couple of episodes unconnected to the main storyline. The soundtrack for the series, by Greek composer Yannis Markopoulos, became a phenomenon in its own right. It made the UK top ten twice and the soundtrack LP still comes up regularly for sale on E-bay. It was reissued on CD in 2000 by EMI Greece. 'Ferryman' ran for eight episodes beginning on 7 November 1977 and ending on Boxing Day. (Review: Dave Rice, 2004)
8 episodes of 60 minute duration. BBC Television 1977.
WINNING WIDOWS
Created by ATV as a starring vehicle for Peggy Mount, who had recently finished (or so it seemed) with her Ada Larkins character in the hugely popular sitcom 'The Larkins.' 'Winning Widows' was scripted by Sid Green and Dick Hills and produced by former "Larkins" producer Alan Tarrant. Peggy Mount starred as Martha, a thrice-married widower who, for reasons of economy, is forced to share a semi-detached property with her mild-mannered sister, Mildred, played by Avice Landon (later to star as Roy Dotrice's wife in the BBC comedy 'Misleading Cases'). Mount's persona was very much in the same mould as her "Larkins" character, being something of a fearsome battleaxe who ran her household with an iron will, and Avice was really a substitute for Alf Larkins in this sitcom. (The same relationship was recreated in Mount's final sitcom, 'You're Only Young Twice', with Pat Coombs in the subservient role). The series was popular enough to run a second season and benefited from male guest stars Pete Murray, Hugh Paddick, Davy Kaye and Bernard Cribbins, all of whom tried to prove themselves as eligible bachelors for Mildred, before coming up against, and turning tail from her fearsome sister. Pop Singer Craig Douglas also made an appearance. Season two finished in November 1962 and the following year 'The Larkins' returned to British TV screens for a further two-year run.
13 episodes of 30 minute duration. ATV 1961 - 62.
WORZEL GUMMIDGE
The series, scripted by Keith Waterhouse and Willis Hall that brought back Barbara Euphan Todd's popular talking scarecrow after a TV absence of 26 years. Starring former 'Doctor Who', Jon Pertwee (who suggested the project in the first place), as the turnip headed inhabitant of Scatterbrook Farm in Ten Acre Field, and Una Stubbs as his reluctant girlfriend Aunt Sally. The part gave Pertwee a chance to show off his comedy skills and funny voices that he had used on so many BBC radio shows including 'The Navy Lark', and was a huge hit, boosting sales of the original books and spawning a number of merchandise items, including a single by Pertwee called 'Worzel's Song'. The Crowman, Worzel's creator was played by former 'Catweazle' star Geoffrey Bayldon. When programme makers Southern Television lost it's franchise production was halted until a New Zealand company purchased the rights to make Worzel Gummidge Down Under in 1987.
Forty twelve episodes of 30 minute duration and one of 60 minutes. Southern TV 1979-81.
