49-413: Please Sir! is a British television sitcom created by John Esmonde and Bob Larbey and featuring actors John Alderton , Deryck Guyler , Penny Spencer , Joan Sanderson , Noel Howlett , Erik Chitty and Richard Davies . Produced by London Weekend Television for ITV , the series ran for 55 episodes between 1968 and 1972. The theme tune "School's Out" was by Sam Fonteyn . The title derives from
98-427: A 'few white lies' made by a pupil accidentally left behind, Penny began to take shine to Bernard. After a period of dating, Bernard attempted to propose to Penny but she already said yes before he could complete his sentence and they got engaged and later married. Shortly after Bernard got married, a new term started and he was allocated Class 4C. However, it was not quite the same as 5C. He later resigned and left at
147-460: A 45-minute slot). Repeats of some first series episodes were later edited down into the standard 25-minute (half hour) runtime, losing a considerable amount of footage (and on occasion, plot detail) as a result. The remaining episodes were in the traditional 25-minute format (to fit in a 30-minute slot) The transmission dates and times reflect the listings for the London ITV region. Listings for
196-629: A BBC joint fee of two guineas for the pair in 1965, as they began to have sketches accepted on shows such as I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again and The Dick Emery Show . Born in Battersea , South West London , Esmonde was married to Georgina Barton from 1960 until his death in Spain in August 2008, aged 71. Esmonde and Larbey's first sitcom as a writing team came in 1966 with Room at the Bottom for
245-501: A child] I had an inherent (albeit incredibly condescending) sense that I liked black people, and wanted them to like me. And I genuinely believe a lot of that was thanks to Derek Griffiths. Griffiths was the first black person I can remember encountering anywhere in my life, and he existed only on my television. He presented Play School , appeared in Play Away , and created the music for Bod . And as far as I'm concerned he's one of
294-546: A connection with the similarly-unconfident Miss Petting. Esmonde and Larbey Esmonde and Larbey were a British television screenwriting duo, consisting of John Gilbert Esmonde (21 March 1937 – 10 August 2008) and Robert Edward Larbey (24 June 1934 – 31 March 2014), who created popular sitcoms starting from the mid-1960s until the mid-1990s such as Please Sir! , The Good Life , Get Some In! , Ever Decreasing Circles , and Brush Strokes . Bob Larbey made his writing debut for BBC radio, before contributing
343-757: A film adaptation, Mrs Silly , starring Maggie Smith . Larbey met his future writing partner when they were pupils at Henry Thornton School, South Side, Clapham Common. He was born in Clapham , South London and died in London aged 79 in March 2014. John Esmonde served a couple of years in the Royal Air Force in Air Ambulance before realising that his budding writing partnership with Larbey might prove more fruitful. Three years of after-hours writing yielded
392-442: A flirtatious manner, often to the embarrassment of her teacher Mr Hedges but to the approval of the boys. She is well-versed in relationships, including with Duffy and Craven as well as the unseen "Vic". Maureen Bullock (Portrayed by Liz Gebhardt ) Maureen has two passions in life - her Catholic faith and her very public crush on Mr Hedges, which he does his best not to indulge but is never successful in deflecting her interest. She
441-414: A good sense of humour and a mild cynicism but without the more noted eccentricities of other staff. Miss Gloria Petting (Portrayed by Vivienne Martin). Miss Petting arrives at the same time as Mr Hurst but unlike him she has no experience of teaching secondary school pupils - indeed her only experience has been teaching at nursery school and she tries to use the same techniques at Fenn Street. Although she
490-411: A new teacher and pupils for the final series in 1971–72, while the original pupils continued in a spin-off series, The Fenn Street Gang , which ran for 47 episodes between 1971 and 1973. This was followed by Bowler (1973), following crime boss Stanley Bowler, played by George Baker for 13 episodes. As with many situation comedies of this era, a film version was developed, released in 1971. This
539-535: A poetic turn of phrase) to fury, particularly when antagonised by pupils. The only things that seem to enthuse Mr Price are alcohol, women (unrequited) and pride in his Welsh identity. Mr Gregory Dix (Portrayed by Glynn Edwards ). He appears for two episodes in Series 4. A former army physical training instructor he is aggressive and bullying in his manner, showing contempt towards pupils and other staff - especially Potter. He unites pupils and staff against him although
SECTION 10
#1732798655103588-445: A protest or blues style) but his attempts at music-making are tuneless, raucous and abysmal. He does seem to have rather more of a talent at football but even then his defiant nature brings him into difficulties. Celia (Portrayed by Drina Pavlovic) and Daisy (portrayed by Rosemary Faith) are two friends but it is a rather one-sided friendship with Daisy doting on Celia. Daisy lacks confidence, particularly in her appearance, and makes
637-492: A repeat run, seen in some ITV regions in early 1970. The final three episodes of this series were affected by the ITV Colour Strike , which affected all ITV programmes recorded between November 1970 and March 1971. As a result of this industrial action, these affected episodes were recorded and transmitted in black and white. Unlike the previous series, episodes were initially broadcast on a Saturday. However, there
686-441: A sequel – The Fenn Street Gang – which followed the former school pupils as they tried to make their way in the harsh world outside. This starred David Barry , Peter Cleall and Carol Hawkins . Making his debut in series 1, George Baker made such an impression as a wide-boy villain that the prequel Bowler was launched in 1973. This lasted for one series and co-starred Fred Beauman, Renny Lister and Gretchen Franklin . In
735-651: A series of short animal films for children produced by BBC Television , and also sang and played the theme tune to the cartoon Bod . Another children's TV role was in Granada Television 's early 1980s series Film Fun , in which he played the entire staff of a cinema (the manager, the commissionaire (with the catchphrase "Get on with it!"), the projectionist, the usherette and also himself) while also showing cartoons such as Bugs Bunny , Daffy Duck and Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner . He appeared on Crown Court (1973) as an accused fraudster Raoul Lapointe, from
784-422: A sitcom about a man who is a liar who attempts to hide his insecurities through charade; it was successful enough for a second series to be broadcast. They returned to football with ITV's Feet First (1979) starring Jonathan Barlow as Terry Prince, a local footballer given the chance to hit the big time. Also less successful than The Good Life was their sitcom for ITV Just Liz (1980) starring Sandra Payne . This
833-458: A team was Mulberry (1992–93), again starring Karl Howman , here as an apprentice Grim Reaper who has to guide an elderly spinster ( Geraldine McEwan ) to the next world as easily as possible. By this time Larbey was also solo-writing the long-running BBC series As Time Goes By (1992–2005), starring Judi Dench and Geoffrey Palmer . While continuing his partnership with Esmonde, Larbey had been writing several sitcoms on his own throughout
882-503: A thorn in the side of the rest of the staff. His various comeuppances provide much of the ongoing humour of the sitcom. He often talks of his wife Ruby but she is never seen on-screen. Mr Maurice Cromwell (Portrayed by Noel Howlett ). The Headteacher - nicknamed "Oliver" - is a well-meaning, idealistic and liberal figure. He is also utterly ineffectual. He is admired and consistently flattered by his deputy Miss Ewell and caretaker Potter but regarded more ambivalently by Hedges and Price. He
931-513: Is Mr Cromwell's deputy and is rigorously strict and humourless, not just with the pupils but also the staff and as a result she is an unpopular - but feared - figure. Her icy demeanour initially only breaks when she is with the headteacher to whom she is devoted but later on she strikes up a romantic relationship with careers teacher Mr Sibley who is capable of getting her to relax her strict standards. In Series 4 in particular - possibly linked to her new relationship - Miss Ewell becomes more critical of
980-432: Is a British actor, singer and voice artist who appeared in numerous British children's television series in the 1970s to present and has more recently played parts in television drama. Griffiths was known in his early years for his Play School appearances alongside the likes of Chloe Ashcroft , Johnny Ball and Brian Cant . A talented multi-instrumentalist, he voiced over and sang the theme tune to Heads and Tails ,
1029-528: Is a trouble-maker and fantasist who often tries to portray himself as tough and talented (e.g. that he is a private eye called "Hank Abbott") but is always exposed as inept and immature. He is regarded with derision by staff and his fellow pupils. He is embarrassed by his mother (played by Barbara Mitchell ) who calls him "my little soldier" and makes all-too clear that he has a lot of growing-up to do. Sharon Eversleigh (Portrayed by Penny Spencer , and later portrayed by Carol Hawkins ) Sharon dresses and acts in
SECTION 20
#17327986551031078-449: Is generally one of the more dedicated pupils and often talks of her religious leader Monsignor Sopwith - another of the rarely seen (only one episode), much-discussed characters in the show. She is, though, capable of occasional protests and rebellious behaviour, often when she feels overlooked by Mr Hedges. She generally gets on well with Sharon but the two occasionally have their differences with Maureen regarding Sharon as sometimes crossing
1127-445: Is good-natured and dedicated she is completely out of her depth and is often left upset by 5C. Her rather innocent nature does though help her make a connection with the similarly naive Mr Cromwell who also likes her desire to please after Miss Ewell drifts away from him. Pupils Eric Duffy (Portrayed by Peter Cleall ). Eric is the undisputed leader of the pupils. He has a tough demeanour and although - in common with almost all
1176-649: Is occasionally drawn into childish spats with the Headteacher. He is utterly devoted to his wife Madge & often talks about her, even bringing her picture to school which he brings out when he has the lunch she has prepared. Similar to Potter's wife Ruby she is a character much discussed but very rarely seen on screen. Mr Vaughan Price (Portrayed by Richard Davies ). A science and maths teacher nicknamed "Pricey" by staff and pupils, any enthusiasm for teaching he once had had long since disappeared. His personality swings between sarcastic and subversive humour (often with
1225-431: Is the only person in the school who is unable to see through Potter's trouble-making and incompetence and sometimes ends up in childish arguments with the otherwise mild-mannered Mr Smith. Later in the Series his relationship with Miss Ewell becomes more strained but he does make a bond with new teacher Miss Petting. Miss Doris Ewell (Portrayed by Joan Sanderson ). Nicknamed Doris "Rotten" Ewell or "Old Mother Ewell", she
1274-515: The BBC . This followed the exploits of a group of maintenance men working for Saracens Manufacturing Company. Starting out as a pilot in the BBC's Comedy Playhouse programme, it lasted for one series the next year, starring Kenneth Connor , Deryck Guyler and Francis Matthews . The BBC radio comedy You're Only Old Once , also starring Deryck Guyler who appeared alongside Clive Dunn and Joan Sanderson ,
1323-818: The Belgian Congo . In 1975, Griffiths played Ko-Ko in The Black Mikado at London's Cambridge Theatre . He also provided the English voice of SuperTed (the series SuperTed was originally made in Welsh ). In 1997, Griffiths originated the role of Lumière in the original West End production of Beauty and the Beast at the Dominion Theatre and played the role of the Child Catcher in
1372-465: The 1980s and 1990s, most notably A Fine Romance starring Dench and her husband Michael Williams , which ran from 1981 to 1984. Along with the later As Time Goes By , these two series were credited with "catapulting Dench into the nation's affections" as they gave prime-time recognition to an actress who, until then, had largely confined herself to stage work and one-off TV dramas. Derek Griffiths Derek Griffiths MBE (born 15 July 1946)
1421-532: The Head, becoming increasingly frustrated with his incompetence, limited work ethic and immature behaviour. Just before the final episode she marries Mr Sibley off-screen. Mr Smith (Portrayed by Erik Chitty ). Mr Smith's unusual first name of "Osborne" reflects his rather quaint and old-fashioned personality although he is more commonly called "Smithy" by staff and pupils. He teaches Geography and - rather incongruously given his advancing years - P.E.. An affable man he
1470-719: The West End run of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the London Palladium . In 2014, Griffiths was presented with a BASCA Gold Badge of Merit award. This was in acknowledgement of his unique contribution to music. From 2016, he played Freddie Smith in Coronation Street : he left the role in March 2017 to star in a stage production of Driving Miss Daisy . In 2021, he joined the London cast of The Mousetrap . In 2011, English writer, television presenter, producer and satirist Charlie Brooker wrote, [As
1519-548: The alternative ITV regions are not indicated. This series was recorded and transmitted in black and white on the VHF 405-line TV system. This episode was shown later than usual as it contains swearing. This episode was shown later than usual as it contains swearing. All of these episodes were made in colour, although all the episodes up to The Generation Gap were transmitted in monochrome , as ITV began colour transmission on Saturday 15 November 1969. All were shown in colour in
Please Sir! - Misplaced Pages Continue
1568-517: The attempts of Tom and Barbara Good (Briers and Kendal) to be self-sufficient after they decide to leave the rat race . It ran on the BBC until 1978, although it is still regularly repeated. At its peak, the show was attracting some 15 million viewers per week – nearly a quarter of the population at the time. The writers had "just picked it [Surbiton] at random", Larbey once admitted. "To be honest, we were just looking for something that sounded like suburbia in big capital letters." The show poked fun at
1617-705: The early to mid-1970s, Esmonde and Larbey produced several lesser-known comedies, sometimes lasting no longer than a pilot. These include ITV's Cosmo And Thingy , set in prehistoric times featuring a cast of cavemen and cavewomen (based on a series of sketches they wrote for I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again ), and Football Crazy (also for ITV) which was a children's sitcom about the football team Wormwood Rovers. In 1975, Esmonde and Larbey created their best-known situation comedy: The Good Life , starring Richard Briers , Felicity Kendal , Paul Eddington and Penelope Keith . Set in Surbiton , London , it concerns itself with
1666-527: The end of Series 4 episode 2 to take a course in Sociology at the University of London.. Mr Norman Potter (Portrayed by Deryck Guyler ). The pedantic and officious school caretaker. His speech is peppered with malapropisms. He claimed to have been a Desert Rat and constantly complains about the unruly behaviour of Hedges' class 5C. He is fiercely loyal (to the point of sycophancy) to the headmaster but
1715-429: The guest cast, including Mollie Sugden as a parent of one of the pupils, Barbara Mitchell as Frankie Abbott's mother, and Ann Lancaster as Mrs Pearce in a pair of 1968 episodes. There were three basic locations for the scenarios: Hedges' classroom, the staffroom and the playground/outer area. The class nickname for Hedges is "Privet" deriving from privet hedges . Bernard Hedges and the 5C pupils were replaced by
1764-566: The ideologies of both lead couples – the aggressively socially climbing Leadbetters and the self-sufficient (and self-satisfied) Goods. Larbey later said that while he was too impractical to embrace self-sufficiency, its general philosophy appealed to him. Also beginning in 1975 was Get Some In! for ITV, a national service comedy set in 1955. It starred Tony Selby , Robert Lindsay , David Janson and Gerard Ryder. Esmonde and Larbey teamed up with Michael Gambon and Briers again for another BBC Comedy Series called The Other One (1977–79),
1813-444: The line in her appearance and provocative demeanour. Former Weaver Street pupils (Series 4 only) Terry Stringer (Portrayed by Barry McCarthy) Stringer is the leader of the former Weaver Street pupils who arrive almost half-way through Series 4. He therefore has some similarities with Eric Duffy but without the latter's good-humour, wit and essential good-naturedness. Also unlike Eric he relies on another pupil (Gobber) to make sure
1862-423: The most brilliant TV presenters this country has ever produced: instantly warm and likeable, clearly very talented, and possessing the rare knack of appearing to speak directly to young viewers without patronising them. His colour absolutely didn't matter, yet at the same time it did – precisely because it didn't matter. Even this four year old could see that. Griffiths has also frequently appeared in advertising. In
1911-514: The others follow his lead. Gobber (Portrayed by Charles Bolton). His actual name is Robin Gibbon but he is almost always referred to as "Gobber". Like Dennis in the first three series Gobber has learning difficulties but unlike Dennis he is aggressive and intimidating, used by Terry Stringer as his "enforcer". Des (Portrayed by Billy Hamon) Des is almost always seen with his guitar and often interrupts lessons by trying to break into song (often of
1960-423: The pupils - he displays little enthusiasm for school he generally does the right thing and is always fair-minded. Peter Craven (Portrayed by Malcolm McFee ) Nicknamed "Cottage", Craven is known for his sharp dress-sense and wise-cracking and after Duffy he is the most influential of the boys. Dennis Dunstable (Portrayed by Peter Denyer ) Dennis has learning difficulties and his misunderstandings are sometimes
2009-464: The source of humour but he always impresses with his good intentions and positivity and therefore is popular with just about everyone in the school (Potter being an occasional exception). In one of the ways in which the show occasionally touched on more serious themes Dennis often talks about the cruelty of his father towards him and his mother and staff and pupils are united in their solidarity with him. Frankie Abbott (Portrayed by David Barry ) Abbott
Please Sir! - Misplaced Pages Continue
2058-573: The then-standard request phrase used in Britain when they wish to interrupt the teacher with a question. Although the series is based around a class of 16-year-old pupils, most of the actors in these roles were in their twenties. The programme was set in the fictional Fenn Street Secondary Modern School and starred John Alderton as Bernard Hedges, a young teacher fresh out of training college. The supporting cast included Deryck Guyler, Joan Sanderson and Richard Davies. Character actors and actresses formed
2107-681: The weak Head is reluctant to challenge him. Mr David Ffitchett-Brown (Portrayed by Richard Warwick ). Ffitchett-Brown arrives early in Series 4. He is a very posh former army officer but despite his traditional background he is a flashy dresser, drives a sports car and has liberal and progressive views on education. He has a strong sense of humour and a fearless streak - he is the only member of staff confident enough to confront Mr Dix. Mr John Hurst (Portrayed by Bernard Holley ). Mr Hurst arrives almost half-way through Series 4 - he used to teach at Weaver Street which has just been closed down leading to an influx of its former pupils at Fenn Street. He has
2156-486: Was Brush Strokes (1986–91), featuring Karl Howman and Gary Waldhorn as a house decorator and his boss. The BBC sitcom Double First (1988) only lasted one series, but marked a different approach. It starred Michael Williams . The duo wrote Hope It Rains (1991–92) for ITV. It starred Tom Bell as the dour owner of a run-down seaside waxworks museum. Holly Aird and Eamon Boland also featured. There were 13 episodes transmitted. Their last significant sitcom as
2205-562: Was a week's break in transmission between Episode 14 ( Old Fennians Day ) and Episode 15 ( What Are You Incinerating ). When it returned it was broadcast in a Sunday night slot. This was only in London. In the other ITV regions, it continued to be broadcast on Saturdays at 6:30pm, so the rest of the nation saw the last 7 episodes of this series one day before Londoners saw them. Guest: Peter Cleall Guest: Mollie Sugden Guest: Derek Griffiths Staff Mr Bernard Hedges (Portrayed by John Alderton ). A teacher fresh out of training. He
2254-467: Was allocated Class 5C, the most unruly form in the school, at the beginning of term. At first relations were frosty between Bernard and Class 5C, but gradually Bernard gained the respect of his class and the rest of the staff. As the series progressed, he is shown to be a caring and very fair teacher and would always defend his form, regardless of how much evidence is put towards them. In the movie, he met air stewardess Penny Wheeler. After misinterpreting
2303-445: Was broadcast between February 1968 and July 1969. Also in 1968, Esmonde and Larbey created Please Sir! , a situation comedy which starred John Alderton as a naive teacher thrown in at the deep end in a tough south London school. Rejected by the BBC, the series was accepted by London Weekend Television , whose head of comedy was then Frank Muir . The success of Please Sir! led to Esmonde and Larbey being commissioned to write
2352-625: Was followed by Don't Rock The Boat (1982–83) which starred Nigel Davenport . After the short-lived Now And Then (ITV 1983) they returned to form with Ever Decreasing Circles , which reunited the writers with Briers. Briers starred as Martin Bryce, an insecure and obsessive character whose need to be the leading light of local activities is undermined by the arrival of a talented and charming neighbour, Paul Ryman. The series also featured Penelope Wilton as Martin's long suffering wife Anne, and Peter Egan as Ryman. Another hit for Esmonde and Larbey
2401-567: Was set in an outdoor pursuit centre, but starred most of the TV cast. NOTE: All of these episode descriptions have been taken from the DVD sleeves of the Please Sir DVDs, released by Network (In Australia, Series One and Two are available as one set of DVDs, Series Three (along with the 1971 Please Sir movie) as another). Note: The first series was in an experimental 40-minute format (to fit in
#102897