Dear Ladies
This article uses a non-standard episode table. |
| Dear Ladies | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Written by | |
| Directed by | Mike Stephens |
| Starring |
|
| Composer | John Golland |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 20 |
| Production | |
| Producer | Peter Ridsdale Scott |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company | BBC |
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC Two |
| Release | 15 March 1983 – 16 December 1984 |
Dear Ladies is a British comedy television series which aired on the BBC in 21 episodes between 1983 and 1984. It featured the comic characters Hinge and Bracket, played by George Logan and Patrick Fyffe.[1]
The comedy is set in and around the house the ladies shared in the fictional village of Stackton Tressel in Suffolk and gives viewers "A glimpse behind the scenes of village life in Stackton Tressel."[2]
Premise
[edit | edit source]Dr Evadne Hinge and Dame Hilda Bracket are a pair of elderly spinsters who live in the fictional English village of Stackton Tressel. They share a large house named Utopia Ltd, owned by Dame Hilda, the east wing of which is occupied by Evadne. Each episode is based around their musical activities at home and in the village community.[3]
Production
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Hinge and Bracket were conceived by George Logan and Patrick Fyffe as a pair of old ladies who had spent their lives performing classical music. Their comic female impersonation act had grown in popularity in the 1970s, and after appearing on BBC Radio, a Hinge and Bracket situation comedy was developed. The scripts were written by George Logan and Patrick Fyffe, who played the starring roles, in collaboration with the writer and broadcaster Gyles Brandreth. Brandreth described Hinge and Bracket as "a drag act with a difference. They offered character and comedy instead of glamour and sex appeal."[4]
Exterior scenes were filmed on location in the Cheshire towns of Knutsford, Great Budworth and Nantwich.[5]
Incidental music is by John Golland. A special episode was broadcast after the 1984 series, the "Dear Ladies Masterclass", in which Hinge and Bracket are invited to deliver a music masterclass at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. The episode features students of the college, who perform under the tutelage of the two Ladies.[6]
Cast
[edit | edit source]Dear Ladies cast members included:[7]
- George Logan as Dr Evadne Hinge
- Patrick Fyffe as Dame Hilda Bracket
- Richard Aylen as Courtney Pines
- Geoffrey Banks as Rev. Donald Smollit
- Frances Cox as Miss Grace Pullet (Librarian)
- Terry Gilligan as various roles
- Hope Johnstone as Party Organiser
- Madeleine Newbury as Joan Shanks
- Paula Tilbrook as Party Organiser
- Rosalie Williams as Dodie Bantock
Episode list
[edit | edit source]| # | Title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Look After The Pennies" | 15 March 1983 |
| 2 | "Sale Or Return" | 22 March 1983 |
| 3 | "Bowled Over" | 29 March 1983 |
| 4 | "Alarms & Excursions" | 5 April 1983 |
| 5 | "Doctor's Orders" | 12 April 1983 |
| 6 | "Don't Ring Us" | 19 April 1983 |
| # | Title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Time Of Our Lives" | 16 February 1984 |
| 2 | "Song & Dance" | 23 February 1984 |
| 3 | "In Sickness & In Health" | 1 March 1984 |
| 4 | "Gala Girls" | 8 March 1984 |
| 5 | "A Fete Worse Than..." | 15 March 1984 |
| 6 | "Mystery Weekend" | 22 March 1984 |
| # | Title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Be Prepared" | 26 September 1984 |
| 2 | "Where There's A Will" | 3 October 1984 |
| 3 | "Midsummer Madness" | 10 October 1984 |
| 4 | "The Gypsy In My Sole" | 17 October 1984 |
| 5 | "Match Of The Day" | 31 October 1984 |
| 6 | "The Agony & The Ecstasy" | 7 November 1984 |
| 7 | "Friends & Neighbours" | 9 December 1984 |
| 8 | "Oh! Mr Mayor" | 16 December 1984 |
References
[edit | edit source]Citations
[edit | edit source]- ^ Pringle p.112
- ^ BBC Genome Project BBC2 listings 15 March 1983
- ^ Tennant 2022, p. 173.
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Sources
[edit | edit source]- David Pringle. Imaginary People: A Who's who of Fictional Characters from the Eighteenth Century to the Present Day. Scolar Press, 1996.
- Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
External links
[edit | edit source]- Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- Dear Ladies at IMDbLua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
- BBC television comedy
- 1983 British television series debuts
- 1984 British television series endings
- 1980s British comedy television series
- British English-language television shows
- Hinge and Bracket
- Television shows set in Suffolk
- Television shows filmed in England
- British drag (entertainment) television shows
- BBC television sitcoms