Nearest and Dearest

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Nearest and Dearest
Nearest and Dearest (DVD)
Format	Comedy
Creator(s)	Vince Powell Harry Driver
Starring	Hylda Baker Jimmy Jewel Madge Hindle Edward Malin Joe Gladwin
Channel	ITV
Production company	Granada Television
Air dates	August 15, 1968 – February 7, 1973
No. of series	7
No. of episodes	45
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

Nearest and Dearest was a British situation comedy (sit-com) set in and around a pickle factory in Colne, Lancashire, in the North West of England. It began in 1968, and, in total, 46 episodes were produced, 11 in monochrome and 35 in colour.

The premise was set up in the first episode; Joshua Pledge, on his death bed, bequeaths his pickle factory, Pledge's Purer Pickles, to his daughter, the hard-working Nellie and her ne'er do well brother, Eli. Nellie was played by veteran comedienne Hylda Baker. Baker was born and bred in Bolton (a northern town eleven miles north of Manchester). Nearest and Dearest was a perfect vehicle for her form of comedy, and much of the humour arose from Nellie Pledge's malapropisms. Eli was played by Jimmy Jewel, a contemporary of Baker's, who had made his name as one half of the music hall (vaudeville) act, Jewel and Waris.

Helping out at the factory was Lilly (always referred to as "Our Lilly"), who was married to the octaganerian Walter. Walter was, sadly, unable to control his bladder, which led to the programme's most famous catchphrase "'As 'e been, Our Lilly?" Lilly was played by Madge Hindle, Walter by Edward Malin. (There have long since been rumours that Walter's silent performance - he infamously never said a single word - was because Malin was not a member of the British acting trade union Equity and thus wasn't allowed to speak. This seems unlikely, as he can often be spotted in films and TV programmes of the 50's and 60's - such as A Night to Remember or Quatermass and the Pit in speaking roles.)

It's a well known fact that Baker and Jewell despised each other. The antagonism that exists between them on screen was not faked.

NELLIE: Do you know, our Eli, you remind me of that song from The Sound of Music.

ELI: Oh, aye? My Favourite Things...?

NELLIE: No - Idleswine!

Nellie's malopropisms were an integral part of the comedy; when asked by Our Lilly if she knew the facts of life, Nellie replied with immense dignity, "Of course I do! I'm well over the age of content!" In another episode, Nellie has a suitor, Vernon Smallpiece, who she insists on calling 'Vermin Bigpiece'. When Eli insists on playing the high-powered executive once he is in charge of the factory, Nellie asks him who he thinks he is "...sat sitting there like a big business typhoon!" There were many, many other examples, and Baker's comic timing was never short of excellent. Jewell was, however, no comic feed or straight man; he too was in excellent in the part, and it was their joint performances that made the series, despite their real life differences.

An unsuccessful film version was made of the series by Hammer Films - more famous for their horror films - in 1971, complete with a brand new theme tune sung by Hylda Baker. The series was adapted for the American market, and re-named Thicker Than Water. Running for 13 episodes, it was sadly not successful.

After Nearest and Dearest, Hylda went on to star in Not On Your Nellie in which Nellie Pickersgill (the same character as Nellie Pledge in all but name) inherits a pub, The Brown Cow (the running joke was Hylda answering the telephone every week and intoning gravely, "The Brown Cow speaking.") Despite the change of locale - lots of humour was derived from the North/South divide - the pub was in London - but, with slight variations, it was just the same format as Nearest and Dearest in a different setting. Jewell went on to appear in a delightful - and sadly forgotten - sit-com, "Spring and Autumn" about a friendship between a lonely boy and an elderly man. He still cropped up on television, such as Casualty (British hospital soap opera) in which he was able to use his famous catch-phrase, referring to a nurse, just as he used to refer to Nellie, as "a knock-kneed, knackered old nose bag".

Hylda, after a prolonged period of mental illness in which she believed herself to be Nellie Pledge, died 1st May 1986 of bronchial pneumonia. Jewell, though ostensibly retired, continued to work until his death 3rd December 1995. Edward Malin who played Our Walter died in London 1st March 1977.