Oh, Doctor Beeching!
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| Oh, Doctor Beeching! | |
|---|---|
| Format | Situation Comedy |
| Created by | David Croft Richard Spendlove |
| Written by | David Croft Richard Spendlove John Stevenson Paul Minett Brian Leveson John Chapman |
| Directed by | Roy Gould |
| Starring | Paul Shane Jeffrey Holland Su Pollard Julia Deakin Stephen Lewis |
| Country of origin | Britain |
| No. of episodes | 19 (except the original pilot) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
David Croft |
| Producer(s) | David Croft Charles Galland |
| Running time | Approximately 30 minutes per normal episode. |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | BBC One |
| Original run | 14 August 1995 – 28 September 1997 |
Oh, Doctor Beeching! was a British television sitcom written by David Croft and Richard Spendlove, which, after a broadcast pilot on 14 August 1995, ran for two series from 8 July 1996, with the last episode being broadcast on 28 September 1997. The series was notable for being the last in a line of comedies by co-writer David Croft to use many of the same actors, starting with Hi-de-Hi!, and followed by You Rang, M'Lord?.
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[edit] Introduction
Oh, Doctor Beeching! focused on the small fictional branch line railway station of Hatley, which was threatened with closure under the Beeching Axe. The programme was filmed on the Severn Valley Railway, with the part of Hatley station being played by the Arley SVR station in Upper Arley.
[edit] Plot
In the pilot episode, Jack Skinner (Paul Shane) the porter is acting station master until a replacement is found. Jack deeply loves his wife May (Sherrie Hewson) who runs the station café, but is prone to becoming very jealous of her around other men. Without a station master the station has become rather disorganised, for instance the eternally miserable signalman, Harry Lambert (Stephen Lewis), is running several other businesses - including hair-cutting, selling fruit and vegetables, taking bets, and repairing bicycles - seeing his signaling duties as an annoyance ("ruddy trains"). The station is part-run by the eccentric, easily flustered booking clerk, Ethel Schumann (Su Pollard), who is always on the lookout for a new man in her life, and whose idiotic son Wilfred, the product of a relationship with a now deceased American soldier during the war, is the station dogsbody.
Also present are Vera Plumtree, (Barbara New), whose late husband used to work on the railway ("he was an engine driver, you know"), who always muddles her words, and has an unrequited love for Harry (who is oblivious to or simply ignores her advances); Gloria (Lindsay Grimshaw), Jack and May’s pretty teenage daughter; the actual engine driver, Arnold Thomas (Ivor Roberts); his inexperienced fireman, Ralph (Perry Benson), who is training to be a driver; and the charismatic, flirtatious guard, Percy (Terry John). Other semi-regular characters are Mr. Orkindale, director of the railway, played by the director of the series, Richard Spendlove, and Amy Matlock, Gloria's friend.
Soon the new station master arrives in the guise of Cecil Parkin (Jeffrey Holland), a stern, well spoken man. He is amazed to learn that the café is run by May, with whom he had a passionate fling with during the war before she married Jack. Although Jack is in the dark as to May and Cecil's history, he takes an instant dislike to the new station master. A running subplot to the series is the question over whether Gloria is actually Jack and May’s daughter, or a result of May's fling with Cecil (although in the second series episode "Father's Day", it is generally concluded that Jack is her father). Meanwhile, at the end of the episode a newspaper article is found threatening the station with closure under the Beeching Axe, which begins the series.
A running gag in the series was Vera almost finding out about Cecil and May's relationship. Mr. Parkin steals every moment he possibly can with May, often sneaking into the kitchen near the beginning of the day, before anyone else has arrived.
The original pilot later had sections re-filmed, with Julia Deakin replacing Sherrie Hewson as May, and shown as the first episode in the regular run.
Despite gaining large audience figures and being generally well received, the programme only lasted for two series, leaving the question as to the station's future unanswered. The exact reason as to why the series didn't continue is unknown, but it might be noted that it finished at the time when terrestrial channels started drifting away from family comedies and began focusing more on soap operas and adult dramas.
[edit] Episodes
[edit] Title and music
The title was a reference to the music hall song and Will Hay film Oh, Mr. Porter! and a modified version was sung as the end titles by Su Pollard;
- Oh, Dr. Beeching what have you done?
- There once were lots of trains to catch, but soon there will be none,
- I'll have to buy a bike, 'cos I can't afford a car,
- Oh, Dr. Beeching what a naughty man you are!
[edit] Cast
- Paul Shane as Jack Skinner, the porter
- Julia Deakin as May Skinner, buffet manageress; played by Sherrie Hewson in the original pilot
- Jeffrey Holland as Cecil Parkin, the station master
- Stephen Lewis as Harry Lambert, the signalman
- Su Pollard as Ethel Schumann, the booking clerk
- Paul Aspen as Wilfred Schumann, the junior porter
- Ivor Roberts as Arnold Thomas, the engine driver
- Perry Benson as Ralph, the fireman
- Barbara New as Vera Plumtree of Railway Cottages
- Terry John as Percy, the train guard
- Lindsay Grimshaw as Gloria Skinner, daughter of May and Jack (or is it May and Cecil?)
- Tara Daniels as Amy Matlock, regular train commuter and Gloria's friend (semi-regular)
The co-writer Richard Spendlove made a number of guest appearances as the Inspector, Mr. Orkindale.
Another former Hi-De-Hi! regular, Felix Bowness, also made a number of appearances as the train ticket collector Bernie Bleasdale.
The LMS Ivatt Class 2 2-6-0 No. 46521 from the Severn Valley Railway was used on the film set. The engine has now been sold to the Loughborough Standard Locomotive Group and is currently under overhaul at the Great Central Railway.
[edit] VHS and DVD release
The first series was released on VHS and DVD in 2004, with the second series released on DVD in 2005. The packaging of the first series was slightly misleading, stating that it "included the pilot", whereas in fact it only contained the revised first episode, not the original version of the pilot.
[edit] External links
- Oh, Doctor Beeching! at the Internet Movie Database
- BBC Comedy Guide: Oh, Doctor Beeching!
- British Sitcom Guide
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