All Gas and Gaiters | |
---|---|
All Gas and Gaiters DVD |
|
Genre | Sitcom |
Created by | Pauline Devaney Edwin Apps |
Starring | Robertson Hare William Mervyn Derek Nimmo John Barron Ernest Clark |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
No. of episodes | 33 + 1 short |
Production | |
Running time | 30 minutes |
Broadcast | |
Original channel | BBC1 |
Original run | 17 May 1966 | – 17 June 1971
All Gas and Gaiters was a British television ecclesiastical sitcom which aired on BBC1 from 1966 to 1971. It was written by Pauline Devaney and Edwin Apps, a husband-and-wife team who used the pseudonym of "John Wraith" when writing the pilot. All Gas and Gaiters was also broadcast on BBC radio from 1971 to 1972.
Contents |
All Gas and Gaiters, predominantly farcical in nature, was set in the close of the fictional St Ogg's cathedral and concerned various intrigues and rivalries among the clergy. "Gaiters" in the title refers to part of the traditional dress of bishops and archdeacons. The bishop was easygoing; his friend the archdeacon was elderly, tippling, and still appreciative of attractive women; and the bishop's chaplain was naïve and accident-prone. Their wish to live a quiet bachelor life was continually threatened by the overbearing dean, who tried to bring by-the-book rule to the cathedral.
The series initially aroused some controversy because of its portrayal of senior clergy as bungling incompetents, although some clergy quite enjoyed it. In the opening credits, St. Alban's Cathedral was shown as the fictional St Ogg's, but with the twisted spire of Church of St Mary and All Saints, Chesterfield added to the central tower.
It proved to be the first of a series of comedies starring Derek Nimmo as similar bumbling clerical characters (Oh, Brother!, Oh, Father! and Hell's Bells). It is considered by some people to be the best, partly because of a strong supporting cast (particularly Robertson Hare as the archdeacon) and partly because it included some elements of gentle satire.[1]
All 11 surviving episodes were released on DVD by DD Home Entertainment in 2004, originally accompanied by a detailed behind-the-scenes booklet, written by Andy Priestner in consultation with show's writers, Edwin Apps and Pauline Devaney, but later released without. Cinema Club have since bought the DVD rights.
The pilot and first three series were filmed in black-and-white. The third series was filmed in colour, but originally broadcast in monochrome. The fourth and fifth series were made and shown in colour. Only 11 episodes still exist in the archive, owing to the Wiping policy of the BBC in this era.
Title | Airdate | Description | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
The Bishop Rides Again | 16 May 1966 | part of Comedy Playhouse |
Title | Airdate | Description | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
The Bishop Gets the Sack | 31 January 1967 | ||
The Bishop Meets a Bird | 7 February 1967 | lost | |
The Bishop Writes a Sermon | 14 February 1967 | lost | |
The Bishop Sees a Ghost | 21 February 1967 | ||
The Bishop Turns to Crime | 28 February 1967 | lost | |
Only Three Can Play | 7 March 1967 | lost |
Title | Airdate | Description | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
The Dean Goes Primitive | 24 November 1967 | lost | |
The Bishop Gives a Party | 1 December 1967 | lost | |
The Bishop Gets a Letter | 8 December 1967 | lost | |
The Bishop Goes to Town | 15 December 1967 | lost | |
Give a Dog a Bad Name | 22 December 1967 | lost | |
The Bishop Gives a Shove | 29 December 1967 | lost |
Title | Airdate | Description | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
The Bishop learns the Facts | 8 January 1969 | lost | |
The Bishop has a Flutter | 15 January 1969 | lost | |
The Bishop is Hospitable | 22 January 1969 | lost | |
The Bishop Pays a Visit | 29 January 1969 | lost | |
The Bishop takes a Holiday | 5 February 1969 | lost | |
The Affair at Cookham Lock | 12 February 1969 | lost | |
The Bishop Keeps his Diary | 19 February 1969 | lost |
Title | Airdate | Description | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
The Bishop Buys a Car | 15 April 1970 | lost | |
The Bishop Gains a Reputation | 22 April 1970 | lost | |
The Bishop Loves His Neighbour | 29 April 1970 | ||
The Bishop Beats the System | 6 May 1970 | ||
The Bishop Buys a Mug | 13 May 1970 | lost | |
When In Rome | 20 May 1970 | lost | |
The Bishop Takes Up Business | 27 May 1970 | lost |
Title | Airdate | Description | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
The Bishop Warms Up | 13 May 1971 | ||
The Bishop Entertains | 20 May 1971 | ||
The Bishop Gives a Present | 27 May 1971 | ||
The Bishop Shows his Loyalty | 3 June 1971 | ||
The Bishop Has a Rest | 10 June 1971 | ||
The Bishop Loses his Chaplain | 17 June 1971 |
Series No. | Ep No. | Title | Broadcast | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Pilot | The Bishop Rides Again | 17/5/66 | Previously lost, found in 2001 | |
Series 1 | Episode 1 | The Bishop Gets The Sack | 31/1/67 | |
Series 1 | Episode 4 | The Bishop Sees A Ghost | 21/2/67 | |
Series 4 | Episode 3 | The Bishop Loves His Neighbour | 29/4/70 | |
Series 4 | Episode 4 | The Bishop Beats the System | 6/5/70 | |
Series 5 | Episode 1 | The Bishop Warms Up | 13/5/71 | |
Series 5 | Episode 2 | The Bishop Entertains | 20/5/71 | |
Series 5 | Episode 3 | The Bishop Gives a Present | 27/5/71 | |
Series 5 | Episode 4 | The Bishop Shows his Loyalty | 3/6/71 | |
Series 5 | Episode 5 | The Bishop Has a Rest | 10/6/71 | |
Series 5 | Episode 6 | The Bishop Loses his Chaplain | 17/6/71 |
Christmas Night with the Stars was a programme screened annually on Christmas night, when the top stars of the BBC appeared in short versions of their programmes, typically five to ten minutes long. All Gas and Gaiters appeared once alongside its sitcom spin-off Oh, Brother! in 1968, however this telerecording still exists in the BBC's film and videotape archives alongside other surviving Christmas segments from other sitcoms.
Title | Airdate | Description | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
25 December 1968 | as part of Christmas Night with the Stars |
A radio version of All Gas and Gaiters was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 from 5 January 1971 to 4 December 1972 for 33 episodes. The television cast stayed the same for the radio series, with the exception of Derek Nimmo who left after thirteen episodes to be replaced by Jonathan Cecil. Though seven radio episodes were thought to have been wiped, these were later found and all are available through radio enthusiasts. Some episodes were rebroadcast on BBC7 in October and November 2006 and again a year later and in early 2009. They continued to be broadcast on BBC Radio 4 Extra, August 2011.