| The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Comedy/Drama |
| Written by | Sue Townsend Trevor Waite Oscar Webb |
| Directed by | Peter Sasdy |
| Starring | Gian Sammarco Julie Walters Stephen Moore Lulu |
| Theme music composer | Ian Dury & Chaz Jankel |
| Opening theme | Profoundly In Love With Pandora |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 12 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Peter Sasdy |
| Running time | 50/26 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Thames Television |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | ITV |
| Picture format | 4:3 |
| Original run | September 16, 1985 – February 9, 1987 |
The Secret Diary Of Adrian Mole, Aged 13¾ is a British television series based on the book of the same name written by Sue Townsend. It started in 1985 and starred Gian Sammarco, as the title character Adrian Mole, Stephen Moore as Adrian's father George Mole and Julie Walters (series 1) followed by Lulu (series 2) as Adrian's mother Pauline Mole.
It was directed by Peter Sasdy.
Contents |
| # | Episode | Writer | Director | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Episode One | Trevor Waite & Oscar Webb | Peter Sasdy | 16 September 1985 |
| The Mole family's neighbour Mr. Lucas is left by his wife, Mrs. Lucas. He and Adrian's mother Pauline have been having an affair, and they both leave to go to Sheffield, leaving Adrian and George, his father, on their own. Adrian meets old age pensioner Bert Baxter as part of the 'Good Samaritan' project at his school. Bert's filthy house and habits disgust Adrian, but they become friends. School bully Barry Kent begins 'demanding money with menaces' from Adrian, until Adrian's grandmother puts a stop to it by confronting the bully. Adrian takes a trip to Sheffield to see his mother and her lover, Mr. Lucas. | ||||
| 2 | Episode Two | Trevor Waite & Oscar Webb | Peter Sasdy | 23 September 1985 |
| Struggling to come to terms with his mother's departure, Adrian wears red socks to school, which sees him sent home by the headmaster, Mr. Scruton. His furious father complains to Mr. Scruton, and Adrian's love interest Pandora Braithwaite organises a 'red sock protest' at the school, which brings her and Adrian together. Meanwhile, Adrian's friend Bert Baxter is taken to hospital with breathing difficulties. | ||||
| 3 | Episode Three | Trevor Waite & Oscar Webb | Peter Sasdy | 30 September 1985 |
| Adrian wakes up unable to talk, and is diagnosed with tonsilitis. Meanwhile, an Asian family, the Singhs, move into the street which prompts some racist comments by Adrian's father. Bert Baxter leaves hospital and moves in temporarily with Adrian and George. The street celebrates the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer with a street party. Adrian's sweetheart Pandora goes on holiday to Tunisia, and Adrian runs up an expensive phone bill making calls to her. | ||||
| 4 | Episode Four | Trevor Waite & Oscar Webb | Peter Sasdy | 7 October 1985 |
| A school trip to the British Museum in London ends in disaster when the children go out of control and Barry Kent ends up arrested for theft. Adrian's phone calls to Pandora in Tunisia come back to haunt him when he receives the bill, which he hides from his father. | ||||
| 5 | Episode Five | Trevor Waite & Oscar Webb | Peter Sasdy | 14 October 1985 |
| Adrian is admitted to hospital to have his tonsils removed, which brings his mother Pauline back to Leicester to see him. After spending a couple of days with George and Adrian, Pauline eventually returns to live with them. Adrian burns the phone bill in a bonfire on Bonfire Night, but he is forced to confess all when the phone is cut off. His furious parents make him pay the bill using his savings. Bert Baxter is now in an old people's home, where he meets a woman named Queenie whom he becomes engaged to. | ||||
| 6 | Episode Six | Trevor Waite & Oscar Webb | Peter Sasdy | 21 October 1985 |
| It's Christmas Day in the Mole house, and Adrian annoys his parents by inviting Bert and Queenie over for the day. He receives a racing bike as a present. Having been made redundant, Adrian's father George gets a job with Manpower Services as a canal bank supervisor. Adrian breaks Pandora's heart by having a brief liaison with a classmate, Barbara Boyer. | ||||
The series was filmed in Leicester (in the East Midlands, where the original book was set. However, some of the characters speak with a distinct West Midlands accent (eg. Birmingham, Coventry, etc.).
The opening and closing theme was "Profoundly In Love With Pandora" by Ian Dury. It was released as a single in October 1985 and reached number 45 on the UK Singles Chart.[1]
The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole at the Internet Movie Database