The Liver Birds es una comedia de situación británica, ambientada en Liverpool , noroeste de Inglaterra , que se emitió en BBC1 desde abril de 1969 hasta enero de 1979, y nuevamente en 1996. El programa fue creado por Carla Lane y Myra Taylor . Las dos amas de casa de Liverpool se habían conocido en un club de escritores local y decidieron poner en común sus talentos. Después de haber sido invitado a Londres por Michael Mills , el entonces director de comedia de la BBC, y se le pidió que escribiera sobre dos mujeres que compartían piso, Mills contrató a la experta en comedias de situación Sydney Lotterby para trabajar con el equipo de guionistas.
Los pájaros del hígado | |
---|---|
Género | Comedia de enredo |
Creado por | Carla Lane Myra Taylor |
Escrito por | Carla Lane Myra Taylor Lew Schwarz Jack Seddon David Pursall |
Protagonizada | Polly James (1969-1974, 1996) Pauline Collins (1969) Nerys Hughes (1971-1979, 1996) Mollie Sugden (1971-1979, 1996) Elizabeth Estensen (1975-1979) |
País de origen | Reino Unido |
Idioma original | inglés |
No. de serie | 10 |
No. de episodios | 86 |
Producción | |
Tiempo de ejecución | 24 minutos |
Lanzamiento | |
Red original | BBC1 |
Lanzamiento original | Serie original: 14 de abril de 1969 - 5 de enero de 1979 Serie Revival: 6 de mayo - 24 de junio de 1996 |
Lotterby había trabajado anteriormente con Eric Sykes y Sheila Hancock , y en The Likely Lads . Carla Lane escribió la mayoría de los episodios, Taylor coescribió solo las dos primeras series. El piloto se mostró el 14 de abril de 1969 como un episodio de Comedy Playhouse , el caldo de cultivo de la BBC para las comedias de situación en ese momento. [1]
Esquema
La serie trazó los altibajos de dos "dolly birds" que compartían un piso en la calle Huskisson de Liverpool, concentrándose en los tratos de las dos jóvenes solteras con sus novios, el trabajo, los padres y entre sí. Vestidas con la mejor moda de la década de 1970, buscaban el romance en un equivalente femenino suelto de The Likely Lads .
El piloto y la Serie 1 fueron protagonizados por Pauline Collins como Dawn y Polly James como Beryl Hennessey. En la Serie 2, Nerys Hughes debutó como Sandra Hutchinson, reemplazando a Dawn durante el resto del programa. El emparejamiento Beryl-and-Sandra generalmente se considera como el mejor período del programa. Beryl era la más "común", mientras que Sandra era de voz suave y más refinada, debido a la influencia de su madre esnob y autoritaria ( Mollie Sugden ).
Carla Lane se basó en su propia madre para el personaje: "Sra. Hutchinson, creo que era mi madre. Estoy segura de que era mi madre". La madre "común" de Beryl (los Hennessey viven en Bootle , un distrito de clase trabajadora al norte de la ciudad) fue interpretada por Sheila Fay. La futura actriz de Emmerdale , Elizabeth Estensen, como Carol Boswell, reemplazó a Beryl desde la Serie 5 en adelante.
El título proviene del nombre dado a dos pájaros esculpidos encaramados en lo alto del Royal Liver Building en Pier Head en la ciudad de Liverpool . Michael Mills , quien encargó la serie, se le ocurrió el título, aunque inicialmente no le gustó a Carla Lane. [1] The Scaffold , un grupo de pop cuya formación incluía a John Gorman , más tarde de la fama de Tiswas , y al poeta Roger McGough , cantó la canción principal.
Lista de episodios de The Liver Birds
Año | Serie | Recuento de episodios |
1969 | Piloto | 1 |
1969 | 1 | 4 |
1971 | 2 | 12 |
1972 | 3 | 13 |
1972 | Corto | 1 |
1974 | 4 | 13 |
1975 | 5 | 7 |
1975 | Especial | 1 |
1976 | 6 | 5 |
1976 | 7 | 8 |
1976 | Especial | 1 |
1977 | 8 | 7 |
1977 | Especial | 1 |
1978-79 | 9 | 6 |
1996 | 10 | 7 |
Total | 10 temporadas 1 piloto 3 Especiales 1 corto | 86 episodios + 1 corto |
Piloto
No. | Título | Fecha de emisión original | Código |
---|---|---|---|
1 | "Los pájaros del hígado" | 14 de abril de 1969 | TBA |
Serie 1 (1969)
No. | Título | Fecha de emisión original | Código |
---|---|---|---|
1 | "Perfume potente también conocido como una condición interesante" | 25 de julio de 1969 | TBA |
2 | "El fotógrafo" | 1 de agosto de 1969 | TBA |
3 | "Aristocracia y crimen" | 8 de agosto de 1969 | TBA |
4 | "¿Torremolinos, Costa del Sol o Southport?" | 15 de agosto de 1969 | TBA |
Tanto el piloto como los 4 episodios de la serie 1 (originalmente emitidos en 1969) faltan, se presume borrados en su totalidad, sin embargo, los títulos de apertura (incluidas algunas imágenes de uno de los episodios faltantes) aún existen.
La primera serie se detuvo después de cuatro episodios porque la apretada agenda de Polly James — trabajar todas las noches en Anne of Green Gables en el West End y luego ensayar todo el día para el programa de televisión — estaba demostrando ser demasiado. En el momento en James estaba disponible de nuevo, Pauline Collins se había trasladado a LWT 's arriba, abajo . La productora Sydney Lotterby recordó haber trabajado con Nerys Hughes en The Likely Lads y, creyendo erróneamente que la actriz galesa era de Liverpool, le pidió que leyera un papel en The Liver Birds . (Ninguna actriz tenía realmente acento de Liverpool: James era de Oswaldtwistle , [2] cerca de Blackburn , y Hughes era de Rhyl .) Impresionado con la lectura de Hughes, le ofreció el papel de Sandra, y la nueva serie, en color, comenzó. El primer episodio de la segunda temporada se emitió el 7 de enero de 1971. Las actrices se llevaban bien. "La relación entre Polly y yo fue bastante instantánea. Fue excelente. Realmente sucedió en un abrir y cerrar de ojos", dijo Hughes más tarde, y James agregó: "Simplemente encajamos juntos. Aprendimos nuestras líneas bebiendo batidos Pernod ". [3] Hay dos listados de episodios diferentes para la Serie 2. Las fuentes que enumeran la serie siempre lo hacen en orden de fecha de emisión, aunque todavía se utilizan los dos listados contradictorios. Este listado alternativo es el siguiente:
- La boda
- Mira antes de saltar
- The Holiday Fund, también conocido como Housekeeping
- La propuesta también conocida como el compromiso
- Los buenos samaritanos
- Tres son multitud
- El nuevo vecino, también conocido como el hombre de abajo
- El nuevo piso
- El perro
- Abuelo
- Día de la Madre
- Promoción
Serie 2 (1971)
No. | Título | Fecha de emisión original | Código |
---|---|---|---|
1 | "El piso nuevo" | 7 de enero de 1971 | TBA |
Las mujeres se encuentran discutiendo, culpan a sus condiciones de hacinamiento e intentan mudarse a una propiedad más grande en Allerton . Pero cuando descubren que necesitan un tercer compañero de piso para pagar el alquiler, terminan de regreso en Huskisson Street. Ken Platt , Nicholas Smith , Patricia Shakesby y Veronica Doran aparecen en este episodio. | |||
2 | "Los buenos samaritanos" | 14 de enero de 1971 | TBA |
Sandra y Beryl acuerdan cuidar del gato de otro inquilino mientras él visita a sus padres durante el fin de semana. Además: Sandra lee los Ensayos escépticos de Bertrand Russell y promete ser "considerada, comprensiva y lista para servir a la humanidad", pero el esfuerzo por ser buenos samaritanos hace que la vida sea incómoda. | |||
3 | "The Holiday Fund, también conocido como Housekeeping" | 21 de enero de 1971 | TBA |
Al encontrar su 'Fondo de Vacaciones' sin el dinero que necesitarán para llegar a España durante '10 días en la tórrida Torremolinos , 10 noches de locura en el Mediterráneo', las chicas consideran vender el antiguo inodoro nocturno de Beryl . Aparece Ken Jones . (En este episodio, Polly James fue víctima de la excéntrica elección de decoración del escenario de Carla Lane: "Teníamos en nuestro apartamento, teníamos un inodoro. Las cosas saldrían mal y no nos permitieron detenernos". Nerys Hughes: "Ella estaba destinada a hacerlo. Me senté en el inodoro y me olvidé de bajar la tapa ". Polly James:" Y me senté y me metí en él ". Hughes se ríe momentáneamente, pero continúan con la escena). | |||
4 | "Mira antes de saltar" | 28 de de enero de 1971 | TBA |
Sandra está deprimida por un malentendido con su novio Peter ( Derek Fowlds ) y Beryl, preocupada de que pueda hacer algo estúpido, intenta ayudar. | |||
5 | "La boda" | 4 de febrero de 1971 | TBA |
La hermana de Beryl, Gloria ( Paula Wilcox ), está pensando en casarse con Ernie Titlark ( Barrie Rutter ); "No funcionó para usted, ¿por qué debería funcionar para mí?" le pregunta a su madre. "Porque me casé con un vagabundo." "¿Cómo sabes que Ernie no es un vago?" pregunta su padre ( Cyril Shaps ). "Bueno, todos son unos vagos, pero tienes que casarte con ellos para saberlo", responde su madre. Carla Lane dijo que "siempre le gustó escribir bodas porque son realmente divertidas, ¿no? - y ridículas, seamos sinceros". En el programa de la BBC, el productor de Comedy Connections , Sydney Lotterby, había dicho que "ni siquiera se nos permitió hablar sobre la píldora, lo cual es bastante ridículo, quiero decir, estaba sucediendo, pero ahí estamos". De hecho, se menciona en este episodio: Sandra dice 'Recuerda a tu mamá cuando Gloria se comprometió, "¡Oh, hija mía! ¡Mi hijita inocente!"' Beryl: 'Sí, y estaba nuestra Gloria escupiendo su píldora con sus once . | |||
6 | "Tres son multitud" | 11 de febrero de 1971 | TBA |
La amiga de Sandra, la actriz Victoria, la visita. A ella le gusta su lugar "tan hermosamente cutre", pero sus exigencias ponen de los nervios a Beryl. Christopher Timothy y Joe Gladwin aparecen en este episodio. | |||
7 | "La propuesta también conocida como el compromiso" | 18 de febrero de 1971 | TBA |
Sandra cree que está enamorada de Danny ( Tim Wylton ) y quiere que Beryl esté fuera del camino cuando él está cerca. Beryl intenta ir al cine, luego decide compadecerse de su compañero inquilino Gerry ("Todo lo que hace es ir a la lavandería o hablar con su gato") y lo visita, lo que hace que Gerry piense que le gusta. Mientras tanto, Danny parece interesado en una sola cosa ('Me gustaría pensar que no eras solo físico, sino, bueno, mental'). | |||
8 | "El hombre de abajo, también conocido como el nuevo vecino" | 25 de febrero de 1971 | TBA |
Suave Derek ( Ronald Allen ) se muda a la casa y despierta el interés de Beryl y Sandra. No pierden tiempo en presentarse y cuando se enteran de que pasa los fines de semana en Llandudno , en la casa de huéspedes de sus padres, deciden por separado seguirlo allí. Aparece Carol Cleveland . (En este episodio, Sandra le dice a Beryl en un momento: "Soy del tipo que maneja con cuidado, y tú eres del tipo de aplastar y agarrar". Según Carla Lane, esto reflejaba el equipo de redacción de Lane / Taylor . "Sabíamos que teníamos que tener uno, un camino y el otro, y lo tenías en un plato. Myra / Carla . Polly era Myra, llena de demonios, dijo lo que pensaba. Yo era de una familia agradable y un poco como Oh no, no puedes hacer eso . Me convertí en Sandra. Nos usamos como personajes "). | |||
9 | "El perro" | 4 de marzo de 1971 | TBA |
Justo cuando Sandra trae a casa un perro callejero, el Sr. Barrett ( John Sharp ) le dice a Beryl que el propietario ( Aubrey Morris ) está a punto de hacer una inspección y que los animales están en contra de las reglas. | |||
10 | "Abuelo" | 11 de marzo de 1971 | TBA |
Beryl y Sandra esperan un sábado libre cuando la señora Hutchinson llama por teléfono y le pide a Sandra que cuide de su abuelo ( Jack Woolgar ) en su casa de Hunts Cross mientras el señor y la señora Hutchinson van a visitar a la tía Dorothy. Damaris Hayman aparece en este episodio. | |||
11 | "Día de la Madre" | 18 de marzo de 1971 | TBA |
Beryl y Sandra han invitado a sus madres para el domingo de la maternidad , pero ¿se llevarán bien? ¿Y les gustarán sus regalos: flores de plástico y un lorgnette ? (El episodio comienza con el canto Beryl Burt Bacharach y Hal David 's Cualquier persona que tenía un corazón , un éxito para el Liverpool -born cantante Cilla Negro ). | |||
12 | "Promoción" | 25 de marzo de 1971 | TBA |
Sandra asciende y se convierte en la supervisora de Beryl. Beryl recibe lecciones de elocución de la Sra. Duval ( Fabia Drake ), pero esto la mete en problemas cuando una clienta elegante ( Diana King ) cree que se está burlando de ella. Robert Raglan aparece en este episodio. (Fabia Drake, a la edad de 16 años, fue enviada a una costosa escuela francesa de acabado Meudon-val-Fleury, donde aprendió la ciencia y el oficio de la excelente enunciación de Georges le Roy, miembro vitalicio de la gran Comédie-Française . "Empecé a adquirir un instrumento que me dio la capacidad de hablar muy rápido sin dejar de tener una claridad total") [4]. |
Serie 3 (1972)
Después de la segunda temporada , Myra Taylor , que extrañaba a su familia, dejó de escribir para el programa. Con 13 episodios encargados para la tercera temporada, Michael Mills sintió que las tareas de escritura serían demasiado para que Lane las manejara solo, por lo que entregó seis episodios al dúo de guionistas de Jack Seddon y David Pursall. "Escribían como muchachos. No tenían idea de cómo pensaba una mujer", dijo Lane más tarde, y Nerys Hughes observó: "No eran empáticos, eran ... ¡voyeuristas!" "No eran, tonalmente, lo mismo", reconoció el productor, Sydney Lotterby . Este arreglo de escritura terminó al final de la tercera serie. [3]
No. | Título | Fecha de emisión original | Código |
---|---|---|---|
1 | "Uno es una multitud" | 11 de febrero de 1972 | TBA |
Beryl y Sandra abandonan su "sucio dormitorio" y se mudan a Beech View , "una residencia muy deseable". Van a 'O'Connor's Tavern' para escuchar a los poetas leyendo su poesía, incluido Roger McGough (que lee de su colección After the Merrymaking ) y el favorito de Sandra, Neville Kane (Neville Aurelius). De vuelta en su apartamento, la vecina Sra. Knowsley ( Joyce Grant ) le pide a Sandra que firme una petición para desalojar a un "personaje indeseable". Beryl no lo aprueba: "Me sorprende que lo firmes Sand, por lo general eres tan amable y considerado ... hemos firmado una petición para sacar de su piso a un tipo que ni siquiera conocemos" - -y Sandra se consterna cuando el objetivo de la petición resulta ser Neville Kane. (Horace James, John Lyons , Frederick Bennett, Patti Brooks, Patrick Durkin y Maxine Casson aparecen en este episodio). | |||
2 | "Birds on the Dole" | 18 de febrero de 1972 | TBA |
Beryl y Sandra están sin trabajo, en el paro . El agente del propietario, el Sr. Hockle (Artro Morris), está revisando el inventario , y su mes de anticipación vence el sábado de la semana. Las chicas necesitan dinero y van a la Bolsa de Trabajo para inscribirse. Sandra piensa que esto es una mendicidad e intenta ir de incógnito , pero la optimista Beryl se encuentra con su tío Dermot ( Ken Jones ), el primo Hughey ( Brian Pettifer ) y el tío Jack ( Bill Dean ). El comportamiento ruidoso de los Hennessey provoca una pelea en la cola. (En un momento en el que Beryl y Sandra están parados en la calle, la Catedral de Liverpool se eleva en el fondo mientras hablan junto a una cabina telefónica roja . Tanto la catedral como la icónica cabina telefónica roja fueron diseños de Sir Giles Gilbert Scott ). John Ringham y Norman Shelley también aparecen en este episodio, que fue uno de los seis episodios escritos por Seddon / Pursall de la Serie 3. | |||
3 | "Las niñas buenas deberían estar en la cama" | 25 de febrero de 1972 | TBA |
Beryl está con su nuevo novio Robert (Colin Bell) en Sefton Park . Él le pide que pase la noche con él antes de que tenga que regresar a Londres por la mañana. Beryl busca el consejo de Sandra y le dice que es culto: "le gustan los libros, las pinturas y los edificios antiguos". Sandra le dice que se vaya: "Después de todo, no tienes nada que perder". "Vaca descarada", dice Beryl, pero decide pasar la noche con Robert, pero las cosas salen mal cuando Robert desaparece para comprar alcohol. ( Susan Littler , Ann Michelle, Anthony Verner, Constance Reason y Julia Breck aparecen en este episodio). | |||
4 | "Birds on Strike" | 3 de marzo de 1972 | TBA |
Beryl muestra a Sandra diapositivas de sus días con un novio, Roy, antes de que él se fuera de nuevo al mar: Beryl y Roy fuera de Lewis's , Beryl y Roy en el Mersey Funnel , Beryl y Roy en el ferry de New Brighton , y el último: Beryl en las puertas del muelle con Frank, un hombre al que había conocido justo después de despedirse de Roy y con quien había concertado una reunión para el próximo domingo. De vuelta al trabajo en Blandings Cosmetics, Jim Royle ( Clive Swift ), un delegado sindical , conocedor de la fuerte tradición laborista de la familia Hennessey , le pide a Beryl que hable en una reunión masiva para convocar a una huelga, ese mismo domingo. ( John Junkin aparece en este episodio). | |||
5 | "Fell-A-Day Girl" | 10 March 1972 | TBA |
Beryl declares that she's a "fella-a-day" girl; meanwhile, Sandra's smitten with a new guy, Paul, until he doesn't ring her as he had promised. Robert phones Beryl—up from London he wants them to rendezvous in David's flat (David's in Majorca). When a very pregnant, depressed Gloria turns up, Beryl puts her with Sandra so they can cheer each other up. But still unable to leave the flat, Beryl invites Robert over. Then her mother arrives. | |||
6 | "Birds and Bottom Drawers" | 17 March 1972 | TBA |
Sandra eagerly reads her horoscope in her weekly magazine Young and Lovely, as soon as it's delivered by the paperboy (actor Brian Sweeney, also of Z Cars), who seems to have taken a shine to her. When her horoscope tells her green will be her lucky colour, she'll be caught by a handsome stranger, and a marriage proposal may be in the air, Sandra heads out to the shops all dressed in green. After unsuccessfully making eyes at several men on the streets of Liverpool, all she manages to buy is a 'hope chest'--a large bottom-drawer-style chest in which to store her future household linens. Later she deliberately gets caught shoplifting just to meet the good-looking store detective—and receives a shy proposal from her young paperboy as he delivers her next issue of 'Young and Lovely'. | |||
7 | "The Christening" | 24 March 1972 | TBA |
Beryl's sister Gloria (Paula Wilcox) calls round to invite Beryl and Sandra to be godmothers to her new baby girl. But Beryl threatens to not even attend the service because it will be at an Anglican church and "the Hennesseys have always driven on the Catholic side of the road." Later, the girls are looking after the baby when the Anglican vicar (John Quayle) calls round and seems to take a fancy to Sandra, much to Beryl's amusement. Indecision as to the baby's name right up to the moment of christening brings a timid Beryl into the church after all to declare that the baby should be named 'Beryl' after her. | |||
8 | "Birds on Horseback" | 31 March 1972 | TBA |
The morning after a party at their flat, the girls need to redecorate their bedroom. Beryl invites round a former schoolmate who is now a decorator, and he does the job for free in the misguided anticipation of romance once the work is over. Meanwhile, Sandra's posh new man is involved in the local hunt and the girls go riding to try to impress him, but Sandra's horse leads her right into a large pond! This happens to be the last straw for the stable owner, who decides to sell the unpredictable horse to the catfood factory. Concerned, Beryl and Sandra buy the horse themselves and end up selling him to a farmer for a profit, some of which they spend cooking a luxurious meal for Beryl's decorator friend to thank him for his time and work. | |||
9 | "St Valentine's Day" | 7 April 1972 | TBA |
Beryl is depressed because she's feeling old and none of her romances seem to last longer than a week, so she visits the doctor's surgery and is given some tranquilisers. With St Valentine's Day approaching, Sandra and her workmates hatch a plan to make Beryl feel better by sending her many Valentine's cards. The next morning, Beryl also receives in the post a single red rose with an anonymous invitation to the local Italian restaurant that evening. Sandra has to convince Beryl to go, but later finds out it was actually a joke played on Beryl by one of the factory workers. However, at the restaurant Beryl does meet a good-looking man; unfortunately all the tranquilisers she's been taking interfere with their date. Keith Chegwin makes a 10-second appearance as a schoolboy in the doctor's waiting room. | |||
10 | "Birds in the Club" | 14 April 1972 | TBA |
Beryl and Sandra are at Hunts Cross Rugby Club: Sandra's there because of Rupert. Beryl's not too impressed--"the fellas are more interested in beer and rugby than girls" and thinks footballers would be a better bet. Sandra gets picked to represent the rugby club in the Miss Hot Pants 1972 Competition. (Beryl, a Catholic, identifies as an Everton supporter in this episode and it is sometimes supposed that there is a religious root to the Liverpool--Everton rivalry, with Everton usually thought of as the Catholic team. In fact, both teams can trace their roots to St. Domingo Methodist Chapel.)[5] Snatches of "Beg, Steal, or Borrow" (The New Seekers) and "Save It" (Gilbert O'Sullivan) can be heard in this episode. | |||
11 | "The Driving Test" | 28 April 1972 | TBA |
Spending an evening with the boss's son Aubrey (Clive Francis), Sandra's worried about Beryl; it's nearly midnight and she's not back from a tandem bicycle-ride with her boyfriend Johnny (Jonathan Lynn). When Beryl finally arrives, worn out from a trip to Rhyl and back, she decides she wants them to buy the second-hand car they've been talking about and Aubrey says he'll teach them to drive. | |||
12 | "Liverpool Or Everton" | 5 May 1972 | TBA |
Sandra is with Joe (Bill Kenwright) when Beryl returns from an Everton match with her Uncle Dermot and a couple of other Everton fans and they argue with Liverpool-fan Joe, who is also captain of the works team at Blandings Cosmetics. The girls go to watch a match—in which Joe scores an own-goal and his team loses 7–0. Angered at Beryl's mockery of his performance, he challenges her to do better as captain of an all-woman team from the packing department. Beryl accepts the challenge and the team is trained by Uncle Dermot (Ken Jones). This is one of the Seddon-Pursall episodes, and one that is most open to sexism charges. Nerys Hughes: "I remember a football match. The shorts were terribly short and also there was a girl with huge breasts who was so big-breasted that she fell over. And that's a 'man-joke', isn't it? It wasn't Carla". Carla Lane herself commented later: "Oh God...that [writing arrangement] nearly killed me. Yeh, I mean, what can I say? They wrote like fellas." Bill Kenwright, a lifelong supporter and future chairman of Everton F.C., played a Liverpool F.C. supporter in this episode.[6] | |||
13 | "The Parrot" | 12 May 1972 | TBA |
Just as Sandra goes vegetarian and starts collecting for the RSPCA, her mother asks her to look after the family's pet parrot, Napoleon, 'just for a couple of days', but Beryl isn't happy—she doesn't want psittacosis. When the phone rings, it's a wrong-number call: a suicidal man (Christopher Sandford) trying to reach the Samaritans; but Beryl, who answered, is concerned and invites him round for a chat. Felix Bowness appears. |
Christmas Night with the Stars
On 25 December 1972, a Liver Birds short was broadcast as part of Christmas Night with the Stars, a programme shown annually on Christmas night, when leading BBC performers appeared in short versions of their series, typically 5–10 minutes long.
Series 4 (1974)
Carla Lane became sole writer for the fourth series. She felt it was now time for the Liver Birds to start thinking about longer-term relationships with men. John Nettles played Paul, Sandra's (frustrated) boyfriend, and Jonathan Lynn played Robert, Beryl's boyfriend. "I always wanted The Liver Birds not to be too keen about marriage—not to down it—but not to be out to get a boyfriend to marry," Lane explained. Beryl's mother (Sheila Fay) voiced the critical view: "Man is the dog, and woman is the bone. He eats the best of you, and buries the rest of you, and when his dish is empty—he'll dig you up again." This would be the last series with Beryl; as Polly James explained: "The reason I left the programme in the end was that I felt I was in danger of caricaturing what was already a pretty outrageous character."[7]
No. | Title | Original airdate | Code |
---|---|---|---|
1 | "Anybody Here Seen Thingy?" | 2 January 1974 | TBA |
Beryl receives a pet hamster, Thingy, for her birthday. When the pregnant Thingy goes missing, the girls hunt for her, even chasing after the dustbin-men on their weekly rounds in the streets outside the flat. Thingy eventually turns up as Beryl's surprise birthday party begins—she has made a nest for herself and her newborn litter in the hat that is Beryl's birthday gift from Sandra's mother (Mollie Sugden). | |||
2 | "Friends at First Sight" | 9 January 1974 | TBA |
Sandra's brother Derek (Lewis Fiander) arrives from Australia. He's a keep-fit fanatic and soon takes Beryl out for a morning jog around the local park, where talk turns to love as the pair share their latest relationship woes. Meanwhile Sandra and her parents become concerned when they find Derek's Australian marriage certificate and attempt to warn Beryl not to become too involved with him. In the end, Derek receives a cable from his wife telling him she does love him, and Beryl receives a phone call from her boyfriend Robert in London. | |||
3 | "Life Is Just A Bowl of Sugar" | 16 January 1974 | TBA |
Sandra has bought a cut-glass sugar bowl with money given to her by Paul. When Beryl points out "we dip our spoons straight in the bag", Sandra tells her she hopes the bowl will become part of a home she'll share with Paul and wonders about taking him to Hunts Cross to visit her parents, "a happily-married couple"--would he find the idea of marriage more attractive then? But just then the "happily-married couple" in question show up at the flat—talking about getting a divorce. What's the problem? 'I'm married to it,' says Mrs Hutchinson. ('It' is played by Ivan Beavis.) | |||
4 | "Where's Beryl" | 23 January 1974 | TBA |
Sandra wants to go to London for the weekend, and convinces Beryl to go too—after all, their boyfriends Robert and Paul (John Nettles) are there. When they arrive, Sandra gets a bright spacious room opposite Paul but Beryl gets a poky room at the top of the hotel. 'By the time I leave here I'll be on nodding terms with B.E.A.', she tells Sandra. She can't make contact with Robert, and Paul disapproves of the amount of cleavage Sandra has on show—so it's not the girls' dream weekend. the girls were hoping for. (Avril Angers and Fidelis Morgan appear in this episode.) | |||
5 | "Girl Saturday" | 30 January 1974 | TBA |
Beryl discovers that she needs glasses and the receptionist (Jeanne Mockford) tells her they'll be ready on Saturday—the day Robert will arrive for a week in Liverpool after several weeks away. Beryl worries that he won't like her in glasses; besides, her face can't be covered with things--'it's too small.' (John Dunbar and John Rudling appear in this episode.) | |||
6 | "Pack Up Your Troubles" | 6 February 1974 | TBA |
The girls are planning a holiday—Beryl wants Blackpool, Sandra fancies pony-trekking in the Pennines. Meanwhile, Sandra's parents have temporarily separated, and when the girls pop round to Sandra's late one evening, Mum (Mollie Sugden) has a gentleman caller, bearing flowers! But the new man in her life turns out to be a thief, the ice melts between Sandra's parents when they encounter each other at the girls' flat and the girls decide on Blackpool for themselves and give their Pennines holiday to Sandra's parents as a second honeymoon. | |||
7 | "Have Hen Will Travel" | 13 February 1974 | TBA |
Beryl's persistent oversleeping leads to the girls getting sacked from their hand-cream-factory jobs. After looking for new jobs, the pair decide to take "a holiday with pay" working as labourers on a small farm in Caerphilly, Wales. Unsurprisingly this work isn't ideal for the girls, as they struggle to milk Myfanwy the Cow on their first day. The last straw comes when the farmer (Jack Walters) asks them to kill Henrietta the Hen for their evening meal. Managing to fool him with some frozen chicken from the local shop, the girls pack their bags and head for home, with two new feathered pets in tow – Henrietta and her sister Gwynneth. | |||
8 | "Love Is..." | 20 February 1974 | TBA |
Life is looking up for Sandra as she gets a new job as a kennelmaid ("£15 a week!") and a marriage proposal from boyfriend Paul (John Nettles). Beryl however is feeling down on her luck ("No job, no boyfriend, no fixed abode...") as everything she touches seems to go wrong and she realises her flat-sharing days with single girl Sandra may be numbered. A visit to Beryl's mum puts doubts in Sandra's mind as to the realities of married life ("Man is the dog, Woman is the bone—he eats the best and buries the rest...") and that night she phones Paul to say she's not ready for marriage just yet. Seconds later however Beryl's boyfriend Robert rings up with a surprise... | |||
9 | "Anyone for Freedom?" | 27 February 1974 | TBA |
Robert must come up from London to propose to Beryl in person. Excitedly they set the venue as the local Apollo Greek restaurant that night. For the rest of the day Sandra helps Beryl look at engagement rings and choose a new dress. She even offers marital advice ("Life is like a pack of cards, sex is the ace..", "More like the joker!" Beryl retorts). Sandra's boyfriend Paul (John Nettles) attempts a proposal of his own again, but Sandra chooses to wear the ring on her right hand as a "friendship ring". Meanwhile, disaster strikes in the restaurant toilets when both Beryl's new dress and her old clothes are stolen while she is changing. Robert gets drunker and drunker as he awaits her arrival; finally she appears in a spare Greek waiter's costume. When they finally meet, Robert proposes and Beryl accepts. But when the Greek singer gives the bride-to-be a congratulatory kiss, Robert starts a fight and ends the night in a police cell while the girls compare their new rings back at their flat. | |||
10 | "Follow That Ring" | 6 March 1974 | TBA |
The girls have been seeing their respective boyfriends for the weekend. Beryl is slowly getting used to her "unlucky" red engagement ring, but then loses it while making Sandra a trifle. There follows a mad rush to the local hospital—involving Sandra's parents, Sandra's boyfriend, and Beryl's mum—as Sandra has swallowed the ring in a mouthful of trifle. They all wait together at the hospital while the doctor (Geoffrey Palmer) removes the ring from Sandra's oesophagus. The episode ends with Beryl heading for London on the train so boyfriend Robert can put the ring on her finger again—and mistakenly ending up on the train to Glasgow. | |||
11 | "The Bride That Went Away" | 13 March 1974 | TBA |
Beryl and Robert's wedding is a week away and the girls and their mums are talking of wedding plans when Robert phones with more good news: he's been promoted to area manager at work and will be moving back to Liverpool to live. But that night, after Sandra describes Robert as "Ugly Handsome," Beryl dreams of a wedding where Robert puts handcuffs on her at the altar instead of a ring; she wakes up with cold feet about the marriage and goes AWOL. When Paul (John Nettles) hears that Sandra's alone in the flat, he immediately rushes round to move his belongings in! Sandra tries to dissuade him and coaxes him to help her scour the streets of Liverpool searching for Beryl. While they're out, Robert arrives on the London train with a bad back; he's resting back at the girls' flat when a rainswept Beryl eventually arrives home again...but in what state of mind? | |||
12 | "Let Sleeping Dogs Lie" | 20 March 1974 | TBA |
Robert is sleeping on Beryl and Sandra's settee for the week before his wedding, now that he has found a job in Liverpool. This is fine until Sandra agrees to do a favour for Mrs. Sayers (Edna Doré) and offers a home for the weekend to Skip, a large St. Bernard, who takes up residence on the settee. So Robert gets to share Beryl's room. 'I know how we'll calm you down. We'll give you a sleeping pill', says Sandra. But Mrs Hutchinson and Beryl's mother hear about Robert's whereabouts and show up with Father O'Leary (Patrick McAlinney). | |||
13 | "And Then There Was One" | 3 April 1974 | TBA |
Not everything is running smoothly in the build-up to Beryl's wedding to Robert (Jonathan Lynn): the carnations have turned up a day early; there's a stork on the wedding cake; the dog's run off with the ham; and the only presents she's received so far are a sexy pink nightie from Sandra and 6 steam irons. Then there's the mystery woman who keeps ringing up for Robert—and has written him an important-looking letter. When the girls visit this woman, they notice that she is pregnant! There's a poignant moment as Beryl says goodbye to the girls' flat for the last-ever time, as she is staying at her mum's house on the night before the wedding. Next morning, true to the theme of the wedding so far, kids let down the tyres of the wedding limousines so the girls and their parents have to resort to using a double-decker bus and a removal van to get to the church in time. At the altar Robert finally opens the mystery letter and reveals to an excited Beryl that it contains honeymoon tickets for two to Majorca. |
Series 5 (1975)
Producer Sydney Lotterby had to find a new leading actress to keep the series going after Polly James' departure. In 1971 he'd replaced Pauline Collins with Nerys Hughes, and Hughes herself spotted her potential new flatmate: 'I went to see a musical in town--Willy Russell's, John, Paul, George, Ringo..and Bert, and saw Elizabeth Estensen.' Lotterby saw the performance at Hughes' suggestion, and asked Estensen to audition for the part. 'She was loud, and abrasive, and exactly what I wanted,' said Lotterby. So Beryl, the bouncy blonde, was replaced by feisty, flame-haired Carol.[8] Now into the fifth series, Carla Lane expanded her range from single life to family life and introduced Carol's relatives: the Boswells. "They were a close family—they were a dysfunctional family" said Estensen, and they included Carol's brother Lucien, played by native-Liverpudlian Michael Angelis; her father Mr. Boswell played by Ray Dunbobbin; and her mother Mrs. Boswell played initially by Eileen Kennally and later Carmel McSharry. Carla Lane's later series Bread revolved around the Boswell family and, in interviews, Lane agreed that the two families were probably related.
No. | Title | Original airdate | Code |
---|---|---|---|
1 | "It Takes All Kinds" | 5 September 1975 | TBA |
Sandra only has one serious flatmate applicant: the brash, common Carol (Elizabeth Estensen), who Sandra doesn't really take to—until her mum (Mollie Sugden) phones after another row with Sandra's dad and announces she plans to move in with Sandra herself! Suddenly Carol looks a lot better... | |||
2 | "Look After the Children" | 12 September 1975 | TBA |
Carol meets Sandra's mum who tells her about her latest marital problems and the nice new man she has recently met at a local hotel. That night the girls head to the hotel to stop Sandra's mum doing anything she may regret later. They finally succeed in disrupting the whole evening—only to discover that the "mystery man" was Sandra's dad. | |||
3 | "You've Got To Laugh" | 19 September 1975 | TBA |
The girls are fed up of having to visit the launderette each week because they have no washing machine. Carol's brother Lucien (Michael Angelis) calls round to announce that their Uncle Billy has died and Carol may be due some money in the will. Sandra is excited when a new washing machine is delivered to the house whilst she is spending some time there with boyfriend Paul (John Nettles)--but Carol has only inherited £2, so they have to sell the washing machine to Carol's mother, who got the lion's share of the will... | |||
4 | "Love is A Many Stupid Thing" | 26 September 1975 | TBA |
Sandra becomes a vegetarian and joins an animal-rights march through the streets of Liverpool. She meets a good-looking man there called Bill and stays out with him until the small hours of the night, to the annoyance of her boyfriend Paul who was waiting in his car outside her flat to see what time she finally got home. The snag: Bill is a former boyfriend of Carol's and when he calls round to the flat Sandra realises her and Carol both fancy the same man... | |||
5 | "Dinner For Three" | 3 October 1975 | TBA |
When Sandra realizes that Carol is hurt by Sandra seeing Bill, she decides to break it off. But Carol later has a change of heart and sets the pair up on a blind date at the local bistro. Unfortunately, Bill reveals he was only pretending to be vegetarian; he actually has a job driving cattle to the slaughterhouse. When Sandra, hurt, rushes home, she discovers that Carol has lined up a date with Sandra's own previous boyfriend (John Nettles). | |||
6 | "The Lily and the Dandelion" | 10 October 1975 | TBA |
Sandra has taken to feeding the local pigeons while out sunbathing, to the annoyance of the flats' residents. They finally call the council in to place cages on the roof to trap and remove the 'vermin'. Sandra, upset, sets some of them free, keeping one poorly specimen in a parrot cage in her flat until it gets better. Carol isn't happy, rows with her ("The Lily and the Dandelion never grow on the same patch..."), and temporarily goes back to her parents. Sandra ends up trapped on the roof when someone takes her ladder away; she has to be rescued by the local police, who warn her not to interfere with the pigeons anymore. | |||
7 | "Everybody Is Beautiful" | 17 October 1975 | TBA |
Carol would like some money to go to London to search for the father she hasn't seen in 5 years. Suddenly the £50 prize money for a beauty contest held at the biscuit factory where she works seems irresistible. With Sandra's help and her boyfriend Paul's (John Nettles) encouragement, she tries a series of increasingly unsuccessful beauty treatments before deciding not to enter the contest after all—and gets a beautiful surprise. |
Christmas Special (1975)
No. | Title | Original airdate | Code |
---|---|---|---|
TBA | "In Every Street" | 23 December 1975 | TBA |
First Christmas Themed Special. |
Series 6 (1976)
No. | Title | Original airdate | Code |
---|---|---|---|
1 | "Facing Up To Life" | 13 February 1976 | TBA |
Sandra and Carol take tranquillisers to cope with "Nervous exhaustion". | |||
2 | "The Maypole" | 20 February 1976 | TBA |
3 | "Honey" | 27 February 1976 | TBA |
4 | "The Never-Ending End" | 5 March 1976 | TBA |
5 | "Badgers and Otters" | 12 March 1976 | TBA |
Series 7 (1976)
No. | Title | Original airdate | Code |
---|---|---|---|
1 | "Friends and Lovers" | 17 October 1976 | TBA |
2 | "She Dreams A Lot" | 24 October 1976 | TBA |
Sandra has a premonition that death is imminent. | |||
3 | "A Mark on the World" | 31 October 1976 | TBA |
When a mugger gives her a stolen handbag, Sandra is thrust into the limelight when onlookers think that she wrestled it from him. | |||
4 | "Love 'Em – And Almost Leave 'Em" | 7 November 1976 | TBA |
In this episode, The girls receive a visit from Carol's pregnant cousin Aveline (Judith Lloyd), Which brings up the issues of men, babies...and marriage. | |||
5 | "Oh' The Shame of It" | 14 November 1976 | TBA |
Carol has a new boyfriend but neither Sandra or Carol's family think much of him. | |||
6 | "Cry Please" | 21 November 1976 | TBA |
Carol is too much in love to notice that her new man might be trying to change her. | |||
7 | "The 'Nearly' Hat" | 28 November 1976 | TBA |
Sandra and Carol decide to try their hand at market trading in order to buy something for their mothers. | |||
8 | "Yellow and Green Make Blue" | 5 December 1976 | TBA |
The girls decide to decorate the flat, but their furniture is stolen from the hallway. |
Christmas Special (1976)
No. | Title | Original airdate | Code |
---|---|---|---|
TBA | "It Insists on Coming Once A Year" | 22 December 1976 | TBA |
Second Christmas-themed special. |
Series 8 (1977)
No. | Title | Original airdate | Code |
---|---|---|---|
1 | "Something Beginning" | 23 September 1977 | TBA |
2 | "The Flower Picker" | 30 September 1977 | TBA |
3 | "You've No Idea What I've Been Through" | 7 October 1977 | TBA |
4 | "God Bless Us And Save Us" | 14 October 1977 | TBA |
5 | "They Decide Up There What Goes on Down Here" | 21 October 1977 | TBA |
6 | "The Edge" | 28 October 1977 | TBA |
7 | "The Struggle" | 4 November 1977 | TBA |
Christmas Special (1977)
No. | Title | Original airdate | Code |
---|---|---|---|
TBA | "Open Your Eyes – And It Still Hasn't Gone" | 23 December 1977 | TBA |
Third (and final) Christmas-themed special. |
Series 9 (1978–1979)
No. | Title | Original airdate | Code |
---|---|---|---|
1 | "There's No Place Like Away From Home" | 24 November 1978 | TBA |
Derek and Sandra are now married and have moved to their own house. But the clinic isn't doing very well. Carol, who is back living with her parents, suggests they let a room to help out. | |||
2 | "The Sixth Day" | 1 December 1978 | TBA |
3 | "Various Kinds of Old" | 8 December 1978 | TBA |
4 | "Weeds" | 15 December 1978 | TBA |
5 | "Somewhere To Live ... Somewhere To Love" | 29 December 1978 | TBA |
6 | "The Best Things in Life Are Not Free" | 5 January 1979 | TBA |
Series 10 (1996)
In 1996, 17 years after the final episode of the classic original series was broadcast, the BBC revived the series, reuniting Beryl and Sandra as they coped with the aftermath of their respective failed marriages.
As the BBC's own website admits, some liberties were taken with continuity: Carmel McSharry, who had played Carol's mother in series 8-9 returned transformed into Beryl's mother, and Carol's rabbit-obsessed brother Lucien Boswell, played by Michael Angelis, became Beryl's brother Lucien Hennessey.[9] The revival was not a ratings success and only lasted one series.
No. | Title | Original airdate | Code |
---|---|---|---|
1 | "Hello Again" | 6 May 1996 | TBA |
2 | "Mrs. Boswell Comes To Call" | 13 May 1996 | TBA |
3 | "Spare The Tree!" | 20 May 1996 | TBA |
4 | "On The Town" | 3 June 1996 | TBA |
5 | "Going into Hospital" | 17 June 1996 | TBA |
6 | "Out of Hospital" | 24 June 1996 | TBA |
7 | "Moving Out?" | 1 July 1996 | TBA |
Mesa de fundición
69 | 71 | 72 | 74 | 75 | 76 | 76 | 77 | 78-79 | 96 | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Actor | Character | Pilot + 1 | 2 | 3 + Short | 4 | 5 + Special | 6 | 7 + Special | 8 + Special | 9 | 10 |
Pauline Collins | Dawn | Main | |||||||||
Polly James | Beryl Hennessey | Main | Main | Main | Main | Main | |||||
Nerys Hughes | Sandra Hutchinson | Main | Main | Main | Main | Main | Main | Main | Main | Main | |
Mollie Sugden | Mrs. Hutchinson | Recurring | Recurring | Recurring | Recurring | Recurring | Recurring | Recurring | Recurring | Recurring | |
Sheila Fay (2-4), Carmel McSharry (10) | Mrs. Hennessey | Recurring | Recurring | Recurring | Recurring | ||||||
John Nettles | Paul | Guest | Recurring | Recurring | Guest | Guest | |||||
Jonathan Lynn | Robert | Guest | Recurring | Guest | |||||||
Elizabeth Estensen | Carol Boswell | Main | Main | Main | Main | Main | |||||
Eileen Kennally (5-7), Carmel McSharry (8-9) | Mrs. Boswell | Recurring | Recurring | Recurring | Recurring | Recurring | |||||
Ray Dunbobbin | Mr. Boswell | Guest | Recurring | Recurring | Recurring | Recurring | |||||
Michael Angelis | Lucien Boswell | Guest | Recurring | Recurring | Recurring | Recurring | |||||
Jack Le White | Grandad | Guest | Recurring | Guest | Recurring | Recurring | |||||
Tom Chadbon | Derek Paynton | Recurring | Recurring | ||||||||
Michael Angelis | Lucien Hennessey | Recurring | |||||||||
Lee Oakes | Gwyn | Recurring | |||||||||
Geoffrey Leesley | Rex | Recurring |
Adaptación musical
In 2018, the series was adapted into a musical production entitled, Liver Birds Flying Home. Lyrics were by Barb Jungr; music by Mike Lindup; book by Barb Jungr, George Seaton & Linda McDermott; and the play was directed by Benji Sperring.[10][11]
Lanzamientos de DVD
Only the second series was released on DVD, by Universal Playback in the UK in 2003. It has since gone out of print, with retailers such as Amazon only listing used copies, and was notable for placing the episodes in production order rather than transmission order (resulting in some continuity errors).
However, in January 2013, it was announced that Acorn Media UK had obtained the rights to release The Liver Birds onto DVD. The Liver Birds Collection One (containing The Complete Second Series, this time, in Transmission Order) was released on 8 April 2013,[12] The Liver Birds: Collection Two (containing The Complete Third Series) was released on 7 July 2014.[13]
A 4-disc set, (consisting both Collections ONE and TWO) was later released on 26 October 2015, So far Series 2 and 3 have been released onto DVD, but Acorn has no plans to release any further series.
- Collection One – (The Complete 2nd Series – Bonus, Exclusive Interview) – Released 8 April 2013.
- Collection Two – (The Complete 3rd Series) – Released 7 July 2014.
Referencias
- ^ a b BBC Comedy Connections
- ^ "Liverpool birds", Radio Times, 5–11 February 1972
- ^ a b BBCtv Comedy Connections
- ^ Fabia Drake Blind Fortune, p.40 ISBN 0-7183-0455-1
- ^ Peter Lupson Thank God for FootballISBN 978-1-902694-30-6
- ^ Brian Viner, Nice to See It, To See It, NiceISBN 978-0-7432-9585-7 p. 135
- ^ Speaking on Comedy Connections BBC tv
- ^ Comedy Connections BBCtv
- ^ "BBC – Comedy – The Liver Birds". BBC.
- ^ admin (15 April 2017). "Liver Birds Flying Home". Seabright Productions. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
- ^ "Liver Birds Flying Home". facebook.com. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
- ^ "Liver Birds: Collection One". BVA.org. 2 January 2013. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
- ^ "The Liver Birds:Collection Two". Acorn Media UK. 15 February 2014. Retrieved 15 February 2013.
enlaces externos
- BBC Comedy Guide
- The Liver Birds at the BFI's Screenonline
- The Liver Birds at British Comedy Guide
- The Liver Birds at IMDb
- The Liver Birds at British TV Resources