The Worker (TV series)
| The Worker | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Written by |
Charlie Drake Lew Schwarz |
| Starring |
Charlie Drake Percy Herbert Henry McGee |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| No. of series | 5 |
| No. of episodes | 35 + 1 short |
| Production | |
| Running time |
35 minutes (13 episodes) 30 minutes (12 episodes) 15 minutes (10 episodes) |
| Production company(s) |
ATV (1965-70) LWT (1978) |
| Release | |
| Original network | ITV |
| Original release | 27 February 1965 – 24 December 1978 |
The Worker is a British sitcom that aired on ITV from 1965 to 1978. Co-written by and starring comedian Charlie Drake, the programme revolved around a man who has been dismissed from nearly 1,000 jobs.
Cast
- Charlie Drake - Charlie
- Percy Herbert - Mr Whittaker (series 1)
- Henry McGee - Mr Pugh (series 2 onwards)
Plot
Charlie, although willing to work, has been dismissed from the 980 jobs that the local Labour Exchange have found him over the previous 20 years. Mr Whittaker, and later Mr Pugh, is the clerk at the exchange who tries to find Charlie a suitable job.[1]
Episodes
The first two series of The Worker, a total of thirteen 35 minute episodes, aired in 1965 on Saturdays at 8.25pm. The next two series - by now in colour - broadcast from 1969 to 1970, with the first airing on Mondays at 9.30pm and the second on Thursdays at 9.00pm. This time the twelve episodes were 30 minutes long. A short special as part of All-Star Comedy Carnival was shown on Christmas Day 1970. The final ten episodes - all of about 15 minutes duration - aired in 1978.[2] The first eight were shown as part of Bruce Forsyth's Big Night, the ninth as a stand-alone programme and the final episode as part of Bruce Forsyth's Christmas Eve.[1]
Due to the archival policies of the time, not all of the programme exists in the archives. The 1970 Christmas short is missing and is presumed wiped. The last four episodes of the third series and the entire fourth series exist only in black-and-white, despite having been broadcast originally in colour.[3]
Series One
| # | Episode Title | Original Broadcast Date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Machinery of Organisation" | 27 February 1965 |
| 2 | "Out of the Mouths of Casual Labourers" | 6 March 1965 |
| 3 | "The Mechanics of Piecework" | 13 March 1965 |
| 4 | "No Automation Without Representation" | 20 March 1965 |
| 5 | "A Democratic Democratism" | 27 March 1965 |
| 6 | "And Never the Twine Shall Meet" | 3 April 1965 |
Series Two
| # | Episode Title | Original Broadcast Date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "A Host of Golden Casual Labourers" | 2 October 1965 |
| 2 | "Eight and Thrupence" | 9 October 1965 |
| 3 | "Little Tom" | 16 October 1965 |
| 4 | "A Punting We Will Go" | 23 October 1965 |
| 5 | "Through a Glass Darkly" | 30 October 1965 |
| 6 | "The Man Who Moved His Head" | 6 November 1965 |
| 7 | "I Just Don't Want to Get Involved" | 13 November 1965 |
Series Three
| # | Episode Title | Original Broadcast Date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Hallo Cobbler" | 29 December 1969 |
| 2 | "You Have Enjoyed the Sweets – Now You Must Suffer the Sours" | 5 January 1970 |
| 3 | "The Siege of Kidney Street" | 12 January 1970 |
| 4 | "Now Is The Time For All Left Legs" | 19 January 1970 |
| 5 | "When Adam Delved and Eve Span" | 26 January 1970 |
Series Four
| # | Episode Title | Original Broadcast Date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "A Change Is As Good As A Rest" | 6 August 1970 |
| 2 | "Breed In For Speed, Breed Out For Stamina" | 13 August 1970 |
| 3 | "Cough" | 20 August 1970 |
| 4 | "The Saucerer's Apprentice" | 27 August 1970 |
| 5 | "Ma Chandelle Est Mort" | 3 September 1970 |
| 6 | "I Babble, Babble As I Flow to Join the Brimming River" | 10 September 1970 |
| 7 | "No Room at the Inn For the Odd Couple Up the Staircase" | 17 September 1970 |
Christmas Special
| Episode Title | Original Broadcast Date |
|---|---|
| Christmas short | 25 December 1970 |
Series Five
| # | Episode Title | Original Broadcast Date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Episode One | 7 October 1978 |
| 2 | Episode Two | 14 October 1978 |
| 3 | "Self-Inflicted Compensation" | 21 October 1978 |
| 4 | "Bitter Bit" | 28 October 1978 |
| 5 | "Big Apple" | 4 November 1978 |
| 6 | Episode Six | 11 November 1978 |
| 7 | Episode Seven | 18 November 1978 |
| 8 | Episode Eight | 16 December 1978 |
| 9 | "A Worker's Christmas" | 17 December 1978 |
| 10 | Episode Ten | 24 December 1978 |
DVD release
The 25 episodes from the first four series of The Worker were released on DVD on 28 May 2007..[4] The colour episodes were presented in their surviving black and white versions with ITC Entertainment logos. The only surviving colour episode from the original series ("Hello, Cobbler" with incomplete end titles) is included as an extra. This DVD also included three of the 1978 episodes, claimed to be the only ones that survive, with introductions and endpieces by Bruce Forsyth.
References
- General
- "The Worker". British Comedy Guide. 2014. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
- Specific
- 1 2 Lewishohn, Mark (2003). Radio Times Guide to TV Comedy. London: BBC Worldwide. ISBN 0-563-48755-0.
- ↑ "BFI - The Worker". screenonline.org.uk. 2014. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
- ↑ "LostShows.com". LostShows.com. 2014. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
- ↑ "Amazon.co.uk". Amazon.co.uk. 2014. Retrieved 22 January 2014.