Steptoe and Son
Harry H. Corbett and Wilfrid Brambell as the leading characters. © BBC
Format	Sitcom
Created by	Alan Simpson Ray Galton
Starring	Harry H. Corbett Wilfrid Brambell
Country of origin	United Kingdom
No. of series	8
No. of episodes	57 (List of episodes)
Production
Running time	30 minutes per episode
Broadcast
Original channel	BBC1
Original airing	1962-1965 1970-1974
Chronology
Related shows	The Curse of Steptoe

Steptoe and Son is a British sitcom written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson about two rag and bone men living in Oil Drum Lane, a fictional street in Shepherd's Bush, London. Four series were broadcast on the BBC from 1962 to 1965, followed by a second run from 1970 to 1974. Its theme tune, "Old Ned", was composed by Ron Grainer. In a 2004 BBC poll to find Britain's Best Sitcom of all time, Steptoe and Son was voted 15th.^[1] A sitcom or situation comedy is a genre of comedy performance originally devised for radio but today typically found on television. ... Harry H. Corbett on the right with Hercules the horse. ... Wilfrid Brambell (March 22, 1912 - January 18, 1985) was an Irish film and television actor, born in Dublin, best known for his roles in the British television series Steptoe and Son and The Beatles film A Hard Days Night. ... This is an episode list of the British sitcom Steptoe and Son. ... For the BBC radio station, see BBC Radio 1. ... A British sitcom is a situation comedy (sitcom) produced in the United Kingdom. ... Ray Galton OBE (born 17 July 1930), and Alan Simpson OBE (born 27 November 1929), are British scriptwriters who met in 1948 at a tuberculosis sanatorium in London. ... For the White Stripes song, see Rag and Bone. ... Shepherds Bush is a district of West London in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, situated 4. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... Ron Grainer (August 11, 1922 - February 21, 1981) was an Australian-born composer who worked for most of his professional career in the United Kingdom. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Britains Best Sitcom was a poll conducted in 2003 and 2004 by the BBC to identify the United Kingdoms best situation comedy. ...

Background

The show had its roots in a 1962 episode of Galton & Simpson's Comedy Playhouse. Galton and Simpson had split from Tony Hancock, for whom they had written Hancock's Half Hour, and had agreed to write a series of six comedy shows for the BBC. The fourth in the series, "The Offer", was born both out of writer's block and budgetary constraints. Earlier shows in the series had cost more than expected, and so Galton and Simpson decided to write a two-hander set in one room. Comedy Playhouse was an occasional BBC television anthology series of the 1960s and early 1970s, consisting of one-off plays with the potential to be turned into regular sitcoms. ... Biography published in 1978 (1983 paperback reprint shown) Anthony John Hancock (12 May 1924 – 24 June 1968) was a major figure in British television and radio comedy in the 1950s and 1960s, known as Tony Hancock. ... Hancocks Half Hour was a famous BBC radio comedy series of the 1950s starring Tony Hancock. ... For other uses, see Writers block (disambiguation). ... Two-hander is a term for a play or movie with only two main characters. ...

Although Galton and Simpson had initially expected a different pilot from the series to have been commissioned ("Clicquot Et Fils" starring Eric Sykes as a French undertaker), they were reportedly overwhelmed by the reaction to "The Offer", and later that year, the first of eight series was commissioned, the first four of which were made in black and white. Each series comprised five to eight half-hour episodes, and the last was transmitted in 1974. At the peak of the series' popularity, it commanded viewing figures of some 28 million per episode. In addition, the early 1970s saw two feature films, two 45-minute Christmas specials and a number of radio shows based on the TV scripts. In 2005, the play Steptoe and Son in Murder at Oil Drum Lane, written by Ray Galton and John Antrobus, brought the storyline to a close. Eric Sykes in the Sykes TV series (DVD) The Plank (DVD cover) Eric Sykes, CBE (born May 4, 1923 in Oldham, Lancashire) is a British comedic writer and actor. ... This article is about the vocation of a mortician and the death metal band; for the World Wrestling Entertainment superstar, see The Undertaker. ... Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ... Steptoe and Son is a 1972 British comedy drama film and a spin-off from the popular British television comedy series of the same name about a pair of rag and bone men. ... For other uses, see Christmas (disambiguation). ... Steptoe and Son in Murder at Oil Drum Lane is a play written by Ray Galton and John Antrobus that brought the Steptoe and Son saga to an end. ... Ray Galton, OBE (born 1930) and Alan Simpson, OBE (born 1929) are British scriptwriters who met in 1948 at a Tuberculosis sanatorium in London. ...

The series was one of the first UK situation comedy programmes to employ actors rather than comedians in the principal roles. Galton and Simpson had decided themselves that they wanted to try to write for performers who "didn't count their laughs". For the documentary about Jerry Seinfeld, see Comedian (film). ...

The series' title music is "Old Ned" by Ron Grainer, played over a sequence of the men out with their horse, Hercules. "Steptoe and Son" is the Steptoes' trading name, but as established in the first episode, the "Son" is not Harold but Albert: the name dates from when he and his father — Mister Steptoe — worked the rounds. Ron Grainer (August 11, 1922 - February 21, 1981) was an Australian-born composer who worked for most of his professional career in the United Kingdom. ...

Characters

The father, Albert Steptoe (portrayed by Wilfrid Brambell), is lazy, stubborn, narrow-minded, foul-mouthed, and has revolting personal habits. Albert is content with his place in the world, utterly unpretentious and downright cynical. He can be extremely vindictive and does everything he can to prevent Harold, his son, improving himself — especially if it means him leaving home. Wilfrid Brambell (March 22, 1912 - January 18, 1985) was an Irish film and television actor, born in Dublin, best known for his roles in the British television series Steptoe and Son and The Beatles film A Hard Days Night. ...

Harold (played by Harry H. Corbett) is also obstinate, though prone to moments of enthusiasm about an idea. He wants to move up in the world — most of all to escape from the family home and his stifling relationship with his father.^[2] Harold has aspirations. He likes to see his business as being in antiques rather than junk. He is a dreamer and idealist. Politically, Harold is a Labour supporter who is appalled at his father's reactionary views. He aims to improve his mind and his social circle but always fails, often thanks to Albert's deliberate put-downs or sabotage. Harold's exasperation and disgust at his father's behaviour often results in his repeating the catchphrase "You dirty old man."^[3] Harry H. Corbett on the right with Hercules the horse. ... For the province in the Philippines, see Antique (province) and for the band, see Antique (duo). ... The Labour Party is a political party in the United Kingdom. ... A catch phrase is a phrase or expression that is popularized, usually through repeated use, by a real person or fictional character. ...

Situation

The episodes often revolve around (sometimes violent) disagreements between the two men, Harold's attempts to bed women and momentary interest over things found on his round. As with many of the best examples of British comedy, much of the humour derives from the pathos of the protagonists' situation, especially Harold's continually-thwarted (usually by the elder Steptoe) attempts to "better himself" and the unresolvable love/hate relationship that exists between the pair. Look up Pathos in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

A common theme is that Albert almost always comes out on top. Despite his lack of effort Albert routinely and easily proves himself superior to his son whenever they come into competition, such as in their frequent game-playing, e.g., the Scrabble and badminton games from the 1972 series. Harold takes them desperately seriously and sees them as symbols of his desire to improve himself, but every time they come to nothing. His father's success is partly down to superior talent but aided by cynical gamesmanship and undermining of his son's confidence. In addition, Albert habitually has better judgement than his son, who blunders into all sorts of con-tricks and blind alleys as a result of his unrealistic, straw-clutching ideas. Occasionally the tables are turned, but overall the old man is the winner, albeit in a graceless fashion. The verb to scrabble also means to scratch, scramble or scrape about: see Wiktionary:scrabble. ... This article is about the sport. ...

Harold is infuriated by these persistent frustrations and defeats, even going to the extent in "Divided We Stand" (1972) of partitioning the house in two so he doesn't have to share with his selfish, uncultured and negative father. Predictably, his plan ends in failure and ultimately he can see no way out. However, for all the bitterness there is an essential bond between the pair. Deep down, Albert seems to love his son and his behaviour is perhaps a selfish but misguided way of holding on to him so he doesn't have to face life alone. When the crunch comes, Harold sticks by his father. This protective bond is much in evidence in "The Seven Steptoerai" (1974) when they are menaced by a local gangster running a protection racket. Typically though, it is Albert who gets them ingeniously out of a very hazardous predicament. For other uses, see Seven Samurai (disambiguation). ...

Actors

A 2002 Channel 4 television documentary, When Steptoe Met Son, told the story of how Brambell and Corbett were like chalk and cheese — similar to their on-screen characters. Corbett felt he had a promising career as a serious actor, but was trapped by his role as Harold and forced to keep returning to the series after typecasting limited his choice of work. Brambell was in reality homosexual, something that in the 1960s was still frowned upon and partly illegal, and thus driven underground. The documentary went on to describe an ill-fated final tour of Australia, during which the already strained relationship between Corbett and Brambell finally broke down for good. It therefore revealed that there were in fact a great many parallels between the lives of the two actors and those of the characters that they portrayed.^[4] However, both of the main actors used voices considerably different from their own. Wilfrid Brambell — despite being Irish — spoke with a prestige Received Pronunciation English accent. Wilfrid Brambell was aged only 49 when he accepted the role of Albert; he was only 13 years older than Corbett. For his portrayal, he acquired a second set of 'rotten' dentures to accentuate his character's poor attitude to hygiene. This article is about the British television station. ... Since its coinage, the word homosexuality has acquired multiple meanings. ... Note: This page or section contains IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. ...

Humour

During the time of its production in the 1960s and 1970s, Steptoe and Son marked itself out as radical compared to the great majority of sitcoms. This was an age when the predominant sources of laughter were farce, coincidence, slapstick and innuendo. However Steptoe and Son brought greater social realism. Its characters were not only working class but demonstrably poor. The earthy language and slang used were in marked contrast to the refined voices heard on most television of the time. Social issues and debates were routinely portrayed, woven into the humour. The programme did not abandon the more traditional sources of comedy but used them in small doses. The characters, and their intense and difficult relationship, highlighted deeper qualities of writing and performance than comedy fans were used to. Look up farce in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Coincidence is the noteworthy alignment of two or more events or circumstances without obvious causal connection. ... For other uses, see Slapstick (disambiguation). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... A Diego Rivera mural depicting factory workers in Detroit Social Realism is an artistic movement, expressed in the visual and other realist arts, which depicts working class activities as heroic. ... The term working class is used to denote a social class. ... For other uses, see Slang (disambiguation). ...

Episodes

Main article: List of Steptoe and Son episodes

Steptoe and Son is rare among 1960s BBC television programmes in that every episode survives for posterity, despite the mass wiping of BBC archive holdings between 1972 and 1978. However, all the instalments from the first 1970 series and all but two from the second that were originally made in colour have only survived in the form of black and white recordings made off-air by Galton and Simpson themselves, using a half-inch reel-to-reel video recorder — a forerunner of the video cassette recorder. This is an episode list of the British sitcom Steptoe and Son. ... The video cassette recorder (or VCR, less popularly video tape recorder) is a type of video tape recorder that uses removable cassettes containing magnetic tape to record audio and video from a television broadcast so it can be played back later. ...

The BBC has released ten DVDs of the series to date — the first two being compilations of the "best" colour episodes, and the other eight containing the complete eight series, respectively. Two Christmas specials are also available on DVD, as are two feature films: Steptoe and Son, and Steptoe and Son Ride Again. A boxed set of Series 1–8 and the Christmas specials was released on Region 2 DVD by 2entertain on 29 October 2007. DVD (also known as Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc - see Etymology) is a popular optical disc storage media format. ... This is a list of British television sitcoms that have been adapted into cinema films, either during their original television run or afterwards. ... Steptoe and Son is a 1972 British comedy drama film and a spin-off from the popular British television comedy series of the same name about a pair of rag and bone men. ... Steptoe and Son Ride Again is the 1973 sequel to the 1972 film Steptoe and Son. ... is the 302nd day of the year (303rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ...

Remakes

The show was remade in the United States as Sanford and Son, which was a top-rated series that ran for five years (1972–1977) on the NBC network.^[5] Sanford and Son is an American sitcom that premiered on the NBC television network on January 14, 1972 and was broadcast for six seasons. ... This article is about the television network. ...

A Swedish remake with Sten-Åke Cederhök and Tomas von Brömssen was called Albert and Herbert, the pair living at Skolgatan 15, an address in a working-class neighbourhood of Haga, Gothenburg.^{[citation needed]} Tomas Birger von Brömssen (born 8 May 1943 in Örgryte, Västra Götalands län, Sweden) is an actor famous for his parts in Mitt liv som hund (English title My Life as a Dog), Dykaren (English title Baltic Sea, Salvation or The Diver) and Sofies verden (English... For other uses, see Gothenburg (disambiguation). ...

In the Netherlands there were also seventeen episodes of a Dutch version called Stiefbeen en Zoon.^{[citation needed]}

In Portugal there was a remake called Camilo & Filho Lda., starring famous Portuguese comedian Camilo de Oliveira, with Nuno Melo as his son.^{[citation needed]}

In South Africa a radio play version was titled Snethersthwaite and Son and was additionally a spin off of the radio play The Men from the Ministry.^{[citation needed]} The Men from the Ministry was a United Kingdom comedy radio series broadcast by the BBC between 1962 and 1977. ...

Steptoe and Son in Murder at Oil Drum Lane

Main article: Steptoe and Son in Murder at Oil Drum Lane

In October 2005, Ray Galton and John Antrobus premiered their play, Steptoe and Son in Murder at Oil Drum Lane, at the Theatre Royal, York. It then went on tour across the country. It was set in the present day and related the events that led to Harold killing his father, and their eventual meeting thirty years later, with Albert appearing as a ghost. By the end, it is clearly established that this is very much a conclusion to the Steptoe saga. It was not the first time this idea had been considered. When Wilfrid Brambell left the UK after the third series to pursue an eventually unsuccessful Broadway musical career, Galton and Simpson toyed with the concept of killing Albert off. This was in order to continue the show without having to wait for the actor to return. The character would have been replaced with Harold's illegitimate son, Arthur (thought to be played by child actor David Hemmings). This idea was detested by Corbett, who thought it ridiculous, though the 2008 drama The Curse of Steptoe suggests that he was delighted with the concept, since assuming the role of father would allow the character of Harold some development and growth, which he felt was long overdue.^[6] Steptoe and Son in Murder at Oil Drum Lane is a play written by Ray Galton and John Antrobus that brought the Steptoe and Son saga to an end. ... Ray Galton, OBE (born 1930) and Alan Simpson, OBE (born 1929) are British scriptwriters who met in 1948 at a Tuberculosis sanatorium in London. ... David Hemmings in Blowup David Hemmings (18 November 1941 – 3 December 2003) was an English movie actor and director, whose most famous role was the photographer in Michelangelo Antonionis Blowup in 1966 (opposite Vanessa Redgrave), one of the films that best represented the spirit of the 1960s. ...

The Curse of Steptoe

Main article: The Curse of Steptoe

The single, hour-long drama The Curse of Steptoe was broadcast on BBC Four on 19 March 2008; it examines the fractured relationship between Corbett and Brambell and the difficulties they had with being typecast. Jason Isaacs plays Harry H. Corbett and Phil Davis portrays Wilfrid Brambell. The film was part of a series looking at British TV comedians and personalities, including Tony Hancock, Frankie Howerd and Hughie Green, and followed the success of BBC Four's award winning 2006 play Kenneth Williams: Fantabulosa!, starring Michael Sheen as the eponymous star Kenneth Williams.^[7] The writer, Brian Fillis, had also written Fear of Fanny, starring Julia Davis as television chef Fanny Cradock. For the BBC radio station, see BBC Radio 4. ... is the 78th day of the year (79th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Era (or Anno Domini), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... Jason Isaacs (born 6 June 1963) is a British actor. ... Philip Davis (born in Grays, Essex, England) is film actor and director. ... Biography published in 1978 (1983 paperback reprint shown) Anthony John Hancock (12 May 1924 – 24 June 1968) was a major figure in British television and radio comedy in the 1950s and 1960s, known as Tony Hancock. ... Frankie Howerd OBE (born Francis Alick Howard, 6 March 1917 – 19 April 1992), was a distinctive English comedian and comic actor whose career spanned six decades. ... Hughie Green (February 2, 1920 - May 3, 1997), was the host of numerous British television shows. ... For the BBC radio station, see BBC Radio 4. ... Michael Sheen (born 5 February 1969) is an award-winning Welsh actor, known for his work on stage and film, best known for his portrayal of Tony Blair in the Stephen Frears 2006 British film The Queen. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Julia Davis (born 1966) is an English comedy writer and performer. ... Fanny Cradock (February 26, 1909 - December 27, 1994) born Phyllis Primrose Pechey, in Apthorp House, Leytonstone, London, was a British writer, restaurant critic and television cook who mostly worked with John Johnnie Cradock, whose surname she adopted long before they married. ...

DVD releases

• The first series with all 6 episodes was released in 2004 followed by the second series in 2005 and the third, fourth and fifth in 2006. Series 6, 7 and 8 were released in 2007 alongside the Christmas specials.
• The two Steptoe movies were released in 2006.
• The complete boxed set containing all eight series and two Christmas specials was released in October 2007.

In popular culture

Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. (April 2008) Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles.

• When the Sex Pistols and their entourage, the Bromley Contingent, made their infamous last-minute appearance on Thames Television's Today programme on 1 December 1976, Pistols guitarist Steve Jones responded to the host, Bill Grundy (particularly, Grundy's attempt to 'chat up' Siouxsie Sioux), with the comic line "You dirty old man!"
• Wilfrid Brambell appeared in The Beatles' 1964 film, A Hard Day's Night, playing the role of Paul McCartney's scalliwag grandfather. The Beatles apparently lobbied to get Brambell since they were fans of Steptoe and Son. As counterpoint to the younger Steptoe's catchphrase ("You dirty old man") the repeated phrase used to describe Paul's grandfather in the film was "He's very clean".
• In the film Carry On Screaming (in which Harry H. Corbett plays the main character) the Steptoe and Son theme is played as Corbett's character pulls up to a store in a horse and cart.
• In the English translation of the Asterix book Asterix and the Great Crossing, Herendthelesson's second in command for his trip to America was called Steptohanson.
• The theme tune was used as the intro song to Babyshambles' 2007 Tour.
• When original Pink Floyd frontman, Syd Barrett, came up with the riff to "Interstellar Overdrive", the group's bassist, Roger Waters, told him it reminded him of the theme to Steptoe and Son.
• Elton John took his middle name, Hercules, from the Steptoes' horse.

Sex Pistols are an iconic and highly influential English punk rock band, formed in London in 1975. ... The Bromley Contingent were a group of followers and fans of the Sex Pistols. ... is the 335th day of the year (336th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Stephen Phillip Jones (b. ... William Grundy (February 20, 1923 - February 9, 1993), commonly called Bill, was a British television presenter and was the host of Thames Televisions Today show in the 1970s. ... Susan Janet Ballion (born May 27, 1957 in Bromley, London), better known by her stage name, Siouxsie Sioux (IPA: , pronounced the same way as Susie Sue), is the lead singer of both the influential rock band Siouxsie & the Banshees and of its splinter group The Creatures. ... The White Album, see The Beatles (album). ... A Hard Days Night (1964) is a British comedy film originally released by United Artists, written by Alun Owen and starring The Beatles during the height of Beatlemania. ... Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer-songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist, poet, entrepreneur, painter, record producer, film producer, and animal-rights activist. ... Carry On Screaming! is the twelfth Carry On film. ... This article is about the comic book series. ... Asterix and the Great Crossing is the twenty-second volume of the Asterix comic book series, by René Goscinny (stories) and Albert Uderzo (illustrations). ... Babyshambles are an English indie rock band established in London. ... Pink Floyd are an English rock band that initially earned recognition for their psychedelic or space rock music, and, as they evolved, for their progressive rock music. ... Roger Keith Syd Barrett (6 January 1946 – 7 July 2006) was an English singer, songwriter, guitarist, and artist. ... Interstellar Overdrive is a psychedelic music composition by Pink Floyd, which appears on their 1967 debut album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn at almost ten minutes in length. ... George Roger Waters (born 6 September 1943) is an English rock musician; singer, bassist, guitarist, songwriter, and composer. ... Sir Elton Hercules[1] John CBE[2] (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on 25 March 1947) is a five-time Grammy and one-time Academy Award-winning English pop/rock singer, composer and pianist. ...

References

1. ^ Best comedy series http://www.bfi.org.uk/features/tv/100/articles/comedy.html Retrieved 24/09/07
2. ^ The tragedy of Harold's inability to escape the clutches of his father. Retrieved 25/09/07
3. ^ Famous catchphrase, "You dirty old man". Retrieved 25/09/07
4. ^ The Guardian: feature on the Channel 4 documentary
5. ^ British comedy remakes that aim to bring a smile to the US | MediaGuardian.co.uk
6. ^ The Guardian, Steptoe and Son in Murder at Oil Drum Lane accessed 29/03/08
7. ^ BBC Press Office: BBC Four Winter/Spring 2008

External links

• Steptoe and Son at bbc.co.uk Comedy Guide
• Steptoe and Son at British Film Institute Screen Online
• Steptoe and Son at The British Sitcom Guide
• The Original Steptoe & Son Website
• Steptoe and Son - Television series at IMDb
• Steptoe and Son - Feature film at IMDb
• Steptoe and Son at Laughterlog.com
• Steptoe & Son Appreciation Society Website
• Steptoe and Son fansite
• Steptoe and Son page
• Steptoe Fansite