A Bit of a Do was a British

Great Britain

Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...

 comedy drama series based on the books by David Nobbs

David Nobbs

David Gordon Nobbs is an English comedy writer.Following an education at Marlborough College and Cambridge University, Nobbs wrote for many of Britain's comedy performers over the years, including Kenneth Williams, Frankie Howerd, Les Dawson and The Two Ronnies...

. The show starred David Jason

David Jason

Sir David John White, OBE , better known by his stage name David Jason, is an English BAFTA award-winning actor. He is best known as the main character Derek "Del Boy" Trotter on the BBC sit-com Only Fools and Horses from 1981, the voice of Mr Toad in The Wind In The Willows and as detective Jack...

 and was aired on ITV

ITV

ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...

 in 1989. It was made for the ITV

ITV

ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...

 network by Yorkshire Television

Yorkshire Television

Yorkshire Television, now officially known as ITV Yorkshire and sometimes unofficially abbreviated to YTV, is a British television broadcaster and the contractor for the Yorkshire franchise area on the ITV network...

.

The show was set in a fictional Yorkshire

Yorkshire

Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...

 town. Each episode took place at a different social function and followed the changing lives of two families, the working-class Simcocks (David Jason

David Jason

Sir David John White, OBE , better known by his stage name David Jason, is an English BAFTA award-winning actor. He is best known as the main character Derek "Del Boy" Trotter on the BBC sit-com Only Fools and Horses from 1981, the voice of Mr Toad in The Wind In The Willows and as detective Jack...

, Gwen Taylor

Gwen Taylor

Gwen Taylor is an actress who has appeared in many British television programmes, including Z-Cars, Murder Most Horrid, Yes, Prime Minister, Inspector Morse, Midsomer Murders and Belonging...

, David Thewlis

David Thewlis

David Thewlis is an English actor of stage and screen. His most commercially successful role to date has been that of Remus Lupin, in the Harry Potter film series...

 and Wayne Foskett) and the middle-class Rodenhursts (Nicola Pagett

Nicola Pagett

Nicola Pagett is an English actress. She is best-known for her role as Elizabeth Bellamy in the 1970s TV drama series Upstairs, Downstairs.-Early life:She was educated at St...

, Paul Chapman, Sarah-Jane Holm and Nigel Hastings), together with their respective friends, Rodney and Betty Sillitoe (Tim Wylton

Tim Wylton

Tim Wylton is a British television actor best known for his roles Stanley Dawkins in My Hero and Lol Ferris in As Time Goes By....

 and Stephanie Cole

Stephanie Cole

Stephanie Cole, OBE is an English stage, television, and film actress, best known for playing characters a great deal older than her actual age.-Early life:...

), and Neville Badger (Michael Jayston

Michael Jayston

Michael Jayston is a Nottingham-born English actor.- Early life :He attended the Becket Grammar School in West Bridgford, then worked briefly as a trainee accountant at the offices of the National Coal Board before obtaining a scholarship to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama to train as an...

). The series begins with the wedding of Ted and Rita Simcock's son Paul to Laurence and Liz Rodenhurst's daughter Jenny; an event at which Ted and Liz begin an affair. The subsequent fallout from this affair forms the basis for most of the first series.

Cast

Actor	Role
David Jason David Jason Sir David John White, OBE , better known by his stage name David Jason, is an English BAFTA award-winning actor. He is best known as the main character Derek "Del Boy" Trotter on the BBC sit-com Only Fools and Horses from 1981, the voice of Mr Toad in The Wind In The Willows and as detective Jack...	Ted Simcock
Gwen Taylor Gwen Taylor Gwen Taylor is an actress who has appeared in many British television programmes, including Z-Cars, Murder Most Horrid, Yes, Prime Minister, Inspector Morse, Midsomer Murders and Belonging...	Rita Simcock
Nicola Pagett Nicola Pagett Nicola Pagett is an English actress. She is best-known for her role as Elizabeth Bellamy in the 1970s TV drama series Upstairs, Downstairs.-Early life:She was educated at St...	Liz Rodenhurst/Badger
Stephanie Cole Stephanie Cole Stephanie Cole, OBE is an English stage, television, and film actress, best known for playing characters a great deal older than her actual age.-Early life:...	Betty Sillitoe
Tim Wylton Tim Wylton Tim Wylton is a British television actor best known for his roles Stanley Dawkins in My Hero and Lol Ferris in As Time Goes By....	Rodney Sillitoe
Sarah-Jane Holm	Jenny Simcock
Wayne Foskett	Elvis Simcock
Michael Jayston Michael Jayston Michael Jayston is a Nottingham-born English actor.- Early life :He attended the Becket Grammar School in West Bridgford, then worked briefly as a trainee accountant at the offices of the National Coal Board before obtaining a scholarship to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama to train as an...	Neville Badger
Nigel Hastings	Simon Rodenhurst
Karen Drury Karen Drury Karen Drury is a British actress best known for her role as Susannah Farnham in Channel 4 soap, Brookside...	Carol Fordingbridge
Malcolm Hebden Malcolm Hebden Malcolm Hebden is an English television and stage actor best known for his role as Norris Cole in the long-running ITV soap opera Coronation Street.-Early life:...	Eric, the barman
David Thewlis David Thewlis David Thewlis is an English actor of stage and screen. His most commercially successful role to date has been that of Remus Lupin, in the Harry Potter film series...	Paul Simcock
Tracy Brabin Tracy Brabin Tracy Brabin is an English actress and television writer.Brabin is best remembered for her roles as clumsy waitress Sandra opposite David Jason in A Bit of a Do , Tricia Armstrong in Coronation Street from 1994 to 1997 and Ginny in Richard Harris's Outside Edge...	Sandra Pickersgill
Paul Chapman Paul Chapman (actor) Paul Chapman is a British actor who made his acting debut back in 1964 in the TV series Curtain of Fear. He was born in Hampstead, London in 1939 and is the brother of British play-write John Chapman and nephew of actor Edward Chapman Paul Chapman is a British actor who made his acting debut back...	Laurence Rodenhurst
Amanda Wenban Amanda Wenban Amanda Wenban is an actress who has worked in television in both the United Kingdom and Australia.Her credits include: Inspector Morse, A Bit of a Do, Families, Home and Away, Revelations, All Saints and Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars.She was a regular cast member on the soap opera Emmerdale,...	Lucinda Snellmarsh
Malcolm Tierney Malcolm Tierney Malcolm Tierney is an English actor who has appeared in many film and television roles.His roles include the part of Tommy McArdle in Brookside between 1983 and 1987, Charlie Gimbert in Lovejoy, Geoffrey Ellsworth-Symthe in A Bit of a Do, Patrick Woolton in House of Cards and Chief Const. Raymond...	Geoffrey Ellsworth-Smythe
Diana Weston Diana Weston Diana Weston is an English actress who has been on British television since 1975. She is a grandchild of Charles Basil Price.-Career:...	Corinna Price-Rodgerson
Keith Marsh	Percy Spragg
William Simons William Simons William Simons is a Welsh actor, born in Swansea on 17 November 1940.He started acting as a child. But, he is best known for his role as Yorkshireman PC Alf Ventress in Heartbeat, a part he played for its entire 18-year run....	Dale Monsal, the bandleader
David Yelland David Yelland David Yelland is a British writer, a former journalist and editor of The Sun and a partner at Brunswick Group LLP, a global financial public relations and communications company in London...	Gerry Lansdown
Philip Bird Philip Bird Philip Bird is an English actor who has appeared in several British shows such as Peter Birch in ITV soap opera Emmerdale in 2006. He has also appeared in BBC's Doctors, ITV's Heartbeat and Coronation Street.-External links:...	Andrew Denton
Frank Middlemass Frank Middlemass Francis George Middlemass was an English actor, who even in his early career played older roles. He is best remembered for his television roles as Rocky Hardcastle in As Time Goes By, Algy Herries in To Serve Them All My Days and Dr. Alex Ferrenby in Heartbeat...	"Uncle" Harvey
Fred Pearson	"Monsieur Albert

Episodes

Series 1

• The White Wedding (13 January 1989)
• The Dentist's Dinner Dance (20 January 1989)
• The Angling Club Christmas Party (27 January 1989)
• The Charity Horse-Racing Evening (3 February 1989)
• The Crowning of Miss Frozen Chicken (UK) (10 February 1989)
• The Registry Office Wedding (17 February 1989)

Series 2

• The Church Wedding (20 October 1989)
• The Christening (27 October 1989)
• The Grand Opening of Sillitoe's (3 November 1989)
• The Farewell Party (10 November 1989)
• The Inauguration of the Outer Inner Relief Ring Road (17 November 1989)
• The Funeral (24 November 1989)
• The Civil Wedding (1 December 1989)

Background

Pat Sandys who had produced one of David Nobbs' plays Cupid's Darts was looking for plays for a series called Love and Marriage. The three ideas put forward by David Nobbs were a dentists' dinner dance, a Miss Ball Bearing competition and a diamond wedding. Though the ideas were not used, David Nobbs came up with the idea of having the same characters in different do's.
Casting Gwen Taylor as Rita came first. David Nobbs wanted John Thaw and several others to play Ted Simcock, before David Jason was chosen.