In Loving Memory (TV series)
Encyclopedia
In Loving Memory is a British
period
sitcom
set in an undertakers business
that starred Thora Hird
and Christopher Beeny
. A pilot was transmitted in 1969 by Thames Television
who rejected the idea before it was finally accepted by Yorkshire Television
in 1979 where it further ran for five series between until 1986.
), the proprietor of the undertakers, dies. This leaves his widow Ivy (Thora Hird) and gormless nephew Billy (Christopher Beeny) to take over the business.
As might be expected, the accident-prone Ivy and Billy have numerous mishaps, and hardly a funeral goes by without something untoward occurring.
The setting for the show is the fictional Yorkshire
town of Oldshaw during the 1930s. The writer Dick Sharples
chose this period as this was the time when undertakers were switching from horse drawn hearses to mechanical ones.
(1 x 25 min) 4 Nov 1969 · Tues 8.30pm
Series One
(7 x 25 min) 21 May - 2 Jul 1979 · Mon mostly 8pm
Series Two
(7 x 25 min) 3 Nov - 15 Dec 1980 · Mon 8pm
Series Three
(7 x 25 min) 12 Oct - 23 Nov 1982 · Tue 8.30pm
Special
(1 x 25 Min) 24 Dec 1982 · Fri 8pm
Series Four
(7 x 25 min) 16 Jan - 27 Feb 1984 · Mon 8pm
Series Five
(7 x 25 min) 20 Feb - 3 Apr 1986 · Thu 9pm
. A 5-disc set of the complete series has also been released.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
period
Period piece
-Setting:In the performing arts, a period piece is a work set in a particular era. This informal term covers all countries, all periods and all genres...
sitcom
British sitcom
A British sitcom tends, as it does in most other countries, to be based on a family, workplace or other institution, where the same group of contrasting characters is brought together in each episode. Unlike American sitcoms, where twenty or more episodes in a season is the norm, British sitcoms...
set in an undertakers business
Funeral director
A funeral director , also known as a mortician or undertaker, is a professional involved in the business of funeral rites. These tasks often entail the embalming and burial or cremation of the dead, as well as the planning and arrangement of the actual funeral ceremony...
that starred Thora Hird
Thora Hird
Dame Thora Hird DBE was an English actress.-Early life and career:Hird was born in the Lancashire seaside town of Morecambe. She first appeared on stage at the age of two months in a play her father was managing...
and Christopher Beeny
Christopher Beeny
Born in London, Beeny began his career at the age of six when he danced for the ' Ballet Rambert. He spent several years at the ' Arts Educational School before later progressing to 'RADA.His first screen role was in the 1952 film The Long Memory...
. A pilot was transmitted in 1969 by Thames Television
Thames Television
Thames Television was a licensee of the British ITV television network, covering London and parts of the surrounding counties on weekdays from 30 July 1968 until 31 December 1992....
who rejected the idea before it was finally accepted 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...
in 1979 where it further ran for five series between until 1986.
Plot
The year is 1929 and in the opening episode Jeremiah Unsworth (Freddie JonesFreddie Jones
Frederick Charles "Freddie" Jones is an English character actor.Jones was born in the town of Longton, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, the son of Ida Elizabeth and Charles Edward Jones. He became an actor after ten years of working as a laboratory assistant with a firm making ceramic products,...
), the proprietor of the undertakers, dies. This leaves his widow Ivy (Thora Hird) and gormless nephew Billy (Christopher Beeny) to take over the business.
As might be expected, the accident-prone Ivy and Billy have numerous mishaps, and hardly a funeral goes by without something untoward occurring.
The setting for the show is the 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 of Oldshaw during the 1930s. The writer Dick Sharples
Dick Sharples
Dick Sharples is a British TV scriptwriter of British sitcoms. He has also written novels, plays and drama series .-Life and career:...
chose this period as this was the time when undertakers were switching from horse drawn hearses to mechanical ones.
Trivia
- The pilot for the show aired on 4 November 1969 as part of a series of six one-off situation-comedies. The producers, Thames TelevisionThames TelevisionThames Television was a licensee of the British ITV television network, covering London and parts of the surrounding counties on weekdays from 30 July 1968 until 31 December 1992....
elected not to take the series any further. It was almost ten years later when fellow ITV company Yorkshire Television commissioned a series. - Both BramhamBramham cum OglethorpeBramham cum Oglethorpe, more well known as just "Bramham", is a village and civil parish in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough, West Yorkshire, England.- Overview :According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 1,715...
and LuddendenLuddendenLuddenden is a district of Calderdale west of Halifax on the river Ludd in the county of West Yorkshire, England.The name means Ludd valley, or valley of the loud stream and refers to the Luddenden Brook....
, West YorkshireWest YorkshireWest Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
was where the location shooting took place. - The theme music, entitled 'Comedy Close Up No.2' by Herbert Chappell, was supplied by De Wolfe MusicDe Wolfe MusicDe Wolfe Music is the originator of what has become known as production music as it was established in 1909 and began its recorded library in 1927 with the advent of 'Talkies'. The library consists of over 80,000 tracks, all pre-cleared for licensing and synchronisation...
film and television music library. - Syd LittleSyd LittleSyd Little is an English comedian and straight man in the double act Little and Large, with Eddie Large....
, in one episode, played a doubting neighbour character who once heard a sheep say, "hello". - That's Your FuneralThat's Your FuneralThat's Your Funeral was a BBC sitcom from 1971. The show was about a North of England funeral director called Basil Bulstrode . It used numerous urban legends about the funeral industry in its storylines...
was a BBC Television sitcom based on a similar premise, but it only lasted for one series. - Dame Thora Hird and Dick Sharples worked together on another ITV comedy series, Hallelujah!Hallelujah! (TV series)Hallelujah! was a British sitcom made by Yorkshire Television for the ITV network and was broadcast from April 1983 to December 1984.The series was set in a Salvation Army citadel in the fictional Yorkshire town of Brigthorpe during series 1...
, which was also produced by Yorkshire Television and ran from 1981 to 1984 concurrently with In Loving Memory. - RIP, a 1992 TV show produced by the Belgian BRTVlaamse Radio- en TelevisieomroepThe Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroeporganisatie , or VRT, is a publicly-funded broadcaster of radio and television in Flanders ....
, borrowed many of its early screenplays directly from In Loving Memory. - Dick Sharples followed In Loving Memory with another sitcom (also produced by Yorkshire Television): Farrington of the F.O.Farrington of the F.O.Farrington of the F.O. was a British television comedy series by Dick Sharples about the staff of the British Consulate in "one of the armpits of Latin America". It was produced by Yorkshire Television and broadcast from 1986 to 1987...
. It starred Angela ThorneAngela ThorneAngela Thorne is an English actress who is best known for her roles in To the Manor Born and Anyone for Denis?-Early life:Angela Thorne was born in Karachi, British India, , in 1939...
and Joan SimsJoan SimsJoan Sims was an English actress best remembered for her roles in the Carry On films, and latterly for playing Madge Hardcastle in As Time Goes By.-Early life:...
(the latter of whom had appeared in several episodes of In Loving Memory in various roles, including that of a rival undertaker. - Richard WilsonRichard WilsonIan Colquhoun Wilson OBE better known as Richard Wilson, is a Scottish actor, theatre director and broadcaster, best known for playing Victor Meldrew in the popular BBC sitcom One Foot in the Grave. He currently appears in the BBC drama Merlin.- Life and career :Wilson was born in Greenock, Scotland...
, famous for his role as Victor MeldrewVictor MeldrewVictor Meldrew was a fictional character in the popular BBC One sitcom One Foot in the Grave. Created by David Renwick and played by Richard Wilson, the character was the archetypal grumpy old man...
in the sitcom One Foot in the GraveOne Foot in the GraveOne Foot in the Grave is a BBC television sitcom series written by David Renwick. The show ran for six series, including seven Christmas specials, two Comic Relief specials, over an eleven year period, from early 1990 to late 2000...
, appeared in two episodes of the programme as the rival undertaker, Percy Openshaw. This was the same year he began his role as Dr Thorpe in Only When I LaughOnly When I Laugh (TV series)Only When I Laugh is a British television sitcom made by Yorkshire Television for ITV between 29 October 1979 and 16 December 1982. It was set in the ward of an NHS hospital. The title is the answer to the question, "Does it hurt?"...
.
Transmission dates
Pilot (B&W)(1 x 25 min) 4 Nov 1969 · Tues 8.30pm
Series One
(7 x 25 min) 21 May - 2 Jul 1979 · Mon mostly 8pm
Series Two
(7 x 25 min) 3 Nov - 15 Dec 1980 · Mon 8pm
Series Three
(7 x 25 min) 12 Oct - 23 Nov 1982 · Tue 8.30pm
Special
(1 x 25 Min) 24 Dec 1982 · Fri 8pm
Series Four
(7 x 25 min) 16 Jan - 27 Feb 1984 · Mon 8pm
Series Five
(7 x 25 min) 20 Feb - 3 Apr 1986 · Thu 9pm
DVD release
All five series (including the 1982 Christmas special) of In Loving Memory have now been released on DVD by NetworkNetwork DVD
Network DVD is a DVD publishing company that specialises in classic British television. In particular, it has the rights to a number of well-known ITV programmes...
. A 5-disc set of the complete series has also been released.
| DVD | Year(s) | Release date |
|---|---|---|
| The Complete Series 1 | 1979 | 18 February 2009 |
| The Complete Series 2 | 1980 | 6 July 2009 |
| The Complete Series 3 Plus Special | 1982 | 5 October 2009 |
| The Complete Series 4 | 1984 | 19 April 2010 |
| The Complete Series 5 | 1986 | 23 August 2010 |
| The Complete Series 1 to 5 Box Set | 1979- 1986 |
18 October 2010 |