Mind Your Language is a British comedy television series, that premiered on
ITVITV is a public service network of British commercial television broadcasters, set up under the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC. ITV is the oldest commercial television network in the UK...
in late 1977. Produced by LWT and directed by Stuart Allen, it is set in a school for adult students in London, focusing on the English as a Foreign Language class taught by Mr. Jeremy Brown, portrayed by Barry Evans, who had to deal with a motley crew of foreigners. Three series were made by LWT between 1977-79, and the show was briefly revived in 1986 with some of the original cast.
Premise
The series focuses on the adult students of the English as a Foreign Language class in a London school. The classes take place in the early evening, and are taught by Mr. Brown, though on occasion other individuals take over the class if he is not available. The class consists of foreigners with varying degrees of English proficiency. The humour of the show is derived from the students misunderstanding English words or terms, and plays up to the cultural
stereotypeA stereotype is a commonly held public belief about specific social groups, or types of individuals.The concepts of "stereotype" and "prejudice" are often confused with many other different meanings. Stereotypes are standardized and simplified conceptions of groups, based on some prior...
of their individual nation of origin.
Season One takes place over a full school year, starting with Mr. Brown being hired by the Headmistress Miss Courtney, and ends with the students sitting for their
Lower Cambridge CertificateThe General Certificate of Education or GCE is an academic qualification that examination boards in the United Kingdom and a few of the commonwealth countries, notably Sri Lanka, confer to students. The GCE traditionally comprised two levels: the Ordinary Level and the Advanced Level...
. Season Two begins at the start of the next school year, with all ten previous students returning after having failed their exam, and two new students joining them, for a total of twelve. Season One and Two primarily took place within the classroom, but the later seasons explored settings outside of the school.
Production
The show was cancelled in 1979 by
Michael GradeMichael Ian Grade CBE is a British broadcast executive and businessman. He was BBC chairman and is currently Executive Chairman of ITV plc, but has announced he will step down from his executive role by the end of 2009.-Early life:...
, then-LWT's Deputy Controller of Entertainment, who considered the stereotyping offensive (some public debate had established that many people found it racist). Nevertheless the series was sold to other countries, including
PakistanPakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located at the crossroads of South Asia, the Middle East, and Central Asia...
,
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
,
New ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous smaller islands, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands. The indigenous Māori named New Zealand Aotearoa, commonly translated as The Land of the Long White Cloud...
,
Sri LankaSri Lanka , officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka , is an island country in South Asia, located about off the southern coast of India...
,
IndiaIndia, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal...
,
MalaysiaMalaysia is a country in Southeast Asia that consists of thirteen states and three Federal Territories, with a total landmass of . The capital city is Kuala Lumpur, while Putrajaya is the seat of the federal government. The population stands at over 28 million inhabitants...
,
KenyaThe Republic of Kenya is a country in East Africa. Lying along the Indian Ocean, at the equator, Kenya is bordered by Ethiopia , Somalia , Tanzania , Uganda plus Lake Victoria , and Sudan . The capital city is Nairobi. Kenya spans an area about 85% the size of France or Texas...
,
NigeriaNigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising thirty-six states and one Federal Capital Territory. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger...
,
GhanaThe Republic of Ghana is a country in West Africa which borders Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
, and
SingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island city-state located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, lying north of the equator, south of the Malaysian state of Johor and north of Indonesia's Riau Islands. At , Singapore is a microstate and the smallest nation in Southeast...
. It was also one of the first British TV programmes shown in
South AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country located at the southern tip of Africa, with a coastline on the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. To the north lie Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe, to the east are Mozambique and Swaziland, while Lesotho is an independent country surrounded by South Africa.Modern...
after the end of the boycott by
EquityEquity is the trade union for actors, stage managers and models in the United Kingdom. It was formed in 1930 by a group of West End performers....
. It was resurrected briefly for the export market by an independent producer in the mid 1980s. Some ITV companies didn't show any of the episodes made in 1986. Only Granada transmitted the final 13 episodes consecutively as a complete series.
Various international television shows based on the premise of
Mind Your Language have followed the original series. Among them are
What a Country!What a Country! is an American sitcom that aired in syndication from September 20, 1986 to September 19, 1987.-Synopsis:Based on the British sitcom Mind Your Language, the series follows the theme of an American English language teacher trying his best to teach a group of foreigners who are trying...
(US),
Zaban Sambhal Ke (India),
Zaban Sambhal Kai (Pakistan) and
Second Chance! (Nigeria).
Recording Locations
The majority of recording sessions for the first three series took place on Tuesday evenings in Studio Two at
The London StudiosThe London Studios is a television studio complex which is owned by London Weekend Television and has been home to the London Weekend ITV provider since 1972. It is in the heart of London and is situated on the South Bank next to IBM and the Royal National Theatre...
. The 1986 resurrected series was filmed at
UxbridgeUxbridge is a town in the London Borough of Hillingdon in West London, England. It is a suburban development situated west north-west of Charing Cross and near to the boundary with Buckinghamshire which is locally the River Colne...
Technical College, Middlesex.
Transmission details
- Series One (13) 30 December 1977-24 March 1978 · Friday 7pm (ITV London region)
- Series Two (8) 7 October-25 November 1978 · Saturday mostly 6pm (ITV London region
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. It was both a broadcaster and a producer of television programmes, making shows both for the local region it covered...
)
- Series Three (8) 27 October-15 December 1979 · Saturday mostly 6.45pm (ITV London region
London Weekend Television is the ITV network franchise holder for London and the South East at weekends, broadcasting from Fridays at 5:15pm. to Monday mornings at 5:59am....
)
- Series Four (13) 4 January-15 December 1986 · Saturday 2:15pm (ITV Granada region
Granada Television is the United Kingdom ITV contractor for North West England and the Isle of Man.It is the only one of the original four ITA franchisees from 1954 that survived as a franchise holder into the twenty-first century. Broadcasting began on 3 May 1956, with the company originally...
)
DVD releases
The series was released as a boxed set on Region 2 DVD in 2003, and on Region 1 DVD in 2004. However, this set excludes the Season 1 episode
Kill Or Cure, the Season 2 episode
Don't Forget The Driver, the Season 3 episode
Guilty Or Not Guilty? and the entirety of Season 4. An alternate boxed set was released by
Network DVDNetwork 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....
in November 2007, containing the complete Seasons 1 to 3. The remaining fourth series has yet to be released on DVD.
School staff
Jeremy Brown, portrayed by Barry Evans, is the English teacher and focal point of most of the series. He is a
B.A.Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences or both....
from Oxford University. He is hired in the series pilot, in which he is warned that the previous teacher was driven insane by the students. Mr. Brown is up to the challenge, and often has to put up with the students' often literal interpretations of the English language. Despite his frustrations with the students, he grows fond of them and often goes out of his way to help them and vice versa. In the 12th episode, he told his students of how he was left on an orphanage In Jeremy Street 30 years ago and grew up without any parents, a possible reference to Evans' own childhood. He suspected that Sidney is his father after he heard that Sidney left his baby in the same orphanage. Unfortunately (or fortunately), his baby turned out to be a girl.
Miss Dolores Courtney, portrayed by
Zara NutleyZara Nutley is a New Zealand born British television actress, well-known for playing the role of Ms. Dolores Courtney, the college principal in the comedy series Mind Your Language and Aunt Eleanor in the comedy series Never the Twain. She also played the role of Mrs. Attacliffe in the episode...
, is the school's pompous and tight-fisted principal. She thinks poorly of Mr. Brown and his abilities as a teacher, and often drops in unannounced into his class to check on the students' progress. She also is a bit of a feminist and believes that women can do better at anything than men. Over time she grows fond of Mr. Brown as well as his students.
Sidney, portrayed by
Tommy GodfreyTommy Godfrey was an English actor of film and television.His television credits included Love Thy Neighbour, Mind Your Language, The Avengers, Bless This House, Till Death Us Do Part, Z-Cars, Softly, Softly, The Goodies and On the Buses..His film appearances included Passport to Pimlico , Work Is a...
(Season 1 - 3), also known as Sid, is the caretaker of the school and the last of the main characters in season 1 to appear. He is a London
CockneyThe term Cockney has both geographical and linguistic associations. Geographically and culturally, it often refers to working class Londoners, particularly those in the East End...
who frequently speaks in slang rhyme. He is also hard-of-hearing resulting in frequent misunderstandings. He becomes a father figure and friend to Mr. Brown and the male students of his class. One episode even briefly presents the possibility that Sidney is Mr Brown's real father.
Gladys, portrayed by Iris Sadler (Season 1 - 3), is the old lady in charge of the tea room at the school. She is, in contrast to Miss Courtney, affable and friendly towards Sidney, Mr. Brown and the students. She takes Miss Courtney's domineering attitude in stride, and gets along well with everyone.
Students
Giovanni Capello, portrayed by George Camiller (Season 1 - 4), is an Italian cook, the class's loudest student and de-facto class monitor. He is best friends with Max, who becomes his flatmate. Giovanni's main English problem is understanding
metaphorA metaphor is a figure of speech concisely comparing two things, saying that one is the other. The English metaphor derives from the 16th c...
s and large words, though he often answers wrongly on purpose to amuse the class. When shocked or surprised, he often remarks "Santa Maria" or "Holy
RavioliRavioli are a type of filled pasta composed of a filling sealed between two layers of thin pasta dough. The word ravioli is reminiscent of the Italian verb riavvolgere , though the two words are not etymologically connected...
", and also often says "okey-dokey" instead of "OK".
Anna Schmidt, portrayed by Jacki Harding, is a stereotypical 1970s German and an
au pairAn au pair is a foreign-national domestic assistant working for, and living as part of, a host family. Typically, au pairs take on a share of the family's responsibility for child care as well as some housework, and receive a small monetary allowance for personal use.The title comes from the...
. In her introduction, she refers to "German efficiency", and accordingly Anna is a hardworking student, occasionally asking legitimate questions and as the series progresses, answering Mr. Brown's questions correctly. Her main problem is mixing "V"s and "W"s. She also punctuates her sentences with German words.
Chung Su-Lee, portrayed by
Pik-Sen LimPik-Sen Lim is a Chinese-British actress who has appeared on British television since the 1950s. She is best known for playing the character of Su-lee, the Chinese Communist student in the 1970s British sitcom Mind Your Language....
(Season 1 - 3), is a secretary at the
ChinesePower within the government of the People's Republic of China is divided among three bodies: the Communist Party of China, the state, and the People's Liberation Army. This article is concerned with the formal structure of the state, its departments and their responsibilities...
Embassy. She is never seen without her
little red bookQuotations from Chairman Mao Zedong , better known in the West as The Little Red Book, was published by the Government of the People's Republic of China from April 1964 until approximately 1976. As its title implies, it is a collection of quotations excerpted from Mao Zedong's past speeches and...
of
MaoMao Zedong was a Chinese revolutionary, political theorist and Communist leader. He led the People's Republic of China from its establishment in 1949 until his death in 1976...
, which she often quotes from. She constantly mixes up her "R"s and "L"s. Early in the series, she had a fierce ideological rivalry with Taro, her Japanese classmate, but later on the series, he often springs to defend her when a character insults her or China. One example was when on episode 22, a Scottish student insulted Su-Lee during her quotations of Chairman Mao, that was when Taro came to defend her.
Tarō Nagazumi, portrayed by
Robert Lee-Filmography:...
(Season 1 - 3) is a
JapaneseThe are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries are referred to as...
electronics representative. He has a reasonable command of English, but has a
habit of adding "-o" to every wordInterlanguage fossilization is a stage during second language acquisition. When mastering a target language , second language learners develop a linguistic system that is self-contained and different from both the learner’s first language and the TL...
he says. Early in the series he is at odds with Su-Lee due to Japan and China's own political differences in the 1970s, but becomes a close friend of hers later on. He is never seen without his camera.
Jamila Ranjha, portrayed by
Jamila MasseyJamila Massey is an Indian actress and writer. Massey has had a long career on UK television and radio. She is possibly best known for playing Auntie Satya in the long running radio soap The Archers, Jamila Ranjha in Mind Your Language, and her role as Neelam Kapoor in EastEnders.-Early...
(Season 1 - 3), is an Indian housewife from
Simla-Politics/History:Simla , the summer capital of British India, often refers generically to the government of the British Raj.-Places:* Shimla , city in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh...
. When she first joins the class she can barely speak English, and needs Ali to translate her Hindi-Urdu, but by series 3, she has become one of the better English speakers. She often calls Mr. Brown "Masterjee",and her catchphrase early in the series is "gud havening". During class, she is mostly found knitting. She is probably a Christian, since she wears a cross, but in one of the episodes when everybody is arguing about the true faith, she shouts "Buddha".
Maximillian Andrea Archimedes Papandrious, portrayed by
Kevork MalikyanKevork Malikyan is a British character actor, perhaps best known for his role as Kazim in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.In addition to film work, he has appeared in numerous television productions, including episodes of The Saint, The Professionals, Mind Your Language, The Avengers, Doctor...
(Season 1 - 3), is a
GreekThe Greeks , also known as Hellenes, are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighbouring regions, who can also be found in diaspora communities around the world....
shipping office worker from
AthensAthens , the capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the world's oldest cities, its recorded history spans around 3,400 years....
, and is often paired with Giovanni. He is attracted to Danielle but as the show progresses the three became a gang of sorts. Max tends to misunderstand metaphors and large words. He also has a heavy accent, which causes him to add "H" to almost every word he says. Later, he shares his flat with Giovanni.
Juan Cervantes, portrayed by
Ricardo MontezRicardo Montez is a Gibraltarian actor best known for his role as Juan Cervantes in the ITV comedy series Mind Your Language....
, is a
SpanishSpanish people or Spaniards constitute the nationality and ethnic group of natives of Spain, a European country in the Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe. The Spanish nationality is in essence made up of regional nationalities, reflecting the complex history of Spain...
bartender with an optimistic streak. Juan is always laughing at himself, confident of his answers even when they are completely wrong. Early in the series Juan speaks almost no English, and answers everything with "por favor" (please), necessitating Giovanni to translate some key terms for him. Juan's English improves as the series went on, but he remained one of the worst speakers, often speaking a mix of English and Spanish. He cares a great deal for Mr. Brown, whom he considers almost family.
Ranjeet Singh, portrayed by
Albert MosesAlbert Moses is a UK-based actor born near Kandy, Sri Lanka. He began acting around 40 years ago in India where he appeared in several films, then produced and directed his first. From India he moved to Africa where he undertook work on documentaries...
, is a
London UndergroundThe London Underground, Underground or Tube is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and neighbouring areas of Essex, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire in the UK. The first section opened in 1863, and was the first underground railway system in the world, and, starting in...
worker from
PunjabPunjab is a state in northwest India. The Indian state borders the Pakistani province of Punjab to the west, Jammu and Kashmir to the north, Himachal Pradesh to the northeast, Haryana to the south and southeast and Rajasthan to the southwest. The total area of the state is 50,362 square kilometres...
in India and a very devoted
SikhSikh is the title and name given to an adherent of Sikhism. The term has its origin in the Sanskrit term , meaning "disciple, learner" or , meaning "instruction"....
. He constantly argues with Ali, who is a Pakistani Muslim. He tends to mix up his general knowledge, and upon being corrected he always puts his hands together for "a thousand apologies".
Danielle Favre, portrayed by
Françoise PascalFrançoise Pascal is an actress.-Career:Pascal's first movie was Loving Feeling in 1968, but her breakthrough film was There's a Girl in My Soup with Peter Sellers, playing Paola...
(Season 1 - 3), is an amorous French
au pairAn au pair is a foreign-national domestic assistant working for, and living as part of, a host family. Typically, au pairs take on a share of the family's responsibility for child care as well as some housework, and receive a small monetary allowance for personal use.The title comes from the...
who instantly grabs the attention of all men, including Mr. Brown. Her good looks often distract Giovanni and Max from their answers, while Mr. Brown is often found in seemingly incriminating positions with her. She is annoyed when Ingrid Svensson joins the class, instigating a rivalry for Mr. Brown's attention.
Ali Nadeem, portrayed by
Dino ShafeekDino Shafeek was a Bangladeshi actor. He attended Guildhall school of Music and Drama, and in Dacca University in Bangladesh where he completed his Bachelor of Arts...
(Season 1 - 3), is an unemployed Pakistani and the first student to make his appearance. He is originally from
LahoreLahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in Pakistan after Karachi. Historically the main city of the undivided Punjab, it is often called the Garden of Mughals because of its rich Mughal heritage...
,
PakistanPakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located at the crossroads of South Asia, the Middle East, and Central Asia...
, although he once stated he grew up in
DelhiDelhi, known locally as Dilli , and also by the official name National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest metropolis by population in India...
. Never seen without his Jinnah cap, he is the most vocal of the students and often literally misinterprets everything said by others. As a Pakistani
Muslim:A Muslim , , is an adherent of the religion of Islam. The feminine form is Muslimah . Literally, the word means "one who submits ". Muslim is the participle of the same verb of which Islam is the infinitive. Muslims believe that there is only one God, translated in Arabic as Allah...
he has a vocal and occasionally physical rivalry with Ranjeet, who is an Indian
SikhSikh is the title and name given to an adherent of Sikhism. The term has its origin in the Sanskrit term , meaning "disciple, learner" or , meaning "instruction"....
. By the middle of Season 2, although they continue to argue, Ali's rivalry with Ranjeet becomes less malicious, and they are on occasion able to work together without complaint. Ali's typical catchphrases are "oh blimey!", "squeeze me please!" and also "jolly good".
Ingrid Svensson, portrayed by
Anna BergmanAnna Bergman is a Swedish actress, born 5 May 1949 in Gothenburg, Sweden. She is the daughter of famed director Ingmar Bergman and Ellen Bergman, sister to Eva, Jan and Mats Bergman and half-sister to Daniel Bergman and Linn Ullmann....
(Season 2 and 4), is a
SwedishSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe...
au pair who joins the class at the beginning of Season 2. She is attractive and straightforward about her attraction to Mr. Brown, sparking a rivalry between her and Danielle. Her main problem with English is word order, often getting words mixed up, such as "you for I question answer". She transfers schools at the end of Season 2, but returns in the independently produced Season 4.
Zoltán Szabó, portrayed by Gabor Vernon (Season 2), is a
HungarianHungary , in English officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in the Carpathian Basin of Central Europe, bordered by Austria, Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia. Its capital is Budapest. Hungary is a member of OECD, NATO, EU, V4 and is a Schengen state...
student who only appears during Season 2. He has a very basic level of English and requires a phrasebook for everything. He picks up slang quickly, most of which comes from Giovanni and Juan. At the end of series 2, he goes back to Hungary. His typical catchphase is to say "Bocsánat?" [pronounced "bochanot", Hungarian word for 'Sorry', 'Excuse me'] to everything said to him in English.
- In the fourth season, Mr. Brown and Miss Courtney were still at the school, as were Anna, Giovanni, Ingrid, Juan and Ranjeet. New students included:
Maria Papandrious, portrayed by
Jenny Lee-WrightJenny Lee-Wright is a British actress and dancer who later became a Foley artist.At age 16, Jenny left school to train with the Ballet Rambert. Within a year, she became part of a French cabaret group that travelled the world...
- Michelle Dumas portrayed by Marie-Elise Grepne
- Farrukh Azzam portrayed by Raj Patel
- Fu Wong Chang portrayed by Vincent Wong
- Rita portrayed by Sue Bond
Sue Bond is a blonde British actress, cabaret singer, and comedienne best remembered for her appearances on The Benny Hill Show in the early 1970s.Alongside of her acting Sue also had a second career as a singer, mainly on the Northern Club Circuit...
- Henshawe portrayed by Harry Littlewood
Harry Littlewood was a British actor who has appeared in Z-Cars, Softly, Softly, The Saint, Never the Twain, Families, The Bill, Casualty, Bergerac and Howard's Way....
External links