Not On Your Nellie
Encyclopedia
Not On Your Nellie was a British sitcom
that ran from 1974-75. It starred veteran actress Hylda Baker
as Nellie Pickersgill, a Bolton
woman who moves to London
to help run her ailing father's Chelsea
pub. 17 episodes of the series were produced by London Weekend Television
for the ITV
network.
), Doris (Wendy Richard
), and "Big Brenda" (Sue Nicholls
).
, ended. In a 1973 television interview with Baker (available on the Series 7 DVD of Nearest and Dearest), she stated that Not On Your Nellie was planned as a spin-off from Nearest and Dearest and would focus on the character Nellie Pledge after her brother Eli (Jimmy Jewel
) deserts her following the end of their family business, Pledge's Purer Pickles. However, Baker's character in Not On Your Nellie was not Nellie Pledge, but Nellie Pickersgill - an identical character in all but name. Not On Your Nellie was created by Roy Bottomley and Tom Brennand and was based on a stage play that they had written for Baker in the frame of the Nellie Pledge character. Bottomley and Brennand were two of the regular writers for Nearest and Dearest, but were not the series creators ("Nearest" was created by Vince Powell
and Harry Driver and was produced by Granada Television
). As such, neither Bottomley or Brennand (or London Weekend Television) had any rights to the character of Nellie Pledge, and so this is likely what facilitated the name change to Pickersgill. However, as with Nearest and Dearest, much of the comedy stemmed from Baker's malapropisms and partially improvised Northern humour, and Not On Your Nellie was essentially a new version of Nearest and Dearest in a different location. This issue was not helped by the fact that Bottomley and Brennand recycled many of their old gags - and even entire scripts - from Nearest and Dearest (this can be seen most prominently in the 1975 episode "Feeling The Draught" which was a remake of their 1969 Nearest and Dearest episode "Two Pennies To Rub Together").
The series also allowed Baker, who was a veteran of theatre and music hall, to exhibit more of her stage abilities such as singing, clog dancing and piano playing, and she wrote and performed the series' occasional end title theme song.
Despite the similarities, Not On Your Nellie did not match the success of Nearest and Dearest. Major cast changes occurred before production of the third series commenced, with Barratt, Raynor, Ali, and Richard all leaving the show. Two new characters were brought in to accommodate the changes, including Jack Douglas
as Nellie's cousin Stanley, and Sue Nicholls
as new barmaid Brenda. However, during the taping of the third series in 1975, Baker slipped on set and injured herself. Although she appeared (in a wheelchair) for one episode after the accident, Baker then left the series and took legal action against LWT for her injury. One further episode was made without her (where it was explained her character was away in hospital) but the show was then abruptly axed only four episodes into its third series, also marking the end of Baker's television career.
in the UK. The first series also includes the series finale of Nearest and Dearest as a bonus feature.
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
that ran from 1974-75. It starred veteran actress Hylda Baker
Hylda Baker
Hylda Baker was a British comedienne, actress and music hall star.-Early life and career:Baker was born in Farnworth, near Bolton, Lancashire, the first of seven children. Her father, Harold Baker, was a painter and signwriter, who also worked part-time in the music halls as a comedian...
as Nellie Pickersgill, a Bolton
Bolton
Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
woman who moves to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to help run her ailing father's Chelsea
Chelsea, London
Chelsea is an area of West London, England, bounded to the south by the River Thames, where its frontage runs from Chelsea Bridge along the Chelsea Embankment, Cheyne Walk, Lots Road and Chelsea Harbour. Its eastern boundary was once defined by the River Westbourne, which is now in a pipe above...
pub. 17 episodes of the series were produced by London Weekend Television
London Weekend Television
London Weekend Television was the name of the ITV network franchise holder for Greater London and the Home Counties including south Suffolk, middle and east Hampshire, Oxfordshire, south Bedfordshire, south Northamptonshire, parts of Herefordshire & Worcestershire, Warwickshire, east Dorset and...
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.
Premise
When Jed Pickersgill (John Barrett) finds himself too ill to run his Chelsea pub, The Brown Cow, he calls upon his middle-aged daughter Nellie for help. Nellie, however, is teetotal and does not approve of alcohol (or, in fact, any vice) and attempts to maintain order in the pub by keeping a watchful eye on the regulars and her wayward father. Regular customers included Charlie (Leo Dolan), a window cleaner whose pastimes included booze and women, Ali (Azad Ali), an Asian London Underground worker who was forever being assaulted in the line of duty, George (David Raynor), an effeminate gay man who runs a nearby fashion boutique, and Gilbert (Roger Howlett), his flamboyantly dressed but always silent boyfriend. There was a new 'busty barmaid' in each series (whom Nellie never approved of either), including Beryl (Alexandra DaneAlexandra Dane
Alexandra Dane is a blonde haired actress who appeared in many films including Goldfinger, The Ups and Downs of a Handyman, Carry On Up The Khyber, Carry On Loving, other Carry On films and Terry Gilliam's Jabberwocky.Her many television appearances include Not On Your Nellie, Alas Smith and Jones...
), Doris (Wendy Richard
Wendy Richard
Wendy Richard, MBE was an English actress best known for playing Miss Brahms in Are You Being Served? and Pauline Fowler in EastEnders...
), and "Big Brenda" (Sue Nicholls
Sue Nicholls
Susan Frances Harmar Nicholls is an English actress, best known today for her long-running role as Audrey Roberts in British soap opera Coronation Street.-Early life:...
).
Series History
Not On Your Nellie premiered a year after Baker's previous series, Nearest and DearestNearest and Dearest
Nearest and Dearest is a British television sitcom that ran from 1968 to 1973. A total of 46 episodes were made, 18 in monochrome and 28 in colour...
, ended. In a 1973 television interview with Baker (available on the Series 7 DVD of Nearest and Dearest), she stated that Not On Your Nellie was planned as a spin-off from Nearest and Dearest and would focus on the character Nellie Pledge after her brother Eli (Jimmy Jewel
Jimmy Jewel
James Arthur Thomas J. Marsh, known as Jimmy Jewel, was a British television and film actor.The son of a comedian and actor who also used the stage name Jimmy Jewel, the youngster made his stage debut in Robinson Crusoe in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, at the age of four, performed with his father...
) deserts her following the end of their family business, Pledge's Purer Pickles. However, Baker's character in Not On Your Nellie was not Nellie Pledge, but Nellie Pickersgill - an identical character in all but name. Not On Your Nellie was created by Roy Bottomley and Tom Brennand and was based on a stage play that they had written for Baker in the frame of the Nellie Pledge character. Bottomley and Brennand were two of the regular writers for Nearest and Dearest, but were not the series creators ("Nearest" was created by Vince Powell
Vince Powell
Vince Powell was a British television writer.Powell was born as Vincent Smith to Roman Catholic parents in Miles Platting, Manchester. When he was five, his mother died; two years later, his father remarried...
and Harry Driver and was produced by Granada Television
Granada Television
Granada Television is the ITV contractor for North West England. Based in Manchester since its inception, it is the only surviving original ITA franchisee from 1954 and is ITV's most successful....
). As such, neither Bottomley or Brennand (or London Weekend Television) had any rights to the character of Nellie Pledge, and so this is likely what facilitated the name change to Pickersgill. However, as with Nearest and Dearest, much of the comedy stemmed from Baker's malapropisms and partially improvised Northern humour, and Not On Your Nellie was essentially a new version of Nearest and Dearest in a different location. This issue was not helped by the fact that Bottomley and Brennand recycled many of their old gags - and even entire scripts - from Nearest and Dearest (this can be seen most prominently in the 1975 episode "Feeling The Draught" which was a remake of their 1969 Nearest and Dearest episode "Two Pennies To Rub Together").
The series also allowed Baker, who was a veteran of theatre and music hall, to exhibit more of her stage abilities such as singing, clog dancing and piano playing, and she wrote and performed the series' occasional end title theme song.
Despite the similarities, Not On Your Nellie did not match the success of Nearest and Dearest. Major cast changes occurred before production of the third series commenced, with Barratt, Raynor, Ali, and Richard all leaving the show. Two new characters were brought in to accommodate the changes, including Jack Douglas
Jack Douglas (actor)
Jack Douglas, born John Roberton was an English actor most famous for his roles in the Carry On films.- Career :...
as Nellie's cousin Stanley, and Sue Nicholls
Sue Nicholls
Susan Frances Harmar Nicholls is an English actress, best known today for her long-running role as Audrey Roberts in British soap opera Coronation Street.-Early life:...
as new barmaid Brenda. However, during the taping of the third series in 1975, Baker slipped on set and injured herself. Although she appeared (in a wheelchair) for one episode after the accident, Baker then left the series and took legal action against LWT for her injury. One further episode was made without her (where it was explained her character was away in hospital) but the show was then abruptly axed only four episodes into its third series, also marking the end of Baker's television career.
DVD release
All three series of the show have been released by Network DVDNetwork 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...
in the UK. The first series also includes the series finale of Nearest and Dearest as a bonus feature.