The Liver Birds
Encyclopedia
The Liver Birds is a British
situation comedy, set in Liverpool
, Merseyside
, North-West of England, which aired on BBC1
from 1969 to 1978, and again in 1996. It was created by Carla Lane
and Myra Taylor. The two Liverpool housewives had met at a local writers club and decided to pool their talents. Having been invited to London by Michael Mills (BBC Head of Comedy) and asked to write about two women sharing a flat, Mills brought in sitcom expert Sydney Lotterby
to work with the writing team. Lotterby had previously worked with Eric Sykes
, Sheila Hancock
and on The Likely Lads
. Carla Lane in fact wrote most of the episodes, Taylor co-writing only the first two series. The pilot was shown as an episode of Comedy Playhouse
, the BBC's breeding ground for sitcoms, in April 1969.
.
The pilot and Series 1 starred Pauline Collins
as Dawn and Polly James
as Beryl Hennessey. In Series 2, Nerys Hughes
debuted as Sandra Hutchinson, replacing the Dawn character for the rest of the programme's run. The Beryl and Sandra pairing is generally regarded as the programme's best period. Beryl was the more common one, while Sandra was soft-spoken and refined. This was mainly due to the influence of her snobbish and overbearing mother played by Mollie Sugden
. Carla Lane drew on her own mother for the character - "Mrs. Hutchinson, I think she was my mother. I'm sure she was my mother." Beryl's (common) mother, (the Hennesseys live in Bootle
, a working class district north of the city), was played by Sheila Fay. Elizabeth Estensen
as Carol Boswell replaced Beryl from Series 5 onwards.
The title derives from the name given to two sculpted birds
perched atop the Royal Liver Building
at Pier Head in the city of Liverpool
. Michael Mills, (the aforementioned Head of Comedy at the BBC), came up with the title - a title which Carla Lane did not initially like. The title song for the series was sung by The Scaffold
. The group included Mike McCartney
(brother of former Beatle Paul McCartney
) and the poet Roger McGough
.
The Title sequence for series one also exists, albeit in poor quality.
After four episodes of the first series it was stopped because Polly James
' hectic schedule, working every evening on Anne of Green Gables
in the West End
, and then rehearsing all day for the TV show, was proving too much. By the time Polly James was available again, Pauline Collins
had moved to LWT's Upstairs, Downstairs
. The producer Sydney Lotterby
remembered having worked with Nerys Hughes
on The Likely Lads
and, wrongly believing the Welsh actress was from Liverpool, asked her to read for a part in The Liver Birds. (In fact neither actress really had a Liverpool accent - Polly James was from Oswaldtwistle
, near Blackburn, and Nerys Hughes, from Rhyl
.) Impressed with Nerys Hughes' reading he offered her the part of Sandra, and the new series, in colour this time, began. The first episode of the second series aired on 7 January 1971. The actresses got on well together. "The rapport between Polly and myself was fairly instant. It was excellent. It happened in a twinkling really" said Nerys Hughes later, and Polly James added - "We just fitted together. We learned our lines sipping Pernod milkshakes."
At the end of the second series Myra Taylor, who missed her family, stopped writing for the show. With 13 episodes commissioned for the third series, Michael Mills, the BBC Head of Comedy, felt that the writing duties would be too much for Lane to handle alone and so handed six episodes to the writing duo of Jack Seddon and David Pursall. "They wrote like fellas. They had no idea how a woman thought" Lane said later, and Nerys Hughes observed, "They weren't empathetic, they were...voyeuristic!" "They were, tonally, not the same" conceded the producer, Sydney Lotterby
. This writing arrangement finished at the end of the third series.
Carla Lane became sole writer for the fourth series. She felt it was now time for the Liver Birds to start thinking about longer term relationships with boys. John Nettles
played Paul, Sandra's (frustrated) boyfriend, and Jonathan Lynn
played Robert , Beryl's boyfriend. "I always wanted The Liver Birds", said Lane, "not to be too keen about marriage - not to down it - but not to be out to get a boyfriend to marry." Beryl's mother, (Sheila Fay), voiced the critical view: "Man is the dog, and woman is the bone. He eats the best of you, and buries the rest of you, and when his dish is empty - he'll dig you up again." This would be the last series with Beryl. Polly James
explained: "The reason I left the programme in the end was that I felt I was in danger of caricaturing what was already a pretty outrageous character."
The producer Sydney Lotterby had to find a new leading actress to keep the series going after the departure of Polly James. He'd done it in 1971 , replacing Pauline Collins with Nerys Hughes. And in fact it was Hughes herself who first spotted her potential new flat-mate. "I went to see a musical in town - Willy Russell's, John, Paul, George, Ringo..and Bert, and saw Elizabeth Estensen
." Lotterby saw the performance at Hughes' suggestion, and asked Estenson to audition for the part. " She was loud, and abrasive, and exactly what I wanted," said Lotterby. So Beryl, the bouncy blonde was replaced by feisty, flame-haired Carol. Now into the fifth series, Carla Lane expanded her range from single life to family life and introduced Carol's relatives - the Boswells. "They were a close family - they were a dysfunctional family" said Estenson, and they included Lucien, Carol's brother, played by Michael Angelis
, a native Liverpudlian and Carol's mother Mrs. Boswell played initially by Eileen Kennally and later Carmel McSharry. Carla Lane's later series Bread revolved around the Boswell family and in interviews, Lane agreed that the two families were probably related.
As the BBC's own website admits, some liberties were taken with continuity: Carmel McSharry
who had played Carol's mother in Seasons 5–9, returned as the same character but now transformed into Beryl's mother, and Carol's rabbit-obsessed brother Lucien, played by Michael Angelis
, became Beryl's brother. The revival was not a ratings success, and only lasted one series.
However it hopes one day the series could be re-released within the near future, as Network
a British DVD company is now owning the rights to many (both BBC and ITV) television shows of the past and could one day include the series.
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...
situation comedy, set in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, Merseyside
Merseyside
Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...
, North-West of England, which aired on BBC1
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
from 1969 to 1978, and again in 1996. It was created by Carla Lane
Carla Lane
Carla Lane, OBE is an English television writer responsible for many successful sitcoms, including The Liver Birds , Butterflies , and Bread ....
and Myra Taylor. The two Liverpool housewives had met at a local writers club and decided to pool their talents. Having been invited to London by Michael Mills (BBC Head of Comedy) and asked to write about two women sharing a flat, Mills brought in sitcom expert Sydney Lotterby
Sydney Lotterby
Sydney Lotterby OBE is a British television producer and director. He started as a cameraman at the BBC and progressed to becoming technical manager...
to work with the writing team. Lotterby had previously worked with Eric Sykes
Eric Sykes
Eric Sykes, CBE is an English radio, television and film writer, actor and director whose performing career has spanned more than 50 years. He frequently wrote for and/or performed with many other leading comedy performers and writers of the period, including Tony Hancock, Spike Milligan, Peter...
, Sheila Hancock
Sheila Hancock
Sheila Cameron Hancock, CBE is an English actress and author.-Early life:Sheila Hancock was born in Blackgang on the Isle of Wight, the daughter of Ivy Louise and Enrico Cameron Hancock, who was a publican. Her sister Billie is seven years older...
and on The Likely Lads
The Likely Lads
The Likely Lads was a black-and-white British sitcom created and written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, and produced by Dick Clement. Twenty episodes were broadcast by the BBC, in three series, between 16 December 1964 and 23 July 1966...
. Carla Lane in fact wrote most of the episodes, Taylor co-writing only the first two series. The pilot was shown as an episode of Comedy Playhouse
Comedy Playhouse
Comedy Playhouse was a long-running British anthology series of one-off unrelated sitcoms that aired for 120 episodes from 1961 to 1975. Many episodes later graduated to their own series, including Steptoe and Son, Till Death Us Do Part, All Gas and Gaiters, The Liver Birds, Are You Being Served?...
, the BBC's breeding ground for sitcoms, in April 1969.
Outline
The series charted the ups and downs of two 'dolly birds' sharing a flat on Huskisson Street, in Liverpool. The series concentrated on the problems encountered by the two young single women when dealing with boyfriends, work, parents and each other. Dressed in the best 1970s fashions they looked for romance in a loose female equivalent of The Likely LadsThe Likely Lads
The Likely Lads was a black-and-white British sitcom created and written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, and produced by Dick Clement. Twenty episodes were broadcast by the BBC, in three series, between 16 December 1964 and 23 July 1966...
.
The pilot and Series 1 starred Pauline Collins
Pauline Collins
Pauline Collins, OBE is an English actress of the stage, television, and film. She first came to prominence portraying Sarah Moffat in Upstairs, Downstairs and its spin-off Thomas & Sarah during the 1970s. She later drew acclaim for playing the title role in the play Shirley Valentine for which...
as Dawn and Polly James
Polly James
Polly James is an award winning British actresswith a varied career in theatre, film, television and radio spanning nearly 40 years...
as Beryl Hennessey. In Series 2, Nerys Hughes
Nerys Hughes
Nerys Hughes , is a Welsh actress, known primarily for her television roles.Nerys Hughes was born in Rhyl, . She studied drama at Rose Bruford College. She is best known for the role of Sandra Hutchinson in the enormously successful BBC TV series The Liver Birds which ran from 1969 to 1978 with a...
debuted as Sandra Hutchinson, replacing the Dawn character for the rest of the programme's run. The Beryl and Sandra pairing is generally regarded as the programme's best period. Beryl was the more common one, while Sandra was soft-spoken and refined. This was mainly due to the influence of her snobbish and overbearing mother played by Mollie Sugden
Mollie Sugden
Isobel Mary 'Mollie' Sugden was an English comedy actress best known for portraying the saleswoman Mrs. Slocombe in the British sitcom Are You Being Served? from 1972 to 1985. She later reprised this role in Grace & Favour, which ran from 1992 to 1993...
. Carla Lane drew on her own mother for the character - "Mrs. Hutchinson, I think she was my mother. I'm sure she was my mother." Beryl's (common) mother, (the Hennesseys live in Bootle
Bootle
Bootle is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England, and a 'Post town' in the L postcode area. Formally known as Bootle-cum-Linacre, the town is 4 miles to the north of Liverpool city centre, and has a total resident population of 77,640.Historically part of...
, a working class district north of the city), was played by Sheila Fay. Elizabeth Estensen
Elizabeth Estensen
Elizabeth Estensen is an English actress, mainly known for work in the popular television dramas The Liver Birds and Emmerdale.-Career:...
as Carol Boswell replaced Beryl from Series 5 onwards.
The title derives from the name given to two sculpted birds
Liver bird
The Liver bird is the symbol of the city of Liverpool, England.-History:The earliest known use of a bird to represent the then-town of Liverpool was on its corporate seal, dating from the 1350s. The seal is now held by the British Museum. In 1668 the Earl of Derby gave the town council a mace...
perched atop the Royal Liver Building
Royal Liver Building
The Royal Liver Building is a Grade I listed building located in Liverpool, England. It is sited at the Pier Head and along with the neighbouring Cunard Building and Port of Liverpool Building is one of Liverpool's Three Graces, which line the city's waterfront...
at Pier Head in the city of Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
. Michael Mills, (the aforementioned Head of Comedy at the BBC), came up with the title - a title which Carla Lane did not initially like. The title song for the series was sung by The Scaffold
The Scaffold
The Scaffold were a comedy, poetry and music trio from Liverpool, England, consisting of Mike McGear , Roger McGough and John Gorman.-Career:...
. The group included Mike McCartney
Mike McCartney
Mike McCartney , known professionally as Mike McGear, is a British performing artist and rock photographer and the younger brother of Paul McCartney...
(brother of former Beatle Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
) and the poet Roger McGough
Roger McGough
Roger Joseph McGough CBE is a well-known English performance poet. He presents the BBC Radio 4 programme Poetry Please and records voice-overs for commercials, as well as performing his own poetry regularly...
.
Series 1 (1969)
- 1 Potent Perfume aka An Interesting Condition (25 Jul 69) (only the filmed inserts survive)
- 2 The Photographer (1 Aug 69) (missing)
- 3 Aristocracy And Crime (8 Aug 69) (missing)
- 4 Torremolinos, Costa Del Sol Or Southport? (15 Aug 69) (missing)
The Title sequence for series one also exists, albeit in poor quality.
After four episodes of the first series it was stopped because Polly James
Polly James
Polly James is an award winning British actresswith a varied career in theatre, film, television and radio spanning nearly 40 years...
' hectic schedule, working every evening on Anne of Green Gables
Anne of Green Gables - The Musical
Anne Of Green Gables - The Musical is a musical based on the novel, Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery. The book is by Don Harron, the music is by Norman Campbell and the lyrics by Don Harron, Norman Campbell, Elaine Campbell and Mavor Moore...
in the West End
West End of London
The West End of London is an area of central London, containing many of the city's major tourist attractions, shops, businesses, government buildings, and entertainment . Use of the term began in the early 19th century to describe fashionable areas to the west of Charing Cross...
, and then rehearsing all day for the TV show, was proving too much. By the time Polly James was available again, Pauline Collins
Pauline Collins
Pauline Collins, OBE is an English actress of the stage, television, and film. She first came to prominence portraying Sarah Moffat in Upstairs, Downstairs and its spin-off Thomas & Sarah during the 1970s. She later drew acclaim for playing the title role in the play Shirley Valentine for which...
had moved to LWT's Upstairs, Downstairs
Upstairs, Downstairs
Upstairs, Downstairs is a British drama television series originally produced by London Weekend Television and revived by the BBC. It ran on ITV in 68 episodes divided into five series from 1971 to 1975, and a sixth series shown on the BBC on three consecutive nights, 26–28 December 2010.Set in a...
. The producer Sydney Lotterby
Sydney Lotterby
Sydney Lotterby OBE is a British television producer and director. He started as a cameraman at the BBC and progressed to becoming technical manager...
remembered having worked with Nerys Hughes
Nerys Hughes
Nerys Hughes , is a Welsh actress, known primarily for her television roles.Nerys Hughes was born in Rhyl, . She studied drama at Rose Bruford College. She is best known for the role of Sandra Hutchinson in the enormously successful BBC TV series The Liver Birds which ran from 1969 to 1978 with a...
on The Likely Lads
The Likely Lads
The Likely Lads was a black-and-white British sitcom created and written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, and produced by Dick Clement. Twenty episodes were broadcast by the BBC, in three series, between 16 December 1964 and 23 July 1966...
and, wrongly believing the Welsh actress was from Liverpool, asked her to read for a part in The Liver Birds. (In fact neither actress really had a Liverpool accent - Polly James was from Oswaldtwistle
Oswaldtwistle
Oswaldtwistle is a town within the Hyndburn borough of Lancashire, England. It lies on the course of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, east-southeast of Blackburn and is contiguous to Accrington.-History:...
, near Blackburn, and Nerys Hughes, from Rhyl
Rhyl
Rhyl is a seaside resort town and community situated on the north east coast of Wales, in the county of Denbighshire , at the mouth of the River Clwyd . To the west is the suburb of Kinmel Bay, with the resort of Towyn further west, Prestatyn to the east and Rhuddlan to the south...
.) Impressed with Nerys Hughes' reading he offered her the part of Sandra, and the new series, in colour this time, began. The first episode of the second series aired on 7 January 1971. The actresses got on well together. "The rapport between Polly and myself was fairly instant. It was excellent. It happened in a twinkling really" said Nerys Hughes later, and Polly James added - "We just fitted together. We learned our lines sipping Pernod milkshakes."
Series 2 (1971)
- Episode 1 : The women find themselves arguing, blame their cramped conditions, and try moving to a bigger property in AllertonAllerton, MerseysideAllerton is a suburb of Liverpool, in Merseyside, England. It is located southeast of Liverpool city centre, bordered by Mossley Hill, Woolton, Hunts Cross and Garston....
. Then they find they need a third flat-sharer to help pay the rent. They end up back in Huskisson Street. Ken PlattKen PlattKen Platt was a British north-country comedian.-Style:...
, Nicholas Smith, Patricia ShakesbyPatricia ShakesbyPatricia Shakesby is an English actress, best known for her role as Polly Urquhart in Howards' Way....
and Veronica DoranVeronica DoranVeronica Doran is a British character actress who remains best known for her 18 month stint as Marion Willis in the ITV1 soap opera, Coronation Street. She appeared in the series from 1982 to 1983.- Early life :...
all appear in this episode. - Episode 2 "The Good Samaritans" Sandra and Beryl agree to look after another tenant's cat while he visits his parents for the weekend. And reading Bertrand RussellBertrand RussellBertrand Arthur William Russell, 3rd Earl Russell, OM, FRS was a British philosopher, logician, mathematician, historian, and social critic. At various points in his life he considered himself a liberal, a socialist, and a pacifist, but he also admitted that he had never been any of these things...
's Sceptical Essays leads Sandra to vow to be 'considerate and understanding and ready to serve humanity.' But the effort to be Good Samaritans makes life very awkward for them. - Episode 3 "The Holiday Fund" Sandra and Beryl find their 'Holiday Fund' is short of the money they will need to get to Spain, and 'ten days in torrid TorremolinosTorremolinosTorremolinos is a municipality on the Costa del Sol of the Mediterranean, immediately to the west of the city of Málaga, in the province of Málaga in the autonomous region of Andalusia in southern Spain...
, ten nights of madness in the Mediterranean.' They decide that selling Beryl's antique night commodeCommodeA commode, commode with legs, or commode on legs is any of several pieces of furniture. The word commode comes from the French word for "convenient" or "suitable", which in turn comes from the Latin adjective commodus, with similar meanings.Originally, in French furniture, a commode introduced...
might raise the money. Ken JonesKen Jones (actor)Ken Jones is an English actor. Jones was born in Liverpool, England and after working as a signwriter and amateur acting, he trained at RADA and joined Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop...
appears in this episode. (In this episode Polly James fell victim to Carla Lane's eccentric choice of set décor. Polly James: "We had in our flat, we had a commode. Things would go wrong and we were not allowed to stop." Nerys Hughes "She was meant to have sat down on the commode and I'd forgotten to put the lid down." Polly James: "And I sat down and went right down into it." Nerys Hughes momentarily cracks up but they carry on with the scene.) - Episode 4 Sandra has had a misunderstanding with boyfriend Peter (Derek FowldsDerek FowldsDerek Fowlds is an English actor, known for playing Bernard Woolley in popular British television comedies Yes, Minister and Yes, Prime Minister and Oscar Blaketon in the long-running ITV police drama Heartbeat....
), and is depressed. Beryl's worried she might do something stupid and tries to 'help'. - Episode 5 "The Wedding" Beryl's sister Gloria (Paula WilcoxPaula WilcoxPaula Wilcox is an English actress. She is best known for her role as Chrissy in the British comedy Man About the House .-Early sitcom fame:...
), is meant to be marrying Ernie Titlark (Barrie RutterBarrie RutterBarrie Rutter is an English actor and the founder and Artistic Director of the Northern Broadsides theatre company based in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England....
) - but she's having second thoughts. She tells her mother "It didn't work for you, why should it work for me?" "Because I married a slob" her mother replies. (Beryls father, played by Cyril ShapsCyril Shaps-Biography:Shaps was born in Highbury, London; he was of Polish ancestry and his father was a tailor.He was a child broadcaster, providing voices for radio commercials at the age of 12. After grammar school and Army service he trained at RADA and then worked for two years as an announcer, producer...
): "How do you know Ernie isn't a slob?" "Well, they're all slobs - but you've got to marry them to find out" her mother tells her. Carla Lane said she "always liked writing weddings because they're really funny arent they? - and ridiculous, let's face it." In the BBC programme Comedy Connections the producer Sydney Lotterby had said, "we weren't even allowed to talk about the pill - which is quite ridiculous, I mean, it was happening, but there we are." In fact, in this episode it is mentioned. Sandra says 'Remember your Mama when Gloria got engaged, "Oh my daughter! my innocent little daughter." And Beryl replies saying ; 'Yeah, and there was our Gloria scoffin' her pill with her elevenses.' - Episode 6 "Three's a Crowd" Sandra's actress friend Victoria comes for a visit. She likes their place, 'it's so beautifully tatty', but her demands get on Beryl's nerves. Christopher TimothyChristopher TimothyChristopher Timothy is a Welsh actor, television director and writer. Timothy is possibly best known today for his role as James Herriot in All Creatures Great and Small; more recently he has starred as Dr. Brendan 'Mac' McGuire in the British television drama Doctors...
and Joe GladwinJoe GladwinJoe Gladwin was a British actor born in the Ordsall district of Salford, Lancashire. He was baptised at Mount Carmel RC Church, Ordsall and educated at the parish school...
appear in this episode. - Episode 7 Sandra thinks she's in love with Danny (Tim WyltonTim WyltonTim 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 wants Beryl to be out of the way when he's around. Beryl tries going to the cinema, then decides to take pity on fellow tenant Gerry - 'All he ever does is go to the laundrette, or talk to his cat' - and visits him. Sandra is disappointed meanwhile that Danny seems interested in only one thing. "I'd like to think that you weren't just physical - but, well, mental," she tells him. And Gerry gets the wrong idea about Beryl's feelings for him, and thinks she fancies him. - Episode 8 : A suave man, Derek, (Ronald AllenRonald AllenRonald John Allen was an English character actor who achieved the status of a soap opera star.Allen was born in Reading, Berkshire...
) moves into the house, and excites Beryl's and Sandra's interest. They waste no time introducing themselves and when they learn that he spends his weekends in LlandudnoLlandudnoLlandudno is a seaside resort and town in Conwy County Borough, Wales. In the 2001 UK census it had a population of 20,090 including that of Penrhyn Bay and Penrhynside, which are within the Llandudno Community...
, at his parents guest-house, they each decide, separately, to follow him there. Carol ClevelandCarol ClevelandCarol Cleveland is a British actress/comedienne, most notable for her appearances as the only significant female performer on Monty Python's Flying Circus.-Early life:...
appears in this episode. (In this episode Sandra says to Beryl at one point: " I'm the handle with care sort, and you're the smash and grab sort." According to Carla Lane this reflected the Lane/Taylor writing team. "We knew we had to have one, one way, and one the other, and you had it on a plate. Myra/Carla. Polly was Myra, full of the devil, said what she thought. I was from a nice family and a little bit sort of Oh no you can't do that. I became Sandra. We used each other as characters.") - Episode 9 "Grandad" Beryl and Sandra are looking forward to a free Saturday when Mrs Hutchinson telephones. She and Mr. Hutchinson have to go and see Aunt Dorothy and ask Sandra to come to their home in Hunts CrossHunts CrossHunt's Cross is a suburb of Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It is located on the southern edge of the city, bordered by Woolton, Allerton, Speke and Halewood.-History:...
to look after her grandad, (Jack WoolgarJack WoolgarJack Woolgar was a British character actor working in television and film in the 1960s and 1970s.He began acting towards the end of the Second World War and turned professional shortly afterwards, working in repertory theatre and touring around the UK...
). Damaris HaymanDamaris HaymanDamaris Hayman is an actress best known for character roles on television. She was educated at Cheltenham Ladies' College....
appears in this episode. - Episode 10 "The Dog" Sandra brings home a stray dog. And then Mr.Barrett (John SharpJohn Sharp (actor)John Sharp was a British television actor.He made more than 100 appearances in television and occasionally films between 1949 and 1991. Sharp began as a film actor in 1949 and appeared in films throughout the 1950s...
) tells Beryl that the landlord (Aubrey MorrisAubrey MorrisAubrey Morris is a British actor perhaps best known for his appearances in the cult 1970s films A Clockwork Orange and The Wicker Man....
) is about to make an inspection - and animals are against the rules. - Episode 11 "Mother's Day" Beryl and Sandra have both invited their mothers over for Mothering SundayMother's DayMother's Day is a celebration honoring mothers and celebrating motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. It is celebrated on various days in many parts of the world, yet most commonly in March, April, or May...
- but will they get on ? And will they like their presents - plastic flowers and a lorgnetteLorgnetteA lorgnette is a pair of spectacles with a handle, used to hold them in place, rather than fitting over the ears. It is derived from the French lorgner, to take a sidelong look at, and Middle French, from lorgne, squinting. They were invented by an Englishman named George Adams. The lorgnette was...
? ( The episode opens with Beryl singing Burt BacharachBurt BacharachBurt F. Bacharach is an American pianist, composer and music producer. He is known for his popular hit songs and compositions from the mid-1950s through the 1980s, with lyrics written by Hal David. Many of their hits were produced specifically for, and performed by, Dionne Warwick...
and Hal DavidHal DavidHarold Lane "Hal" David is an American lyricist. He grew up in Brooklyn, New York. David is best known for his collaborations with composer Burt Bacharach.-Career:...
's Anyone Who Had A Heart - a famous hit for the LiverpoolLiverpoolLiverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
born singer Cilla BlackCilla BlackCilla Black OBE is an English singer, actress, entertainer and media personality, who has been consistently popular as a light entertainment figure since 1963. She is most famous for her singles Anyone Who Had A Heart, You're My World, and Alfie...
and also Vikki CarrVikki CarrVikki Carr is an American singer and humanitarian from El Paso, Texas. She has performed in a variety of music genres, including jazz, pop and country, but has enjoyed her greatest success singing in Spanish.-Career:After taking the stage name 'Vikki Carr', she signed with Liberty Records in 1962...
). - Episode 12 "Promotion" Sandra gets promoted and becomes Beryl's supervisor. Beryl receives elocutionElocutionElocution is the study of formal speaking in pronunciation, grammar, style, and tone.-History:In Western classical rhetoric, elocution was one of the five core disciplines of pronunciation, which was the art of delivering speeches. Orators were trained not only on proper diction, but on the proper...
lessons from Mrs. Duval, (Fabia DrakeFabia DrakeFabia Drake OBE was an English actress whose professional career spanned almost 73 years during the 20th century.Drake was born in Herne Bay, Kent...
), but this gets her into trouble when a posh customer, (Diana KingDiana King (actress)Diana King was an English television actress who had a career on British television from 1939 to 1986. She was sometimes credited as Diane King, and was born in Buckinghamshire....
), believes she's being made fun of. Robert RaglanRobert RaglanRobert Raglan was a British actor best known for his semi-regular role in Dad's Army, as Colonel Pritchard. He also starred in a number of other television series and films such as Fabian of the Yard and The Haunted House of Horror...
appears in this episode. (The actress Fabia Drake had in fact, at the age of 16, been sent to an expensive finishing school in France, at Meudon-val-Fleury. Here she had been taught the science and craft of superb enunciation by Georges le Roy, a life member of the great Comédie-FrançaiseComédie-FrançaiseThe Comédie-Française or Théâtre-Français is one of the few state theaters in France. It is the only state theater to have its own troupe of actors. It is located in the 1st arrondissement of Paris....
. "I began to acquire an instrument that gave me the ability to speak very fast indeed while retaining complete clarity.")
At the end of the second series Myra Taylor, who missed her family, stopped writing for the show. With 13 episodes commissioned for the third series, Michael Mills, the BBC Head of Comedy, felt that the writing duties would be too much for Lane to handle alone and so handed six episodes to the writing duo of Jack Seddon and David Pursall. "They wrote like fellas. They had no idea how a woman thought" Lane said later, and Nerys Hughes observed, "They weren't empathetic, they were...voyeuristic!" "They were, tonally, not the same" conceded the producer, Sydney Lotterby
Sydney Lotterby
Sydney Lotterby OBE is a British television producer and director. He started as a cameraman at the BBC and progressed to becoming technical manager...
. This writing arrangement finished at the end of the third series.
Series 3 (1972)
- 1 "One's a Crowd" Beryl and Sandra leave their 'grotty bedsit' and move to Beech View, "a highly desirable residence". They go to O'Connors Tavern to hear poets reading their poetry - including Roger McGoughRoger McGoughRoger Joseph McGough CBE is a well-known English performance poet. He presents the BBC Radio 4 programme Poetry Please and records voice-overs for commercials, as well as performing his own poetry regularly...
(reading from his collection After The Merrymaking), and Sandra's favourite Neville Kane, (Neville Aurelius). Returning to their flat, a neighbour, Mrs.Knowsley (Joyce GrantJoyce GrantJoyce Grant was a UK-based South African actress.-South Africa:Born in Bloemfontein, South Africa, she was encouraged by her father to come to London to study acting at the Central School of Speech and Drama....
), asks Sandra to sign a petition to evict an "undesirable character". Beryl doesn't approve: "I'm surprised at you signing it Sand, you're usually so kind and considerate..we've signed a petition to get a fella we don't even know out of his flat..", - and Sandra is dismayed when she discovers that the target of the petition turns out to be Neville Kane. (Horace James, John LyonsJohn Lyons (actor)John Lyons is an English stage and screen actor. He is probably most famous for appearing as D.S. George Toolan in the long-running UK detective drama, A Touch of Frost alongside David Jason...
, Frederick Bennett, Patti Brooks, Patrick Durkin, Maxine Casson appear in this episode.) - 2 "Birds on the Dole" Beryl and Sandra are out of work - on the dole. The landlords agent Mr.Hockle, (Artro Morris), is doing a check on the inventoryInventoryInventory means a list compiled for some formal purpose, such as the details of an estate going to probate, or the contents of a house let furnished. This remains the prime meaning in British English...
, and their month in advance is due a week Saturday. The girls need money and get down to the Labour Exchange to sign on. Sandra thinks this is begging and tries to go incognito - but Beryl is more sanguine and meets her Uncle Dermot (Ken JonesKen Jones (actor)Ken Jones is an English actor. Jones was born in Liverpool, England and after working as a signwriter and amateur acting, he trained at RADA and joined Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop...
), her Cousin Hughey (Brian PettiferBrian PettiferBrian Pettifer is an actor who has appeared in many television shows. Pettifer was born in Lower Durban, South Africa, and briefly brought up in Glasgow and London. He intended to become a photographer, but pursued a career as an actor...
), and her Uncle Jack (Bill DeanBill DeanBill Dean was a British actor who was born in Everton, Liverpool. He was born Patrick Connolly but took his stage name in honour of Everton football legend William 'Dixie' Dean.- Biography :...
). The loud behaviour of the Hennesseys, however, leads to a fight breaking out in the queue. (At one point in this episode Beryl and Sandra are in the street and Liverpool CathedralLiverpool CathedralLiverpool Cathedral is the Church of England cathedral of the Diocese of Liverpool, built on St James's Mount in Liverpool and is the seat of the Bishop of Liverpool. Its official name is the Cathedral Church of Christ in Liverpool but it is dedicated to Christ and the Blessed Virgin...
rises up in the background while they are speaking next to a red telephone boxRed telephone boxThe red telephone box, a public telephone kiosk designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, is a familiar sight on the streets of the United Kingdom, Malta, Bermuda and Gibraltar, and despite a reduction in their numbers in recent years, red boxes can still be seen in many places and in current or former...
. Both the cathedral and the iconic red phone box were designs of Sir Giles Gilbert Scott.) John RinghamJohn RinghamJohn Henry Ringham was a British character actor of both television and stage who appeared in over a hundred screen appearances in a wide variety of roles....
and Norman ShelleyNorman ShelleyNorman Shelley was an English actor, best known for his work in radio, in particular for the BBC's Children's Hour. He also had a recurring role as Colonel Danby in the long-running radio soap opera The Archers....
also appear in this episode which was one of the six of series three written by Jack Seddon and David Pursall. - 3 "Good Little Girls should be in Bed" Beryl is with new boyfriend Robert (Colin Bell), in Sefton ParkSefton ParkSefton Park is a public park in south Liverpool, England. The park is in a district of the same name within the Liverpool City Council Ward of Mossley Hill, and roughly within the historic bounds of the large area of Toxteth Park...
. He asks her to spend the night with him before he has to return to London in the morning. Beryl seeks the advice of Sandra and tells her he is cultured - "likes books and paintings and old buildings." Sandra tells her to go - "After all, you've got nothing to lose." "Cheeky cow", says Beryl, who decides she will spend the night with Robert. But Beryl's nervous evening goes completely wrong after Robert disappears to buy some alcohol. (Susan LittlerSusan LittlerSusan Littler was an English actress who appeared in many television and stage productions in the 1970s and early 1980s, before her career was cut short by her premature death...
, Ann Michelle, Anthony Verner, Constance Reason and Julia BreckJulia BreckJulia Breck was born in Newport, Isle of Wight. She is a British actress and "glamour stooge", most famous to British television buffs for her frequent appearances in Spike Milligan's Q series , in which she generally appeared as a buxom sexual predator...
appear in this episode.) - 4 "Birds on Strike" Beryl shows Sandra some slides of her days with a boyfriend, Roy, before he left again to sea - Beryl and Roy outside Lewis'sLewis'sLewis's was a large department store in Liverpool city centre. It was formerly the flagship of a chain of department stores under the Lewis's name, that operated from 1856 to 1991, when the company went into administration. Several stores in the chain were bought by the company Owen Owen and...
, Beryl and Roy by the Mersey FunnelLiverpool Metropolitan CathedralThe Metropolitan Cathedral Church of Christ the King is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. The cathedral is the seat of the Archbishop of Liverpool and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Liverpool. The Metropolitan Cathedral is one of two cathedrals in the city...
, Beryl and Roy on the New BrightonNew Brighton, MerseysideNew Brighton is a seaside resort forming part of the town of Wallasey, in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, in the metropolitan county of Merseyside, England. It is located at the northeastern tip of the Wirral Peninsula, within the historic county boundaries of Cheshire, and has sandy beaches...
ferry, - and then , a final one, Beryl and Frank at the dock gates - a man she'd met straight after waving goodbye to Roy. Beryl has arranged to meet Frank the next Sunday. Back at work at Blandings Cosmetics, Jim Royle (Clive SwiftClive SwiftClive Walter Swift is an English character comedy actor and songwriter. He is best known for his role as character Richard Bucket in the British television series Keeping Up Appearances. He is less known for his role as character Roy in the British television series The Old Guys...
), a shop stewardUnion stewardA union representative, union steward, or shop steward is an employee of an organization or company, who represents and defends the interests of her/his fellow employees but who is also a labor union official...
, knowing the strong LabourLabour Party (UK)The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
tradition in the Hennessey family, asks Beryl to speak at a mass meeting calling for strike action, on Sunday, - the same day Beryl has arranged to see Frank. (John JunkinJohn JunkinJohn Francis Junkin was an English radio, television and film performer and scriptwriter.In 1960 Junkin joined Joan Littlewood's Stratford East Theatre Workshop, and played the lead in the original production of Sparrows Can't Sing...
also appears in this episode). - 5 "Fella - A - Day Girl"
- 6 "Birds and Bottom Drawers"
- 7 "The Christening"
- 8 "Birds on Horseback"
- 9 "St Valentine's Day"
- 10 "Birds in the Club" Beryl and Sandra are at Hunts CrossHunts CrossHunt's Cross is a suburb of Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It is located on the southern edge of the city, bordered by Woolton, Allerton, Speke and Halewood.-History:...
Rugby Club. Sandra's there because of Rupert. Beryl's not too impressed - "the fellas are more interested in beer and rugby than girls." Beryl thinks maybe footballers would be a better bet. Sandra gets picked to represent the Rugby Club in the Miss Hot PantsShortsShorts are a bifurcated garment worn by both men and women over their pelvic area, circling the waist, and covering the upper part of the legs, sometimes extending down to or even below the knee, but not covering the entire length of the leg. They are called "shorts" because they are a shortened...
1972 Competition. (Beryl, a Catholic, identifies as an Everton F.C.Everton F.C.Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
supporter in this episode and it is sometimes supposed that there is a religious root to the Liverpool F.C.LiverpoolLiverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
- Everton F.C.Everton F.C.Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
rivalry, with Everton usually thought of as the Catholic team. In fact, both teams can trace their roots to St.Domingo Methodist Chapel.) Though little use was made of the pop music of the early 1970s in the series, in this episode snatches of two songs are heard - "Beg, Steal or Borrow", a hit for The New SeekersThe New SeekersThe New Seekers are a British-based pop group, formed in 1969 by Keith Potger after the break-up of his group, The Seekers. The idea was that the New Seekers would appeal to the same market as the original Seekers, but their music had rock as well as folk influences...
, and Gilbert O'SullivanGilbert O'SullivanGilbert O'Sullivan is an Irish-English singer-songwriter, best known for his early 1970s hits "Alone Again ", "Clair" and "Get Down". The music magazine, Record Mirror, voted him the No...
's "Save It". - 11 "The Driving Test" Sandra is spending her evening with the boss's son Aubrey (Clive FrancisClive Francis-Early life:He is the son of actors Raymond Francis and Margaret Towner. He was born in Eastbourne.His father played Detective Chief Superintendent Tom Lockhart in the 1960s series No Hiding Place and his mother still acts today - most recently she played Jira, Anakin Skywalker's friend, in Star...
), but she's worried about Beryl - it's nearly midnight and she's not back from a tandem bicycleTandem bicycleThe tandem bicycle or twin is a form of bicycle designed to be ridden by more than one person. The term tandem refers to the seating arrangement , not the number of riders. A bike with two riders side-by-side is called a sociable.-History:Patents related to tandem bicycles date from the late 19th...
ride with her boyfriend Johnny (Jonathan LynnJonathan LynnJonathan Lynn is an English actor, comedy writer and director. He is best known for being the co-writer of Yes Minister and Yes, Prime Minister.-Personal life:...
). When Beryl arrives, worn out from a trip to RhylRhylRhyl is a seaside resort town and community situated on the north east coast of Wales, in the county of Denbighshire , at the mouth of the River Clwyd . To the west is the suburb of Kinmel Bay, with the resort of Towyn further west, Prestatyn to the east and Rhuddlan to the south...
and back, she decides she wants them to buy the second-hand car they've been talking about and Aubrey says he'll teach them to drive. - 12 "Liverpool or Everton" Sandra is with Joe (Bill KenwrightBill KenwrightBill Kenwright CBE is a leading West End theatre producer and film producer.He is also the Chairman of Everton Football Club, an English professional football club from the city of Liverpool....
), when Beryl returns from an Everton match with her Uncle Dermot and a couple of other Everton fans. They argue with Joe, who is a Liverpool fan. Joe is also captain of the works team at Blandings Cosmetics and Sandra and Beryl go to watch a match - Joe scores an own-goal and his team loses 7-0. Angered at Beryl's mockery of his performance he challenges her to do better as captain of an all-woman team from the Packing Department. Beryl accepts the challenge whose team will be trained by her Uncle Dermot (Ken JonesKen Jones (actor)Ken Jones is an English actor. Jones was born in Liverpool, England and after working as a signwriter and amateur acting, he trained at RADA and joined Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop...
) - (this wasn't the first time Ken Jones had played an Everton fan - he had done so a few years earlier in a Ken LoachKen LoachKenneth "Ken" Loach is a Palme D'Or winning English film and television director.He is known for his naturalistic, social realist directing style and for his socialist beliefs, which are evident in his film treatment of social issues such as homelessness , labour rights and child abuse at the...
Wednesday Play, 1968's The Golden Vision.) (This episode, one of the Seddon-Pursall episodes, is one of those most open to charges of sexismSexismSexism, also known as gender discrimination or sex discrimination, is the application of the belief or attitude that there are characteristics implicit to one's gender that indirectly affect one's abilities in unrelated areas...
. Nerys Hughes: "I remember a football match. The shorts were terribly short and also there was a girl with huge breasts who was so big-breasted that she fell over. And thats a 'man-joke' - isn't it? It wasn't Carla." And Carla Lane herself said later: "Oh God..that [writing arrangement] nearly killed me. Yeh, I mean, what can I say? They wrote like fellas." Bill KenwrightBill KenwrightBill Kenwright CBE is a leading West End theatre producer and film producer.He is also the Chairman of Everton Football Club, an English professional football club from the city of Liverpool....
, playing a Liverpool F.C. supporter in this episode was in real life an Evertonian, and is currently chairman of Everton F.C.Everton F.C.Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
). - 13 "The Parrot" Sandra goes vegetarian and starts collecting for the RSPCA. Her mother asks her to look after the family's pet parrot, Napoleon, 'it's just for a couple of days', but Beryl isn't happy - she doesn't want psittacosisPsittacosisIn medicine , psittacosis — also known as parrot disease, parrot fever, and ornithosis — is a zoonotic infectious disease caused by a bacterium called Chlamydophila psittaci and contracted from parrots, such as macaws, cockatiels and budgerigars, and pigeons, sparrows, ducks, hens, gulls and many...
. The phone rings and Beryl speaks with a suicidal man (Christopher Sandford), who wants to talk to The Samaritans, but has dialled the wrong number. Beryl is concerned and invites him round for a chat anyway. Felix BownessFelix BownessFelix Bowness was an English comedy actor best remembered for his portrayal of the jockey Fred Quilly in the BBC sitcom Hi-de-Hi!.-Biography:...
appears in this episode.
Carla Lane became sole writer for the fourth series. She felt it was now time for the Liver Birds to start thinking about longer term relationships with boys. John Nettles
John Nettles
John Vivian Drummond Nettles, OBE is an English actor, historian and writer who is best known for playing the lead roles in Bergerac and Midsomer Murders.-Early life:...
played Paul, Sandra's (frustrated) boyfriend, and Jonathan Lynn
Jonathan Lynn
Jonathan Lynn is an English actor, comedy writer and director. He is best known for being the co-writer of Yes Minister and Yes, Prime Minister.-Personal life:...
played Robert , Beryl's boyfriend. "I always wanted The Liver Birds", said Lane, "not to be too keen about marriage - not to down it - but not to be out to get a boyfriend to marry." Beryl's mother, (Sheila Fay), voiced the critical view: "Man is the dog, and woman is the bone. He eats the best of you, and buries the rest of you, and when his dish is empty - he'll dig you up again." This would be the last series with Beryl. Polly James
Polly James
Polly James is an award winning British actresswith a varied career in theatre, film, television and radio spanning nearly 40 years...
explained: "The reason I left the programme in the end was that I felt I was in danger of caricaturing what was already a pretty outrageous character."
Christmas Night with the Stars
(25/12/72) - The Liver Birds short - 'Christmas Night with the Stars' was a programme shown annually on Christmas night, when the top BBC stars appeared in short versions of their series, typically 5-10 minutes long. The Liver Birds was one part of this edition.Series 4 (1974)
- 1 "Anybody Here Seen Thingy?"
- 2 "Friends at First Sight"
- 3 "Life Is Just A Bowl Of Sugar" Sandra has bought a cut-glass sugar bowl with money given to her by Paul. When Beryl points out "we dip our spoons straight in the bag", Sandra tells her she hopes the bowl will become part of a home she'll share with Paul. And she wonders if taking him to see her parents in Hunts Cross, a "happily married couple", will make the idea of marriage appear more desirable to him. But then Sandra's father (Ivan Beavis) and mother show up at the flat - and they're talking about getting a divorceDivorceDivorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
. What's the problem? "I'm married to it", says Mrs Hutchinson. - 4 "Where's Beryl?" Sandra wants to go to London for the weekend, and convinces Beryl to go too - after all, their boyfriends Robert and Paul (John NettlesJohn NettlesJohn Vivian Drummond Nettles, OBE is an English actor, historian and writer who is best known for playing the lead roles in Bergerac and Midsomer Murders.-Early life:...
), are there. But whereas, when they arrive, Sandra gets a bright spacious room opposite Paul, Beryl gets a poky room at the top of the hotel. "By the time I leave here I'll be on nodding terms with B.E.A.British European AirwaysBritish European Airways or British European Airways Corporation was a British airline which existed from 1946 until 1974. The airline operated European and North African routes from airports around the United Kingdom...
", she tells Sandra. And then she can't make contact with Robert, and Paul disapproves of the amount of cleavageCleavage (breasts)Cleavage, anatomically known as the intramammary cleft, is the space between a woman's breasts lying over the sternum. Cleavage is exposed by a garment with a low neckline, such as ball gowns, evening gowns, swimwear, casual tops and other garments....
Sandra has on show - so it's not the weekend the girls were hoping for. (Avril AngersAvril AngersAvril Florence Angers was an English stand up comedienne and actress.- Life :Angers was born in Liverpool. She danced with the Tiller Girls before joining ENSA during the Second World War, becoming a Forces' sweetheart. She never married or had children...
and Fidelis MorganFidelis MorganFidelis Morgan is a British actress and writer.She was born in a red gypsy caravan, Kiomi Romani, which stood in a corner of the grounds of the ancient Abbey of Amesbury, halfway between Stonehenge and Woodhenge...
appear in this episode.) - 5 "Girl Saturday" Beryl discovers that she needs to wear glasses and the receptionist (Jeanne MockfordJeanne MockfordJeanne Mockford is an English actress. She is probably best known for her role as Senna the Soothsayer alongside her close friend Frankie Howerd in Up Pompeii!. More recently, however, she has made guest appearances in shows such as The Bill, Doctors, Bedsitcom, My Hero and Casualty...
), tells her that they will be ready to collect on Saturday. But this is also the day that Beryl's boyfriend Robert will arrive for a week in Liverpool, after they have spent weeks apart, and Beryl is worried he will not like her in glasses and that her face can't be covered with things anyway - 'it's too small'. (John Dunbar and John RudlingJohn RudlingJohn Rudling was an English television actor who was perhaps best known for playing the butler Brabinger in the popular BBC sitcom To the Manor Born....
also appear in this episode.) - 6 "Pack Up Your Troubles"
- 7 "Have Hen Will Travel"
- 8 "Love Is..."
- 9 "Anyone For Freedom?"
- 10 "Follow That Ring"
- 11 "The Bride That Went Away"
- 12 "Let Sleeping Dogs Lie" Robert is sleeping on Beryl and Sandra's settee for the week before his wedding, now that he has found a job in Liverpool. This is fine until Sandra agrees to do a favour for Mrs. Sayers (Edna DoréEdna DoréEdna Doré is a British actress. Doré is one of Britain's best known senior citizen actresses. She is known for her bit-part roles in situation comedies and for playing the character of Mo Butcher in the BBC soap opera EastEnders .- Career :She began her career as a chorus girl in ENSA, then spent...
) and offers a home for the weekend to Skip, a large St. BernardSt. Bernard (dog)The St. Bernard is a breed of very large working dog from the Italian and Swiss Alps, originally bred for rescue. The breed has become famous through tales of alpine rescues, as well as for its large size.-Appearance:The St. Bernard is a large dog...
, who takes up residence on the settee. So Robert gets to share Beryl's room. "I know how we'll calm you down. We'll give you a sleeping pill", says Sandra. But then Mrs. Hutchinson gets to hear of Robert's whereabouts and tells Beryl's mother and they soon arrive to check things out - with Father O'Leary (Patrick McAlinneyPatrick McAlinneyPatrick McAlinney was an Irish-born character actor who starred in many British dramas and sitcoms. His most memorable roles included a brother on the hit sitcom Oh, Brother! which starred Derek Nimmo, Mr. O'Reilly in The Tomorrow People and Dr...
) too. - 13 "And Then There Was One"
The producer Sydney Lotterby had to find a new leading actress to keep the series going after the departure of Polly James. He'd done it in 1971 , replacing Pauline Collins with Nerys Hughes. And in fact it was Hughes herself who first spotted her potential new flat-mate. "I went to see a musical in town - Willy Russell's, John, Paul, George, Ringo..and Bert, and saw Elizabeth Estensen
Elizabeth Estensen
Elizabeth Estensen is an English actress, mainly known for work in the popular television dramas The Liver Birds and Emmerdale.-Career:...
." Lotterby saw the performance at Hughes' suggestion, and asked Estenson to audition for the part. " She was loud, and abrasive, and exactly what I wanted," said Lotterby. So Beryl, the bouncy blonde was replaced by feisty, flame-haired Carol. Now into the fifth series, Carla Lane expanded her range from single life to family life and introduced Carol's relatives - the Boswells. "They were a close family - they were a dysfunctional family" said Estenson, and they included Lucien, Carol's brother, played by Michael Angelis
Michael Angelis
Michael Angelis is an English actor and voice actor.Michael Angelis was one of the stars of the famous 1982 BBC drama serial Boys from the Black Stuff and another Alan Bleasedale drama G.B.H.. He also starred in comedies such as Luv and The Liver Birds, in which he appeared between series 5 and 9...
, a native Liverpudlian and Carol's mother Mrs. Boswell played initially by Eileen Kennally and later Carmel McSharry. Carla Lane's later series Bread revolved around the Boswell family and in interviews, Lane agreed that the two families were probably related.
Series 5 (1975)
- 1 "It Takes All Kinds" (5/9/75)
- 2 "Look After the Children" (12/9/75)
- 3 "You've Got To Laugh" (19/9/75)
- 4 "Love is A Many Stupid Thing" (26/9/75)
- 5 "Dinner For Three" (3/10/75)
- 6 "The Lily and the Dandelion" (10/10/75)
- 7 "Everybody Is Beautiful" (17/10/75)
Series 6 (1976)
- 1 "Facing Up To Life" (13/2/76)
- 2 "The Maypole" (20/2/76)
- 3 "Honey" (27/2/76)
- 4 "The Never-Ending End" (5/3/76)
- 5 "Badgers and Otters" (12/3/76)
Series 7 (1976)
- 1 "Friends and Lovers" (17/10/76)
- 2 "She Dreams A Lot" (24/10/76)
- 3 "A Mark On The World" (31/10/76)
- 4 "Love 'Em - And Almost Leave 'Em" (7/11/76)
- 5 "Oh' The Shame Of It" (14/11/76)
- 6 "Cry Please" (21/11/76)
- 7 "The 'Nearly' Hat" (28/11/76)
- 8 "Yellow and Green Make Blue" (5/12/76)
Series 8 (1977)
- 1 "Something Beginning" (23/9/77)
- 2 "The Flower Picker" (30/9/77)
- 3 "You've No Idea What I've Been Through" (7/10/77)
- 4 "God Bless Us And Save Us" (14/10/77)
- 5 "They Decide Up There What Goes On Down Here" (21/10/77)
- 6 "The Edge" (28/10/77)
- 7 "The Struggle" (4/11/77)
Series 9 (1978)
- 1 "There's No Place Like Away From Home" (17/11/78)
- 2 "The Sixth Day" (24/11/78)
- 3 "Various Kinds of Old" (1/12/78)
- 4 "Weeds" (8/12/78)
- 5 "Somewhere To Live ... Somewhere To Love" (15/12/78)
- 6 "The Best Things In Life Are Not Free" (29/12/78)
Series 10 (1996)
- 1 "Hello Again" (6/5/96)
- 2 "Mrs Boswell Comes To Call" (13/5/96)
- 3 "Spare That Tree!" (20/5/96)
- 4 "On The Town" (27/5/96)
- 5 "Going Into Hospital" (3/6/96)
- 6 "Out Of Hospital" (17/6/96)
- 7 "Moving Out?" (24/6/96)
The Liver Birds missing episodes
Both the pilot and 3 of the 4 episodes from series 1 are missing presumed wiped in their entirety- Pilot - The Liver Birds
- The Photographer
- Aristocracy and Crime
- Torremolinos, Costa del Sol or Southport?
Revival
In 1996, 17 years after the final episode of the show broadcast the BBC revived the series, with Beryl and Sandra reunited and now both coping with the aftermath of their respective failed marriages.As the BBC's own website admits, some liberties were taken with continuity: Carmel McSharry
Carmel McSharry
Carmel McSharry is an Irish character actress, best-known for her roles portrayals of Beryl Humphries in Beryl's Lot, and as Mrs. Hollingbery in In Sickness and in Health....
who had played Carol's mother in Seasons 5–9, returned as the same character but now transformed into Beryl's mother, and Carol's rabbit-obsessed brother Lucien, played by Michael Angelis
Michael Angelis
Michael Angelis is an English actor and voice actor.Michael Angelis was one of the stars of the famous 1982 BBC drama serial Boys from the Black Stuff and another Alan Bleasedale drama G.B.H.. He also starred in comedies such as Luv and The Liver Birds, in which he appeared between series 5 and 9...
, became Beryl's brother. The revival was not a ratings success, and only lasted one series.
DVD releases
Only the second series has been released on DVD, by Universal Playback in the UK in 2003. It has since gone out of print, with retailers such as Amazon only listing used copies, and was notable for placing the episodes in production order rather than transmission order (resulting in some continuity errors). When 2|entertain, the current holder of the master BBC DVD licence, was asked about further releases, they replied "we have no plans to release it".However it hopes one day the series could be re-released within the near future, as Network
Network 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 British DVD company is now owning the rights to many (both BBC and ITV) television shows of the past and could one day include the series.
External links
- BBC Comedy Guide
- Information from Carla Lane's website
- The Liver Birds at British TV Resources