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Tutti Frutti (1987 TV series)
Encyclopedia
Tutti Frutti is a BBC Scotland
six part drama series, transmitted in 1987 and written by John Byrne. It starred Robbie Coltrane
, Emma Thompson
, Maurice Roëves
, Richard Wilson and Katy Murphy
. It brought many of the cast to national prominence.
The group's devious and exploitative manager Eddie Clockerty (Wilson) talks Big Jazza's younger brother, Danny (also Coltrane), home from New York for the funeral, into joining the band as their new lead singer. Suzi Kettles (Thompson), a sharp cookie and old classmate of Danny, picks up the guitar and also joins the band. From that moment the ill-fated tour and the band's fortunes appear to take a turn for the better.
The series is a sharply-written and very black comedy. The Majestics' final dispiriting tour of Scotland's less salubrious clubs and pubs is punctuated by childish backstage squabbling and a series of personal disasters. Ageing heart-throb Vincent Diver (Roëves), 'the iron man of Scottish Rock', is cheating on his wife Noreen (a community nurse and sister of drummer Bomba) with girlfriend Glenna (played by Fiona Chalmers as simultaneously pathetic, manipulative and glutinously cloying), who has an apparent pregnancy and when the unborn child dies (or maybe never existed from the start), she commits suicide by jumping from a bridge into the Clyde. Vincent is also knifed in Buckie
by a girl who believes she is his illegitimate daughter from a one-night stand on a tour of long ago. Suzi Kettles proves to have an abusive estranged husband, a dentist, in whose teeth Danny drills holes with the dentist's drill for his battering of Suzi. The fractious on-off relationship between rotund Danny McGlone and Suzi adds a further comic dimension, along with the 'double-act' of the dour Mr Clockerty and his lippy secretary Janice Toner (Murphy). In the final sequence, during the Majestics' grand final concert at Glasgow Pavilion, Vincent douses himself in Polish vodka and sets himself alight.
, albeit only 10 months after its first transmission on BBC One
, and was not available on video or DVD. Various rumours circulated for many years as to why, but the BBC never confirmed the reasons. However, in March 2007 John Byrne explained that the problem had been due to a performance of the song "Tutti Frutti"
in one episode (not the title sequence) where Danny McGlone changes the lyrics to "here's the rub, she makes me sleep in a tub". This is a reference to an earlier scene where Kettles is coerced into letting McGlone stay at her flat, but insists he sleeps in the bathtub. As a result of this change the BBC
's usual music licensing did not apply, and the copyright holder Little Richard
requested a prohibitively high fee.
In 2006 a BBC spokesperson stated that these issues were 'resolvable', allowing for a DVD release or BBC Four
transmission. John Byrne, however, said he thought the original film stock (including out-takes) may have been destroyed, and that only the broadcast masters may survive.
The BBC released a two-disc Region 2 DVD package of the series on 3 August 2009 in the UK.
and His Majesty's Theatre in Aberdeen
, where it ran to packed houses in late 2006. The NTS production cast included some well-known faces from the Scottish theatre and TV worlds.
In 2007 the show was staged in Glasgow
, Edinburgh
and Blackpool
by NTS.
BBC Scotland
BBC Scotland is a constituent part of the British Broadcasting Corporation, the publicly-funded broadcaster of the United Kingdom. It is, in effect, the national broadcaster for Scotland, having a considerable amount of autonomy from the BBC's London headquarters, and is run by the BBC Trust, who...
six part drama series, transmitted in 1987 and written by John Byrne. It starred Robbie Coltrane
Robbie Coltrane
Robbie Coltrane, OBE is a Scottish actor, comedian and author. He is known both for his role as Dr...
, Emma Thompson
Emma Thompson
Emma Thompson is a British actress, comedian and screenwriter. Her first major film role was in the 1989 romantic comedy The Tall Guy. In 1992, Thompson won multiple acting awards, including an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award for Best Actress, for her performance in the British drama Howards End...
, Maurice Roëves
Maurice Roëves
Maurice Roëves is a British actor, born in Sunderland, County Durham on 19 March 1937.His television roles include Danger UXB , The Nightmare Man , the 1984 Doctor Who serial The Caves of Androzani, Days of our Lives , Tutti Frutti , Rab C...
, Richard Wilson and Katy Murphy
Katy Murphy
Katy Murphy is a Scottish actress who has appeared in Mike and Angelo, Spatz, B&B, The Steamie, The River, Takin' Over the Asylum, Casualty and perhaps most memorably Tutti Frutti. She played the part of Janet in the Radio 4 series Adventures of a Black Bag, and her most recent performance was in...
. It brought many of the cast to national prominence.
Plot
The Majestics, a legendary Scots rock 'n' roll band, are on the eve of their 1986 "Silver Jubilee" tour, and find themselves in trouble when their lead singer, Big Jazza McGlone (Coltrane), is killed in a car crash.The group's devious and exploitative manager Eddie Clockerty (Wilson) talks Big Jazza's younger brother, Danny (also Coltrane), home from New York for the funeral, into joining the band as their new lead singer. Suzi Kettles (Thompson), a sharp cookie and old classmate of Danny, picks up the guitar and also joins the band. From that moment the ill-fated tour and the band's fortunes appear to take a turn for the better.
The series is a sharply-written and very black comedy. The Majestics' final dispiriting tour of Scotland's less salubrious clubs and pubs is punctuated by childish backstage squabbling and a series of personal disasters. Ageing heart-throb Vincent Diver (Roëves), 'the iron man of Scottish Rock', is cheating on his wife Noreen (a community nurse and sister of drummer Bomba) with girlfriend Glenna (played by Fiona Chalmers as simultaneously pathetic, manipulative and glutinously cloying), who has an apparent pregnancy and when the unborn child dies (or maybe never existed from the start), she commits suicide by jumping from a bridge into the Clyde. Vincent is also knifed in Buckie
Buckie
Buckie is a burgh town on the Moray Firth coast of Scotland in Moray. Buckie was the largest town in Banffshire by some thousands of inhabitants before regionalisation in 1975 removed that political division from the map of Scotland...
by a girl who believes she is his illegitimate daughter from a one-night stand on a tour of long ago. Suzi Kettles proves to have an abusive estranged husband, a dentist, in whose teeth Danny drills holes with the dentist's drill for his battering of Suzi. The fractious on-off relationship between rotund Danny McGlone and Suzi adds a further comic dimension, along with the 'double-act' of the dour Mr Clockerty and his lippy secretary Janice Toner (Murphy). In the final sequence, during the Majestics' grand final concert at Glasgow Pavilion, Vincent douses himself in Polish vodka and sets himself alight.
Re-release
Although it attained 'cult' status, it was only repeated once on BBC TwoBBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
, albeit only 10 months after its first transmission on BBC One
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...
, and was not available on video or DVD. Various rumours circulated for many years as to why, but the BBC never confirmed the reasons. However, in March 2007 John Byrne explained that the problem had been due to a performance of the song "Tutti Frutti"
Tutti Frutti (song)
"Tutti Frutti" is a 1955 song by Little Richard, which became his first hit record. With its opening cry of "A-wop-bop-a-loo-bop-a-lop-bop-bop!" and its hard-driving sound and wild lyrics, it became not only a model for many future Little Richard songs, but also one of the...
in one episode (not the title sequence) where Danny McGlone changes the lyrics to "here's the rub, she makes me sleep in a tub". This is a reference to an earlier scene where Kettles is coerced into letting McGlone stay at her flat, but insists he sleeps in the bathtub. As a result of this change the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's usual music licensing did not apply, and the copyright holder Little Richard
Little Richard
Richard Wayne Penniman , known by the stage name Little Richard, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, recording artist, and actor, considered key in the transition from rhythm and blues to rock and roll in the 1950s. He was also the first artist to put the funk in the rock and roll beat and...
requested a prohibitively high fee.
In 2006 a BBC spokesperson stated that these issues were 'resolvable', allowing for a DVD release or BBC Four
BBC Four
BBC Four is a British television network operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation and available to digital television viewers on Freeview, IPTV, satellite and cable....
transmission. John Byrne, however, said he thought the original film stock (including out-takes) may have been destroyed, and that only the broadcast masters may survive.
The BBC released a two-disc Region 2 DVD package of the series on 3 August 2009 in the UK.
Stage Play
In 2006 Byrne reworked the series into a stage play, produced as a co-production between the National Theatre of ScotlandNational Theatre of Scotland
The National Theatre of Scotland is a theatre company established in February 2006. The company performs in a wide range of venues including theatres, halls and found spaces across Scotland....
and His Majesty's Theatre in Aberdeen
Aberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
, where it ran to packed houses in late 2006. The NTS production cast included some well-known faces from the Scottish theatre and TV worlds.
In 2007 the show was staged in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
and Blackpool
Blackpool
Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
by NTS.
Cast
- Robbie ColtraneRobbie ColtraneRobbie Coltrane, OBE is a Scottish actor, comedian and author. He is known both for his role as Dr...
- Danny McGlone - Emma ThompsonEmma ThompsonEmma Thompson is a British actress, comedian and screenwriter. Her first major film role was in the 1989 romantic comedy The Tall Guy. In 1992, Thompson won multiple acting awards, including an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award for Best Actress, for her performance in the British drama Howards End...
- Suzi Kettles - Richard Wilson - Eddie Clockerty
- Katy MurphyKaty MurphyKaty Murphy is a Scottish actress who has appeared in Mike and Angelo, Spatz, B&B, The Steamie, The River, Takin' Over the Asylum, Casualty and perhaps most memorably Tutti Frutti. She played the part of Janet in the Radio 4 series Adventures of a Black Bag, and her most recent performance was in...
- Janice Toner - Maurice RoëvesMaurice RoëvesMaurice Roëves is a British actor, born in Sunderland, County Durham on 19 March 1937.His television roles include Danger UXB , The Nightmare Man , the 1984 Doctor Who serial The Caves of Androzani, Days of our Lives , Tutti Frutti , Rab C...
- Vincent Diver - Stuart McGuganStuart McGuganStuart McGugan is a Scottish actor.Stuart was first seen on television as a presenter on BBC's Play School in 1964 , but he is best/well known for playing the roles of Bomba MacAteer in Tutti Frutti, and Gunner 'Atlas' Mackintosh in the BBC sitcom It Ain't Half Hot Mum.He...
- Bomba MacAteer - Jake D'ArcyJake D'ArcyJake D'Arcy is a Scottish actor best known for playing "Pete the Jakey" on Scottish comedy show Still Game.In a career stretching from the early 1970s, D'Arcy has had roles in both television and the cinema. He has appeared in TV dramas and films such as Dr. Finlay's Casebook, Adam Smith, Gregory's...
- Fud O'Donnell - Ron Donachie - Dennis Sproul
- Fiona Chalmers - Glenna McFadden
List of episodes
- The Boy Can't Help It
- On The Road Again
- Gin A Body Dig A Body...
- Don't You Rock Me Daddy-O
- Love Hurts
- A Wop-Boppa Loo-Bop A Wop-Bam Boom
Awards
The series won six Baftas in 1988.- Best Actress - Emma Thompson
- Best Drama Series - Andy Park, Tony Smith
- Best Graphics - Sandi Anderson, John Byrne
- Best Make Up - Lorna Blair
- Best Sound Supervisor - Brian Dewar
- Best VTR Editor - Peter Hayes