Best of British TV Shows (1970s) Quiz

Answer: Goodies

Ah, an oldie, but a goodie! The "Goodies', which aired on the BBC, gave us 12 years of laughs and madcap antics from 1970 - 1982.

In all, 67 half-hour episodes, as well as two forty-five-minute Christmas specials, were made. The series was created and written by the three main stars, Tim Brooke-Taylor, Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie. The three met as undergraduates at the University of Cambridge and were contemporaries of John Cleese and Eric Idle.

Perhaps one of the most famous episodes was episode 2.7 'Kitten Kong'. Interestingly, this was entered in the Montreax TV Festival in 1972 where it won the Silver Rose. However, in episode 3.1 'The New Office', Tim, ever the comedian, is seen painting it gold.

Sadly, in 2020, Tim Brooke-Taylor died on April 12, at the age of 79, after contracting COVID.

Answer: Survivors

'Survivors', a BBC series which ran from 1975-1977, had 38 episodes in all. The series was about a group of people who survive an apocalyptic plague pandemic. (The plague incidentally, gets accidentally released by a Chinese scientist and then very quickly spreads across the world through people travelling on airplanes.)

'The Death' as the plague is called, kills 4,999 people out of every 5,000. The show highlights what these survivors have to do to simply stay alive - from staying away from infected people, to fighting each other, to finding fresh water and food once existing supplies run out, to working out how to communicate without any working technology, to what to do with billions of very dead, disease-ridden bodies.

I really enjoyed this show.

The man responsible for writing many 'Doctor Who' scripts, Terry Nation, created the series, and its main stars were Carolyn Seymour, Lucy Fleming, Ian McCulloch, and Denis Lill. Much of the show was filmed in the Welsh Marshes.

Answer: The Professionals

'The Professionals' was a British crime-action television series produced for LWT (London Weekend Television). It aired on ITV from 1977 to 1983, and, in all, 57 episodes were produced.

The show, which was originally going to be called 'The A-Squad' was created by Brian Clemens, one of the driving forces behind the very successful TV series, 'The Avengers'.

CI5 was a fictious entity and was inspired by a cross between CID and MI5. The premise of the show was that Martin Shaw and Lewis Collins had to find and fight a wide range of villains, including assassins, terrorists, hate groups and espionage suspects.

Sadly, two of the main actors died of cancer in their 60's. Lewis Collins died at age 67 in November 2013, and Gordon Jackson died in January 1990, aged 66.

Answer: Fawlty Towers

"Fawlty Towers" has to be one of the most iconic British comedies, and yet it famously only had 12 episodes. Airing on BBC2 between 1975 and 1979, it was named in 2019 as the greatest ever British TV sitcom by comedy experts, a panel of which had been compiled by the 'Radio Times'.

Basil Fawlty, played by John Cleese, runs the hotel in Torquay, aided by his long-suffering wife, Cybil (played by Prunella Scales), chambermaid, Polly (played by Connie Booth who was John Cleese's real- life wife at the time), and, of course, the hapless English-challenged waiter, Manuel (played by Andrew Sachs).

As most people know, the idea came from a hotel Cleese had stayed at in Torquay, Devon, which was run by a stuffy, self-important man who treated his guests as a hindrance.

There are many oft-quoted lines that came from the series, however 'Don't mention the war,' is probably the most famous.

John Cleese and Connie Booth, the writers, took six weeks to write each episode. It aired in 45 countries and went very well in all, except Spain where they took exception to the way Spanish Manuel was portrayed, so he was changed to being Italian. Andrew Sachs, by the way, was German-born. He sadly died in 2016 after being diagnosed with vascular dementia in 2012.

Answer: Upstairs Downstairs

'Upstairs Downstairs', was broadcast by BBC1 in 2010 and in all, had 68 episodes running between 1971 and 1975.

The show follows of the lives of the Bellamy family who live 'upstairs', and their servants who live 'downstairs'. The show in many ways can be regarded as a document of the changes that happened in England and abroad in the 27 years from 1903 to 1930. It includes subjects such as the First World War, women's suffrage, the Roaring Twenties, and the Wall Street Crash of 1929.

It had a large and impressive cast including Pauline Collins (you might remember her in 'Shirley Valentine') Gordon Jackson, (from the aforementioned 'The Professionals') and Jean Marsh, who co-created the series.

'Upstairs, Downstairs' won a very impressive list of awards both in Britain and overseas, including two BAFTA's, eight Emmys, and a Golden Globe. In the U.S., it won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series in 1974, 1975, and 1977.

Answer: Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em

The show of course is 'Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em' starring Michael Crawford and and Michele Dotrice. The show had just 23 episodes and ran from 1973 to 1978, returning in 2016 for a special. It was broadcast in over 60 countries.

Michael Crawford is clearly a talented and flexible artist. Other than being the lead comedy character in 'Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em' and playing the lead in 'Phantom of the Opera,' the musical, (he performed this role 1,300 times), he famously refused to have a stuntman in 'Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em', preferring to perform all the stunts himself.

The show follows accident-prone Frank Spencer and his long-suffering, but still loving, wife, Betty. Frank often has trouble getting a job and always has trouble keeping it. Many of the shows well-known catchphrases became part of British popular culture. Some of these are: 'Betty, the cat's done a whoopsie in my beret', 'Ooh Betty', and 'I think I might be in a bit of trouble'.

Rather amusingly, the show has been quoted in the UK House of Commons on several occasions, usually to get a point across. In 1993 for example, Labour Party leader John Smith taunted the then-Conservative prime minister, John Major, saying that "recent government mishaps would be considered 'too much' if submitted to the show's producers by scriptwriters."

Michele Dotrice, who plays 'Betty' in the show, was incidentally married to Edward Woodward until his death in 2008.

Answer: The Persuaders!

'The Persuaders!' was initially broadcast on ITV and the ABC in 1971 and in all, had 24 episodes.

The show revolves around two men - Englishman Lord Brett Sinclair (Sir Roger Moore) and Bronx-raised, self-made American Danny Wilde (Tony Curtis). They are bought together reluctantly to solve crime cases by retired Judge Fulton (played by Laurence Naismith). The concept of 'The Persuaders!' actually originated in one of the final episodes of 'The Saint', another TV show that starred Sir Roger Moore.

'The Persuaders!' was shot in several locations including Britain, France, and Italy. Whilst it was popular in the UK and had some success in the U.S., it did very well in continental Europe and Australia. In all, it ran in more than 30 countries.

Sadly, neither Tony Curtis nor Roger Moore are with us anymore. Tony Curtis died in 2010 of cardiac arrest at age 85, and Roger Moore died of cancer in 2017, aged 89.

Answer: Are You Being Served?

'Are You Being Served?' is a British sitcom which was created by David Croft and Jeremy Lloyd. It ran on the BBC from September 1972 to April 1985 and, in all 69 episodes were made.

The show follows the exploits of the employees in the ready-to-wear clothing department of Grace Brothers - a London department store. The show was actually inspired by the 'Simpson's of Piccadilly' store, where the co-creator, Jeremy Lloyd had once worked. (Even though the 'Grace Brothers' was meant to be a fictional name, a Grace Bros. department store does exist in Australia, and is one of our largest.)

The show had a reasonably large cast including Mollie Sugden as Mrs Betty Slocambe, Frank Thornton as Captain Stephen Peacock, Trevor Bannister as Dick Lucas, John Inman as Mr. Wilberforce Clayborne Humphries, and Wendy Richard as Miss Shirely Brahms. Having said this, first names were almost never used.

'Are You Being Served?' was reknowned for being full of double-entendres and sometimes risque comments. An example of this is that Mrs Slocambe regularly refers to her pussy, meaning, of course, her cat.

The show was a success in the UK and was also aired in Australia, the U.S, and Canada.

Unfortunately, none of the main characters in the original cast are still alive. Mollie Sugden (Mrs Slocambe) died of heart failure in 2009 at age 86 and Frank Thornton (Captain Peacock) died in his sleep aged 92 in 2013. Trevor Bannister (Mr Lucas) died in 2011 from heart failure aged 76, while John Inman (Mr Humphries) died after a battle with Hepatitis A in 2007 aged 71. Wendy Richard (the leggy Miss Brahms) died of breast cancer in 2009 aged 65.

Answer: Dad's Army

'Dad's Army' like many long-running British sitcoms, has its fair share of catchphrases. It is Lance Corporal Jones who says 'Don't Panic Mr. Mainwaring,' at the first sign of trouble. Meanwhile Captain Mainwaring calls Private Pike a 'stupid boy' on a regular basis, and the pessimistic Private James Frazer repeatedly says 'We're doomed'.

The show was originally broadcast on BBC1 from 31 July 1968 and ran until 13 November 1977. There were 80 episodes in total. 'Dad's Army' follows members of the United Kingdom's Home Guard, as they protect British soil against enemies of the state during WWII.

The show had a line-up of some great British actors. Arthur Lowe, who played the lead character, Captain Mainwaring, had some fame before the show but became one of Britain's most recognisable actors after starring in it. Interestingly, John Le Mesurier, who plays the very grounding and calm Sergeant Arthur Wilson, was actually a captain with the Royal Tank Regiment in WWII, and John Laurie, a Shakespearian actor who played Private Frazer, was in the real home guard in WWII.

The show aired in nearly 30 countries including the U.S., Canada, and Australia.

One of the cast died halfway through the show's eight year run. James Beck who played the cockney-spiv, Private Walker, died suddenly at age 44 of pancreatitis, shocking and saddening the cast and producers of 'Dad's Army'.

Answer: The Good Life

'The Good Life' ran on BBC1 from 4 April 1975 to 10 June 1978 and was written by Bob Larbey and John Esmonde. There were 30 episodes of this show in all.

The show's main characters are Tom Good (played by Richard Briers) and his wife, Barbara Good (played by Felicity Kendal). The show starts with Tom, who is a 40-year-old plastics designer, having a mid-life crisis, which causes him and Barbara to decide to escape the rat-race and become self-sufficient in their suburban home. While these two are super-enthusiastic about their decision, their neighbours, Margo (played by Penelope Keith), and Jerry (played by Paul Eddington), are not quite as enamoured of the idea: maybe because of the livestock.

The show aired in about a dozen countries including Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. It did, in fact, also air in the U.S. but was the retitled 'Good Neighbors'.

Sadly, Richard Briers died in 2013 of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, aged 79. Paul Eddington, who was also the star of 'Yes Minister' was diagnosed with a very rare form of cancer, known as mycosis fungoides, when he was just 28. He managed to survive the condition for decades but finally succumbed to it in 1995. He was 68 years old.