Bloomers (TV series)

Bloomers is a short-lived British sitcom starring Richard Beckinsale that aired on BBC2 in 1979. Only five episodes of the show were made before Beckinsale died suddenly from a heart attack just before a planned rehearsal for the sixth and final episode of the first series. Bloomers was immediately shelved, though the five completed episodes were broadcast later in the same year.[1][2]

Bloomers
GenreSitcom
Written byJames Saunders
StarringRichard Beckinsale
Anna Calder-Marshall
Paul Curran
David Swift
Country of originUnited Kingdom
No. of episodes5
Production
Running time30 minutes
Release
Original networkBBC2
Original release27 September (1979-09-27) –
25 October 1979 (1979-10-25)

Plot

Stan is a worker for a small London flower business. The humour centred on the relationships between the workers and the scrapes they got into doing odd jobs in the gardens of houses in the district. Beckinsale's character, Stan, was apt to wind up in bed with lonely housewives, and equally apt to spend time with said housewives musing on philosophy and the pointlessness of life.

Cast

Background

Writer James Saunders thought up the idea for Bloomers while talking with actor John Challis, who owned and worked at a garden centre, while taking a break from acting. Said Saunders: "The idea was based on fact. The local florist was telling me about the number of funny things that happened and I thought it would make a good series."[3] Challis stated: "I remember the writer James Saunders was a customer at my garden centre and he wrote a script about my experiences. I gave the script to my agent who gave it to John Howard Davies at the BBC who was looking for a vehicle for Richard Beckinsale. So Bloomers was written with me in mind but I wasn't famous enough, but Richard Beckinsale was wonderful and I got an episode out of it!"[4] The scene in episode three where Stan and Dingley attempt to steal Christmas trees from a roundabout was based on a real-life incident with Challis. In the episode, Challis plays one of the policemen who busts up the theft.[5]

The five completed episodes of Bloomers were recorded prior to Christmas 1978. Due to an industrial dispute at the BBC, (the same dispute which delayed the recording of the final episode of Fawlty Towers), the recording of the sixth episode was postponed until 20 March, but it ended up never being recorded at all, due to Beckinsale's death the previous day.[6]

Episodes
No.TitleOriginal air date
1"Partnership"27 September 1979 (1979-09-27)
After an argument with Lena, Stan decides he must get a job because, being an actor, he spends most of his time out of work. He strikes up a friendship with Dingley, who offers him a partnership in his florist shop.
2"First Day"4 October 1979 (1979-10-04)
Lena can't understand Stan's complete change of character, including his getting out of bed. Stan, however, wants to make his first day as a florist/gardener one to remember.
3"The Contract"11 October 1979 (1979-10-11)
Stan gets a film studio contract to deliver Christmas trees. But even a florist has difficulty getting Christmas trees in June.
4"The Yellow Line"18 October 1979 (1979-10-18)
Dingley is very depressed about life and the fact that the Council are going to paint a yellow line outside the shop. Stan gives him a philosophy book called "Action and Being" and gets more action than he expects.
5"Dr. Lamb"25 October 1979 (1979-10-25)
Dingley and O'Shaughnessy, a part-time helper at the florist shop, call at Stan's flat on their way to work on Dr. Lamb's garden. By coincidence, he happens to be Lena's psychiatrist.
6UnknownNever recorded
O'Shaughnessy asks Stan if he and his fiance could stay at Stan's flat for a few hours, but Lena's mother is visiting. Meanwhile, Stan attempts to do a good deed for an elderly woman.[7]

Broadcast

Beckinsale's widow, Judy Loe, gave her approval for the five completed episodes to be broadcast. Bloomers aired from 27 September 1979 to 25 October 1979 on BBC2. Four of the episodes were given a repeat viewing the following year on BBC1 from 6 August 1980 to 27 August 1980.[8] The show also aired in 1983 on ABC in Australia[9] and the only publicly available recordings of Bloomers are from these broadcasts. Poor quality transfers of the five episodes are available to view on YouTube.[10] Bloomers has never been aired again by the BBC, nor has there been any official release of the series.

References
  1. "Bloomers – by James Saunders (1979)". JamesSaunders.org. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  2. Lewisohn, Mark (2003). Radio Times Guide to TV Comedy. BBC Worldwide. ISBN 0563487550.
  3. Horner, Rosalie (11 October 1979). "A Blooming Good Style!". Daily Express.
  4. "Bloomers". CuriousBritishTelly.co.uk. 14 May 2016. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  5. Challis, John (2011). Being Boycie. Wigmore. ISBN 978-0956906106. In any case, I did get to play a small part in it, a great scene based on the time Leslie and I had nicked a Christmas tree from the roundabout on the Isleworth Road"..."That was fun, and Richard even had the good grace to apologise. 'I'm sorry mate. I'm playing you, really, aren't I?' he said, and presented me with a large bottle of malt whisky.
  6. Andrews, John (20 March 1979). "Star of television comedy Porridge dies at 31". The Guardian. A decision on whether to show the first five episodes, filmed before Christmas, will now depend on the wishes of Mr. Beckinsale's family. The cast of Bloomers were stunned by yesterday's news. A BBC spokesman said that Mr. Beckinsale was "lively and bright" at rehearsals over the weekend which brought the cast together after a three-month delay caused by an industrial dispute. He said: "Everybody was really happy and jolly, celebrating their return together. Even with hindsight no one is saying he looked bad or anything.
  7. "Bloomers – Episode 6 script". archive.org. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  8. "Bloomers". genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  9. "Your Week in Television". The Sydney Morning Herald. 3 January 1983.
  10. "Bloomers". CuriousBritishTelly.co.uk. 14 May 2016. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
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