Doctor in the House (TV series)
| Doctor in the House | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Comedy |
| Directed by |
|
| Starring | |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of episodes | 26 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 25 minutes |
| Production company | London Weekend |
| Original release | |
| Network | ITV |
| Release | 12 July 1969 – 3 July 1970 |
| Related | |
Doctor in the House is a British television comedy series based on a set of books and a film of the same name by Richard Gordon about the misadventures of a group of medical students.[1] It was produced by London Weekend Television from 1969 to 1970.[2]
Writers for the Doctor in the House episodes were Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Barry Cryer, Graeme Garden, Bill Oddie and Bernard McKenna.[2] The series was directed by David Askey and Maurice Murphy among others and the producer was Humphrey Barclay.[3][4] The external establishing shots were of Wanstead Hospital, London (now Clock Court).[5]
It was the first series in a franchise which included six later series utilizing some of the same cast members and writers. The followup series was Doctor at Large
Plot
[edit]The plot revolved around the educational challenges and off-hour antics of a group of medical students at St Swithin's hospital in London, focusing on the contrast between the idealistic and somewhat naive Michael Upton and his more worldly and mischievous colleagues.
Cast
[edit]- Barry Evans – Michael A. Upton
- Robin Nedwell – Duncan Waring
- Geoffrey Davies – Dick Stuart-Clark
- George Layton – Paul Collier
- Simon Cuff – Dave Briddock
- Yutte Stensgaard – Helga, Dave's girlfriend
- Martin Shaw – Huw Evans (series 1)
- Jonathan Lynn – Daniel Hooley (series 2)
- Ernest Clark – Professor Geoffrey Loftus
- Ralph Michael – The Dean
- Joan Benham – Mrs Loftus
- Peter Bathurst – Dr Upton, Michael's father
Well-known actors David Jason (Only Fools and Horses), and James Beck (Dad's Army), both appeared in the 1970 Series 2 episode: "What Seems to be the Trouble?".[3]
Episodes
[edit]Series 1 (1969)
[edit]| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Why Do You Want to be a Doctor?[6]" | John Cleese and Graham Chapman | 12 July 1969 |
| 2 | 2 | "Settling In" | Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie | 19 July 1969 |
| 3 | 3 | "It's All Go..." | Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie | 26 July 1969 |
| 4 | 4 | "Peace and Quiet" | Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie | 2 August 1969 |
| 5 | 5 | "The Students Are Revolting!" | Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie | 9 August 1969 |
| 6 | 6 | "Rallying Round..." | Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie | 16 August 1969 |
| 7 | 7 | "If in Doubt – Cut it Out!" | Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie | 23 August 1969 |
| 8 | 8 | "The War of the Mascots" | Graham Chapman and Barry Cryer | 30 August 1969 |
| 9 | 9 | "Getting the Bird" | Graham Chapman and Barry Cryer | 6 September 1969 |
| 10 | 10 | "The Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever Casino" | Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie | 13 September 1969 |
| 11 | 11 | "Keep It Clean!" | Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie | 19 September 1969 |
| 12 | 12 | "All for Love..." | Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie | 26 September 1969 |
| 13 | 13 | "Pass or Fail" | Graham Chapman and Barry Cryer | 3 October 1969 |
Series 2 (1970)
[edit]| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 1 | "It's All in the Little Blue Book[7]" | Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie | 10 April 1970 |
| 15 | 2 | "What Seems to be the Trouble?" | Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie | 17 April 1970 |
| 16 | 3 | "Take Off Your Clothes... and Hide" | Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie | 24 April 1970 |
| 17 | 4 | "Nice Bodywork – Lovely Finish" | Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie | 1 May 1970 |
| 18 | 5 | "Look Into My Eyes" | Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie | 8 May 1970 |
| 19 | 6 | "Put Your Hand on That" | Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie | 15 May 1970 |
| 20 | 7 | "The Royal Visit" | Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie | 22 May 1970 |
| 21 | 8 | "If You Can Help Somebody...Don't!" | Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie | 29 May 1970 |
| 22 | 9 | "Hot Off the Presses" | Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie | 5 June 1970 |
| 23 | 10 | "A Stitch in Time" | Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie | 12 June 1970 |
| 24 | 11 | "May the Best Man..." | Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie | 19 June 1970 |
| 25 | 12 | "Doctor on the Box" | Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie | 26 June 1970 |
| 26 | 13 | "Finals" | Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie | 3 July 1970 |
References
[edit]- ^ Barker, Dennis (15 August 2017). "Richard Gordon obituary". The Guardian – via www.theguardian.com.
- ^ a b "Doctor in the House | Nostalgia Central". 27 June 2014.
- ^ a b "What Seems to Be the Trouble? (1970)". BFI. Archived from the original on 27 November 2020.
- ^ "The Students Are Revolting (1969)". BFI. Archived from the original on 28 January 2021.
- ^ Marcus, Laurence. "Doctor in the House (film)". Television Heaven.
- ^ "Why Do You Want to Be a Doctor? (1969)". BFI. Archived from the original on 29 October 2020.
- ^ "It's all in the Little Blue Book (1970)". BFI. Archived from the original on 15 May 2019.
External links
[edit]- Doctor in the House at British TV Comedy Guide
- Doctor in the House at IMDb
- Doctor in the House at British Comedy Guide
- 1969 British television series debuts
- 1970 British television series endings
- 1960s British sitcoms
- 1970s British sitcoms
- 1960s British medical television series
- 1970s British medical television series
- Doctor in the House
- British English-language television shows
- ITV sitcoms
- London Weekend Television shows
- Live action television shows based on films
- Television series by ITV Studios
- Television shows set in London
- Television series based on adaptations
- Television shows based on British novels