Please Sir! is a British television sitcom created by John Esmonde and Bob Larbey and featuring actors John Alderton, Deryck Guyler, Penny Spencer, Joan Sanderson, Noel Howlett, Erik Chitty and Richard Davies. Produced by London Weekend Television for ITV, the series ran for 55 episodes between 1968 and 1972.
The theme tune "School's Out" was by Sam Fonteyn.
The title derives from the then-standard request phrase used in Britain when they wish to interrupt the teacher with a question.
Although the series is based around a class of 16-year-old pupils, most of the actors in these roles were in their twenties.
Synopsis
The programme was set in the fictional Fenn Street Secondary Modern School and starred John Alderton as Bernard Hedges, a young teacher fresh out of training college. The supporting cast included Deryck Guyler, Joan Sanderson and Richard Davies. Character actors and actresses formed the guest cast, including Mollie Sugden as a parent of one of the pupils, Barbara Mitchell as Frankie Abbott's mother, and Ann Lancaster as Mrs Pearce in a pair of 1968 episodes.
There were three basic locations for the scenarios: Hedges' classroom, the staffroom and the playground/outer area.
The class nickname for Hedges is "Privet" deriving from privet hedges.
Bernard Hedges and the 5C pupils were replaced by a new teacher and pupils for the final series in 1971–72, while the original pupils continued in a spin-off series, The Fenn Street Gang, which ran for 47 episodes between 1971 and 1973. This was followed by Bowler (1973), following crime boss Stanley Bowler, played by George Baker for 13 episodes.
As with many situation comedies of this era, a film version was developed, released in 1971. This was set in an outdoor pursuit centre, but starred most of the TV cast.
Cast
Staff
John Alderton as Mr Bernard Hedges (1968-1971) (36 episodes) Deryck Guyler as Mr Norman Potter, the caretaker (55 episodes) Noel Howlett as Mr Cromwell, the headmaster (55 episodes) Joan Sanderson as Miss Doris Ewell, the senior mistress (55 episodes) Richard Davies as Mr Price, the chemistry teacher (55 episodes) Erik Chitty as Mr Smith (55 episodes) Bernard Holley as Mr Hurst (1971-1972) (8 episodes) Vivienne Martin as Miss Petting (1971-1972) (8 episodes) Richard Warwick as Mr David Ffitchett-Brown (1971) (7 episodes) Lindsay Campbell as Mr Sibley (1970-1972) (5 episodes) Glynn Edwards as Mr Dix (1971) (2 episodes) Arnold Peters as School Governor (1970-1972) (3 episodes) Geoffrey Hughes as odd job man (series 2)
Pupils
1968–1971
Liz Gebhardt as Maureen Bullock (37 episodes) Peter Cleall as Eric Duffy (36 episodes) David Barry as Frankie Abbott (35 episodes) Peter Denyer as Dennis Dunstable (35 episodes) Penny Spencer as Sharon Eversleigh (1968-1970) (34 episodes) Carol Hawkins as Sharon Eversleigh (1971) (1 episode), Hawkins also played the role in the 1971 film spin-off and the sequel series The Fenn Street Gang. Malcolm McFee as Peter Craven (1968-1970) (34 episodes) Leon Vitali as Peter Craven (1971) (1 episode)
1971–1972
Charles Bolton as Godber (13 episodes) Shirley Cheriton as Pat (1971) (3 episodes) Rosemary Faith as Daisy (12 episodes) Brinsley Forde as Herman (1971) (2 episodes) Billy Hamon as Des (12 episodes) David Howe as Colin Lovelace (1970-1971) (6 episodes) Linda Joliff as Elizabeth (1971) (2 episodes) Barry McCarthy as Terry Stringer (12 episodes) Drina Pavlovic as Celia (12 episodes) Roderick Smith as Philip Larch (1971) (3 episodes)
Other
Jill Kerman as Penny Hedges (Nee Wheeler) (1968-1972) (36 episodes) Ann Lancaster as Mrs Pearce (1968) (2 episodes) Barbara Mitchell as Mrs Abbott (1969–70) (2 episodes) Susan Richards as Madge Smith (2 episodes)
Episodes
NOTE: All of these episode descriptions have been taken from the DVD sleeves of the Please Sir DVDs, released by Network (In Australia, Series One and Two are available as one set of DVDs, Series Three (along with the 1971 Please Sir movie) as another).
Note: The first series was in an experimental 40-minute format (to fit in a 45-minute slot). Repeats of some first series episodes were later edited down into the standard 25-minute (half hour) runtime, losing a considerable amount of footage (and on occasion, plot detail) as a result. The remaining episodes were in the traditional 25-minute format (to fit in a 30-minute slot)
The transmission dates and times reflect the listings for the London ITV region. Listings for the alternative ITV regions are not indicated.
Series One
This series was recorded and transmitted in black and white on the VHF 405-line TV system.