The Rag Trade

"The Rag Trade" is a British television sitcom transmitted by the BBC between 1961 and 1963.

The scripts were written by Ronald Wolfe and Ronald Chesney, who later wrote "Wild, Wild Women", which was a period variation of "The Rag Trade'.

The actions centred around a small clothing workshop (hence the title, which associates with the textile industry), "Fenner Fashions" in London. Although ostensibly run by Harold Fenner (Peter Jones) and Reg the foreman (Reg Varney), the female workers are really led by militant shop steward Paddy (Miriam Karlin), ever ready to call a strike, with the catchphrase "Everybody out!"

Other major cast members in the series included Sheila Hancock (as Carole), Esma Reese Cannon (as Brother Lil), Wanda Ventham (as Shirley) and Barbara Windsor (as Judy).

"The Rag Trade" was later revived by ITV company LWT in 1977, with Jones and Karlin reprising their original roles. The 1977 version ran for two series and also featured Anna Karen reprising her role as Olive from "On The Buses" (a rare example of a sitcom crossover), and future "EastEnders" star Gillian Taylforth as two of the factory workers. The theme tune for the 1977 series was written and performed by Lynsey De Paul.

Episode List

Note that on original transmission many of the early episodes were not given titles so some of these have been 'retro-fitted' from original production notes and repeat screenings.

eason 1

# The Baby
# Getting Married
# Early Start
# The French Fashions
# The Sample
# Unhappy Customer
# "Title unknown" (Lost)
# Doctor’s Orders
# The Italian Designer (Lost)
# The Golliwogs (now re-titled Christmas Box for DVD)

eason 2

# "Title unknown"
# "Title unknown"
# "Title unknown"
# "Title unknown"
# "Title unknown" (Lost)
# "Title unknown"
# Stay-In Strike
# The Fish And Chip Shop (Lost)
# Safety Precaution
# Stainproofer
# Doctor
# Barber’s Shop
# "Title unknown"

eason 3

(All 13 episodes are believed lost)
# The Australian
# Triplets
# The Budgie
# The Baby Sitter
# Second Mrs. Fenner
# Chef’s Special
# The Italian Bit
# Baby Dolls
# After The Ball
# The Engagement Ring
# Crocodile Tears
# National Productivity Year
# The American Buyer

eason 4 (LWT re-launch)

# Stay-In Strike
# The Sample
# Fixing The Rate
# The Lunch Problem
# The Export Order
# The Italian Line
# Olive’s Baby
# The Wedding Dress
# The Sideline
# The Guv’nor’s Wife
# The New Girl
# The Bet
# The Accident
# The New Brother
# Christmas Rush

eason 5

# The Annual Ball
# The Leather Line
# Stress
# A Bad Patch
# Come Back Paddy
# Self-Defence
# Fenner’s Folly

DVD Release Information

The 8 surviving episodes (of 10), in the original Season 1, are available on DVD (released by DD Home Entertainment on 20/3/2006).

The 11 surviving episodes (of 13), in the original Season 2, are available on DVD (released by DD Home Entertainment on 23/10/2006). Note that 2 of these surviving episodes are not considered 'broadcast standard' and are included as 'Extras' due to the low quality of the print.

All 15 episodes, including the Christmas special, in Season 1 of the 1970s revival series by LWT, are available on DVD (released by Network DVD on 18/2/2008).

External links

* [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0121013/ "The Rag Trade" (1961)] at the Internet Movie Database.
* [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0145631/ "The Rag Trade" (1977)] at the Internet Movie Database.
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/articles/r/ragtradethe_7775315.shtml Comedy Guide - "The Rag Trade"] at bbc.co.uk
* [http://www.screenonline.org.uk/tv/id/571142/index.html British Film Institute Screen Online]