Comedy Playhouse

This article is about the BBC series. For the equivalent ITV series, see ITV Playhouse.

Comedy Playhouse
Titlecard for the 1961/62 series episode "The Offer". This episode was the pilot for Steptoe and Son.
Format	Sitcom
Starring	Various
Country of origin	United Kingdom
No. of episodes	120
Production
Running time	Usually 25 minutes, 30 minutes or 35 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel	BBC
Original run	15 December 1961 – 9 July 1975

Comedy Playhouse was a long-running British anthology series of one-off unrelated sitcoms that aired for 120 episodes from 1961 to 1975. Many episodes later graduated to their own series, including Steptoe and Son, Till Death Us Do Part, All Gas and Gaiters, The Liver Birds, Are You Being Served? and Last of the Summer Wine, which is the world's longest running sitcom, having run from January 1973 to August 2010.

Background

The first two series of Comedy Playhouse were written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson, but after that the episodes were written by various writers. In all, 27 series started from a pilot in the Comedy Playhouse. The first eight series were in black-and-white, with the rest being in colour. Like many television programmes from the time, many of 1960s episodes are missing presumed wiped.

Episodes

Series One (1961–62)

Main article: Comedy Playhouse (series 1)

Series Two (1963)

Main article: Comedy Playhouse (series 2)

Series Three (1963–64)

Main article: Comedy Playhouse (series 3)

Series Four (1965)

Main article: Comedy Playhouse (series 4)

Series Five (1966)

Main article: Comedy Playhouse (series 5)

Series Six (1967)

Main article: Comedy Playhouse (series 6)

Series Seven (1968)

Main article: Comedy Playhouse (series 7)

Series Eight (1969)

Main article: Comedy Playhouse (series 8)

Series Nine (1969–70)

Main article: Comedy Playhouse (series 9)

Series Ten (1970)

Main article: Comedy Playhouse (series 10)

Series Eleven (1971)

Main article: Comedy Playhouse (series 11)

Special (1971)

Main article: Comedy Playhouse (series 12)

Series Twelve (1972)

Main article: Comedy Playhouse (series 12)

Series Thirteen (1973)

Main article: Comedy Playhouse (series 13)

Specials (1973)

Main article: Comedy Playhouse (series 13)

The first episode of the longest-running sitcom in the world, Last of the Summer Wine was broadcast in an episode.

Series Fourteen (1974)

Main article: Comedy Playhouse (series 14)

Series Fifteen (1975)

Main article: Comedy Playhouse (series 15)

Scottish Comedy Playhouse

The BBC aired six comedy pilots in 1970 in Scotland only under the title Scottish Comedy Playhouse, none of which developed onto a full series. While these were being aired, Monty Python's Flying Circus was broadcast in the rest of the UK. The episodes were

1. Stand In For A Hearse (22 Sep 70)
2. The Siege of Castle Drumlie (29 Sep 70)
3. The Dinner Party (20 Oct 70)
4. To Grace A Son (28 Oct 70)
5. Stobo Takes The Chair (3 Nov 70)
6. Take Your Partners (10 Nov 70)

See also

• Armchair Theatre
• Theatre 625
• The Wednesday Play
• ITV Playhouse
• Play for Today
• The Afternoon Play
• Seven of One
• Screen One

References

• Mark Lewisohn, "Radio Times Guide to TV Comedy", BBC Worldwide Ltd, 2003
• British TV Comedy Guide for Comedy Playhouse

External links

• Comedy Playhouse at TelevisionHeaven
• Comedy Playhouse at the Internet Movie Database