The Liver Birds

The Liver Birds

Infobox Television
show_name = The Liver Birds


caption =
genre = Sitcom
creator = Carla Lane Myra Taylor
starring = Polly James Pauline Collins Nerys Hughes Elizabeth Estensen
theme_music_composer =
opentheme =
endtheme =
composer =
country = United Kingdom
language = English
num_series = 10
num_episodes = 86
list_episodes =
runtime = 30 minutes
network = BBC1
first_aired = Original Series: 14 April 1969
last_aired = 5 January 1979
Revival Series: 6 May – 24 June 1996
imdb_id = 0063924
tv_com_id =

"The Liver Birds" is a British sitcom that aired on BBC1 from 1969 to 1979 and in 1996. It was created by Carla Lane and Myra Taylor. Lane wrote most of the episodes; Taylor wrote only the very early ones.

The series charted the ups and downs of two "dolly birds" sharing a flat on Huskisson Street, on Merseyside. The series concentrated on the problems encountered by the two young single women when dealing with boyfriends, work, parents and each other. Dressed in the best 1970s fashions, they desperately trawled parties, looking for romance, in a loose female equivalent of "The Likely Lads".

The pilot and Series 1 starred Dawn (Pauline Collins) and Beryl Hennessey (Polly James). In Series 2, Sandra Hutchinson (Nerys Hughes) replaced Dawn for the rest of the programme's run. The Beryl and Sandra pairing is generally regarded as the programme's heyday. Beryl was the more common one, while Sandra was soft-spoken and refined. This was mainly due to the influence of her snobbish and overbearing mother played by Mollie Sugden. Carol Boswell (Elizabeth Estensen) replaced Beryl from Series 5 onwards.

The title originated in the name given to two sculpted birds perched atop the Royal Liver Building at Pier Head in the city of Liverpool. The title song for the series was sung by The Scaffold. The group included Mike McCartney (brother of Paul) and the poet Roger McGough.

Revival

In 1996, 17 years after the final episode of the show broadcast the BBC revived the series, with Beryl and Sandra now both coping with the aftermath of their respective failed marriages.

As the BBC's own website admits, some liberties were taken with continuity: Carmel McSharry who had played Carol's mother in Seasons 5–9, returned as the same character but now transformed into Beryl's mother, and Carol's rabbit-obsessed brother Lucien, played by Michael Angelis, became Beryl's brother. The revival was not a ratings success, and only lasted one series.

DVD releases

Only the second series has been released on DVD, but only for 50 Hz TV systems (PAL, SECAM); there are no known plans for it to be released for 60 Hz (NTSC) television.

External links

* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/articles/l/liverbirdsthe_7774165.shtml BBC Comedy Guide]
* [http://www.carlalane.com/liver.html Information from Carla Lane's website]
*
* [http://www.phill.co.uk/comedy/liver/index.html "The Liver Birds"] at British TV Resources


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