''Beryl's Lot'' is a British comedy drama about a woman approaching middle-age and embarking on a programme of personal development. It was written by
Kevin Laffan (who also created
Emmerdale
''Emmerdale'' (known as ''Emmerdale Farm'' until 1989) is a British soap opera that is broadcast on ITV1. The show is set in Emmerdale (known as Beckindale until 1994), a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffa ...
), produced by
David Cunliffe
David Richard Cunliffe (born 30 April 1963) is a New Zealand management consultant and former politician who was Leader of the New Zealand Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition from September 2013 to September 2014. He was Member of Parlia ...
and Peter Willes, and directed by Derek Bennett and David Reynolds for
Yorkshire Television
ITV Yorkshire, previously known as Yorkshire Television and commonly referred to as just YTV, is the British television service provided by ITV Broadcasting Limited for the Yorkshire franchise area on the ITV network. Until 1974, this was prima ...
and broadcast on
ITV between 1973 and 1977. ''Beryl's Lot'' ran for 3 series and 52 episodes in total before its cancellation. The first two series each consisted of 13 one-hour-long episodes, the third series of 26 episodes of 30 minutes.
Plot
The series focused on Beryl Humphries, a
Battersea
Battersea is a large district in south London, part of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is centred southwest of Charing Cross and extends along the south bank of the River Thames. It includes the Battersea Park.
History
Batte ...
milkman's wife and mother of three, who decided as her 40th birthday approached that she needed to broaden her horizons, which she accomplished by enrolling on a philosophy course at
night school
A night school is an adult learning school that holds classes in the evening or at night to accommodate people who work during the day. A community college or university may hold night school classes that admit undergraduates.
Italy
The Scuola ...
. The series dealt with how Beryl's new ideas, attitudes and outlook affected her family, friends and neighbours.
imdb.com
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''Beryl's Lot'' was inspired by the story of Margaret Powell
Margaret Powell (1907 – April 1984) was an English writer. Her book about her experiences in domestic service, '' Below Stairs'', became a best-seller and she went on to write other books and became a television personality. ''Below Stai ...
(1907-1984), a former domestic servant
A domestic worker or domestic servant is a person who works within the scope of a residence. The term "domestic service" applies to the equivalent occupational category. In traditional English contexts, such a person was said to be "in service ...
who had undergone a similar journey of self-discovery and had written a series of bestselling books about her life experiences.
Cast
* Carmel McSharry - Beryl Humphries
* Mark Kingston - Tom Humphries (series 1-2)
George Selway - Tom Humphries (series 3)
*Barbara Mitchell
Barbara Mitchell (4 October 1929 – 9 December 1977, Kingston Upon Thames) was an English actress who became a familiar face on British television in the 1960s and 1970s, best known for her work in many classic sitcoms of the period.
Care ...
- Vi Tonks
*Tony Caunter
Anthony Patrick Caunter (born 22 September 1937) is a Retired British actor best known for his role as Jack Shepherd in the Yorkshire TV sitcom ''Queenie's Castle'' and also his portrayal of Roy Evans in '' EastEnders'' from 1994 to 2003.
The ...
- Trevor Tonks
* Annie Leake - Wully Harris
* Johnny Shannon - Wacky Waters
* Robert Keegan - Horace Harris
*Robin Askwith
Robin Mark Askwith (born 12 October 1950) is an English actor and singer who has appeared in a number of film, television and stage productions.
Making his film debut as Keating in the film '' if....'' (1968), a role he would reprise in '' Brit ...
- Fred Pickering (series 1-2)
* Queenie Watts - Freda Mills (series 1-2)
*Brian Capron
Brian Capron (born 11 February 1947) is an English actor who trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.
He is best known for his role as serial killer, Richard Hillman, in the long-running ITV soap opera, ''Coronation Street'', ...
- Jack Humphries
* Anita Carey - Babs Humphries
*Verna Harvey Verna or Virna may refer to:
People
* Verna Aardema (1911–2000), American author of children's books
* Verna Bloom (1939–2019), American actress
* Virna De Angeli (born 1976), Italian former sprinter
* Virna Dias (born 1971), Brazilian retired ...
- Rosie Humphries
* Norman Mitchell - Charlie Mills
Episodes
Series 1 (1973 - 74)
*Getting Up (1 Nov 73)
*Quite a Reception (8 Nov 73)
*Box and Cox (15 Nov 73)
*Dancing Lessons (22 Nov 73)
*Definitely Very Chilly (29 Nov 73)
*Diamond Cut Diamond (6 Dec 73)
*Entente Cordiale (13 Dec 73)
*Sixes and Sevens (20 Dec 73)
*It's a Rum World (3 Jan 74)
*A Bit of Culture (10 Jan 74)
*Backs to the Wall (17 Jan 74)
*Naughty Boy, Naughty Girl (24 Jan 74)
*Rosie All the Way (31 Jan 74)
Series 2 (1975)
*After the Wedding Was Over (26 Sep 75)
*It's a Wise Child (3 Oct 75)
*Finders Keepers (10 Oct 75)
*Treble Chance (17 Oct 75)
*Charlie Is My Darling (24 Oct 75)
*Ignorance Is Bliss (31 Oct 75)
*The Last Straw (7 Nov 75)
*Easy Pickings (14 Nov 75)
*Stool Pigeon (21 Nov 75)
*Devil to Pay (28 Nov 75)
*Safety First (5 Dec 75)
*Home Again (12 Dec 75)
*A Day at the Races (19 Dec 75)
Series 3 (1976 - 77)
*Episode 1 (31 Dec 76)
*Episode 2 (7 Jan 77)
*Episode 3 (14 Jan 77)
*Episode 4 (21 Jan 77)
*Episode 5 (28 Jan 77)
*Episode 6 (4 Feb 77)
*Episode 7 (11 Feb 77)
*Episode 8 (18 Feb 77)
*Episode 9 (25 Feb 77)
*Episode 10 (4 Mar 77)
*Episode 11 (11 Mar 77)
*Episode 12 (18 Mar 77)
*Episode 13 (25 Mar 77)
*Episode 14 (1 Apr 77)
*Episode 15 (8 Apr 77)
*Episode 16 (15 Apr 77)
*Episode 17 (22 Apr 77)
*Episode 18 (29 Apr 77)
*Episode 19 (6 May 77)
*Episode 20 (13 May 77)
*Episode 21 (20 May 77)
*Episode 22 (27 May 77)
*Episode 23 (3 Jun 77)
*Episode 24 (10 Jun 77)
*Episode 25 (17 Jun 77)
*Episode 26 (24 Jun 77)
References
External links
Memorable TV - ''Beryl's Lot'' show overview
*{{British Comedy Guide, tv, beryls_lot
1973 British television series debuts
1977 British television series endings
1970s British comedy television series
Television series by Yorkshire Television
ITV sitcoms
English-language television shows