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''Brush Strokes'' is a British television
sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...
, broadcast on
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
television from 1986 to 1991. Written by
Esmonde and Larbey Esmonde may refer to: People ;Given name * Esmonde Higgins (1897-1960), Australian communist ;Surname * A. M. Esmonde (b. 1977), a British movie writer and producer * Sir Anthony Esmonde, 15th Baronet (1899-1981), an Irish politician and farmer ...
and set in
south London South London is the southern part of London, England, south of the River Thames. The region consists of the Districts of England, boroughs, in whole or in part, of London Borough of Bexley, Bexley, London Borough of Bromley, Bromley, London Borou ...
, it depicted the (mostly) amorous adventures of a wisecracking house painter, Jacko (
Karl Howman Karl Howman (born 13 December 1953) is an English actor and voice-over artist. He is best known for playing Jacko in the sitcom ''Brush Strokes'' from 1986 to 1991, Mulberry in ''Mulberry'' from 1992 to 1993 and Buster Briggs in ''EastEnders'' ...
). There were 40 episodes spread over five series.


Premise

Jacko (
Karl Howman Karl Howman (born 13 December 1953) is an English actor and voice-over artist. He is best known for playing Jacko in the sitcom ''Brush Strokes'' from 1986 to 1991, Mulberry in ''Mulberry'' from 1992 to 1993 and Buster Briggs in ''EastEnders'' ...
) works as a house painter alongside his brother-in-law, Eric (
Mike Walling Mike Walling (8 July 1950 – 2 July 2020) was an English comic actor and screenwriter. Career Walling began his career as an English teacher at Holland Park School in London. In the mid-1970s, while still a teacher, he won a British TV talent ...
), who was married to Jacko's sister Jean ( Nicky Croydon). He lives with his sister and brother-in-law. Jacko also shares an anti-authority humour. In this case the butt of his humour is his boss, Lionel Bainbridge.
Gary Waldhorn Gary Peter Waldhorn (3 July 1943 – 10 January 2022) was an English actor and comedian known for his roles in British television and theatre. He is particularly remembered for his work in the main casts of several British sitcoms. Notable role ...
played Lionel, and
Elizabeth Counsell Elizabeth Counsell (born 7 June 1942) is an English actress, best known for starring in the BBC television series ''Brush Strokes'', and for her work in classical theatre. Career She played Lady Macbeth to Michael Gambon's Macbeth at the Foru ...
played his wife, Veronica, who had a crush on Jacko. The Bainbridges had a daughter called Lesley who is a spoiled daddy's girl, and became Jacko's girlfriend during series one. She was played by two actresses during the life of the show:
Kim Thomson Kim Ellen Thomson (born 30 October 1959) is an English actress who has appeared on stage, television and film since the early 1980s in both the United Kingdom and the United States of America. Early life Thomson was born on 30 October 1959, altho ...
in the first series and
Erika Hoffman Erika Hoffman is an English actress known for portraying Lesley Bainbridge in the BBC comedy '' Brush Strokes'' from series two onwards. When the ''Brush Strokes'' series ended, she joined fellow cast member Howard Lew Lewis in the Channel 4 com ...
from series two onwards. In series one it was hinted that Jacko was somehow indebted to Lionel and working for him after the pair had become involved with some unlawful money-making wheeling-dealing some years prior, for which Jacko almost got caught and was set to stand trial until Lionel used his 'respectable business reputation' to fabricate a story and get him off the hook, leaving Jacko 'indebted' and working for him, against his better wishes, as a result. This history between the pair was several times hinted at during the first series, but was never mentioned from series two onwards. Jacko is a
ladies' man A ladies' man or lady's man is a man who enjoys spending time socially with women, who strives to please them and that women find attractive. Ladies' man or lady's man may also refer to: Literature * ''Ladies' Man'' (novel), a 1978 novel by R ...
. Much of the humour comes from his attempts at picking up women whilst around town on painting jobs – much to the disdain of his sister, his boss, and his boss's secretary. Jackie Lye played Sandra, the
secretary A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a w ...
at work who became Jacko's
fiancée An engagement or betrothal is the period of time between the declaration of acceptance of a marriage proposal and the marriage itself (which is typically but not always commenced with a wedding). During this period, a couple is said to be ''fi ...
in series two (although the
wedding A wedding is a ceremony where two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes. Most wedding ceremonies involve an exchange of marriage vo ...
never happened – but they still went on the honeymoon, because they'd paid for it). Other familiar faces that have appeared in episodes include
Janine Duvitski Janine Duvitski (born Christine Janine Drzewicki; 28 June 1952) is a British actress, known for her roles in the BBC television sitcom series '' Waiting for God'', ''One Foot in the Grave'' and ''Benidorm''. Duvitski first came to national atte ...
,
Tracie Bennett Tracie Bennett (born 17 June 1961) is an English singer and stage and television actress. She trained at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts in Clapham, London. She played the role of Sharon Gaskell in ''Coronation Street'' from 1982 to 1 ...
and
Pippa Haywood Philippa Haywood (born 6 May 1961) is a British actress. She won the 2005 Rose d'Or Award for Best Female Comedy Performance for '' Green Wing'' (2004–2006). Her other television credits include '' The Brittas Empire'' (1991–1997), Chimera ...
. The show is remembered by many for the slow-off-the-mark pub landlord, Elmo Putney (
Howard Lew Lewis Howard Lew Lewis (21 August 1941 – 20 January 2018) was a British comedian and actor, best known for his roles in comedy series including ''Maid Marian and Her Merry Men'', ''Brush Strokes'' and ''Chelmsford 123''. Biography Lewis was b ...
) who ran the pub where Jacko and friends took their lunch breaks. Elmo's catch phrase instead of swearing was 'Chisel'. In later episodes, Jacko unsuccessfully started his own company, "Splosh". Later Elmo leaves for Australia to set up another business in
Alice Springs Alice Springs ( aer, Mparntwe) is the third-largest town in the Northern Territory of Australia. Known as Stuart until 31 August 1933, the name Alice Springs was given by surveyor William Whitfield Mills after Alice, Lady Todd (''née'' Al ...
– which because of its name he thinks must be near a very large body of water. Elmo became a rich man after his dog discovered opals in Australia. Elmo returned and bought Jacko's failing company and turned it into a wine bar, where everything was decorated in pink. Jacko returned to Bainbridge's, where Veronica was now in charge after Lionel's death. Veronica subsequently begins a new romance and remarried in the final series. The end of the series sees Jacko walking down the street and flipping a coin to decide who he should end up with, while Sandra and Lesley wait in the wine bar.


Episodes


Series 1 (1986)


Series 2 (1987)


Series 3 (1988–1989)


Series 4 (1990)


Series 5 (1991)


Music

The theme song "Because of You" was written and performed by
Dexys Midnight Runners Dexys Midnight Runners (currently officially Dexys, their former nickname, styled without an apostrophe) are an English pop rock band from Birmingham, with soul influences, who achieved major commercial success in the early to mid-1980s. They a ...
. Released as a single in November 1986, it reached number 13 in the
UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
.


Other media

Jacko and Elmo also appeared in the 1989
Comic Relief Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character, scene, or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension. Definition Comic relief usually means a releasing of emotional or other tension resulting from a comic episo ...
show on BBC1 as a pair of murderous psychopaths. Brush Strokes is also repeatedly referred to as a running joke in
Diane Morgan Diane Morgan (born 5 October 1975) is an English actress, comedian, television presenter, and writer. She is best known for playing Philomena Cunk on Charlie Brooker's ''Weekly Wipe'' and in other mockumentaries, as Liz in the BBC Two sitcom '' ...
’s 2018 show '' Cunk On Britain''.


DVD releases

''Brush Strokes'' was originally released on VHS and DVD via Universal Playback, a subsidiary of
Universal Pictures Home Entertainment Universal Pictures Home Entertainment (formerly Universal Studios Home Entertainment, Universal Studios Home Video, MCA/Universal Home Video, MCA Home Video, MCA Videodisc and MCA Videocassette, Inc.) is the home video distribution division of Am ...
, in August 2004. The sets were listed as the first and second series, when in fact, it consisted only of the complete first series of thirteen episodes. This became a common occurrence with Universal Playback as the same issues are present with their other titles, such as ''
Last of the Summer Wine ''Last of the Summer Wine'' is a British sitcom created and written by Roy Clarke and originally broadcast by the BBC from 1973 to 2010. It premiered as an episode of ''Comedy Playhouse'' on 4 January 1973, and the first series of episodes foll ...
''.
Acorn Media RLJE International Ltd, d/b/a Acorn DVD, a British company that publishes and distributes DVDs, as well as selling home-video products and streaming videos with a particular focus on British television. History Launched in 1997, Acorn Media U. ...
acquired the distribution rights to the series thereafter, releasing in exactly the same format, mistakenly resulting in a complete series of six series instead of the proper five.


References


External links

* * Comedy Guide * *
''Brush Strokes''
at British TV Resources {{Esmonde Larbey 1980s British sitcoms 1990s British sitcoms 1986 British television series debuts 1991 British television series endings BBC television sitcoms English-language television shows