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''Early Doors'' is a
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. ...
...
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 ...
written by
Craig Cash Craig Cash (born 11 September 1960)
Retrie ...
and
Phil Mealey Phil Mealey is a British actor and writer from Stockport. Biography Mealey co-wrote and associate-produced the BBC sitcom ''Early Doors'' with Craig Cash. Mealey also acted in the series, playing the character Duffy. Cash and Mealey won two North ...
. Both writers appear in the series, playing the two characters of 'Joe' and 'Duffy' who are best friends. ''Early Doors'' is set at The Grapes, a small
public house A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...
in the town of
Stockport Stockport is a town and borough in Greater Manchester, England, south-east of Manchester, south-west of Ashton-under-Lyne and north of Macclesfield. The River Goyt and Tame merge to create the River Mersey here. Most of the town is within ...
where daily life revolves around comical issues of love, loneliness and blocked urinals.


Scenario

The show is about a pub landlord named Ken (
John Henshaw John Joseph Henshaw (born August 1950) is a British actor, best known for his roles as Ken Dixon the landlord in ''Early Doors'', Wilf Bradshaw in ''Born and Bred'' and PC Roy Bramwell in '' The Cops.'' Often associated with characters who are ...
), especially his preoccupation with his step-daughter Melanie (
Christine Bottomley Christine Bottomley (born 27 April 1979) is an English actress. Early life Born in Rochdale and grew up in an apartment above the family's chemist shop. She went to several local youth drama groups before embarking on a course at the Royal S ...
), who is preparing to meet her real father and his nervous relationship with
barmaid A bartender (also known as a barkeep, barman, barmaid, or a mixologist) is a person who formulates and serves alcoholic or soft drink beverages behind the bar, usually in a licensed establishment as well as in restaurants and nightclubs, but a ...
Tanya (
Susan Cookson Susan Cookson (born 20 April 1965) is an English actress. She has appeared in various television series, and is known for roles including as Tanya in ''Early Doors'', Janice Piper in ''Clocking Off'', Maggie Coldwell in the BBC medical drama '' ...
). Ken's wife left him for his best friend. The series reflects some of the
Northern Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a ra ...
humour displayed in ''
The Royle Family ''The Royle Family'' is a British sitcom produced by Granada Television for the BBC, which ran for three series from 1998 to 2000, and specials from 2006 to 2012. It centres on the lives of a television-fixated Manchester family, the Royles, com ...
'' (co-written by Cash). In a similar style to ''The Royle Family'', every scene unfolds at The Grapes and it is also set in
Greater Manchester Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county and combined authority, combined authority area in North West England, with a population of 2.8 million; comprising ten metropolitan boroughs: City of Manchester, Manchester, City of Salford, Salford ...
. Two series of the show were produced in 2003 and 2004. The series refers to Stockport landmarks, including Houldsworth Square and the
McVitie's McVitie's () is a British snack food brand owned by United Biscuits. The name derives from the original Scottish biscuit maker, McVitie & Price, Ltd., established in 1830 on Rose Street in Edinburgh, Scotland. The company moved to various sites ...
factory.


Title

The title is a
British slang British slang is English-language slang originating from and used in the United Kingdom and also used to a limited extent in Anglophone countries such as Ireland, South Africa, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, especially by British expatriates ...
phrase meaning those who arrive earlier than is customary and was often associated with pub customers who wait for or arrive soon after evening opening, around 5:30 p.m. Until the
Licensing Act 1988 The Licensing Act 1988 is a statute, applying to England and Wales, which among other things, extended permissible opening hours for public houses to 11am to 11pm. Previously pubs were not generally allowed to open between 3:00pm and 5:30pm. S ...
, pubs in England closed in the afternoon. Most are now open all day. It is also widely heard in British football circles and was resuscitated in comments about football. The phrase originates in the practice of British theatres from around 1870 of allowing customers who paid a little extra to enter the theatre early and choose their own seats to beat the rush just before the performance started.


Regular characters

* Ken Dixon (
John Henshaw John Joseph Henshaw (born August 1950) is a British actor, best known for his roles as Ken Dixon the landlord in ''Early Doors'', Wilf Bradshaw in ''Born and Bred'' and PC Roy Bramwell in '' The Cops.'' Often associated with characters who are ...
) - Landlord of ''The Grapes'', son of Jean and the stepfather of Melanie. Ken is usually sarcastic and has been shown at times to be slightly crooked, once looking at the results for the football cards, taking forged money from his police friends and putting a very small amount of charity money into his till. Despite these attributes he is consistently shown to be kind-hearted and sensitive. He lives above The Grapes with his mother and stepdaughter. * Joe (
Craig Cash Craig Cash (born 11 September 1960)
Retrie ...
) and Duffy (
Phil Mealey Phil Mealey is a British actor and writer from Stockport. Biography Mealey co-wrote and associate-produced the BBC sitcom ''Early Doors'' with Craig Cash. Mealey also acted in the series, playing the character Duffy. Cash and Mealey won two North ...
), real name Nigel - "The Lads" of the pub. Best mates Joe and Duffy's friendship goes back to their childhood. Duffy has children and has been in trouble with his wife for sleeping with other women. * Janice (
Maxine Peake Maxine Peake (born 14 July 1974) is an English actress and narrator. She is known for her roles as Twinkle in the BBC One sitcom ''dinnerladies'' (1998–2000), Veronica Ball in the hit Channel 4 comedy drama '' Shameless'' (2004–2007), Marth ...
) (Series 1 only) - Janice is the
single mother A single parent is a person who has a child or children but does not have a spouse or live-in partner to assist in the upbringing or support of the child. Reasons for becoming a single parent include divorce, break-up, abandonment, becoming wid ...
of a newborn baby, Calvin, who she brings into the pub in the first episode and asks Joe and Duffy to mind while she goes to Melanie's
aerobics Aerobics is a form of physical exercise that combines rhythmic aerobic exercise with stretching and strength training routines with the goal of improving all elements of fitness (flexibility, muscular strength, and cardio-vascular fitness). It ...
class upstairs. It is suggested that Calvin is the result of a
one night stand A one-night stand or one-night sex is a single sexual encounter in which there is an expectation that there shall be no further relations between the sexual participants. It draws its name from the common practice of a one-night stand, a single ...
with Duffy in
Ladbrokes Ladbrokes Coral is a British gambling company founded in 1886. Its product offering includes sports betting, online casino, online poker, and online bingo. The business is split into two divisions, UK and International. UK operations are c ...
doorway. Joe often teases Duffy about this but Duffy says he took precautions - "I told her I'd had the snip". * Eddie and Joan Bell (
Mark Benton Mark Benton (born 16 November 1965) is an English actor and television presenter known for his roles as Eddie in ''Early Doors'', Howard in '' Northern Lights'' and Martin Pond in '' Barbara''. Benton has also starred in the BBC One school-based ...
and
Lorraine Cheshire Lorraine Cheshire (born 15 August 1958) is an English actress, known for her roles as Sue Benson in the Sky sitcom ''Trollied'', Fleur Budgen in the BBC One school-based drama '' Waterloo Road'' and Lorraine Bird in the Channel 4 school-based d ...
) - A boring, simple minded and but well-meaning couple. Eddie's conversations with Ken are usually one-sided and often revolve around temporary traffic lights nearby, a topic that interests him but no one else. Joan's mother is very old and owns several pets including six cats, a dog and a tortoise. Joan and Eddie are both quite intellectually challenged and they often make pointless conversation. They still seem to be madly in love after nineteen years of marriage. * Tommy (
Rodney Litchfield Rodney Litchfield (1939 – 5 September 2020) was an actor known for ''Early Doors'' (2003), ''Sunshine'' (2008) and ''Grow Your Own'' (2007). Career Litchfield's first television appearances were in the 1980s, the first of which was the epi ...
) - A character that is often seen drinking on his own, at a table he says he has been coming to for forty-two years. He is reluctant to accept free drinks or buy rounds as he is too miserly to part with his money. Tommy is a stereotypical old widower: he doesn't like socialising, is often miserable and has no problem expressing his complaints (of which he has many). In series 2, he starts a new job which he tells the other regulars he hates because of the "buggers he works with". As he finishes his drink and prepares to leave, it is revealed he is a
lollipop man A crossing guard (North American English), lollipop man/lady ( British, Irish, and Australian English), crosswalk attendant (also Australian English), or school road patrol (New Zealand English) is a traffic management personnel who is normally ...
. In the same episode he is shown to be generous when it matters, when he refuses to take his winnings from the football card, instead putting it into a fund to pay off Eddie and Joan's phone bill when it is cut off due to Joan running up a bill through phoning her ill mother. * Tanya (
Susan Cookson Susan Cookson (born 20 April 1965) is an English actress. She has appeared in various television series, and is known for roles including as Tanya in ''Early Doors'', Janice Piper in ''Clocking Off'', Maggie Coldwell in the BBC medical drama '' ...
) - Part-time barmaid and love interest of Ken. She is best friends with Debbie. She is good-hearted and down to earth and is known for being attractive, which is why it may be surprising that she clearly has feelings for Ken. Halfway through series 2 she informs Ken that she is leaving the pub but in the last episode he asks her to stay and she accepts his offer. * Jean Dixon ( Rita May) - Jean is Ken's mother and is often seen as imposing and manipulative. She seldom leaves her chair and is usually eating something sweet. She often complains about the greed and laziness of others, despite not being able to work her own kettle. Although she imposes on Ken's life and sometimes twists his words around to make people feel sorry for her, she really does care about her son. She shows disapproval about the mutual attraction that Ken and Tanya share, thinking Tanya isn't good enough for her son but quickly changes her opinion when she finds out Tanya lives in a large house with a conservatory. She often chats to Winnie. It is stated on the DVD commentary for series 1 that Jean is the first name of
Craig Cash Craig Cash (born 11 September 1960)
Retrie ...
's mother. * Winnie Cooper (Joan Kempson) - Cleaner of The Grapes and the upstairs flat, friends with Jean and well-liked by the regulars. She often makes comments that she knows will irritate Jean and shares all sorts of gossip with her. She has a son called Darren who has been in trouble several times with the law usually for theft. On the DVD commentary for series 1 it's stated that Winnie is the first name of
Phil Mealey Phil Mealey is a British actor and writer from Stockport. Biography Mealey co-wrote and associate-produced the BBC sitcom ''Early Doors'' with Craig Cash. Mealey also acted in the series, playing the character Duffy. Cash and Mealey won two North ...
's mother. * Melanie Dixon (
Christine Bottomley Christine Bottomley (born 27 April 1979) is an English actress. Early life Born in Rochdale and grew up in an apartment above the family's chemist shop. She went to several local youth drama groups before embarking on a course at the Royal S ...
) - Ken's stepdaughter and only child. Melanie is doted on by Ken who hopes she won't leave him for her real dad, Keith Braithwaite, who she searched for after learning Ken wasn't her real father. Melanie sees Ken as her real dad, although she does sometimes exploit his "soft" attitude towards her working hours and free drinks. Her biological father, Keith, starts a fight with Eddie at her 21st birthday. She has had two boyfriends in the series * Liam (
James McAvoy James McAvoy (; born 21 April 1979) is a Scottish actor. He made his acting debut as a teen in '' The Near Room'' (1995) and appeared mostly on television until 2003, when his feature film career began. His notable television work includes ...
) - a student, Mel's boyfriend in Series 1. Liam is Scottish and is often seen smoking. Several jokes are made about the impressive size of his genitalia. * Dean (
Lee Ingleby Lee David Ingleby (born 28 January 1976) is an English film, television and stage actor. He is best known for his roles as Detective Sergeant/Detective Inspector John Bacchus in the BBC drama ''Inspector George Gently'', as Stan Shunpike in ...
) - Mel's boyfriend in Series 2. Dean seems to be liked by Ken and is a typical jack the lad type who gets on well with most if not all of the regulars. It is loosely implied on some occasions that Joan may have feelings for Dean. * Debbie (Lisa Millett) - Pub regular and good friend to Tanya. She often leaves her kids in the car while she goes in for half a
cider Cider ( ) is an alcoholic beverage made from the fermented juice of apples. Cider is widely available in the United Kingdom (particularly in the West Country) and the Republic of Ireland. The UK has the world's highest per capita consumption, ...
. She has cheated on her husband and has "gone with" Duffy rather than walk home. Debbie is possibly not the best mother, behaving neglectfully yet strictly towards her children. She seems to take a liking to Melanie's biological father Keith Braithwate (at least after a few drinks). * Phil and Nige (James Quinn and Peter Wight) - Local crooked police officers whom Ken is friendly with. They often come knocking on the back door for a
bitter Bitter may refer to: Common uses * Resentment, negative emotion or attitude, similar to being jaded, cynical or otherwise negatively affected by experience * Bitter (taste), one of the five basic tastes Books * '' Bitter (novel)'', a 2022 nove ...
and Diet Coke, to drink in The Grapes' kitchen, though they are partial to the odd
cigar A cigar is a rolled bundle of dried and fermented tobacco leaves made to be smoked. Cigars are produced in a variety of sizes and shapes. Since the 20th century, almost all cigars are made of three distinct components: the filler, the binder l ...
or
brandy Brandy is a liquor produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35–60% alcohol by volume (70–120 US proof) and is typically consumed as an after-dinner digestif. Some brandies are aged in wooden casks. Others are coloured with ...
chaser. Phil and Nige often break the law, having stolen from an electrical store that was being robbed and are shown to be recreational drug users. In the second series they seem to lose any faith they had in their work after bungling a raid by falling asleep and are often smoking
marijuana Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various tra ...
together. In the last episode, they seemed to have turned to drug dealing, while doing the odd bit of police work on the side. Best known for their parting expression: 'Crime can't crack itself'. Whenever Phil and Nige are leaving the pub, their police radios crackle a message in the phonetic alphabet sounding like a random police radio message, but it is usually a profanity or swear word spelled phonetically, 'Foxtrot Uniform Charley Kilo' being one of many examples. * Keith Braithwaite (
Eamon Boland Eamon Denis Boland (born 15 July 1947 in Manchester, Lancashire) is an English actor. He has played Tony Walker in ''Casualty'', Frank O'Connor in '' Coronation Street'', Gerry Hollis in '' Kinsey'', Jim Gray in '' The Chief'', Phil Fox in ''F ...
) - Melanie's biological father. He is discussed several times in both series but does not appear until the final episode of series 2 when it is Melanie's 21st birthday party. Keith has a very brash personality and regularly uses the catch-phrase "Tick, Tock". Jean sings
Angels In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles include ...
on the
karaoke Karaoke (; ; , clipped compound of Japanese ''kara'' "empty" and ''ōkesutora'' "orchestra") is a type of interactive entertainment usually offered in clubs and bars, where people sing along to recorded music using a microphone. The music is ...
after dedicating it to Ken, "who has been there all Melanie's life, not just one night". He becomes upset by this comment and tries to pick a fight with Eddie in the toilets but Ken intervenes and punches him, knocking him unconscious.


Other characters

*Nicola (Sue McArdle) - Appears in 3 episodes of series 2. She is Debbie's cousin and has a sexual encounter in the toilets with Joe in the final episode of series 2. *Bill Cooper - Winnie's Husband (
Johnny Leeze John Harold Glen (31 December 1941 – 25 October 2020), known professionally as Johnny Leeze, was a British actor of television and film. He was perhaps best known for playing Harry Clayton in the British soap opera ''Coronation Street'' for ...
). Bill appears in episode 4 of series 1; he has a minor speaking part when he wins the football card.


Series and Episodes


Series 1

*Episode 1 - This episode introduces the main characters. *Episode 2 - Joe announces that his wife has left him. *Episode 3 - Melanie and Liam's relationship develops. *Episode 4 - There is a dispute over the football cards game. *Episode 5 - Joan and Eddie celebrate their wedding anniversary. *Episode 6 - Melanie meets her real father.


Series 2

*Episode 1 - Phil and Nige sell Ken some forged banknotes. *Episode 2 - The police celebrate a drugs bust in the pub. *Episode 3 - The Grapes holds a
pub quiz A pub quiz is a quiz held in a pub or bar. These events are also called quiz nights, trivia nights, or bar trivia and may be held in other settings. Pub quizzes may attract customers to a pub who are not found there on other days. The pub quiz is ...
. *Episode 4 - There is romance between Ken and Tanya. *Episode 5 - Duffy and Joe discuss their personal lives. *Episode 6 - It's Mel's 21st birthday party.


Theme music

The theme music for the series is "Small World" by
Roddy Frame Roddy Frame (born 29 January 1964) is a Scottish singer-songwriter and musician. He was the founder of the 1980s new wave band Aztec Camera and has undertaken a solo career since the group's dissolution. In November 2013, journalist Brian Do ...
from the 2002 album '' Surf''. The 2006
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
documentary ''Who Killed the British Sitcom'' used the closing music from ''Early Doors'' over its own end credits.


Live stage show

In June 2018, it was announced that
Craig Cash Craig Cash (born 11 September 1960)
Retrie ...
and
Phil Mealey Phil Mealey is a British actor and writer from Stockport. Biography Mealey co-wrote and associate-produced the BBC sitcom ''Early Doors'' with Craig Cash. Mealey also acted in the series, playing the character Duffy. Cash and Mealey won two North ...
had been writing ''Early Doors Live'', a stage show based on the series. The show was due to open at
The Lowry The Lowry is a theatre and gallery complex at Salford Quays, Salford, Greater Manchester, England. It is named after the early 20th-century painter L. S. Lowry, known for his paintings of industrial scenes in North West England. The complex ope ...
,
Salford Salford () is a city and the largest settlement in the City of Salford metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. In 2011, Salford had a population of 103,886. It is also the second and only other city in the metropolitan county afte ...
in August 2018, before a UK arena tour. It was said that the show would bring back almost all of the original cast from the TV series, including pub landlord Ken, played by John Henshaw, 13 years on, reflecting many of the changes in the pub world - most noticeably, the
smoking ban Smoking bans, or smoke-free laws, are public policies, including criminal laws and occupational safety and health regulations, that prohibit tobacco smoking in certain spaces. The spaces most commonly affected by smoking bans are indoor work ...
. Returning cast from the TV series included John Henshaw as Ken, Phil Mealey as Duffy, Craig Cash as Joe, Susan Cookson as Tanya, Lisa Millett as Debbie, Joan Kempson as Winnie, and James Quinn and Peter Wight as policemen Nige and Phil. Also joining the cast were
Judith Barker Judith Barker (born 22 June 1943) is an English actress, best known for her role in ''Coronation Street'' as the upwardly mobile homewrecker Janet Reid, which she played between 1969 and 1977. She has been married to Kenneth Alan Taylor since 196 ...
,
Vicky Binns Victoria Jane Binns (born 27 August 1982) is an English actress, known for her two roles in the two veteran ITV soap operas ''Emmerdale'' and ''Coronation Street'' respectively. She had a lead role in ''Von Trapped'' opposite Caroline Quentin a ...
, Nick Birkenshaw,
Neil Hurst Neil Hurst (born 5 June 1982) is an actor and presenter born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England best known for his television and stage theatre career. Adopted by Hull panto audience's Film and television career Hurst first came prominenc ...
and Laura Woodward. In January 2019, ''Early Doors Live'' won the
Manchester Evening News The ''Manchester Evening News'' (''MEN'') is a regional daily newspaper covering Greater Manchester in North West England, founded in 1868. It is published Monday–Saturday; a Sunday edition, the ''MEN on Sunday'', was launched in February 201 ...
CityLife Award for Best Theatre Production. It was soon followed by the announcement that the live stage show would be returning to The Lowry in the summer of 2019.


Reception

Despite the first series averaging just 1.7 million viewers, it was said to have "scored particularly highly on the appreciation indices". It was noted that BBC Two controller,
Jane Root Jane Fairbairn Root (born 18 May 1957) is a creative executive in the media industry, who has run major television networks on both sides of the Atlantic. As Controller of BBC Two (1999 to 2004), she was the first woman to be a channel controller f ...
, decided to commission a second series in part "because such a high proportion of viewers enjoyed it."
Nancy Banks-Smith Nancy Banks-Smith (born 1929) is a British television and radio critic, who spent most of her career writing for ''The Guardian''. Life and career Born in Manchester and raised in a pub, she was educated at Roedean School. Banks-Smith began her ...
, writing in ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'', wrote that the series was "such a slow-burning comedy that you only start to smile during the next programme." The show was placed at No. 91 in the 2003–04 ''
Britain's Best Sitcom ''Britain's Best Sitcom'' was a BBC media campaign in which television viewers were asked to decide the best British situation comedy. Viewers could vote via telephone, SMS, or BBC Online. This first round of voting was conducted in 2003, after ...
'' poll run by the BBC.


See also


References


External links

* * * *{{IMDb title, 0366010 2000s British sitcoms 2003 British television series debuts 2004 British television series endings BBC television sitcoms Television shows set in Greater Manchester English-language television shows Fictional drinking establishments