''Funny Man'' is a British

comedy television series A list of comedy television series by country of origin. Australia Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina * '' Viza za budućnost'' Brazil Canada China *'' Number One Surprise'' Croatia *'' Odmori se, zaslužio si'' *'' Zauvijek susjedi'' Egy ...

which first aired on

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

in 1981.Halliwell p.312 It portrays a family of

music hall Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as variety. Perceptions of a distinction in Bri ...

entertainers in the late 1920s and early 1930s, at the time of the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

and the continuing desertion of traditional music hall audiences to the cinemas. Star

Jimmy Jewel James Arthur Thomas Jewel Marsh (4 December 1909 – 3 December 1995),Gifford, Denni''The Independent'', 5 December 1995. Note: This obituary wrongly gives the year of birth as 1912, which is contradicted by the Ben Warriss obituary. Retrie ...

had himself grown up in a family of comedians active during the era. Actors who appeared in individual episodes include

Elsie Randolph Elsie Randolph (9 December 1904 – 15 October 1982) was an English actress, singer and dancer. Randolph was born and died in London. She is best remembered for her partnership with Jack Buchanan in several stage and film musicals. She also app ...

Nell Campbell Laura Elizabeth Campbell (born 24 May 1953), better known as Nell Campbell or by her stage name Little Nell, is an Australian actress, singer, and former club owner. She is best known for her role as Columbia in the 1975 film ''The Rocky Horror ...

, Sylvia Coleridge,

Madeline Smith Madeline Smith (born 2 August 1949) is an English actress. After working as a model in the late 1960s, she went on to appear in many television series and stage productions, plus comedy and horror films, in the 1970s and 1980s. She is perhaps ...

and

Leslie Sarony A Wills cigarette card from the 'Radio Celebrities' series, 1934; Sarony on right Leslie Sarony (born Leslie Legge Frye; 22 January 1897 – 12 February 1985) was a British entertainer, singer, actor and songwriter. Biography Sarony was b ...

Cast

as Alec Gibson (13 episodes) * David Schofield as Davey Gibson (13 episodes) * Andrew Fell as Teddy Gibson (13 episodes) *

Jean Boht Jean may refer to: People * Jean (female given name) * Jean (male given name) * Jean (surname) Fictional characters * Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character * Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations * Jea ...

as Elsie (13 episodes) *

Sharon Duce Sharon Duce (born 17 January 1950) is a British actress. Born in Sheffield, she trained at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art then became a stage actress at the Sheffield Repertory Theatre, the York Theatre Royal, and the Theatre in t ...

as Kath Gibson (11 episodes) *

Lynda Bellingham Lynda Bellingham, OBE ( ; 31 May 194819 October 2014) was an English actress, broadcaster and author. She acted in television series such as '' All Creatures Great and Small'', '' Doctor Who'', '' Second Thoughts'' and '' Faith in the Future''. S ...

as Gwen (11 episodes) *

Trudie Styler Trudie Styler (born 6 January 1954) is an English actress and film producer. Early life and family Styler was born in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, the daughter of Pauline and Harry Styler, a farmer and factory worker. When Styler was two years ...

as Babs (11 episodes) * Lesley Hand as Wendy (11 episodes) *

Veronica Doran Veronica Doran (born 17 May 1948) is a British character actress who remains best known for her 18-month stint as Marion Willis in the ITV soap opera, '' Coronation Street''. She appeared in the series from 1982 to 1983. Early life Veronica D ...

as Freda (11 episodes) * Tricia Ford as Dolly (10 episodes) * Marianne Price as Rose (9 episodes) *

Pamela Stephenson Pamela Helen Stephenson, Lady Connolly (born 4 December 1949) is a New Zealand-born psychologist, writer, and performer who is now a resident in both the United Kingdom and the United States. She is best known for her work as an actress and co ...

as Iris Reade (9 episodes) *

Barrie Ingham Barrie Stanton Ingham (10 February 1932 – 23 January 2015) was an English actor, performing on stage and "in a handful of films." He was perhaps most widely known as "a prolific television actor". His notable work includes '' A Challenge for ...

as Bobby Stobart (7 episodes) * Jonathan Adams as Brendan Sykes (6 episodes) *

Bob Todd Brian Todd (15 December 1921 – 21 October 1992), known professionally as Bob Todd, was an English comedy actor, mostly known for appearing as a straight man in the sketch shows of Benny Hill and Spike Milligan. For many years, he lived in T ...

as Billy Strothers (6 episodes) *

Joanna Van Gyseghem Joanna Van Gyseghem (born 4 September 1941) is a British actress. She was educated at Malvern Girls' College and Trinity College, Dublin. Her father André van Gyseghem was an actor and director, and her mother Jean Forbes-Robertson an actres ...

as Peggy Stobart (6 episodes) *

Pearl Hackney Pearl Hackney (28 October 1916 – 18 September 2009) was a British actress and the wife of comic actor Eric Barker. She was born in Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, but spent much of her early life in Liverpool, Lancashire (now Merseyside). A ...

as Gloria Leslie (5 episodes) *

Arthur English Arthur Leslie Norman English (9 May 1919 – 16 April 1995) was an English television, film and stage actor and comedian from the music hall tradition. Early life English was born at 22 Lysons Road in Aldershot,'Arthur English, ''Aldershot H ...

as George Leslie (5 episodes) *

Billy Milton Billy Milton (8 December 190522 November 1989) was a British stage, film and television actor. Born in Paddington, Middlesex, (now in London), as William Thomas Milton, he was the son of Harry Harman Milton (1880-1942), a commission agent, and ...

as Ozzie (5 episodes) * John Blythe as Cecil Foster (4 episodes) *

Alfred Marks Alfred Edward Marks OBE (born Alfred Edward Touchinsky; 28 January 19211 July 1996) was a British actor and comedian. In his 60-year career, he played dramatic and comedy roles in numerous television programmes, stage shows and films. His self- ...

as Ainsley King (4 episodes) *

Gareth Forwood Gareth L. John Forwood (14 October 1945 – 16 October 2007) was a British stage, film and television actor. Forwood was born to actors Glynis Johns and Anthony Forwood. He made his screen debut in 1965 and went on to prosper as a character ac ...

as Max (3 episodes)

References

Bibliography

* Leslie Halliwell. ''Double Take and Fade Away''. Grafton, 1987.

External links

* {{IMDb title, id=0199218 ITV sitcoms 1981 British television series debuts 1981 British television series endings 1980s British comedy television series English-language television shows