''Murphy's Mob'' is a British children's

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...

, created and written by

Brian Finch Brian Finch (25 July 1936 – 27 June 2007) was a British television scriptwriter and dramatist. His longest relationship was with the ITV1 soap opera, ''Coronation Street'', for which he wrote 150 scripts between 1970 and 1989. He also helped th ...

which was produced and directed by David Foster for

Central Independent Television ITV Central, previously known as Central Independent Television, Carlton Central, ITV1 for Central England and commonly referred to as simply Central, is the Independent Television franchisee for the Midlands. It was created following the rest ...

, and screened in the UK 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 ...

for four series between 1 March 1982 and 19 December 1985. The theme tune was sung by

Gary Holton Gary Frederick Holton (22 September 1953 – 25 October 1985) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and actor from London. He was the frontman of the band Heavy Metal Kids (1972–1977), worked with Casino Steel (1981–1984), and played ...

, of ''

Auf Wiedersehen, Pet ''Auf Wiedersehen, Pet'' () is a British comedy-drama television programme about seven British construction workers who leave the United Kingdom to search for employment overseas. In the first series, the men live and work on a building site in ...

'' fame.

Plot

The series featured

Ken Hutchison Aitken Hutchison (24 November 1948 – 9 August 2021) was a Scottish actor. Life and career Hutchison played roles in many episodes of ''Play for Today'' from 1970 to 1980, such as in "Just a Boys' Game". Hutchison played Norman Scutt in the S ...

as Mac Murphy, who takes charge as manager of a struggling fictional Third Division football club, Dunmore United, and a group of young supporters of the club whose day-to-day troubles included attempts to set up a junior supporter's club and clubhouse within the stadium.

Cast

as Mac Murphy *

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''. Sh ...

as Elaine Murphy * Terence Budd as Rasputin Jones *

Milton Johns John Robert Milton (born 13 March 1938), known professionally as Milton Johns, is an English character actor who has worked almost continuously throughout his career. A versatile talent, he specialises in sinister or obsequious roles and has f ...

as Derek Cassidy * Amanda Mealing as Sheila * Tracy Lynn Stephens as Jean *

Keith Jayne Keith Jayne (born 10 December 1960) is a British actor, known for playing the title role in the 1981 television adaptation ''Stig of the Dump''. A slow growth rate, due to a pituitary gland problem, made Keith a target of bullies at grammar ...

as Boxer * Lewis Stevens as Wurzel * Chris Gascoyne as Judd * Wayne Norman as Gerry 'Geronimo'

Production

The drama scenes also included action taken from real

Watford Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne. Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, a ...

games from the era. The fictional Dunmore team therefore played in yellow, red and black to allow the footage to be cut into the drama. Billy Wright, the former England captain is credited in the first series as "Soccer Advisor".

Broadcast

The show was broadcast twice weekly on

''Series 1'' * 16 episodes generally broadcast on Monday and Wednesday between 1 March and 26 April 1982 ''Series 2'' * 12 episodes generally broadcast on Wednesday and Thursday between 9 March and 14 April 1983 ''Series 3'' * 14 episodes generally broadcast on Monday and Thursday between 29 October and 13 December 1984 ''Series 4'' * 12 episodes generally broadcast on Monday and Thursday between 11 November and 20 December 1985

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, id=0159188, title=Murphy's Mob 1982 British television series debuts 1985 British television series endings ITV children's television shows English-language television shows Television shows produced by Central Independent Television Fictional association football television series