''Pardon The Expression!'' was an ITV

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 ...

made by

Granada Television ITV Granada, formerly known as Granada Television, is the ITV franchisee for the North West of England and Isle of Man. From 1956 to 1968 it broadcast to both the north west and Yorkshire but only on weekdays as ABC Weekend Television was its ...

, that was first broadcast from Wednesday 2 June 1965 to Monday 27 June 1966. The sitcom was one of four spin-offs from the soap opera ''

Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford. Orig ...

''. ''Pardon the Expression'' itself had a spin-off: '' Turn Out the Lights'', broadcast in 1967. There was not another spin-off until the 1980s with ''The Brothers McGregor'', which reused two characters (played by different actors) who appeared in a single episode.

Leonard Swindley Leonard Swindley is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street''. One of the original characters created by Tony Warren, he was played by actor Arthur Lowe between 1960 and 1965. The character of Mr. Swindley als ...

, played by

Arthur Lowe Arthur Lowe (22 September 1915 – 15 April 1982) was an English actor. His acting career spanned 36 years, including starring roles in numerous theatre and television productions. He played Captain Mainwaring in the British sitcom '' D ...

was the central character. Formerly the manager of the fashion retail store "Gamma Garments" in ''Coronation Street'', in this series he is the deputy manager of the

department store A department store is a retail establishment offering a wide range of consumer goods in different areas of the store, each area ("department") specializing in a product category. In modern major cities, the department store made a dramatic appe ...

Dobson and Hawks. His boss in the series was Ernest Parbold, played by Paul Dawkins, who was replaced by Wally Hunt, played by

Robert Dorning Robert Dorning (13 May 1913 – 21 February 1989) was a musician, dance band vocalist, ballet dancer and stage, film and television actor. He is known to have performed in at least 77 television and film productions between 1940 and 1988. Origin ...

, in series 2. Other regulars were

Betty Driver Elizabeth Mary Driver, (20 May 1920 – 15 October 2011) was a British actress and singer, best known for her role as Betty Williams in the long-running ITV soap opera, ''Coronation Street'', a role she played for 42 years from 1969 to 2011, a ...

as canteen lady Mrs Edgeley, and Joy Stewart as Miss Sinclair, the boss's secretary. Another member of the cast was

John Le Mesurier John Le Mesurier (, born John Elton Le Mesurier Halliley; 5 April 191215 November 1983) was an English actor. He is perhaps best remembered for his comedic role as Sergeant Arthur Wilson in the BBC television situation c ...

, who later reunited with Arthur Lowe in the classic comedy ''

Dad's Army ''Dad's Army'' is a British television sitcom about the United Kingdom's Home Guard during the Second World War. It was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft, and originally broadcast on BBC1 from 31 July 1968 to 13 November 1977. It ran fo ...

''.

Episodes

Series 1 (1965)

*"The First Day" (2 Jun 65) *"The Headmistress" (9 Jun 65) *"The Trouble With Ada" (16 Jun 65) *"Mannequin Parade" (23 Jun 65) *"The Dance" (30 Jun 65) *"The Wedding" (7 Jul 65) *"The Pensioner" (14 Jul 65) *"The Visitor" (21 Jul 65) *"Birthday Present" (28 Jul 65) *"Little Boy Lost" (4 Aug 65) *"The Old One Two" (11 Aug 65) *"The Brain Drain" (18 Aug 65)

Series 2 (1966)

*"The Economy Drive" (10 Jan 66) *"January Sale" (17 Jan 66) *"The Resignation" (24 Jan 66) *"Self Defence" (31 Jan 66) *"The Stocktaking" (7 Feb 66) *"The Home Help" (14 Feb 66) *"Big Hotel" (21 Feb 66) *"The Gaol Birds" (28 Feb 66) *"A Night To Remember" (7 Mar 66) *"Whose Baby Are You?" (21 Mar 66) *"The Take-Over Bid" (28 Mar 66) *"Between The Covers" (4 Apr 66) *"Heads Down" (11 Apr 66) *"A Sheik In The Night" (18 Apr 66) *"Rustle Of Spring" (25 Apr 66) *"The Ghost Of Batsworth Castle" (2 May 66) *"The Sailor Home From The Sea" (9 May 66) *"The Dinner Party" (16 May 66) *"Man's Best Friend" (23 May 66) *"Thunderfinger – Part 1" (30 May 66) *"Thunderfinger – Part 2: Swindley Strikes Back" (6 Jun 66) *"The Switched-On Scene" (13 Jun 66) *"The Cup That Cheers" (20 Jun 66) *"On Health Farm Sommet Stirs" (27 Jun 66)

DVD release

Both series of ''Pardon the Expression'' were released (separately) in 2009, A 6-Disc set of the complete series has been released on 12 December 2011, just two years later.

External links

*
''Pardon the Expression'' review
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pardon The Expression 1960s British sitcoms 1965 British television series debuts 1966 British television series endings ITV sitcoms Television shows produced by Granada Television English-language television shows Black-and-white British television shows British television spin-offs Coronation Street spin-offs