''Scully'' is a British
television drama
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super- ...
with some comedy elements set in
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...
, England, that originated from a BBC ''
Play For Today'' episode "Scully's New Year's Eve" (3 January 1978). Originally broadcast on
Channel Four
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service in ...
in 1984, the single series was spread over six half-hour episodes plus a one-hour final episode. It was written by
playwright Alan Bleasdale. The drama is notable for featuring many of the
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...
football club first-team squad of that era.
The estate parts were filmed in Longsight, Manchester, on the 'Anson Road' Estate. Also some scenes were filmed in Wythenshawe m22 Manchester.
Scully's house is situated on Bluebell Lane in Huyton, Knowsley, Several parts were also filmed on roads off Princess Drive, Dovecot.
The school building featured is the 'Central High School for Boys' (demolished) on Pink Bank Lane, which is off Kirkmanshulme Lane in the Belle Vue/Gorton area of Manchester. The extras used in the school/classroom scenes were pupils of the school.
Francis Scully (played by
Andrew Schofield) is a teenage boy who has his heart set on gaining a trial match for Liverpool to hopefully fulfil his ambition of playing for the club. Francis, in everyday situations during his waking hours, occasionally "sees" famous Liverpool players such as
Kenny Dalglish when they are not really there. These dream-like sequences recur throughout the episodes.
The main plotline concerns the efforts of Scully's school teachers to persuade Scully to appear in the school
pantomime
Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speaking ...
which they attempt by promising him a trial with his beloved Liverpool if he will cooperate. When Scully and his friends are not in school making trouble for the teachers and the school caretaker, they are seen roaming the local streets upsetting the neighbours and getting into trouble with the police. Scully sometimes has visions of the school caretaker appearing as a
vampire
A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mischief or deat ...
due to the caretaker's nickname being
Dracula. These frequent waking dream sequences give the show a somewhat surreal atmosphere.
English musician and songwriter
Elvis Costello played Scully's brother. Costello also wrote and performed the show's theme song "Turning The Town Red".
The complete series was released on DVD in 2006 as a two-disc set from Network DVD.
References
External links
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{{Alan Bleasdale
Television shows set in Liverpool
1984 British television series debuts
1984 British television series endings
1980s British drama television series
Channel 4 television dramas
1980s British television miniseries
Television series by ITV Studios
Television shows produced by Granada Television
English-language television shows
Television shows shot in Liverpool