''Steptoe and Son in Murder at Oil Drum Lane'' is a play written by

Ray Galton Raymond Percy Galton (17 July 1930 – 5 October 2018) was an English radio and television scriptwriter, best known for the Galton and Simpson comedy writing partnership with Alan Simpson. Together they devised and wrote 1950s and 60s BBC sitco ...

and

John Antrobus John Arthur Antrobus (born 2 July 1933) is an English playwright and screenwriter. He has written extensively for stage, screen, TV and radio, including the epic World War II play, ''Crete and Sergeant Pepper'' at the Royal Court. He authored t ...

that brought the ''

Steptoe and Son ''Steptoe and Son'' is a British sitcom written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson about a father-and-son rag-and-bone business in 26a Oil Drum Lane, a fictional street in Shepherd's Bush, London. Four series were broadcast by the BBC in black and ...

'' saga to an end. It was first performed in 2005. The title of this play was inspired by the Swedish 1982 play ''

Albert & Herbert ''Albert & Herbert'' was a Swedish comedy series that ran in 1974, 1976–79, 1981–82, an advent series, and a theatre play titled ''Mordet på Skolgatan 15'', and had a spin-off series in 1995. ''Albert & Herbert'', which featured father-and- ...

: Mordet på Skolgatan 15'' (meaning ''Albert & Harold : The Murder at Skolgatan 15'') by Sten-Åke Cederhök, although in that play, the murder refers not to Albert, but to their home in

Haga, Gothenburg Haga is a city district in Gothenburg, Sweden, renowned for its picturesque wooden houses, 19th century-atmosphere and cafés. Originally a working class suburb of the city with a rather bad reputation, it was gradually transformed into a popula ...

Background

''Steptoe and Son'' had been a successful British sitcom in the 1960s and 1970s. Ray Galton had been one of the two writers of the original series, and he co-wrote this play. It brought an end to the ''Steptoe and Son'' saga, explaining the two protagonists' lives together and their deaths.

Plot

The year is 2005. Steptoe's old house is now the property of the

National Trust The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...

. Harold Steptoe, now in his 70s, visits the place, but gets shut in after closing time. Through his monologue, the audience discovers that he eventually killed his father by throwing a spear at him when he was sitting on the

toilet A toilet is a piece of sanitary hardware that collects human urine and feces, and sometimes toilet paper, usually for disposal. Flush toilets use water, while dry or non-flush toilets do not. They can be designed for a sitting position popu ...

. Since then, he has been living in secret in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

. While pondering his old home, the

ghost A ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to rea ...

of his father, Albert, reappears. Albert explains that he has been trapped in this house with the "poncy" National Trust man, and that the only thing that Albert needs to get into

heaven Heaven or the heavens, is a common religious cosmological or transcendent supernatural place where beings such as deities, angels, souls, saints, or venerated ancestors are said to originate, be enthroned, or reside. According to the belie ...

is an apology from Harold. Harold refuses to give it, though, because he blames Albert for ruining his life. Most of the story is told in flashback. Albert refused to let him go to school, forcing him into a life of no education. Albert forced Harold to take the blame for looting in

the Blitz The Blitz was a German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom in 1940 and 1941, during the Second World War. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term , the German word meaning 'lightning war'. The Germa ...

. Albert then stopped him from going to the

D-Day The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as D ...

landings. Albert had locked him in a secret compartment throughout the war. When the war ends, Harold is arrested and sent to fight in the Malayas. When he returns, Albert continues to ruin his life. In an attempt to be rid of Albert forever, Harold plans to emigrate to

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

with his fiancée, Joyce. Albert ruins it by telling them that Joyce is secretly Harold's sister. Harold sets off for New Zealand, but Albert gets him arrested by framing him as a thief. When Harold gets out of jail, Albert thwarts all his attempts to get a girlfriend. Harold is absolutely mad at Albert until he discovers that in all the junk, he has a copy of the

Gutenberg Bible The Gutenberg Bible (also known as the 42-line Bible, the Mazarin Bible or the B42) was the earliest major book printed using mass-produced movable metal type in Europe. It marked the start of the "Gutenberg Revolution" and the age of printed b ...

, worth £3 million. Harold is over the moon and runs off to celebrate. Albert is not so happy, realising that his simple life with Harold will be over. In the next scene, Harold returns home to find the Bible missing, and presumes his father has destroyed it. In a fit of rage, he throws a spear at the toilet door. At that moment, Albert opens the door and is stabbed by the spear. The flashbacks end. Harold finds it in his heart to forgive Albert. Then, he has a heart attack (due to finding the Bible was hidden for safe measures, not destroyed, yet over time it had been chewed and ripped) and becomes a ghost along with Albert. The next morning, his body is discovered, and Joyce, who has become a

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 599. The term is o ...

, asks for him to be buried next to his father, much to Harold's annoyance. Albert accidentally tells Harold that Joyce and he are not really related. Harold is furious, and in the argument, they fly into the sky on their old wagon, pulled by their old horse Hercules, arguing over which one will go to Heaven.

Actors

* Harold – Jake Nightingale * Albert – Harry Dickman * National Trust Man, Policeman No. 1, Military Policeman – Daniel Beales * Pamela Joyce – Alyson Coote * Fiona – Louise Metcalfe * Policeman No. 2 – Andy Clarkson

Production credits

* Director – Roger Smith * Designer – Nigel Hook * Lighting designer – Tony Simpson * Composer – Christopher Madin * Sound designer – Clement Rawling * General manager – Armand Gerrard * Production manager – Dominic Fraser

External links

Comedy Theatre Guide

VisitLondon Guide
{{DEFAULTSORT:Steptoe And Son in Murder at Oil Drum Lane 2005 plays English plays Steptoe and Son