''Spooners Patch'' is a British television

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 ne ...

, 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 ...

(best known for his writing collaborations with Alan Simpson, including ''

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 ...

'') and

Johnny Speight Johnny Speight (2 June 1920 – 5 July 1998) was an English television scriptwriter of many classic British sitcoms. He emerged in the mid-1950s. He wrote for radio comics Frankie Howerd, Vic Oliver, Arthur Askey, and Cyril Fletcher. For tele ...

(best known for ''

Till Death Us Do Part ''Till Death Us Do Part'' is a British television sitcom that aired on BBC1 from 1965 to 1975. The show was first broadcast in 1965 as a ''Comedy Playhouse'' pilot, then as seven series between 1966 and 1975. In 1981, ITV continued the sitcom ...

''). It ran for 3 series and 19 episodes and was made and broadcast from 1979 to 1982 on the

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 ...

network, by ATV.

Plot

It is set in a police station in the fictional

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

suburb of Woodley. The title character of Spooner ( Ronald Fraser, then

Donald Churchill Donald Churchill (6 November 193029 October 1991) was an English actor and playwright. He appeared in many film and television productions over a 35-year period and wrote several TV scripts. Career His films included '' Barnacle Bill'' (1957), ...

) is the inspector in charge who is engaged in various corrupt ventures and lives above the station. The other main characters are the officers who work under him, including a detective played by

Peter Cleall Peter Cleall (born 16 March 1944 in Finchley, Middlesex) is an actors' agent and former actor who is probably best known for playing wise-cracking Eric Duffy in the London Weekend Television comedy series ''Please Sir!'' which ran from 1968 t ...

who thinks he is from

Starsky & Hutch ''Starsky & Hutch'' is an American action television series, which consisted of a 72-minute pilot movie (originally aired as a ''Movie of the Week'' entry) and 92 episodes of 50 minutes each. The show was created by William Blinn (inspired by th ...

and drives around in a

Ford Anglia The Ford Anglia is a small family car that was designed and manufactured by Ford UK. It is related to the Ford Prefect and the later Ford Popular. The Anglia name was applied to various models between 1939 and 1967. In total, 1,594,486 Anglias ...

in the same red and white colour scheme as their

Ford Torino The Ford Torino is an automobile that was produced by Ford for the North American market between 1968 and 1976. It was a competitor in the intermediate market segment. The car was named after the city of Turin (''Torino'', in Italian), consider ...

Patricia Hayes Patricia Lawlor Hayes (22 December 1909 – 19 September 1998) was an English character actress. Early life Patricia Hayes OBE was born in Streatham,Dennis Barker, "Hayes, Patricia Lawlor (1909–1998)", ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biogra ...

appeared in the second two series as a

traffic warden A parking enforcement officer (PEO),United S ...

.Lewisohn, Mark (1998). ''Radio Times Guide to TV Comedy''. BBC Books. p. 723. .

Cast list

* Ronald Fraser - Inspector Spooner *

- Inspector Spooner (1980 -1982) *

- Detective Constable Bolsover * John Lyons - PC Killick *

- Mrs Cantaford *

Norman Rossington Norman Rossington (24 December 1928 – 21 May 1999) was an English actor best remembered for his roles in ''The Army Game'', the ''Carry On'' films and the Beatles' film '' A Hard Day's Night''. Early life Born in Liverpool, Lancashire, ...

- PC Goatman *

Dermot Kelly James Dermot Kelly (21 April 1917 – 25 November 2004) was an Irish sports shooter. He competed at the 1968 Summer Olympics and the 1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and c ...

- Kelly *

Lynn Farleigh Marilyn J. "Lynn" Farleigh (born 3 May 1942) is an English actress of stage and screen. Early life Farleigh was born in Bath, Somerset on 3 May 1942 to Joseph Sydney Farleigh and his wife Marjorie Norah (née Clark). She attended the Redlan ...

- Mrs Webster * John Clegg - Vicar *

Donald Morley Donald Jude Morley (7 October 1930 – 23 June 2006) was a British race car driver from Suffolk who specialized in rally driving. Career He won twice the Coupe des Alpes (Alpine Rally) in France, in 1961 and 1962, driving an Austin-Healey 3000, ...

- Mayor *

Ronnie Brody Ronnie Brody (6 November 1918 – 8 May 1991) was a British actor who appeared in many comedy television series and films. His film appearances included: ''A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum'', ''Carry On Loving'', ''Don't Lose Your ...

- Man in Police station *

Roy Barraclough Roy Senior Barraclough (12 July 1935 – 1 June 2017) was an English comic actor. He was best known for his role as Alec Gilroy, the devious, mournful landlord of the Rovers Return in the long-running British TV soap '' Coronation Street'', a ...

- Landlord *

Amanda Barrie Amanda Barrie (born Shirley Anne Broadbent; 14 September 1935) is an English actress. She appeared in two of the ''Carry On'' films before being cast as Alma Halliwell in ITV soap opera, '' Coronation Street'', which she played on and off for ...

- Spooners Girlfriend *

Ballard Berkeley Ballard Blascheck (6 August 1904 – 16 January 1988), known professionally as Ballard Berkeley, was an English actor of stage and screen. He is best remembered for playing Major Gowen in the British television sitcom ''Fawlty Towers''. Life an ...

- Bank Manager *

Barrie Rutter Barrie Thomas Rutter OBE (born 12 December 1946) is an English actor and the founder and former artistic director of the Northern Broadsides theatre company based in Dean Clough complex, Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. Biography Rutter was ...

- The Psychiatrist *

Harry Fowler Henry James Fowler, MBE (10 December 1926 – 4 January 2012) was an English character actor in film and television. Over a career lasting more than six decades, he made nearly 200 appearances on screen. Personal life Fowler was born in Lamb ...

- Jimmy the con * Reginald Marsh - Senior Police Officer *

James Villiers James Michael Hyde Villiers (29 September 1933 – 18 January 1998) was an English character actor. He was particularly known for his plummy voice and ripe articulation. He was a great-grandson of the 4th Earl of Clarendon. Early life Villie ...

- Film Producer *

Jonathan Cecil Jonathan Hugh Gascoyne-Cecil (22 February 1939 – 22 September 2011), known as Jonathan Cecil, was an English theatre, film, and television actor. Early life Cecil was born in London, England, the son of Lord David Cecil and the grandso ...

- Captain Jim *

Wendy Richard Wendy Richard (born Wendy Emerton; 20 July 1943 – 26 February 2009) was an English actress, known for her television roles as Miss Shirley Brahms on the BBC sitcom ''Are You Being Served?'' from 1972 to 1985, and Pauline Fowler on the soap ...

- Girl * Stuart Saunders - Golf Club Secretary *Bob Bryan - Mr. Webster *Mary Conlon - Bulsover’s Girlfriend *Chris Cunningham - Dutch Sailor * Jack Douglas - Man in Car *Frank Coda - Jimmy’s Friend *

Jeffrey Segal Jeffrey Segal (1 August 1920 – 5 February 2015) was an English actor and scriptwriter. He made his first screen appearance, as an extra, in the film '' Jew Süss'' (1934). From the early 1960s onwards he appeared in many British TV series, ...

- Bank Manager *

Lee Whitlock Lee Whitlock (17 April 1968 – 17 February 2023) was a British television and film actor. Of the many roles in film and TV, they included ''Shine on Harvey Moon'' (1982), '' Two of Us'' (1987), '' Casualty'' (1991), ''Grange Hill'' (1993), '' S ...

- Boy * John Barron - The Golf Club President *Willy Bowman - Dutch Sailor *Sarah Carthy - Killick’s Girlfriend * Anthony Sharp - The Doctor *Ruby Buchanan - Old Lady *

John Louis Mansi John Louis Mansi (born John Patrick Adams; 8 November 1926 – 6 August 2010) was a British television and film actor whose career spanned the years from the early 1950s to the early 1990s. Born in London to an Italian father and an Irish moth ...

- Waiter *

Ava Cadell Ava Cadell (born Ildiko Eva Csath; June 15, 1956) is a former actress, writer, producer and currently a therapist and speaker on issues of sexuality. Career Cadell has a doctorate in human behavior from Newport University (California) and a ...

- Greta - Au Pair Girl * Mavis Pugh - Woman *Terry Gurry - Dutch Sailor *

Bill Treacher William Charles Treacher (4 June 1930 – 5 November 2022) was an English actor. He was best known for portraying the role of Arthur Fowler in the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders'' from 1985 to 1996, having been the first person to be cast for t ...

- Car owner *

Debbie Linden Debbie Linden (22 February 1961 – 6 October 1997) was a Scottish-born glamour model and actress best known for her career in England, especially her role as old Mr Grace's secretary in the sitcom ''Are You Being Served?'' (1981). Born in Glas ...

- Film Girl * Bella Emberg - The Mayor’s Wife * Richard Fraser - TV Reporter *Richard Sheekey - Dutch Sailor *Stan Van - 2nd Waiter *Billy Gray - Postman *Richard Speight - Clapper Boy

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Spooner's Patch ITV sitcoms 1979 British television series debuts 1982 British television series endings English-language television shows Television shows produced by Associated Television (ATV) Television series created by Ray Galton 1970s British sitcoms 1970s British workplace comedy television series 1980s British sitcoms 1980s British workplace comedy television series