Terry and June
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''Terry and June'' is a
BBC television BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1927. It produced television programmes from its own studios from 193 ...
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 ...
, which was broadcast on
BBC1 BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...
from 1979 to 1987. The show was largely a reworking of '' Happy Ever After'', and starred
Terry Scott Owen John "Terry" Scott (4 May 1927 – 26 July 1994) was an English actor and comedian who appeared in seven of the ''Carry On films''. He is also best known for appearing in the BBC1 sitcom ''Terry and June'' with June Whitfield. Early lif ...
and
June Whitfield Dame June Rosemary Whitfield (11 November 1925 – 29 December 2018) was an English radio, television, and film actress. Her big break was a lead in the radio comedy '' Take It from Here'', which aired on the BBC Light Programme in 1953. ...
as a middle-aged, middle-class suburban couple, Terry and June Medford, who live in Purley. Most of the 65 episodes were written by John Kane, with seven other writers also contributing some episodes. The theme tune, Bell Hop by John Shakespeare, was also used for the radio series Never Too Late which starred Dame Thora Hird and
Joe Gladwin Joseph Gladwin (22 January 1906 – 11 March 1987) was an English actor, best known for his roles as Fred Jackson in Coronation Street, Stan Hardman in Nearest and Dearest, and Wally Batty in the world's longest-running sitcom, ''Last of the ...
and ran for two series (1981 and 1982).


Production

Terry Scott and June Whitfield began their television partnership in '' Scott On'' in 1968. On 7 May 1974, a ''
Comedy Playhouse ''Comedy Playhouse'' is a long-running British anthology series of one-off unrelated sitcoms that aired for 120 episodes from 1961 to 1975. Many episodes later graduated to their own series, including ''Steptoe and Son'', '' Meet the Wife'', ' ...
''
pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...
called "Happy Ever After" aired on BBC1 with Scott and Whitfield playing Terry and June Fletcher, a middle-class couple whose grown-up children have just left home. This was commissioned into a series of the same name, and five series and two Christmas specials were broadcast, ending on 25 April 1979. John T. Chapman, one of the original writers, said that the programme had run out of ideas and had to come to an end. BBC Comedy, however, were unwilling to end a popular show, and so brought in fresh new writers. Legal complications meant that the name and setting had to change, and so on 24 October 1979, ''Terry and June'' was born. The characteristics of ''Terry and June'' remained largely similar. However, the character of Aunt Lucy and her
mynah bird The myna (; also spelled mynah) is a bird of the starling family (Sturnidae). This is a group of passerine birds which are native to southern Asia, especially India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Several species have been introduced to areas like ...
, a popular ingredient of ''Happy Ever After'', were dropped. The character of Melinda Spry, Terry and June's neighbour, was originally played by
Joan Benham Joan may refer to: People and fictional characters *Joan (given name), including a list of women, men and fictional characters *:Joan of Arc, a French military heroine *Joan (surname) Weather events *Tropical Storm Joan (disambiguation), multiple ...
in the 1981 episode "The Lawnmower". Benham died on 13 June 1981, and ''Terry and June'' was her last television appearance. She was replaced by
Diana King Diana King (born 8 November 1970) is a Jamaican-American singer-songwriter who performs a mixture and fusion of reggae, reggae fusion and dancehall. They were born to an Indo-Jamaican mother and an Afro-Jamaican father. They are best known f ...
. The BBC planned a feature-length film, entitled ''Terry and June – The Movie'', but it was never made. Despite being seen as "cosy" and somewhat "dated" even upon its original broadcast, and lampooned by contemporaneous
alternative comedy Alternative comedy is a term coined in the 1980s for a style of comedy that makes a conscious break with the mainstream comedic style of an era. The phrase has had different connotations in different contexts: in the UK, it was used to describe ...
programmes, the show nevertheless attracted large viewing figures. The series never came to an 'official' end, with Series Nine in 1987 not planned to be the last, but, according to main writer John Kane, the series "just sort of petered out in the end", after Series 8 (1985) already having been "buried in an early tea-time slot", with the BBC "slightly embarrassed of their 'safe and cosy' sitcom but one which still commanded strong audience figures". Several scripts for a proposed Series Ten were submitted, but in the end the series "simply wasn't renewed". During filming of Series Nine, Terry Scott commented that he felt the programme's format had started to become tired and that he was keen to do something new. In 2004, it came 73rd in ''
Britain's Best Sitcom ''Britain's Best Sitcom'' was a BBC media campaign in which television viewers were asked to decide the best British situation comedy. Viewers could vote via telephone, SMS, or BBC Online. This first round of voting was conducted in 2003, aft ...
'', jointly with '' Happy Ever After''. In '' The Listener'' at the end of its run it was described, not unaffectionately, by Andy Medhurst as "a Macmillanite sitcom" to which
Thatcherism Thatcherism is a form of British conservative ideology named after Conservative Party leader Margaret Thatcher that relates to not just her political platform and particular policies but also her personal character and general style of manag ...
was as alien as
socialism Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...
.


Cast


Main characters

*
Terry Scott Owen John "Terry" Scott (4 May 1927 – 26 July 1994) was an English actor and comedian who appeared in seven of the ''Carry On films''. He is also best known for appearing in the BBC1 sitcom ''Terry and June'' with June Whitfield. Early lif ...
– Terence 'Terry' Medford *
June Whitfield Dame June Rosemary Whitfield (11 November 1925 – 29 December 2018) was an English radio, television, and film actress. Her big break was a lead in the radio comedy '' Take It from Here'', which aired on the BBC Light Programme in 1953. ...
– June Medford * Reginald Marsh – Sir Dennis Hodge *
Terence Alexander Terence Joseph Alexander (11 March 1923 – 28 May 2009) was an English film and television actor, best known for his role as Charlie Hungerford in the British TV drama ''Bergerac (TV series), Bergerac'', which ran for nine series on BBC One be ...
– Malcolm Harris ''(series 1 and 2)'' * Tim Barrett – Malcolm Harris ''(1980 Special to series 7)'' * John Quayle – Malcolm Harris ''(series 8 and 9)'' *
Rosemary Frankau Rosemary A. Frankau (14 April 1933 – 16 April 2017) was a British actress, born in Marylebone, London. She played Beattie Harris in nine series of the sitcom ''Terry and June'' between 1979 and 1987. Early life and career Frankau was e ...
– Beattie Harris *Joanna Henderson – Miss Nora Fennell ''(series 3 to 5; 8 to 9)''


Recurring characters

*
Roland Curram Roland Curram (born 1932) is an English actor and novelist. Curram was educated at Brighton College and has had a long film, television and theatre career. His appearances include Julie Christie's travelling companion in her Oscar-winning film ...
– Brian Pillbeam ''(series 1)'' *
Anita Graham Anita Graham (born 15 February 1948) is a British film, stage and television actress and a former member of the Royal Shakespeare Company. Graham's first television role was in an episode of '' Crossroads'' (1964). She went on to appear in '' T ...
– Tina Pillbeam ''(series 1 and 2)'' * John Warner – The Rev. Austin Doyle ''(series 1, 3 to 5; 7 to 9)'' *
Allan Cuthbertson Allan Darling Cuthbertson (7 April 1920 – 8 February 1988) was an Australian-born British actor. He was best known for playing stern-faced military officers in British films of the 1950s and 1960s. Early life Cuthbertson was born in Perth, ...
– Tarquin Spry ''(series 3 to 6)'' *
Joan Benham Joan may refer to: People and fictional characters *Joan (given name), including a list of women, men and fictional characters *:Joan of Arc, a French military heroine *Joan (surname) Weather events *Tropical Storm Joan (disambiguation), multiple ...
– Melinda Spry ''(series 3)'' *
Diana King Diana King (born 8 November 1970) is a Jamaican-American singer-songwriter who performs a mixture and fusion of reggae, reggae fusion and dancehall. They were born to an Indo-Jamaican mother and an Afro-Jamaican father. They are best known f ...
– Melinda Spry ''(series 4 to 6)'' * Roger Martin – Alan Medford ''(series 2, 3, 5 and 9)'' *
Patsy Smart Patsy Smart (14 August 1918 – 6 February 1996) was an English actress, best remembered for her performance as Miss Roberts in the 1970s ITV television drama '' Upstairs, Downstairs''. She also appeared in: ''Danger Man'', '' Only When I Laug ...
– Miss Lavinia Dingle ''(series 7 and 8)'' *Evie Garratt – Miss Dunwiddy ''(series 9)''


Plot

The series starts as middle-class couple Terry and June Medford prepare to move into 26 Elmtree Avenue in Purley,
Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...
. They are in their late-40s, and have a daughter named Wendy, who is married to Roger; both are rarely seen. Terry's nephew, Alan Medford, pays occasional visits where he always causes some form of trouble. Terry can be headstrong and determined, but often as a result of his childlike enthusiasm getting the better of him, and his plans and schemes normally end in disaster. June, meanwhile, is patient of her husband, but frequently doubtful about his ideas and often acts as the voice of reason and common sense, although this often falls upon deaf ears. Terry works for "Playsafe Fire Extinguishers and Appliances", and his boss is Malcolm Harris. In a continuity error his surname is sometimes referred to as Laurence instead of Harris. Malcolm frequently has affairs, and he and his wife Beattie, a friend of June, frequently argue. The owner of Terry's company is Sir Dennis Hodge (played by Reginald Marsh who played a similar character in '' The Good Life''), a grumpy man who rules the company with a rod of iron. His personal secretary of over 20 years is Miss Nora Fennell, whose fondness for Sir Dennis is not returned. In the first two series, their neighbours are Brian and Tina Pillbeam. From the third to sixth series, the Medfords' neighbours are Tarquin and Melinda Spry. Terry and Tarquin are frequently competing against each other.


Episodes

''Terry and June'' first aired on 24 October 1979, running for a total of 9 series and 65 episodes, (including four Christmas Specials). The last ever episode aired on 31 August 1987.


Home media

All nine series and four Christmas Specials have been released on DVD in Region 2. The Complete Collection 10 disc boxset DVD Region 2 has also been released on 23 October 2017.


References

;General
''Terry And June''
at British TV Comedy *
Mark Lewisohn Mark Lewisohn (born 16 June 1958) is an English historian and biographer. Since the 1980s, he has written many reference books about the Beatles and has worked for EMI, MPL Communications and Apple Corps.
, "Radio Times Guide to TV Comedy", BBC Worldwide Ltd, 2003 ;Specific


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Terry and June 1970s British sitcoms 1979 British television series debuts 1980s British sitcoms 1987 British television series endings BBC television sitcoms English-language television shows Fictional couples Television shows set in London Fictional married couples Television series about couples