''Casanova '73'' is a British

sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...

broadcast on

BBC1 BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and Flagship (broadcasting), flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includ ...

in September and October 1973. Written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson, the series starred

Leslie Phillips Leslie Samuel Phillips (20 April 1924 – 7 November 2022) was an English actor. He achieved prominence in the 1950s, playing smooth, upper-class comic roles utilising his "Ding dong" and "Hello" catchphrases. He appeared in the '' Carry On'' ...

as wealthy womaniser Henry Newhouse (the English translation of "casa nova").

Background and plot

''Casanova '73'' followed an episode of ''Galton and Simpson Comedy'' ("The Suit", 1969) for

London Weekend Television London Weekend Television (LWT; now part of the non-franchised ITV London region) was the ITV (TV network), ITV network franchise holder for Greater London and the Home Counties at weekends, broadcasting from Fridays at 5.15 pm (7:00&nbs ...

in which Phillips played Howard Butler, a philandering businessman whose clothes are stolen whilst he is in bed at his secretary's home. As with this series, it also featured

Jan Holden Valerie Jeanne Wilkinson (9 May 1931 – 11 October 2005) was an English actress known as Jan Holden, using her mother's maiden name as a stage name. In theatre she was known for her performances in light comedy and appeared in several tele ...

as his wife. ''Casanova '73'' was specially written for Phillips. Henry Newhouse has a successful career in

public relations Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing and disseminating information from an individual or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organization) to the public in order to influence their perception. Pu ...

. Although happily married to Carol, he is a compulsive

philanderer Promiscuity is the practice of engaging in sexual activity frequently with different partners or being indiscriminate in the choice of sexual partners. The term can carry a moral judgment. A common example of behavior viewed as promiscuous by man ...

and leads a

double life An alter ego (Latin for "other I") means an alternate self, which is believed to be distinct from a person's normal or true original personality. Finding one's alter ego will require finding one's other self, one with a different personality. Add ...

. His relationships invariably backfire and lead to farcical situations.

Cast

as Henry Newhouse *

as Carol Newhouse * Yolande Turner as Connie Langham *

Elvi Hale Patricia Elvira Hake (29 January 1931 – 1 March 2025), known as Elvi Hale, was a British actress. She played Anne of Cleves in '' The Six Wives of Henry VIII'', broadcast in 1970. Life and career Hake was born on 29 January 1931, in Romford ...

as Muriel *

Cyd Hayman Cyd Hayman (born 1 May 1944) is an English film and stage actress. She appeared in the films '' Percy'' (1971), '' Rogue Male'' (1976), '' The Human Factor'' (1979), '' The Godsend'' (1980), and '' Mask of Murder'' (1988). Her television credi ...

as Miss Dropmore * Madeline Smith as Tessa Finlay *

Josephine Tewson Josephine Ann Tewson (26 February 1931 – 18 August 2022) was an English actress, known for her roles in British television sitcoms and comedies. She portrayed Edna Hawkins ("Mrs H") on '' Shelley'' (1979–1982), Jane Travers in '' Clarence' ...

as Mrs Kershaw * Ronald Adam as Dr Spartforth *

Astrid Frank Astrid Frank (born 1945) is a retired German film and television actress.Fenton & Flint p.317 She starred in number of sex comedies during the 1970s. Selected filmography * '' The True Jacob'' (1960) * '' A Woman for Life'' (1960) * ''Charley's ...

as Miss West Germany *

Maureen Lipman Dame Maureen Diane Lipman (born 10 May 1946) is an English actress, columnist and comedian. She trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and her stage work has included appearances with the National Theatre and the Royal Shakesp ...

as Gloria * Michael Knowles as Judge * Janet Davies as Wife *Directed and Produced by Harold Snoad

Reception

''Casanova '73'' was poorly received by the critics. Stanley Reynolds in ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'' wrote that Phillips character "gets caught in the wrong beds in all the right comic places but it still does not seem to work. The script is either too laborious and slow or the jokes are too old and feeble."

Mary Whitehouse Constance Mary Whitehouse (; 13 June 1910 – 23 November 2001) was a British teacher and conservative activist. She campaigned against social liberalism and the mainstream British media, both of which she accused of encouraging a more permis ...

, of the

National Viewers' and Listeners' Association Mediawatch-UK, formerly known as the National Viewers' and Listeners' Association (National VALA or NVLA), was an advocacy group in the United Kingdom, which campaigned against the publication and broadcast of media content that it viewed as har ...

and others objected to its risque contents. The complaints led to the programme being moved to a later time slot. The first two episodes aired at 8.00pm on Thursdays and the final five on Mondays at 9.25pm. This decision appears to have been taken close to transmission, as ''Radio Times'', published a week in advance, still had the third episode as due to air pre-watershed, but ''The Times'', published on the day of broadcast, listed the series as already having been moved in the schedule. The quiz show ''

Mastermind Mastermind, Master Mind or The Mastermind may refer to: Fictional characters * Mastermind (Jason Wyngarde), a fictional supervillain in Marvel Comics, a title also held by his daughters: ** Martinique Jason, the first daughter and successor of the ...

'' replaced it in the slot, helping it to become a hit.

Episodes

Home release

All seven episodes of ''Casanova '73'' were released on DVD by

Acorn Media UK RLJE International Ltd, d/b/a Acorn Media, a British company that publishes and distributes DVDs, as well as selling home-video products and streaming videos with a particular focus on British television. History Launched in 1997, Acorn Media ...

on 8 October 2012.

References

;General * ;Specific {{Harold Snoad 1973 British television series debuts 1973 British television series endings 1970s British sitcoms Television shows about adultery BBC television sitcoms Television series about beauty pageants British English-language television shows Television series created by Ray Galton Television series created by Alan Simpson (scriptwriter)