''Charles Endell Esquire'' is a British comedy-drama series that is a spin-off of the series '' Budgie'', with the role of Endell continuing to be played by

Iain Cuthbertson Iain Cuthbertson (4 January 1930 – 4 September 2009) was a Scottish character actor and theatre director. He was known for his tall imposing build and also his distinctive gravelly, heavily accented voice. He had lead roles in ''The Border ...

. Due to an ITV technicians' strike which took the network completely off the air for three months, the first two episodes were broadcast in 1979 and the remaining episodes were not aired until a full repeat of the series began on 26 April 1980 on almost all ITV regions, except

Southern Television Southern Television was the ITV broadcasting licence holder for the South and South-East of England from 30 August 1958 to 31 December 1981. The company was launched as 'Southern Television Limited' and the title 'Southern Television' was con ...

(which started it on 1 May 1980) and

Westward Television Westward Television was the first ITV franchise-holder for the South West of England. It held the franchise from 29 April 1961 until 31 December 1981. After a difficult start, Westward Television provided a popular, distinctive and highly regar ...

(which never broadcast the series). Only six episodes were made.

Plot

Charles Endell was sent to prison for ten years after the last episode of ''Budgie''. The show starts with Charlie Endell returning to his native

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

after serving seven years (with three off for good behaviour). He plans to re-establish himself in Glasgow after his former business empire in London was broken up by the vice squad. Back in Glasgow, he visits his solicitor, Archibald Telfer, to acquire his "rainy day" cash. Archibald Telfer apparently dies and the money disappears, but Charlie is convinced that the death has been faked.

Episode list

* 1: ''Glasgow Belongs To Me'' * 2: ''As One Door Closes Another Slams in Your Face'' * 3: ''Slaughter on Piano Street'' * 4: ''The Moon Shines Bright on Charlie Endell.'' * 5: ''Stuff Me a Flamingo'' * 6: ''If You Can't Join 'Em, Beat 'Em''

Cast

* Charles Endell Esq –

* Hamish McIntyre Jr –

Tony Osoba Tony Osoba (born 15 March 1947) is a Scottish actor best known for his role as Jim 'Jock' McClaren in the 1970s British sitcom ''Porridge'' alongside Ronnie Barker. He also guest starred in the first episode of the spin-off '' Going Straight ...

* Alastair Vint –

Rikki Fulton Robert Kerr "Rikki" Fulton, OBE (15 April 1924 – 27 January 2004) was a Scottish comedian and actor best remembered for writing and performing in the long-running BBC Scotland sketch show, ''Scotch and Wry''. He was also known for his appea ...

* Det Sgt Dickson – Phil McCall * Janet – Julie Ann Fullarton * Kate Moncrieff – Rohan McCullough * Dixie –

Annie Ross Annabelle McCauley Allan Short (25 July 193021 July 2020), known professionally as Annie Ross, was a British-American singer and actress, best known as a member of the jazz vocal trio Lambert, Hendricks & Ross. Early life Ross was born in Surr ...

DVD release

A DVD of the series was planned for release on 22 February 2016, with a 12 certificate rating. The release would soon be cancelled, with the distributor opting instead for a digital download release at £4.99 per episode.

References

External links

* *{{IMDb title, id = tt0078584, title = Charles Endell, Esq. 1979 British television series debuts 1980 British television series endings 1970s British drama television series 1980s British drama television series British comedy-drama television shows British television spin-offs English-language television shows ITV television dramas Scottish television shows Television shows produced by Scottish Television