Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em
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''Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em'' is a
British sitcom A British sitcom or a Britcom is a situational comedy programme produced for British television. British sitcoms have predominantly been recorded on studio sets, while some include an element of location filming. Live audiences and multi-camera ...
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 ...
, created and written by Raymond Allen and starring
Michael Crawford Michael Patrick Smith (born 19 January 1942), known professionally as Michael Crawford, is an English actor, comedian and singer. Crawford is best known for playing the hapless Frank Spencer in the sitcom '' Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em'', Cornel ...
and
Michele Dotrice Michele Dotrice (born 27 September 1948) is an English actress. She played Betty Spencer, the long-suffering wife of Frank Spencer (Michael Crawford), Frank Spencer, portrayed by Michael Crawford, in the BBC sitcom ''Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em'', ...
. It was first broadcast in 1973 and ran for two series, including two Christmas specials in 1974 and 1975. After a three-year absence, the programme returned for a third series in 1978 and again in 2016 for a one-off special. The series regularly garnered 25 million viewers and was broadcast in 60 countries. The series follows the maladroit Frank Spencer through his various attempts to get and keep a job, which frequently end in disaster. The sitcom was noted for its stunt work, performed by Crawford himself, and it featured several well-known and much-lampooned catchphrases that have become part of British popular culture. In the 2004 series '' Britain's Best Sitcom'', ''Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em'' placed 22nd in the list of all British sitcoms.


Title

The series was originally conceived under the working title ''Have a Break, Take a Husband''. The expression "some mothers do have them" was once a common British euphemism to refer to a foolish or inept person.


Character of Frank Spencer

The ambitious but accident-prone Frank Spencer, who often wears his trademark
beret A beret ( , ; ; ; ) is a soft, round, flat-crowned cap made of hand-knitted wool, crocheted cotton, wool felt, or acrylic fibre. Mass production of berets began in the 19th century in Southern France and the north of History of Spain (1808 ...
and mackintosh, is married to the long-suffering Betty (
Michele Dotrice Michele Dotrice (born 27 September 1948) is an English actress. She played Betty Spencer, the long-suffering wife of Frank Spencer (Michael Crawford), Frank Spencer, portrayed by Michael Crawford, in the BBC sitcom ''Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em'', ...
), and in later series they have a baby daughter, Jessica. The character was popular with impressionists such as Mike Yarwood in the 1970s, particularly Frank's ostensible main
catchphrase A catchphrase (alternatively spelled catch phrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through word of mouth and a variety of mass ...
, "Ooh Betty", which may actually have been said in only one episode (Series 2, Episode 2). Other catchphrases include a quavering "Oooh ...", usually uttered with Frank's forefinger to his mouth as he stands amidst the chaos of some disaster he has just caused. He also sometimes complains about being "ha-RASSed!", or, occasionally, "I've had a lot of ha-RASSments lately" (originally an American pronunciation). Other recurring catchphrases include references to "a bit of trouble" and to the cat having "done a whoopsie" (presumably a euphemism for having defecated in an inappropriate place, on one occasion in Spencer's beret). When Frank is pleased or confused, he will often use the catchphrases "Mmmm – nice!" or "Ohhh – nice!". Frank is essentially a sympathetic character who is loved by Betty despite his faults. He venerates the memory of his late mother and treasures his daughter. References to Frank's mother suggest she was very much like her son. Frank claimed he last saw his father at
Paddington Station Paddington, also known as London Paddington, is a London station group, London railway station and London Underground station complex, located on Praed Street in the Paddington area. The site has been the London terminus of services provided by ...
when only 18 months old. Crawford has mentioned that he based many of Frank's reactions on those of a young child. The final series was produced after a break of five years (not counting two Christmas specials). Though still written by Raymond Allen, it was based on stories by Crawford. Frank's character changes noticeably in this series, becoming more self-aware and keen to make himself appear educated and well-spoken. He develops an air of pomposity, best demonstrated when someone enquires for "Mr. Spencer?", to which he habitually replies, "I am he." He also becomes more self-assured and more willing to defend himself when criticised, sometimes winning arguments by leaving his opponents dumbfounded by the bizarre nature of his statements. Frank also commits numerous
malapropism A malapropism (; also called a malaprop, acyrologia or Dogberryism) is the incorrect use of a word in place of a word with a similar sound, either unintentionally or for comedic effect, resulting in a nonsensical, often humorous utterance. An exam ...
s, especially when using long words to sound clever. For example, in the final episode he says 'pissdomestic' instead of 'pessimistic'. Acknowledging the show's success in Australia, in the final series Frank mentions relations who live there and contemplates emigrating himself.


Legacy

Crawford later had difficulty disassociating himself from the role, despite his career as a successful musical performer on the West End and Broadway stage and in popular musicals such as '' Barnum'' and '' The Phantom of the Opera''.


Cast

Ronnie Barker Ronald William George Barker (25 September 1929 – 3 October 2005) was an English actor, comedian and writer. He was known for roles in British comedy television series such as ''Porridge (1974 TV series), Porridge'', ''The Two Ronnies'', ...
and Norman Wisdom were the BBC's first and second choices for the role of Frank.
David Jason Sir David John White (born 2 February 1940), known professionally as David Jason, is an English actor. He has played Derek "Del Boy" Trotter in the sitcom ''Only Fools and Horses'', Detective Inspector Jack Frost in the drama series '' A Touch ...
was also a contender, but he was rejected because BBC executives at the time believed that he lacked star quality. However, the casting of Crawford proved effective because he invented many of Frank's mannerisms and catchphrases (some of which he had employed in the 1969 film '' Hello, Dolly!''), and because of his ability to perform stunts and physical comedy. *
Michael Crawford Michael Patrick Smith (born 19 January 1942), known professionally as Michael Crawford, is an English actor, comedian and singer. Crawford is best known for playing the hapless Frank Spencer in the sitcom '' Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em'', Cornel ...
as Frank Spencer *
Michele Dotrice Michele Dotrice (born 27 September 1948) is an English actress. She played Betty Spencer, the long-suffering wife of Frank Spencer (Michael Crawford), Frank Spencer, portrayed by Michael Crawford, in the BBC sitcom ''Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em'', ...
as Betty Spencer (née Fisher) Supporting cast * Jessica Forte as Jessica Spencer, Frank and Betty's daughter (5 episodes; series 3) * Jane Hylton as Mrs. Fisher, Betty's mother (3 episodes; series 1) * Anthony Woodruff as Dr. Smedley, one of several doctors who attend to the Spencers (3 episodes; series 1 and 2) * Dick Bentley as Grandad Spencer, Frank's errant grandfather who visits from Australia (3 episodes; series 3) * Glynn Edwards (3 episodes) and Jean Boht (2 episodes) as Mr. and Mrs. Lewis, the Spencers' neighbours after they move house (series 3) * Cyril Luckham as Father O'Hara, a local priest (2 episodes; series 2)


Guest cameos

Most episodes would introduce at least one other character (such as a doctor, neighbour or employer) who would usually become unnerved by Frank's peculiar manner and clumsiness. Guest cameo roles were played by actors including George Baker, James Cossins, Peter Jeffrey, Richard Wilson, Fulton Mackay, Bernard Hepton,
Christopher Timothy Christopher Timothy (born 14 October 1940) is a British actor and narrator. He is known for his roles as James Herriot in '' All Creatures Great and Small'', Mac McGuire in the BBC One daytime soap opera '' Doctors'' and Ted Murray in the BBC ...
, George Sewell,
Bryan Pringle Bryan Pringle (19 January 1935 – 15 May 2003) was an English character actor who appeared for several decades in television, film and theatre productions. Life and career Born in Sheffield, Yorkshire, he was brought up in the Lancashire town ...
, Christopher Biggins, Milton Johns, Diane Holland, John Ringham, David Ryall, Gretchen Franklin, Geoffrey Chater, Royston Tickner, Michael Redfern, Babar Bhatti, Norman Chappell, Geoffrey Whitehead, Desmond Llewelyn and Elisabeth Sladen (who, in her autobiography, mentions that she was considered for the role of Betty).


Theme tune

The theme song by Ronnie Hazlehurst features two
piccolo The piccolo ( ; ) is a smaller version of the western concert flute and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. Sometimes referred to as a "baby flute" or piccolo flute, the modern piccolo has the same type of fingerings as the ...
s spelling out the title in
Morse code Morse code is a telecommunications method which Character encoding, encodes Written language, text characters as standardized sequences of two different signal durations, called ''dots'' and ''dashes'', or ''dits'' and ''dahs''. Morse code i ...
, excluding the
apostrophe The apostrophe (, ) is a punctuation mark, and sometimes a diacritical mark, in languages that use the Latin alphabet and some other alphabets. In English, the apostrophe is used for two basic purposes: * The marking of the omission of one o ...
s.


Episodes


Series One (Early 1973)


Series Two (Late 1973)


1974 and 1975 Christmas specials


Series Three (1978)


1978 Christmas special


2016 Sport Relief sketch


Repeats

The BBC has repeated ''Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em'' several times since the series was produced in the 1970s. British channels
Gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...
,
BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matte ...
and BBC Prime took over repeats of the programme in 2007.
Drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...
showed the series in early 2023. The programmes were aired on BBC Four and archived for streaming on BBC iPlayer. In June 2024 it was repeated on That's TV. The programme has been shown on Catalan public television TV3 (Catalonia), the Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation in the 1970s, in Nigeria on NTA since the 1980s, in Australia on the
Nine Network Nine Network (stylised 9Network, and commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of the five main free-to-air television ...
's GO! from 2009 to 2010 and later on the
Seven Network Seven Network (stylised 7Network, and commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is an Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, ...
's digital channel 7TWO. It was also screened in the 1980s by
TVNZ Television New Zealand (, "Te Reo Tātaki" meaning "The Leading Voice"), more commonly referred to as TVNZ, is a New Zealand state-owned media company and Crown entity. The company operates a television network, streaming service, and news se ...
in New Zealand, where it was popular.


Special

On 18 March 2016, Michael Crawford and Michele Dotrice reprised their roles for a one-off sketch for
Sport Relief ''Sport Relief'' was a wikt:biennial, biennial charity event from Comic Relief, in association with BBC Sport, established in 2002. It was the idea of Kevin Cahill, CBE, who had joined Comic Relief in 1991 to establish a new department as Dire ...
.
Gemma Arterton Gemma Christina Arterton (born 2 February 1986) is a British actress. After her stage debut in Shakespeare's ''Love's Labour's Lost'' at the Globe Theatre (2007), Arterton made her feature-film debut in the comedy '' St Trinian's'' (2007). She p ...
guest-stars as Jessica, alongside Jenson Button,
Boris Johnson Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (born 19 June 1964) is a British politician and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He wa ...
, Sir
Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...
, Roy Hodgson,
Arsène Wenger Arsène Charles Ernest Wenger (born 22 October 1949) is a French former association football, football Manager (association football), manager and football player, player who is currently serving as FIFA's Chief of Global Football Development. ...
, David Walliams, Jessica Ennis, Sir
Bradley Wiggins Sir Bradley Marc Wiggins (born 28 April 1980) is a British former professional Road bicycle racing, road and track cycling, track racing cyclist, who competed professionally between 2001 and 2016. He began his cycling career on the track, but ...
, Clare Balding, Sir Chris Hoy, Sir
Andy Murray Sir Andrew Barron Murray (born 15 May 1987) is a British former professional tennis player and coach. He was ranked as the List of ATP number 1 ranked singles tennis players, world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professio ...
and
Jamie Murray Jamie Robert Murray (born 13 February 1986) is a British professional tennis player who specialises in doubles. He is a seven-time Grand Slam (tennis), major doubles champion (five in mixed doubles and two in men's doubles), a Davis Cup winne ...
playing themselves.


Documentary

A behind-the-scenes documentary entitled ''To Be Perfectly Frank'' was first broadcast on BBC 1 on Easter Monday, 11 April 1977.


Home video

In the United Kingdom, six episodes from Series 1 and various other episodes were originally released by BBC Video on VHS in the 1990s. Series 1 and Series 2 were released on VHS and
DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...
on 21 October 2002. Series 3 and the Christmas specials were released on VHS and DVD on 19 May 2003. ''The Complete Series'' was released on VHS and DVD on 6 October 2003 by Second Sight available. On 1 November 2010, 2 entertain reissued ''Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em – The Complete Christmas Specials''. On 14 February 2011, ''Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em – The Complete Series and Christmas Specials'' was reissued by 2 entertain with new packaging. The complete collection is now available from both BBC Store and
iTunes iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...
as a digital download. In
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
, Series 1–3 and the Christmas specials were released in 2003 and 2004. The complete boxed set was released in 2004 on DVD in region 4. In the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, 13 selected episodes were released on VHS in 1998 and reissued on Region 1 DVD in 2001. The complete series, including the 2016 Sport Relief special, was released on Region 1 DVD by the BBC and VEI in spring of 2021.


In popular culture

* In '' The Now Show'', Prince Edward is usually portrayed as Frank Spencer by Hugh Dennis. In an episode from June 2010, a sketch featured Fabio Capello using Frank Spencer impressions as a motivational strategy for the England World Cup squad. * The programme, and the character of Frank Spencer specifically, have even been mentioned several times in the
UK House of Commons The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 memb ...
. On one notable occasion, Labour Party leader John Smith taunted
Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
prime minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
John Major Sir John Major (born 29 March 1943) is a British retired politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990 to 1997. Following his defeat to Ton ...
in a speech in 1993 by saying that recent government mishaps would be considered "too much" if submitted to the show's producers by scriptwriters. * On 14 November 1998 during an edition of '' Noel's House Party'', Michael Crawford appeared as Frank to celebrate 25 years of the show. *
Arctic Monkeys Arctic Monkeys are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Sheffield in 2002. They comprise lead singer Alex Turner, drummer Matt Helders, guitarist Jamie Cook and bassist Nick O'Malley. The co-founder and original bassist Andy Nicholson ...
mention Frank Spencer in their song "You Probably Couldn't See for the Lights but You Were Staring Straight at Me" from their 2006 album, '' Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not'' with the lines: "I'm so tense, never tenser/Could all go a bit Frank Spencer." *
Reuben Reuben or Reuven is a Biblical male first name from Hebrew רְאוּבֵן (Re'uven), meaning "behold, a son". In the Bible, Reuben was the firstborn son of Jacob. Variants include Reuvein in Yiddish or as an English variant spelling on th ...
named a song after the show – "Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em" is the second track on their second album Very Fast Very Dangerous. * The title of the series, "Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em", is similar to Jimmy Clitheroe's catchphrase from the late-1950s to early-1970s: "Don't Some Mothers 'Ave 'Em?" * Many of Frank Spencer's antics and catchphrases have been lampooned by numerous comedians, including Mike Yarwood and
Lenny Henry Sir Lenworth George Henry (born 29 August 1958) is a British Jamaicans, British-Jamaican comedian, actor and writer. He gained success as a Stand-up comedy, stand-up comedian and impressionist in the late 1970s and early 1980s, culminating in ' ...
. * In the ''
One Foot in the Grave ''One Foot in the Grave'' is a British television British sitcom, sitcom written by David Renwick. There were six series (each consisting of six half-hour episodes) and seven Christmas specials over a period of ten years from early 1990 to late ...
'' episode "The Trial", when Victor Meldrew calls a garden centre to complain about a yucca plant that was delivered to his house being placed inside the toilet bowl with compost (after Meldrew requested that it be put in the downstairs toilet), he says that he does not know who delivered the plant but adds that it "may have been Frank Spencer". Actor Richard Wilson who played Meldrew appeared in 1978 episode “Wendy House” of ''Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em'' as Mr Harris.


Stage adaptation

A stage adaptation, written and directed by Guy Unsworth based on the television series, began a UK tour at the Wyvern Theatre, Swindon in February 2018. It starred Joe Pasquale as Frank Spencer, with Sarah Earnshaw as Betty and Susie Blake as Mrs. Fisher. Following the success of the 2018 tour, the production began another tour in February 2020, but because of the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, many dates were postponed to 2022.


References


External links

* * (Archived BBC Comedy page) * * *{{British Comedy Guide, tv, some_mothers_do_ave_em 1970s British sitcoms 1973 British television series debuts 1978 British television series endings 2016 television specials BBC television sitcoms British English-language television shows Television series about marriage Television shows set in Bedfordshire Slapstick television series