Comedy Firsts is a short-lived British television series

Television

Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...

 consisting of five unrelated sitcoms

British sitcom

A British sitcom tends, as it does in most other countries, to be based on a family, workplace or other institution, where the same group of contrasting characters is brought together in each episode. Unlike American sitcoms, where twenty or more episodes in a season is the norm, British sitcoms...

 and one sketch show

Sketch comedy

A sketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors or comedians, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...

 that aired in 1995. Two of the episodes later lead onto full series, Barbara

Barbara (TV series)

Barbara is a British sitcom starring Gwen Taylor in the title role. A pilot aired in 1995, and three series then aired from 1999 to 2003. It was made by Central Television, and filmed at their Lenton Lane studios in Nottingham in front of a live studio audience...

and Sometime, Never.

Background

Comedy Firsts followed on from ITV's Comedy Playhouse that had aired in 1993. It followed the same format of a series of one-off comedy pilots

Television pilot

A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...

. Each episode of Comedy Firsts aired on Monday at 8pm and had a different cast and writers.

Episodes

Title	Airdate	Writers	Overview	IMDb link
Barbara	10 July	Mark Bussell, Rob Clark, Ramsay Gilderdale Ramsay Gilderdale Ramsay Gilderdale is an English actor, who played Guy of Gisbourne in BBC comedy Maid Marian and Her Merry Men. He also appeared in Rumpole of the Bailey and Blackadder's Christmas Carol....  & Graham Mark Walker	Barbara Liversage (played by Gwen Taylor Gwen Taylor Gwen Taylor is an actress who has appeared in many British television programmes, including Z-Cars, Murder Most Horrid, Yes, Prime Minister, Inspector Morse, Midsomer Murders and Belonging... ) is a no-nonsense nosey Yorkshire Yorkshire Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...  woman who works at a doctor's General practitioner A general practitioner is a medical practitioner who treats acute and chronic illnesses and provides preventive care and health education for all ages and both sexes. They have particular skills in treating people with multiple health issues and comorbidities...  receptionist Receptionist A receptionist is an employee taking an office/administrative support position. The work is usually performed in a waiting area such as a lobby or front office desk of an organization or business...  with a sharp tongue. She is married to Ted (Sam Kelly Sam Kelly Sam Kelly is an English actor who has appeared in television, radio and theatre.-Career:He has had roles in British sitcoms such as Porridge as Bunny Warren, Allo 'Allo! as Captain Hans Geering leaving after series three, On the Up as Dennis Waterman's chauffeur and We'll Think of Something as Les... ), a taxi driver Taxicab A taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice... . Her son Neil (Benedict Sandiford Benedict Sandiford Benedict Sandiford is a British actor who is best known for his role as son Neil on the British sitcom Barbara. He also made guest appearances on Heartbeat, Peak Practice, A Touch of Frost, Touching Evil, At Home with the Braithwaites ,Pie in the Sky, Cadfael, This Life, 'Foyle's War, Midsomer... ) still lives at home, while her daughter Linda (Caroline Milmoe Caroline Milmoe Caroline Milmoe is an English stage, film and television actress best known for playing Julie in the first two series of Carla Lane's Liverpool-based BBC sit-com Bread and Lisa Duckworth in ITV's long-running soap opera Coronation Street.-Career:Milmoe attended Manchester's Contact Youth Theatre... ) is married to chef Chef A chef is a person who cooks professionally for other people. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who cooks for a living, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation.-Etymology:The word "chef" is borrowed ...  Martin Benson (Glen Davies Glen Davies Glen Davies , is a footballer who played in the Football League.-External links:... ). Barbara's sister is Jean (Shirley Anne Field Shirley Anne Field Shirley Anne Field is a British actress who has performed on stage, film and television since 1955.-Early Life:... ) who is married to Phil (John Arthur) while her colleague is Doreen (Madge Hindle Madge Hindle Madge Hindle is a British actress, best known for her roles on television series.Madge's big break came when her good friend, British playwright Alan Bennett, asked her to appear in his 1966 BBC comedy series On the Margin.From 1968 to 1973, she played the role of Lily Tattersall on the series... ). Three series of Barbara Barbara (TV series) Barbara is a British sitcom starring Gwen Taylor in the title role. A pilot aired in 1995, and three series then aired from 1999 to 2003. It was made by Central Television, and filmed at their Lenton Lane studios in Nottingham in front of a live studio audience... aired from 1999 to 2003.	http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0518541/
Sometime, Never	17 July	Jenny Lecoat	Maxine Bailey (played by Sara Crowe Sara Crowe Sara Crowe , also known as Sara K. Crowe, is a Scottish film and stage actress, who mainly plays comedy roles.-Career:... ) is a single, acid-tongued liberal Liberalism Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...  drama Drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...  teacher at an inner-city comprehensive Comprehensive school A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United... . On her 31st birthday she reflects on her life, and annoyed that fellow teacher Louise Kilgarith (Lucinda Fisher) got a promotion she wanted and generally annoyed with her ex-boyfriend Ian (Harry Burton). Her best friend Bernice (Ann Bryson Ann Bryson Ann Bryson is a British actress who is best known for featuring in the television series Days Like These and Space Vets.-External links:... ) lives in the flat above her. Also starring Saeed Jaffrey Saeed Jaffrey Saeed Jaffrey OBE is an Indian-born British actor, who has done numerous British movies. He was born in Malerkotla, Punjab...  as headteacher Harry and Sean Carnegie as Jason Williams. One series of Sometime, Never aired in 1996.	http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112171/
Sardines	24 July	Gareth Edwards Gareth Edwards (producer) Gareth Edwards is a radio and television producer and writer. He is the great-grandson of Hollywood pioneer Albert E. Smith, founder of Vitagraph Studios.TV and Radio Career... , Chris Langham Chris Langham Christopher "Chris" Langham is an English writer, actor and comedian. He is most famous for playing MP Hugh Abbot in BBC Four sitcom The Thick of It and as presenter Roy Mallard in People Like Us, first on BBC Radio 4 and later on its transfer to television on BBC Two, where Mallard is almost...  & Ben Miller Ben Miller Bennet Evan "Ben" Miller is an English comedian, actor and director. He is perhaps best known as one half of comedy double act Armstrong and Miller, along with Alexander Armstrong. Together the pair wrote and starred in Channel 4 sketch show Armstrong and Miller, and the more recent BBC television...	Davy Kotowski (played by Griff Rhys Jones Griff Rhys Jones Griffith "Griff" Rhys Jones is a Welsh comedian, writer, actor, television presenter and personality. Jones came to national attention in the early 1980s for his work in the BBC television comedy sketch shows Not the Nine O'Clock News and Alas Smith and Jones along with his comedy partner Mel Smith... ) is a petty officer aboard submarine Submarine A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...  HMS Wolverine. Following a rigged arm-wrestling contest, half the crew are in slings. Kotowski is then brought before the Captain, Alec McCleod (John Docherty John Docherty John Docherty is a Scottish former football player and manager.Having previously been manager of Cambridge United between January 1978 and December 13, 1983, and Brentford. His spell at Cambridge United saw the club in the Second Division where they managed respectable finishes, with eighth in... ) for the ninth time. He is sentenced to denial of shore leave and 20 hours laundry duty, most of which he delegates to the simple sailor Chris Cheese (William Ivory). Kotowski then plots his revenge on Lionel Pinner (Ian Bartholomew Ian Bartholomew Ian Bartholomew is an English actor who has worked widely in both theatre and television.In television Bartholomew's work has ranged from The Darling Buds of May, Rumpole of the Bailey, Minder, and more recently, Making Waves and Spooks.... ) and Cheese ends up having a £100 grudge darts Darts Darts is a form of throwing game where darts are thrown at a circular target fixed to a wall. Though various boards and games have been used in the past, the term "darts" usually now refers to a standardised game involving a specific board design and set of rules...  match with Pinner on Kotowski's behalf. Also starring Anthony Smee Anthony Smee Anthony Smee is an English theater producer, writer, and actor who has worked in radio, theatre, television, and film since 1972.-Partial filmography:*You're the Stranger Here *Hilary and Jackie *Parting Shots...  as Roger Tench, Paul Shearer Paul Shearer Paul Shearer is a British actor who is best known as a member of the Fast Show team. His best-known roles on that programme are as a newscaster and a variety show host on the European television parody sketch 'Chanel 9'....  as Proudlove, Peter-Hugo Daly Peter-Hugo Daly Peter-Hugo Daly is an actor and musician. In the late 1970s and early 1980s Daly was a member of new wave band the Cross along with fellow actor Phil Daniels. The band released a single, "Kill Another Night" on RCA Records in 1979...  as Galloway, Perry Benson Perry Benson Perry Benson is an English character actor best known for his regular roles in British television sitcoms You Rang, M'Lord? , Oh, Doctor Beeching! and Operation Good Guys .-Movie career:...  as Coxswain, Ben Miller Ben Miller Bennet Evan "Ben" Miller is an English comedian, actor and director. He is perhaps best known as one half of comedy double act Armstrong and Miller, along with Alexander Armstrong. Together the pair wrote and starred in Channel 4 sketch show Armstrong and Miller, and the more recent BBC television...  as Simon Adair, Alexander Armstrong Alexander Armstrong (comedian) Alexander Henry Fenwick Armstrong is a British comedian, actor and television presenter.-Early life and career:Armstrong was born in Rothbury, Northumberland, the youngest of three children, to Henry Angus Armstrong and his wife Emma Virginia Peronnet Thompson-McCausland, daughter of Lucius...  as Alastair Simpson and Jake Abraham as Mickey Davis.	http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112151/
Waiting	31 July	Jim Hitchmough Jim Hitchmough Jim Hitchmough was a TV comedy writer, teacher and academic. He was best known for the long-running television sitcom Watching, but also wrote for Coronation Street and Brookside; and a feature-length TV film The Bullion Boys.-External links:*...	The NHS National Health Service The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...  Hillcroft Medical Centre has a vacancy for a practise manager. The receptionist Beryl Oldham (played by Brigit Forsyth Brigit Forsyth Brigit Forsyth is a British actress, who is best known for her roles as Thelma Ferris in the BBC comedy Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? and Helen Yeldham in the hit ITV drama/modern-day western Boon.... ) is the favourite for the job, but then pompous ex-Army officer British Army The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...  Maurice Ribley (Patrick Barlow Patrick Barlow Patrick Barlow is an English actor, comedian and playwright. His comedic alter ego, Desmond Olivier Dingle, is the founder, Artistic Director and Chief Executive of the two-man National Theatre of Brent, which has performed on stage, on television and on radio.-Radio:Barlow is the scriptwriter, as... ) arrives and he is given the job. Also starring Peter Jones Peter Jones (actor) Peter Jones was an English actor, screenwriter and broadcaster.-Early life and career:Jones was born in Wem, Shropshire and he was educated at the Wem Grammar School and Ellesmere College. He made his first appearance as an actor in Wolverhampton at the age of 16 and then appeared in repertory...  as Dr. Roger Capstick, Ashley Jensen Ashley Jensen Ashley Jensen is a Scottish actress who is best known for her roles in the television series Extras for which she was nominated for an Emmy, and ABC's Ugly Betty...  as Amanda Cookson, Simon Slater Simon Slater Simon Slater, born in Scarborough, North Yorkshire is an English actor and composer. He was educated at Sedbergh School.He has been performing, playing and composing since his early teens and continued through university when he attended Goldsmiths College at the University of London.He plays...  as Dr. Duncan Pettifer and Sarah Lam Sarah Lam Sarah Lam is a British-Chinese actress, noted for her television roles.She played Susannah in the sitcom No Problem!, Linda Mo in Angels, Anna Lee in Howards' Way and Caroline Choi in Brookside....  as Dr. Anna Chen.	http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0197090/
The Smiths	7 August	Julian Roach	Clive (played by Kevin McNally Kevin McNally Kevin McNally is an English actor who has worked in theatre and radio extensively as well as in film and television.-Life and career:... ) and Carol Smith (Rebecca Lacey Rebecca Lacey Rebecca Lacey is a British actress, born in Watford, United Kingdom. She is the daughter of actor Ronald Lacey and actress Mela White. She is not the sister of actress Ingrid Lacey as is often reported.... ) are a Merseyside Merseyside Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...  couple who are struggling to raise their two teenage children, Wayne (Scott Neal Scott Neal - Career :He entered the Anna Scher Theatre School in 1989. He debuted in The Listening on Channel Four. He has participated in other TV shows such as EastEnders, Bramwell, Prime Suspect, and London's Burning. He later became a regular appearance on the British television police drama The Bill,... ) and Debbie (Heather Jones Heather Jones Heather Jones is a former field hockey player from Canada, who represented her native country at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. There she ended up in seventh place with the Canadian National Women's Team.-References:*... ) in a small semi-detached house. The walls are so thin Clive and Carol have to make love in their car, but when the car needs repairs they have to go without for a few weeks. When Clive and his friend Geoff (Rowland Rivron Rowland Rivron Rowland J. Rivron is a British comedian, musician, writer and television presenter.-Early life: Rivron was brought up in Hillingdon, West London and attended Abbotsfield Secondary School... ) fix the car, it is sold while they are down the pub Public house A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller... . Also starring Jackie Downey as Linda, Sonia as Doona, Geoffrey Hughes Geoffrey Hughes Geoffrey Hughes, DL is an English actor.As well as a wide range of TV and film appearances, Hughes is best known for a series of supporting roles in popular UK television dramas...  as Dooley and Angus Lennie Angus Lennie Angus Lennie is a Scottish actor best known for his film appearance as Steve McQueen's friend Archibald Ives in the 1963 film The Great Escape. He was also known for being in the television soap opera Crossroads....  as Wilf.	http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0140764/
Now What	14 August	Various	A sketch show Sketch comedy A sketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors or comedians, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...  starring Fiona Allen Fiona Allen Fiona Allen is an English comedienne and actress.-Career:Allen has appeared in many sketch shows, including Smack the Pony, Goodness Gracious Me and The All Star Comedy Show... , Don Gilet Don Gilet Don Gilet is a British actor, best known for his roles in BBC productions Babyfather, EastEnders and 55 Degrees North. Don's surname is actually pronounced 'Gillit' but takes the stage name 'Jillay'.-Personal life:... , Alan D. Marriott, Curtis Walker Curtis Walker Curtis Walker is a British actor and writer. He starred in BBC comedy shows Paramount City, CBBC Sitcom Kerching!, The Real McCoy and Blouse and Skirt.-External links:*...  and Angela Wynter Angela Wynter Angela Wynter is a British actress. She is probably most famous for playing the character of Yolande Trueman in the soap opera EastEnders first appearing on 16 October 2003 to her last appearance on 3 October 2008. She based the character on her late sister Merlene and played a similar character... . It included a character called Triviaman and a spoof of Casualty Casualty (TV series) Casualty, stylised as Casual+y, is a British weekly television show broadcast on BBC One, and the longest-running emergency medical drama television series in the world. Created by Jeremy Brock and Paul Unwin, it was first broadcast on 6 September 1986, and transmitted in the UK on BBC One. The... called Casually.	http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0402407/