Hark at Barker
Encyclopedia
Hark at Barker was a 1969 British
comedy series combining elements of sitcom and sketch show
, which starred Ronnie Barker
. It was made for the ITV
network by LWT
.
Each show began with a spoof news item read by Barker as a continuity announcer. He would then introduce the main part of the programme, a lecture to be given by Lord Rustless (also Barker) on a different topic each week from his stately home
, Chrome Hall. Helped and hindered by Rustless' secretary (Mildred) Bates, his Butler Badger, his bad-tempered Cook, his incoherent gardener Dithers and (in Series 2) his buxom, near-mute maid Effie, these lectures invariably degenerated into farce, and were frequently interrupted by comic sketches on film or videotape which also starred Barker in various roles.
Barker reprised the role of Lord Rustless in the BBC
series His Lordship Entertains
, and played very similar characters in Futtock's End
and the Two Ronnies
specials The Picnic and By the Sea.
of Alan Ayckbourn
). Writers on the sketches included Gerald Wiley (Barker), Eric Idle
, and the team of Graeme Garden
and Bill Oddie
(some of their sketches reprised material from I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again, and another was a forerunner of The Goodies
episode "Bunfight at the OK Tea Room").
Series 2 (10 July 1970 - 21 August 1970) - Produced in colour
colour videotapes bar 'Rustless on Law' from series 2, which only exists as a poor-quality 16 mm b/w telerecording. All of the surviving recordings were released on Region 2 DVD
in 2008 by Network DVD
, and are also included as Discs 1 and 2 of The Ronnie Barker Collection along with Six Dates With Barker
(Review of the Network DVD release).
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
comedy series combining elements of sitcom and 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...
, which starred Ronnie Barker
Ronnie Barker
Ronald William George "Ronnie" Barker, OBE was a British actor, comedian, writer, critic, broadcaster and businessman...
. It was made for the ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
network by LWT
London Weekend Television
London Weekend Television was the name of the ITV network franchise holder for Greater London and the Home Counties including south Suffolk, middle and east Hampshire, Oxfordshire, south Bedfordshire, south Northamptonshire, parts of Herefordshire & Worcestershire, Warwickshire, east Dorset and...
.
Each show began with a spoof news item read by Barker as a continuity announcer. He would then introduce the main part of the programme, a lecture to be given by Lord Rustless (also Barker) on a different topic each week from his stately home
Stately home
A stately home is a "great country house". It is thus a palatial great house or in some cases an updated castle, located in the British Isles, mostly built between the mid-16th century and the early part of the 20th century, as well as converted abbeys and other church property...
, Chrome Hall. Helped and hindered by Rustless' secretary (Mildred) Bates, his Butler Badger, his bad-tempered Cook, his incoherent gardener Dithers and (in Series 2) his buxom, near-mute maid Effie, these lectures invariably degenerated into farce, and were frequently interrupted by comic sketches on film or videotape which also starred Barker in various roles.
Barker reprised the role of Lord Rustless in the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
series His Lordship Entertains
His Lordship Entertains
His Lordship Entertains was Ronnie Barker's second sitcom vehicle for his Lord Rustless character, first seen three years earlier in Hark at Barker on ITV. This time though, Rustless had switched channels and was now appearing on BBC2...
, and played very similar characters in Futtock's End
Futtock's End
Futtocks End is a British comedy film released in 1970, directed by Bob Kellett. Entirely silent, with a musical score, sound effects and incoherent mutterings, the story revolves around a weekend gathering at the decaying country home of the eccentric and lewd General Futtock and the series of...
and the Two Ronnies
The Two Ronnies
The Two Ronnies is a British sketch show that aired on BBC1 from 1971 to 1987. It featured the double act of Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett, the "Two Ronnies" of the title.-Origins:...
specials The Picnic and By the Sea.
Writers
The Chrome Hall sequences were written by Peter Cauldfield (pseudonymPseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
of Alan Ayckbourn
Alan Ayckbourn
Sir Alan Ayckbourn CBE is a prolific English playwright. He has written and produced seventy-three full-length plays in Scarborough and London and was, between 1972 and 2009, the artistic director of the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough, where all but four of his plays have received their...
). Writers on the sketches included Gerald Wiley (Barker), Eric Idle
Eric Idle
Eric Idle is an English comedian, actor, author, singer, writer, and comedic composer. He was as a member of the British comedy group Monty Python, a member of the The Rutles on Saturday Night Live and author of the play, Spamalot....
, and the team of Graeme Garden
Graeme Garden
David Graeme Garden OBE is a Scottish author, actor, comedian, artist and television presenter, who first became known as a member of The Goodies.-Early life and beginnings in comedy:...
and Bill Oddie
Bill Oddie
William "Bill" Edgar Oddie OBE is an English author, actor, comedian, artist, naturalist and musician, who became famous as one of The Goodies....
(some of their sketches reprised material from I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again, and another was a forerunner of The Goodies
The Goodies
The Goodies are a trio of British comedians who created, wrote, and starred in a surreal British television comedy series called The Goodies during the 1970s and early 1980s combining sketches and situation comedy.-Honours:All three Goodies now have OBEs...
episode "Bunfight at the OK Tea Room").
Regular Cast
- Ronnie Barker - Announcer / Lord Rustless / Various sketch characters
- David JasonDavid JasonSir David John White, OBE , better known by his stage name David Jason, is an English BAFTA award-winning actor. He is best known as the main character Derek "Del Boy" Trotter on the BBC sit-com Only Fools and Horses from 1981, the voice of Mr Toad in The Wind In The Willows and as detective Jack...
- Dithers / Various sketch characters - Frank Gatliff - Badger
- Josephine TewsonJosephine TewsonJosephine Tewson is an English actress. Tewson is perhaps best known for her roles as Elizabeth in the British television series Keeping Up Appearances and as Miss Davenport in the British television series Last of the Summer Wine.-Early life:Tewson was born in Hampstead, London. Her father was a...
- Mildred Bates - Mary Baxter - Cook
- Moira Foot - Effie the maid (series 2 only)
- Other sketch performers included Jo KendallJo KendallJo Kendall is a British actress.She played Desdemona in a production of Othello at the A.D.C. Theatre, Cambridge in 1962.In August 1963 she appeared in the West End in London, New Zealand and Broadway, in the Cambridge University revue Cambridge Circus directed by Humphrey Barclay, alongside Graham...
and Ronnie CorbettRonnie CorbettRonald Balfour "Ronnie" Corbett, OBE is a Scottish actor and comedian of Scottish and English parentage who had a long association with Ronnie Barker in the British television comedy series The Two Ronnies...
.
Episode guide
Series 1 (11 April 1969 - 30 May 1969) - Produced in black and white- 1. "Meet Lord Rustless" 11 April 1969
- 2. "Rustless And Women" 18 April 1969
- 3. "Rustless In Pigtails" 25 April 1969
- 4. "Rustless And A Banquet" 2 May 1969
- 5. "Rustless And Murder" 9 May 1969
- 6. "Rustless And Foreigners" 16 May 1969
- 7. "Rustless And The Solar System" 23 May 1969
- 8. "Rustless And Relics" 30 May 1969
Series 2 (10 July 1970 - 21 August 1970) - Produced in colour
- 1. Rustless On Music 10 July 1970
- 2. Rustless On Law 17 July 1970
- 3. Rustless On Communications 24 July 1970
- 4. Rustless On Cooking 31 July 1970
- 5. Rustless On Medicine 7 August 1970
- 6. Rustless On Do-It-Yourself 14 August 1970
- 7. Rustless On Sport 21 August 1970
Archive Status and DVD release
All episodes exist on their original 2 inch Quad b&w and PALPAL
PAL, short for Phase Alternating Line, is an analogue television colour encoding system used in broadcast television systems in many countries. Other common analogue television systems are NTSC and SECAM. This page primarily discusses the PAL colour encoding system...
colour videotapes bar 'Rustless on Law' from series 2, which only exists as a poor-quality 16 mm b/w telerecording. All of the surviving recordings were released on Region 2 DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
in 2008 by Network DVD
Network DVD
Network DVD is a DVD publishing company that specialises in classic British television. In particular, it has the rights to a number of well-known ITV programmes...
, and are also included as Discs 1 and 2 of The Ronnie Barker Collection along with Six Dates With Barker
Six Dates With Barker
Six Dates with Barker is a series of six one-off, half hour situation comedies showcasing the talents of Ronnie Barker. All were broadcast by London Weekend Television early in 1971.Writers on the series included John Cleese and Spike Milligan...
(Review of the Network DVD release).
External links
- Comedy Guide - Hark At Barker at bbc.co.ukBbc.co.ukBBC Online is the brand name and home for the BBC's UK online service. It is a large network of websites including such high profile sites as BBC News and Sport, the on-demand video and radio services co-branded BBC iPlayer, the pre-school site Cbeebies, and learning services such as Bitesize...
- Hark at Barker episode guide
- Lost Shows on Hark at Barker
- Paul Lewis, 2008: Review of the Network DVD release of Hark at Barker. DVDCompare