Nearest and Dearest
Encyclopedia
Nearest and Dearest is a British television sitcom that ran from 1968 to 1973. A total of 46 episodes were made, 18 in monochrome (black & white) and 28 in colour. The series, produced by Granada Television
for the ITV
network, was set in Colne
, Lancashire
, in the North West of England.
, who was born and bred in Farnworth
, eleven miles north of Manchester
. Eli was played by Jimmy Jewel
, a Yorkshire
-born contemporary of Baker's, who had made his name as one half of the music hall
(vaudeville) act, Jewel and Warriss
.
Also featured was the Pledges' second-cousin, Lily Tattersall, who was married to the constantly mute octaganerian, Walter. Walter was unable to control his bladder, which led to one of the programme's oft-used catchphrases, "Has he been?". Lily was played by Madge Hindle
, Walter by Edward Malin
. Another regular character was the toothless and cloth-capped Stan Hardman, the Pledge's aged foreman, played by Joe Gladwin
.
Much of the comedy was derived from Nellie's constant malapropisms. When asked by Lily if she knew the facts of life, Nellie replied with immense dignity, "Of course I do! I'm well over the age of content!" In another episode, Nellie has a suitor named Vernon Smallpiece, whom she addresses as 'Vermin Bigpiece'. When Eli insists on playing the high-powered executive once he is in charge of the pickle business, Nellie asks him who he thinks he is "...sat sitting there like a big business typhoon!" In each episode, Nellie and Eli would hurl insults at each other to spectacular effect, as they fought over the family business or domestic matters, with Nellie's constant nagging and Eli's constant drinking and womanising fuelling their arguments. It was widely alleged that the insults continued offscreen as well, as Baker and Jewel apparently detested each other in real life.
The third series, transmitted in October and November 1969, was the first to be recorded in colour, however as ITV only started broadcasting in colour from mid-November 1969, most viewers would have seen these in black-and-white on their first run. An industrial dispute at ITV in 1970, known as the Colour Strike
, led to seven of the eight programmes from the fifth series being made in black-and-white.
In 1973, the series was adapted for the American
market. Renamed Thicker Than Water, it starred Julie Harris
and Richard Long
as squabbling siblings Nellie and Ernie Paine, however, the U.S. version was not successful and was cancelled after only 13 episodes.
(made for ITV by London Weekend Television
) in which Lancashire
born Nellie Pickersgill (the same character as Nellie Pledge in all but name) travels to London to run her ailing father's pub, the Brown Cow. In a 1973 interview with Baker and Jewel (available on the seventh series DVD of Nearest & Dearest), Baker stated that the forthcoming Not On Your Nellie series actually was a spin-off from Nearest and Dearest, and would follow Nellie's exploits in London after Eli practically deserts her. This would appear to follow on from the final episode of Nearest and Dearest where Nellie and Eli are informed by Stan that there had been an explosion at the pickling shed, implying that Pledge's Purer Pickles was now defunct. However, possibly due to an issue over legal rights regarding the Nellie Pledge character, Not On Your Nellie was ultimately made as an "original" new series rather than a spin-off, despite the obvious similarities between the two.
Meanwhile, Jewel went on to appear in the sit-com, Spring and Autumn (1973–76), about a friendship between a lonely boy and an elderly man. The series was created by the same team that created Nearest and Dearest, Vince Powell and Harry Driver. Jewel continued to work in television for many years, and in 1991 he appeared in an episode of the BBC
hospital drama series Casualty
in which he was able to use one of his famous catchphrases, referring to a nurse as "a knock-kneed, knackered old nose bag" - a term he had regularly bestowed upon Nellie.
Harry Driver, who created and wrote many episodes of the series with Vince Powell, died on 25 November 1973, aged only 42. His death occurred just 9 months after the series ended, marking the abrupt end of a successful 13-year writing partnership with Powell. Edward Malin, who played Walter, was the first of the cast to die, on 1 March 1977, four years after the show ended. Hylda Baker spent her final years penniless and battling dementia
, and died in a retirement home on 1 May 1986 of bronchial pneumonia, aged 81. Joe Gladwin, who played Stan went on to star in other television work including the role of Wally Batty in the long-running sitcom Last of the Summer Wine
and continued playing the role until his death on 11 March 1987 a year after his co-star Baker. Jewel continued to work in a variety of roles in both theatre and television until his death on 4 December 1995 the day after his 86th birthday. Vince Powell died on 13 July 2009, aged 80.
Madge Hindle
remains the sole surviving member of the cast today, and went on to become a series regular in Coronation Street
from 1976, playing Renee Roberts, the wife of grocer Alf Roberts
. Her character was killed off in a car crash in 1980. Since then Hindle has worked in a variety of roles in television and stage.
. The 1972 film has also been released on DVD by DD Video.
Granada Television
Granada Television is the ITV contractor for North West England. Based in Manchester since its inception, it is the only surviving original ITA franchisee from 1954 and is ITV's most successful....
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, was set in Colne
Colne
Colne is the second largest town and civil parish in the Borough of Pendle in Lancashire, England, with a population of 20,118. It lies at the eastern end of the M65, 6 miles north-east of Burnley, with Nelson immediately adjacent, in the Aire Gap with two main roads leading into the Yorkshire...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, in the North West of England.
Series premise and history
The premise was set up in the first episode; Joshua Pledge, in his will, bequeaths a large sum of money to his middle-aged son and daughter but only if they stay together for five years at his small pickle business, Pledge's Purer Pickles. However his children, the hard-working spinster Nellie and her ne'er do well womanising brother Eli, rarely saw eye to eye. Nellie was played by veteran comedienne Hylda BakerHylda Baker
Hylda Baker was a British comedienne, actress and music hall star.-Early life and career:Baker was born in Farnworth, near Bolton, Lancashire, the first of seven children. Her father, Harold Baker, was a painter and signwriter, who also worked part-time in the music halls as a comedian...
, who was born and bred in Farnworth
Farnworth
Farnworth is within the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton in Greater Manchester, England. It is located southeast of Bolton, 6 miles south-west of Bury , and northwest of Manchester....
, eleven miles north of Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
. Eli was played by Jimmy Jewel
Jimmy Jewel
James Arthur Thomas J. Marsh, known as Jimmy Jewel, was a British television and film actor.The son of a comedian and actor who also used the stage name Jimmy Jewel, the youngster made his stage debut in Robinson Crusoe in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, at the age of four, performed with his father...
, a 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...
-born contemporary of Baker's, who had made his name as one half of the music hall
Music hall
Music Hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment which was popular between 1850 and 1960. The term can refer to:# A particular form of variety entertainment involving a mixture of popular song, comedy and speciality acts...
(vaudeville) act, Jewel and Warriss
Ben Warriss
Ben Holden Driver Warriss , known as Ben Warriss, was an English comedian, and the first cousin of fellow comedy actor Jimmy Jewel - allegedly being born in the same bed and brought up in the same household at 52 Andover Street, Sheffield...
.
Also featured was the Pledges' second-cousin, Lily Tattersall, who was married to the constantly mute octaganerian, Walter. Walter was unable to control his bladder, which led to one of the programme's oft-used catchphrases, "Has he been?". Lily was played by 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...
, Walter by Edward Malin
Edward Malin
Edward Ernest Malin was a British actor. He is perhaps most famous for portraying the mute and geriatric Walter in the sitcom Nearest and Dearest.-Selected filmography:* The Greed of William Hart...
. Another regular character was the toothless and cloth-capped Stan Hardman, the Pledge's aged foreman, played by Joe Gladwin
Joe Gladwin
Joe Gladwin was a British actor born in the Ordsall district of Salford, Lancashire. He was baptised at Mount Carmel RC Church, Ordsall and educated at the parish school...
.
Much of the comedy was derived from Nellie's constant malapropisms. When asked by Lily if she knew the facts of life, Nellie replied with immense dignity, "Of course I do! I'm well over the age of content!" In another episode, Nellie has a suitor named Vernon Smallpiece, whom she addresses as 'Vermin Bigpiece'. When Eli insists on playing the high-powered executive once he is in charge of the pickle business, Nellie asks him who he thinks he is "...sat sitting there like a big business typhoon!" In each episode, Nellie and Eli would hurl insults at each other to spectacular effect, as they fought over the family business or domestic matters, with Nellie's constant nagging and Eli's constant drinking and womanising fuelling their arguments. It was widely alleged that the insults continued offscreen as well, as Baker and Jewel apparently detested each other in real life.
The third series, transmitted in October and November 1969, was the first to be recorded in colour, however as ITV only started broadcasting in colour from mid-November 1969, most viewers would have seen these in black-and-white on their first run. An industrial dispute at ITV in 1970, known as the Colour Strike
Colour Strike
The Colour Strike was an industrial action by technicians at all ITV companies from 13 November 1970 to 8 February 1971 who, due to a pay dispute with their management, refused to work with colour television equipment.At that time ITV had recently switched to...
, led to seven of the eight programmes from the fifth series being made in black-and-white.
Spin-offs and remake
In 1972, the main cast appeared in a film version of the series that was made by Hammer Films. The film included a vocal version of the series' theme tune sung by Hylda Baker.In 1973, the series was adapted for the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
market. Renamed Thicker Than Water, it starred Julie Harris
Julie Harris
Julia Ann "Julie" Harris is an American stage, screen, and television actress. She has won five Tony Awards, three Emmy Awards and a Grammy Award, and was nominated for an Academy Award. In 1994, she was awarded the National Medal of Arts. She is a member of the American Theatre Hall of Fame...
and Richard Long
Richard Long (actor)
Richard Long was an American actor better known for his leading roles in several ABC television series, including The Big Valley, Nanny and the Professor and Bourbon Street Beat.-Early life:...
as squabbling siblings Nellie and Ernie Paine, however, the U.S. version was not successful and was cancelled after only 13 episodes.
After Nearest and Dearest
After the series ended in 1973, Baker went on to star in the sitcom Not On Your NellieNot On Your Nellie
Not On Your Nellie was a British sitcom that ran from 1974-75. It starred veteran actress Hylda Baker as Nellie Pickersgill, a Bolton woman who moves to London to help run her ailing father's Chelsea pub...
(made for ITV by London Weekend Television
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...
) in which Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
born Nellie Pickersgill (the same character as Nellie Pledge in all but name) travels to London to run her ailing father's pub, the Brown Cow. In a 1973 interview with Baker and Jewel (available on the seventh series DVD of Nearest & Dearest), Baker stated that the forthcoming Not On Your Nellie series actually was a spin-off from Nearest and Dearest, and would follow Nellie's exploits in London after Eli practically deserts her. This would appear to follow on from the final episode of Nearest and Dearest where Nellie and Eli are informed by Stan that there had been an explosion at the pickling shed, implying that Pledge's Purer Pickles was now defunct. However, possibly due to an issue over legal rights regarding the Nellie Pledge character, Not On Your Nellie was ultimately made as an "original" new series rather than a spin-off, despite the obvious similarities between the two.
Meanwhile, Jewel went on to appear in the sit-com, Spring and Autumn (1973–76), about a friendship between a lonely boy and an elderly man. The series was created by the same team that created Nearest and Dearest, Vince Powell and Harry Driver. Jewel continued to work in television for many years, and in 1991 he appeared in an episode of 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...
hospital drama series 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...
in which he was able to use one of his famous catchphrases, referring to a nurse as "a knock-kneed, knackered old nose bag" - a term he had regularly bestowed upon Nellie.
Harry Driver, who created and wrote many episodes of the series with Vince Powell, died on 25 November 1973, aged only 42. His death occurred just 9 months after the series ended, marking the abrupt end of a successful 13-year writing partnership with Powell. Edward Malin, who played Walter, was the first of the cast to die, on 1 March 1977, four years after the show ended. Hylda Baker spent her final years penniless and battling dementia
Dementia
Dementia is a serious loss of cognitive ability in a previously unimpaired person, beyond what might be expected from normal aging...
, and died in a retirement home on 1 May 1986 of bronchial pneumonia, aged 81. Joe Gladwin, who played Stan went on to star in other television work including the role of Wally Batty in the long-running sitcom Last of the Summer Wine
Last of the Summer Wine
Last of the Summer Wine is a British sitcom written by Roy Clarke that was broadcast on BBC One. Last of the Summer Wine premiered as an episode of Comedy Playhouse on 4 January 1973 and the first series of episodes followed on 12 November 1973. From 1983 to 2010, Alan J. W. Bell produced and...
and continued playing the role until his death on 11 March 1987 a year after his co-star Baker. Jewel continued to work in a variety of roles in both theatre and television until his death on 4 December 1995 the day after his 86th birthday. Vince Powell died on 13 July 2009, aged 80.
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...
remains the sole surviving member of the cast today, and went on to become a series regular in Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
from 1976, playing Renee Roberts, the wife of grocer Alf Roberts
Alf Roberts
Alfred Sidney "Alf" Roberts was a fictional character in the British ITV soap Coronation Street. He ran a grocery shop at No. 15 and was heavily involved in local politics, including two spells as mayor of Weatherfield...
. Her character was killed off in a car crash in 1980. Since then Hindle has worked in a variety of roles in television and stage.
DVD releases
All seven series of Nearest And Dearest (in separate editions and also a 7-disc box set) have been released on DVD by Network DVDNetwork 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...
. The 1972 film has also been released on DVD by DD Video.