Parsley Sidings
Encyclopedia
Parsley Sidings was a BBC Radio
sitcom created by Jim Eldridge
. It starred Arthur Lowe
and Ian Lavender
(who were also starring in the television
wartime
sitcom Dad's Army
at that time), together with Kenneth Connor
from the Carry On films
.
The scripts are by Jim Eldridge (who would later go on to write for many more series, the most successful being the BBC's King Street Junior
). The show is set in a sleepy out of the way railway station on the main line between London
and Birmingham
, in the Midlands
.
The main characters are the station master, Mr Horace Hepplewhite (played by Arthur Lowe
); his son, Bertrand (Ian Lavender
); station porter Percy Valentine (Kenneth Connor
); Mr Bradshaw, the signalman (also played by Kenneth Connor
); and station tannoy announcer Gloria Simpkins (Liz Fraser
, who was also in the Carry On films, and appeared in the Dad's Army feature film). The guest cast in some episodes included Bill Pertwee
and Roger Delgado
. The announcer for the programme was Keith Skues
.
The series was produced by Edward Taylor
, and was broadcast on BBC Radio 2
. Due to the BBC's former practice of wiping tapes after the broadcast of a show, only a minority of the 21 episodes produced are still in their archives http://open.bbc.co.uk/catalogue/infax/series/PARSLEY+SIDINGS - Goodbye, Parsley Sidings and The Entente Cordial are aired on BBC 7
occasionally and have always been in the BBC archives, while A Night Out, A Bird in the Hand and The Secret Agent were recovered between 2001 and 2003 as off-air recordings from members of the public. These episodes too have been aired, in early 2007, on BBC 7. All the other episodes are known to exist in private hands.
In 2008, more episodes were 'discovered', including the pilot and "The New Level Crossing". It is not yet known whether these other episodes will be repeated.
BBC 7 broadcast some programmes from the series in February 2011.
BBC Radio
BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company...
sitcom created by Jim Eldridge
Jim Eldridge
Jim Eldridge is a radio, TV and movie scriptwriter with hundreds of radio and TV scripts broadcast in the UK and across the world in a career spanning over 30 years....
. It starred Arthur Lowe
Arthur Lowe
Arthur Lowe was a BAFTA Award winning English actor. He was best known for playing Captain George Mainwaring in the popular British sitcom Dad's Army from 1968 until 1977.-Early life:...
and Ian Lavender
Ian Lavender
Arthur Ian Lavender , better known as Ian Lavender, is an English stage, film and television actor, best known for his role as Private Frank Pike in the BBC comedy series Dad's Army.-Early life and career:...
(who were also starring in the television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
wartime
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
sitcom Dad's Army
Dad's Army
Dad's Army is a British sitcom about the Home Guard during the Second World War. It was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft and broadcast on BBC television between 1968 and 1977. The series ran for 9 series and 80 episodes in total, plus a radio series, a feature film and a stage show...
at that time), together with Kenneth Connor
Kenneth Connor
Kenneth Connor MBE was an English comedy stage, radio, film and TV actor, best known for his appearances in the Carry On films.-Career:...
from the Carry On films
Carry On films
The Carry On films are a series of low-budget British comedy films, directed by Gerald Thomas and produced by Peter Rogers. They are an energetic mix of parody, farce, slapstick and double entendres....
.
The scripts are by Jim Eldridge (who would later go on to write for many more series, the most successful being the BBC's King Street Junior
King Street Junior
King Street Junior was a Radio Comedy about a junior school aired by the BBC from March 1985 to November 1998. A continuation of the series renamed King Street Junior Revisited started in 2002 and continued until 2005...
). The show is set in a sleepy out of the way railway station on the main line between London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, in the Midlands
English Midlands
The Midlands, or the English Midlands, is the traditional name for the area comprising central England that broadly corresponds to the early medieval Kingdom of Mercia. It borders Southern England, Northern England, East Anglia and Wales. Its largest city is Birmingham, and it was an important...
.
The main characters are the station master, Mr Horace Hepplewhite (played by Arthur Lowe
Arthur Lowe
Arthur Lowe was a BAFTA Award winning English actor. He was best known for playing Captain George Mainwaring in the popular British sitcom Dad's Army from 1968 until 1977.-Early life:...
); his son, Bertrand (Ian Lavender
Ian Lavender
Arthur Ian Lavender , better known as Ian Lavender, is an English stage, film and television actor, best known for his role as Private Frank Pike in the BBC comedy series Dad's Army.-Early life and career:...
); station porter Percy Valentine (Kenneth Connor
Kenneth Connor
Kenneth Connor MBE was an English comedy stage, radio, film and TV actor, best known for his appearances in the Carry On films.-Career:...
); Mr Bradshaw, the signalman (also played by Kenneth Connor
Kenneth Connor
Kenneth Connor MBE was an English comedy stage, radio, film and TV actor, best known for his appearances in the Carry On films.-Career:...
); and station tannoy announcer Gloria Simpkins (Liz Fraser
Liz Fraser
Liz Fraser is an English actress, mainly in comedy roles.- Life and career :Her birthdate is usually attributed as 1933, the year she gave when auditioning for her role in I'm All Right Jack, as the Boulting Brothers wanted someone younger for the part...
, who was also in the Carry On films, and appeared in the Dad's Army feature film). The guest cast in some episodes included Bill Pertwee
Bill Pertwee
William Desmond Anthony Pertwee MBE is a British comedy actor. He is best known for playing the part of antagonist ARP Warden Hodges in the popular sitcom Dad's Army.-Early and personal life:...
and Roger Delgado
Roger Delgado
Roger Caesar Marius Bernard de Delgado Torres Castillo Roberto was an English actor, best known for his role as the first Master in Doctor Who....
. The announcer for the programme was Keith Skues
Keith Skues
Keith Skues MBE is a British radio personality. He is nicknamed "Cardboard Shoes".Skues was born in Timperley, Cheshire. His broadcasting career began on the British Forces Network in Cologne, Germany in 1958. This was followed by overseas tours to Kuwait, Kenya and Aden...
.
The series was produced by Edward Taylor
Edward Taylor (scriptwriter)
Edward Taylor, is a British dramatist and radio producer best known for the BBC Radio Comedy series The Men from the Ministry....
, and was broadcast on BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
. Due to the BBC's former practice of wiping tapes after the broadcast of a show, only a minority of the 21 episodes produced are still in their archives http://open.bbc.co.uk/catalogue/infax/series/PARSLEY+SIDINGS - Goodbye, Parsley Sidings and The Entente Cordial are aired on BBC 7
BBC 7
BBC Radio 4 Extra, formerly known as BBC 7 and BBC Radio 7, is a British digital radio station broadcasting comedy, drama, and children's programming nationally 24 hours a day. It is the principal broadcasting outlet for the BBC's archive of spoken-word entertainment...
occasionally and have always been in the BBC archives, while A Night Out, A Bird in the Hand and The Secret Agent were recovered between 2001 and 2003 as off-air recordings from members of the public. These episodes too have been aired, in early 2007, on BBC 7. All the other episodes are known to exist in private hands.
In 2008, more episodes were 'discovered', including the pilot and "The New Level Crossing". It is not yet known whether these other episodes will be repeated.
BBC 7 broadcast some programmes from the series in February 2011.
Episodes
| Series 1 | |||
| Title | Recorded | First broadcast | |
| Pilot | Unknown | 1971-02-28 | |
| The Market Special | Unknown | 1971-12-05 | |
| The Postal Express | Unknown | 1971-12-12 | |
| The Beauty Queen Contest | Unknown | 1971-12-19 | |
| The Inspector Calls | Unknown | 1971-12-31 | |
| The 1890 Rocket | Unknown | 1972-01-02 | |
| The Excursion | Unknown | 1972-01-09 | |
| Cricket, Lovely Cricket | Unknown | 1972-01-16 | |
| Who'll Be Mother? | Unknown | 1972-01-23 | |
| The Concert | Unknown | 1972-01-30 | |
| Goodbye, Parsley Sidings | Unknown | 1972-02-06 | |
| Series 2 | |||
| Title | Recorded | First broadcast | |
| Pass The Parcel | Unknown | 1973-09-29 | |
| The Flower Show | Unknown | 1973-10-06 | |
| The Entente Cordial | Unknown | 1973-10-13 | |
| A Night Out | Unknown | 1973-10-20 | |
| The Goods Train | Unknown | 1973-10-27 | |
| A Bird In The Hand | Unknown | 1973-11-03 | |
| The Purity League | Unknown | 1973-11-10 | |
| The New Level Crossing | Unknown | 1973-11-17 | |
| The Film Makers | Unknown | 1973-11-24 | |
| The Secret Agent | Unknown | 1973-12-01 | |