Slinger's Day
Encyclopedia
Slinger's Day is a British
sitcom that aired for two seasons from 1986 to 1987, made by Thames Television
for the ITV
network. It was a continuation of Tripper's Day
, which had originally come to a natural end after Leonard Rossiter
's death, and, despite the overwhelmingly negative response it had drawn from reviewers and a section of the viewing public, was revived this time with Bruce Forsyth
as a different character to Rossiter but fulfilling the same role, that of the manager of a London
supermarket
with largely incompetent staff.
Like Tripper's Day, it was created by Brian Cooke
, however, in contrast to the previous series, Cooke only wrote two episodes of the twelve episodes, more than half of them being written by the late Vince Powell
with others being written by Alex Shearer
and Sorry!
creators Ian Davidson
and Peter Vincent, and one episode written by the prolific Andrew Marshall
and David Renwick
.
Slinger's Day represented Forsyth's only ever situation comedy acting role, and he remained more associated with stand-up routines
and gameshows.
chain as the new manager in the branch that had previously been run by Norman Tripper. Like his predecessor, Slinger is forced to manage a supermarket branch that employs possibly the worst supermarket staff in the world: Mr. Christian (played by Clarkson), the cheerful but naïve shop assistant; Fred (played by Kelly), a lazy, alcoholic and inept security guard
; Hardie (played by Bird), the union
shop steward; as well as Higgins, Hardie's assistant of sorts (played by Paul), secretary
Sylvia (played by Crowther) and the pop tart-like checkout
cashier
Dottie (played by Licorish).
Fred replaced Alf (played in Tripper's by Gordon Gostelow
), and in the second series Sylvia was replaced by Miss Foster (played by Church) and Dottie was replaced by Shirley (played by de Paza).
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...
sitcom that aired for two seasons from 1986 to 1987, made by Thames Television
Thames Television
Thames Television was a licensee of the British ITV television network, covering London and parts of the surrounding counties on weekdays from 30 July 1968 until 31 December 1992....
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. It was a continuation of Tripper's Day
Tripper's Day
Tripper's Day is a British television sitcom produced by Thames Television for ITV. The plot involved Leonard Rossiter as Norman Tripper, a Northern manager assigned to a London supermarket with a problematic staff...
, which had originally come to a natural end after Leonard Rossiter
Leonard Rossiter
Leonard Rossiter was an English actor known for his roles as Rupert Rigsby, in the British comedy television series Rising Damp , and Reginald Iolanthe Perrin, in The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin...
's death, and, despite the overwhelmingly negative response it had drawn from reviewers and a section of the viewing public, was revived this time with Bruce Forsyth
Bruce Forsyth
Sir Bruce Joseph Forsyth-Johnson, CBE , commonly known as Bruce Forsyth, or Brucie, is an English TV personality...
as a different character to Rossiter but fulfilling the same role, that of the manager of a 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...
supermarket
Supermarket
A supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...
with largely incompetent staff.
Like Tripper's Day, it was created by Brian Cooke
Brian Cooke
Brian Cooke is a British comedy writer who, along with co-writer Johnnie Mortimer wrote scripts for and devised many of the top TV sitcoms of the 1970s, including Man About the House, George and Mildred and Robin's Nest...
, however, in contrast to the previous series, Cooke only wrote two episodes of the twelve episodes, more than half of them being written by the late Vince Powell
Vince Powell
Vince Powell was a British television writer.Powell was born as Vincent Smith to Roman Catholic parents in Miles Platting, Manchester. When he was five, his mother died; two years later, his father remarried...
with others being written by Alex Shearer
Alex Shearer
Alex Shearer is a British novelist.Shearer was recognized as a television scenario writer at age 29 after having produced over 30 works. He was active as a writer for television, movies, theatre, and radio for 14 years, and then devoted himself to becoming a novelist.His maiden work was The...
and Sorry!
Sorry! (TV series)
Sorry! was a British sitcom that aired on BBC1 from 1981 to 1982 and from 1985 to 1988. Starring Ronnie Corbett, it was written by Ian Davidson and Peter Vincent, both of whom had previously written for The Two Ronnies, of whom Corbett was one half....
creators Ian Davidson
Ian Davidson (scriptwriter)
Ian Davidson is a British actor and scriptwriter who worked in British television comedies from the 1960s to the 1980s. He appeared in the same Oxford University revue as Terry Jones and Michael Palin of Monty Python, and is probably best known for his numerous appearances on Monty Python's Flying...
and Peter Vincent, and one episode written by the prolific Andrew Marshall
Andrew Marshall (writer)
Andrew Marshall is an English comedy screenwriter, most noted for the domestic sitcom 2point4 children. He was also the inspiration for Marvin the Paranoid Android in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy...
and David Renwick
David Renwick
David Peter Renwick is an English television writer, best known for creation of the sitcom One Foot in the Grave and the mystery series Jonathan Creek....
.
Slinger's Day represented Forsyth's only ever situation comedy acting role, and he remained more associated with stand-up routines
Stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television...
and gameshows.
Plot
Cecil Slinger (played by Forsyth) is designed by the Supafare supermarketSupermarket
A supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...
chain as the new manager in the branch that had previously been run by Norman Tripper. Like his predecessor, Slinger is forced to manage a supermarket branch that employs possibly the worst supermarket staff in the world: Mr. Christian (played by Clarkson), the cheerful but naïve shop assistant; Fred (played by Kelly), a lazy, alcoholic and inept security guard
Security guard
A security guard is a person who is paid to protect property, assets, or people. Security guards are usually privately and formally employed personnel...
; Hardie (played by Bird), the union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
shop steward; as well as Higgins, Hardie's assistant of sorts (played by Paul), secretary
Secretary
A secretary, or administrative assistant, is a person whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, communication & organizational skills. These functions may be entirely carried out to assist one other employee or may be for the benefit...
Sylvia (played by Crowther) and the pop tart-like checkout
Checkout
Checkout can have the following meanings:*a point of sale terminal*in information management, it means blocking a file for editing; see Revision control*Checkout , a comedy...
cashier
Cashier
Cashier is an occupation focused on the handling of cash money.- Retail :In a shop, a cashier is a person who scans the goods through a machine called a cash register that the consumer wishes to purchase at the retail store. After all of the goods have been scanned, the cashier then collects...
Dottie (played by Licorish).
Fred replaced Alf (played in Tripper's by Gordon Gostelow
Gordon Gostelow
Gordon Gostelow was a New Zealand actor. He was educated in Australia at North Sydney Boys High School and Sydney University where he graduated in Economics....
), and in the second series Sylvia was replaced by Miss Foster (played by Church) and Dottie was replaced by Shirley (played by de Paza).
Series One (1986)
- 1.1. New Management (3 September 1986)
- 1.2. Going Bananas (10 September 1986))
- 1.3. Butter Wouldn't Melt (17 September 1986)
- 1.4. A Right Royal Mix-Up (24 September 1986)
- 1.5. Black Letter Day (1 October 1986)
- 1.6. The Nightshift (8 October 1986)
Series Two (1987)
- 2.1. Lost And Found (9 September 1987)
- 2.2. Whose Baby? (16 September 1987)
- 2.3. Taken For A Ride (23 September 1987)
- 2.4. Initiative (30 September 1987)
- 2.5. The Stocktake (7 October 1987)
- 2.6. A Pane In The Neck (14 October 1987)
See also
- Check it Out! (CanadianCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
-produced series following the Tripper's/Slinger's format with Don AdamsDon AdamsDon Adams was an American actor, comedian and director. In his five decades on television, he was best known as Maxwell Smart in the television situation comedy Get Smart , which he also sometimes directed and wrote. Adams won three consecutive Emmy Awards for his portrayal of Smart...
)