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Farrington of the F.O.

2022-09-02T18:28:15Z

92.239.103.64:

{{Multiple issues|
{{more citations needed|date=November 2009}}
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{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2014}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2014}}

{{infobox television
| runtime = 30 minutes
| creator = [[Dick Sharples]]
| starring = [[Angela Thorne]] [[Joan Sims]] [[John Quayle (actor)|John Quayle]] [[Tony Haygarth]] Freddie Earlle [[Judy Cornwell]]
| director = Ronnie Baxter [[Don Clayton]]
| composer = [[Alan Parker (musician)|Alan Parker]] [[Alan Hawkshaw]]
| country = United Kingdom
| language = English
| company = [[ITV Yorkshire|Yorkshire Television]]
| network = [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]]
| first_aired = {{start date|1986|2|13|df=y}}
| last_aired = {{end date|1987|7|15|df=y}}
| num_series = 2
| num_episodes = 14
}}

'''''Farrington of the F.O.''''' is a British television comedy series by [[Dick Sharples]] about the staff of the British Consulate in "one of the armpits of Latin America". It was produced by [[ITV Yorkshire|Yorkshire Television]] and broadcast from 1986 to 1987. Its second, and final, series was simply called '''''Farrington'''''.

== Plot ==
Harriet Farrington arrives to take charge at a small, unimportant British Consulate. She is horrified to find out how indolent and scheming her staff are, and - with more than a hint of [[Margaret Thatcher]] about her mannerisms - sets out to turn the Consulate around.

== Characters ==
The major [[protagonists]] were:
*'''Harriet Farrington''' ([[Angela Thorne]]), the strict, no-nonsense new [[Consul (representative)|Consul]]-General.
*'''Annie Begley''' ([[Joan Sims]]), Harriet's only friend at the consulate, and the least incompetent of her staff.
*'''Major Percival Willoughby-Gore''' ([[John Quayle (actor)|John Quayle]]), a devious, lecherous, upper-class twit - and Harriet's would-be nemesis. Sadly, he's not quite as clever as Harriet and finds his schemes are frequently found out and squashed by her.
*'''Fidel Sanchez''' ([[Tony Haygarth]]), the consulate's resident chauffeur. He always has his eye out to find ways to make a bit more cash – but grows strangely fond of Harriet as time goes on.
*'''Miguel''' (Freddie Earlle), a jovial, but incompetent relative of Fidel. Miguel appears in two episodes of series two, although Earlle also appeared as a different character in series one.
*'''Sarah Lawrence''' ([[Judy Cornwell]]) is Harriet's recently divorced houseguest. She horrifies her hostess by falling for the bumbling charms of Major Percy. Sarah appears in two episodes of series two.

Notable guest stars throughout the run of the two series included (in no particular order) [[Tim Barrett (actor)|Tim Barrett]], [[Francesca Gonshaw]], [[Jan Ravens]], [[Ralph Bates]], [[Annette Crosbie]], [[Russell Hunter]], [[Roger Hammond (actor)|Roger Hammond]], [[Veronica Doran]], [[Kevin Lloyd]], [[Elizabeth Sellars]], [[Edward de Souza]], [[Robin Parkinson]], [[Patsy Smart]], and [[John Moreno]]. Sharples' earlier comedy shows included ''[[In Loving Memory (TV series)|In Loving Memory]]'' and ''[[Hallelujah! (TV series)|Hallelujah!]]''.

== Series ==
* ''Farrington of the F.O.'' — (1986) — [[ITV Yorkshire|Yorkshire Television]]
** First series (7 episodes) broadcast from 13 February to 27 March 1986
* ''Farrington'' — (1987) — [[ITV Yorkshire|Yorkshire Television]]
** Second series (7 episodes) broadcast from 3 June to 15 July 1987

==Press Pack, Series Two==
The following information is taken from the Press Pack released by Yorkshire TV to help publicise the series.
*[[Carmen Gómez (actress)|Carmen Gómez]], who played Juanita in series 2, episode 1, and Delores Alvarez in series 2, episode 3, was born in North Africa and grew up in Gibraltar. She started her career presenting children's TV programme ''[[Romper Room]]''. Her first book (''Happy Musician'') was due to be published at the same time she appeared in ''Farrington''. Her brother is [[William Gomez]], the classical guitarist and composer.
*Tony Haygarth did not appear in series 2, episode 4 (''We're Having a Heatwave'') because he became snow-bound in Kent and was unable to reach Yorkshire TV's Leeds studios. Writer Dick Sharples performed a hasty re-write on the episode's script, and created the character of Miguel (played by [[Freddie Earlle]]) to cover for the absent Sanchez. As a 'thank-you' to Earlle, Miguel was also written into the following episode ''Who Wants to be a Billionaire?''. Earlle had previously appeared in the final episode of series 1 as a particularly inept bandito chef.
*The final scene in the final episode featured Harriet Farrington on board a [[British Airways]] jet. However, the actors never left the ground as they were filmed in a replica of a first-class cabin owned by the airline company. The company kept the set to help with stills, publicity and filming.

==References==

*[[Mark Lewisohn]], ''BBC Online Comedy Guide''/''Radio Times Guide to TV Comedy''
*Yorkshire Television, ''Press Pack: Farrington Series Two''

== External links ==
* [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090428/ "Farrington of the F.O." at IMDb]
* https://web.archive.org/web/20090817154859/http://www.phill.co.uk/comedy/farring/index.html "Farrington of the F.O." at British TV Comedy

[[Category:1986 British television series debuts]]
[[Category:1987 British television series endings]]
[[Category:1980s British sitcoms]]
[[Category:ITV sitcoms]]
[[Category:Television series by ITV Studios]]
[[Category:Television series by Yorkshire Television]]
[[Category:English-language television shows]]

George Cole (actor)

2022-06-28T17:15:11Z

92.239.103.64:

{{short description|English actor}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2017}}
{{Infobox person
| name = George Cole
| honorific_suffix = {{postnom|country=GBR|size=100|OBE}}
| image = Actor_George_Cole.jpg
| caption = Cole with [[Rona Anderson]] in the 1951 film ''[[Scrooge (1951 film)|Scrooge]]''
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1925|4|22|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Tooting]], [[London]], [[England]]
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2015|08|05|1925|4|22|df=y}}
| death_place = [[Reading, Berkshire|Reading]], [[Berkshire]], England
| occupation = Actor
| resting_place = Reading Cemetery and Crematorium, Reading, England
| spouse = {{marriage|[[Eileen Moore]]|1954|1962|reason=divorced}} {{marriage|[[Penny Morrell]] |1967}}
| years_active = 1940–2015
| children = 4, including [[Cris Cole|Cris]]
}}

'''George Edward Cole''', [[Order of the British Empire|OBE]] (22 April 1925 – 5 August 2015) was an English actor whose career spanned 75 years. He was best known for playing [[Arthur Daley]] in the long-running ITV comedy-drama show ''[[Minder (TV series)|Minder]]'' and [[Flash Harry (St Trinian's)|Flash Harry]] in the early ''[[St Trinian's]]'' films.

==Early life==
Cole was born in [[Tooting]], London.<ref name=barker>{{cite web |last=Barker |first=Dennis |title=George Cole obituary |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/aug/06/george-cole |work=The Guardian |date=6 August 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=George Cole, actor – obituary |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/11710589/George-Cole-actor-obituary.html |work=The Telegraph |date=6 August 2015}}</ref> He was given up for [[adoption]] at ten days of age and adopted by George and Florence Cole, a Tooting council employee and charwoman (cleaner) respectively. He attended secondary school in nearby [[Morden]].<ref name=barker/> He left school at 14 to be a butcher's boy and had an ambition to join the [[Merchant Navy (United Kingdom)|Merchant Navy]] but landed a part in a touring musical and chose acting as a career.

==Career==
Aged 15, Cole was cast in the film ''[[Cottage to Let]]'' (1941) opposite Scottish actor [[Alastair Sim]]. Sim liked Cole, and agreed with his family to take in Cole and his adoptive mother to their home. Acting as his mentor, Sim helped Cole lose his [[Cockney]] accent; Cole stayed with the Sim family until he was 27.<ref>{{cite news |title=STAR PROFILE: By George! What a career. |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-113287559.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105234150/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-113287559.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2012-11-05 |work=[[Coventry Evening Telegraph]] |date=2004-02-14 |access-date=10 August 2010}}</ref> He later attributed his career success to Sim, with whom he appeared in a total of 11 films, ending with a filmed version for television of ''The Anatomist'' (1956), from the play by [[James Bridie]]. Cole also acted opposite [[Laurence Olivier]] in ''[[The Demi-Paradise]]'' (1943) and Olivier's film version of ''[[Henry V (1944 film)|Henry V]]'' (1944), of which he was the last surviving cast member. His career was interrupted by his [[national service]] in the [[Royal Air Force]] from 1944 to 1947, where he was temporarily a radio operator.

Returning to his acting career, he became familiar to audiences in British comedy films in the 1950s. Cole appeared with Alastair Sim in ''[[Scrooge (1951 film)|Scrooge]]'' (as the young Scrooge) in 1951, including a scene with fellow actor [[Patrick Macnee]] who played the young Jacob Marley. His best known film role was as "[[Flash Harry (St Trinian's)|Flash Harry]]" in the ''[[St Trinian's School|St Trinian's]]'' films (two of which also star Sim), and in the comedy ''[[Too Many Crooks]]'' (1959). He also starred in the film ''[[Take Me High]]'' (1973) alongside [[Cliff Richard]] and [[Deborah Watling]]. Cole was also known for his lead role in the radio comedy ''A Life of Bliss'' (1953–69), in which he played an amiable but bumbling bachelor, David Alexander Bliss,<ref>{{cite book |last=Took |first=Barry |author-link=Barry Took |title=Laughter in the Air: An Informal History of British Radio Comedy |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zO4tAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA114 |publisher=Robson Books Ltd |year=1998 |pages=114 |isbn=978-0-903895-78-1}}</ref> (initially played by [[David Tomlinson]]); it lasted for six series and 118 episodes. It became a TV series in 1960, running for two series, but no recordings of the TV episodes are known to survive.<ref>[http://lostshows.com/default.aspx?programme=03c797e1-d380-4c70-bcd5-edaa0312ba4e "Missing or incomplete episodes for programme ''A Life of Bliss!''"]. lostshows.com</ref>

''[[Doctor Syn#The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh (1963)|The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh]]'' (1963) is a three-part serial which formed part of the ''[[Walt Disney anthology television series#Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color|Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color]]'' TV series. It was shot on location in England and stars [[Patrick McGoohan]] as Doctor Syn, with Cole as Mipps.

In 1964, Cole guest-starred as 'Bishop', an increasingly deranged arsonist, in the episode "Firebug" in the [[ITV (TV channel)|ITV]] series ''[[Gideons Way]]''. In 1968, he starred as Max Osborne in the TV series ''[[A Man of Our Times]]''.

Cole appeared as a guest star in the [[Gerry Anderson]]-produced television series [[UFO (TV series)|''UFO'']] in the episode "[[Flight Path (UFO)|Flight Path]]" (1971), and he appeared as a storyteller on the BBC children's programme ''[[Jackanory]]'', narrating in [[List of Jackanory episodes|six episodes]] between 1969 and 1971. He also made a guest appearance as Mr Downs, a bank manager, in a 1978 episode of the sitcom ''[[The Good Life (1975 TV series)|The Good Life]]'', performed in the presence of [[Elizabeth II|Queen Elizabeth II]].

His best-remembered television role was as the crooked used-car dealer [[Minder_(TV_series)#Arthur_Daley|Arthur Daley]] in the popular and successful [[Thames Television]] series ''[[Minder (TV series)|Minder]]'', which he played from 1979 to the show's conclusion in 1994. Prior to this, he had played a struggling writer in the BBC sitcom ''[[Don't Forget To Write!]]'' (1977–79).
Although he is most associated with the character of Arthur Daley, it was one which produced mixed emotions in him, describing variously his support for the character as well as citing in his autobiography how much he loathed the type of person Daley was.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/aug/06/george-coles-arthur-daley-a-wideboy-loved-by-liberals-and-thatcherites-alike|title=George Cole's Arthur Daley – a wideboy loved by liberals and Thatcherites alike|first=David|last=Stubbs|date=6 August 2015|access-date=28 April 2019|via=www.TheGuardian.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.yahoo.com/news/george-cole-hated-playing-arthur-daley-075507216.html|title=George Cole Hated Playing Arthur Daley|website=www.Yahoo.com|access-date=28 April 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.whatsontv.co.uk/news/george-cole-arthur-daley-was-a-dreadful-character-106075/|title=George Cole: Arthur Daley was a 'dreadful character' – News – TV News – What's on TV|date=23 September 2013|website=What's on TV|access-date=28 April 2019}}</ref>

Cole also played Sir Giles Lynchwood in the BBC's adaptation of the [[Tom Sharpe]] novel ''[[Blott on the Landscape]]'' (1985). Cole starred in a number of comedies, such as ''[[The Bounder]]'' (1982–83), ''[[Comrade Dad]]'' (1984–86), ''[[Dad (TV series)|Dad]]'' (1997–98) and ''[[My Good Friend]]'' (1995–96).

Cole appeared in a ''[[New Tricks]]'' (BBC), series 4 Episode 5 "Powerhouse" (2007) and the [[Midsomer Murders]] episode ''Shot at Dawn'' (2008).

==Personal life==
Cole was married twice, first to actress [[Eileen Moore]] (b.1932) from 1954 until 1962 (when they divorced), and then to actress [[Penny Morrell]] (1967–2015, his death).<ref name=AutoBiog/> Cole had four children, two from each marriage. His son from his first marriage, [[Cris Cole]], is a [[screenwriter]] for film and television.

He was invested as an [[Officer of the Order of the British Empire]] (OBE) in 1992.<ref name=BBC33803144>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-33803144|title=George Cole: Star of Minder dies at 90|work=BBC News|access-date=6 August 2015}}</ref> He resided for over 70 years in [[Stoke Row, Oxfordshire|Stoke Row]], [[Oxfordshire]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Ward|first=Victoria|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/10277483/Actor-George-Cole-in-dispute-over-local-sawmill.html|title=Actor George Cole in dispute over local sawmill|work=The Telegraph|date=31 August 2013}}</ref> His [[autobiography]] ''The World Was My Lobster'', a phrase taken from an episode of ''Minder'' that made George smile, was published in 2013.<ref name=AutoBiog>"The World was my Lobster". George Cole & Brian Hawkins. P 125. {{ISBN|9781782194699}}</ref>

==Death==

Cole died at the age of 90 on 5 August 2015 at the [[Royal Berkshire Hospital]] in [[Reading, Berkshire|Reading]], [[Berkshire]], after a short illness.<ref name=BBC33803144/><ref>{{cite news |last=Davies |first=Caroline |url= https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/aug/06/george-cole-actor-who-played-arthur-daley-minder-dies-aged-90 |title= George Cole, actor who played Arthur Daley, dies aged 90 |work= The Guardian |date= 6 August 2015 |access-date= 6 August 2015}}</ref> His funeral took place at Reading Crematorium on 13 August. The [[I Could Be So Good For You (Minder theme song)|''Minder'' theme song]] was played and Cole's ''Minder'' co-star [[Dennis Waterman]] gave a eulogy.<ref name="BBC-33901980">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-berkshire-33901980|title=Funeral of Minder star George Cole held in Reading|date=13 August 2015|work=[[BBC Online]]|access-date=13 August 2015}}</ref>

==Partial filmography==
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* ''[[Cottage to Let]]'' (1941) – Ronald
* ''[[Those Kids from Town]]'' (1942) – Charlie
* ''[[The Demi-Paradise]]'' (1943) – Percy (uncredited)
* ''[[Henry V (1944 film)|Henry V]]'' (1944) – Boy
* ''[[Journey Together]]'' (1945) – Curley, Bomb Aimer, Lancaster Crew
* ''[[My Brother's Keeper (film)|My Brother's Keeper]]'' (1948) – Willie Stannard
* ''[[Quartet (1948 film)|Quartet]]'' (1948) – Herbert Sunbury (segment "The Kite")
* ''[[The Spider and the Fly (1949 film)|The Spider and the Fly]]'' (1949) – Marc, detective
* ''[[Morning Departure]]'' (1950) – E.R.A. Marks
* ''[[The Happiest Days of Your Life (film)|The Happiest Days of Your Life]]'' (1950) – Junior Assistant Caretaker at Ministry of Education (uncredited)
* ''[[Gone to Earth (film)|Gone to Earth]]'' (US: ''The Wild Heart'', 1950) – Cousin Albert
* ''[[Flesh and Blood (1951 film)|Flesh and Blood]]'' (1951) – John Hannah
* ''[[Laughter in Paradise]]'' (1951) – Herbert Russell
* ''[[Lady Godiva Rides Again]]'' (1951) – Johnny
* ''[[Scrooge (1951 film)|Scrooge]]'' (1951) – Young Ebenezer Scrooge
* ''[[The Happy Family (1952 film)|The Happy Family]]'' (1952) – Cyril
* ''[[Who Goes There!]]'' (1952) – Arthur Crisp
* ''[[Top Secret (1952 film)|Top Secret]]'' (1952) – George
* ''[[Folly to Be Wise]]'' (1953) – Soldier in Brains Trust audience (uncredited)
* ''[[Will Any Gentleman...?]]'' (1953) – Henry Sterling
* ''[[The Intruder (1953 film)|The Intruder]]'' (1953) – John Summers
* ''[[The Clue of the Missing Ape]]'' (1953) – Gobo
* ''[[Our Girl Friday]]'' (1953) – Jimmy Carrol
* ''[[An Inspector Calls (1954 film)|An Inspector Calls]]'' (1954) – Tram Conductor (uncredited)
* ''[[Happy Ever After (1954 film)|Happy Ever After]]'' (1954) – Terence
* ''[[The Belles of St. Trinian's]]'' (1954) – Flash Harry
* ''[[A Prize of Gold]]'' (1955) – Sergeant Roger Morris
* ''[[Where There's a Will (1955 film)|Where There's a Will]]'' (1955) – Fred Slater
* ''[[The Constant Husband]]'' (1955) – Luigi Sopranelli
* ''[[The Adventures of Quentin Durward]]'' (1955) – Hayraddin
* ''[[It's a Wonderful World (1956 film)|It's a Wonderful World]]'' (1956) – Ken Millar
* ''[[The Weapon (film)|The Weapon]]'' (1956) – Joshua Henry
* ''[[The Green Man (film)|The Green Man]]'' (1956) – William Blake
* ''[[Blue Murder at St Trinian's]]'' (1957) – 'Flash' Harry
* ''[[Too Many Crooks]]'' (1959) – Fingers
* ''[[The Bridal Path (film)|The Bridal Path]]'' (1959) – Police Sgt. Bruce
* ''[[Don't Panic Chaps!]]'' (1959) – Finch
* ''[[The Pure Hell of St Trinian's]]'' (1960) – 'Flash' Harry Cuthbert Edwards
* ''[[Cleopatra (1963 film)|Cleopatra]]'' (1963) – Flavius
* ''[[Doctor Syn#The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh (1963)|Dr. Syn, Alias the Scarecrow]]'' (1963) – Mr. Sexton Mipps / Hellspite
* ''[[One Way Pendulum (film)|One Way Pendulum]]'' (1964) – Defence Counsel / Fred
* ''[[Gideon's Way]]'', episode "The Firebug" (1964) – Arsonist / Bishop
* ''[[The Great St Trinian's Train Robbery]]'' (1966) – 'Flash' Harry
* ''[[The Caramel Crisis]]'' (1966) – Caramel
* ''[[The Vampire Lovers]]'' (1970) – Roger Morton
* ''[[UFO (TV series)|UFO (episode 15 – Flight Path)]]'' (1971, TV Series)
* ''[[Fright (film)|Fright]]'' (1971) – Jim
* ''[[Take Me High]]'' (1974) – Bert Jackson
* ''[[The Blue Bird (1976 film)|The Blue Bird]]'' (1976) – Tylo
* ''[[The Sweeney]]'' (1976) – Dennis Longfield
* ''Double Nickels'' (1977) – George
* ''[[Don't Forget to Write!]]'' (1977–1979, TV Series) – George Maple
* ''[[Minder (TV series)|Minder]]'' (1979–1994, TV Series) – Arthur Daley
* ''[[Minder on the Orient Express]]'' (TV 1985) – Arthur Daley
* ''[[An Officer and a Car Salesman]]'' (Minder spin off) (1988, TV Series) – Arthur Daley
* ''[[Deadline Auto Theft]]'' (1983) – Atlee Jackson
* ''[[Blott on the Landscape]]'' (1985, TV Series) – Sir Giles Lynchwood / Sir Giles
* ''[[Comrade Dad]]'' (1986, TV Series) - Reg Dudgeon
* ''[[Tube Mice]]'' (1988, TV Series) – Vernon (Voice)
* ''[[Root Into Europe]]'' (1992, TV Series) – Henry Root
* ''[[My Good Friend]]'' (1995–1996, TV Series) – Peter Banks
* ''[[Mary Reilly (film)|Mary Reilly]]'' (1996) – Mr. Poole
* ''[[Dad (TV series)|Dad]]'' (1997–1998, TV Series) – Brian Hook
* ''The Ghost of Greville Lodge'' (2000) – Great Uncle
* ''[[Heartbeat (British TV series)|Heartbeat]]'' (2005–2008, TV Series) – Albert Hallows (final appearance)
* ''[[Agatha Christie's Marple|Marple]]'' (2007) – Laurence Raeburn
* ''[[Midsomer Murders]]'' (2008) – Lionel Hicks
{{div col end}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb name|id=0170552|name=George Cole}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20101201010800/http://www.britmovie.co.uk/actors/George-Cole George Cole] at britmovie.co.uk
* [http://www.aveleyman.com/ActorCredit.aspx?ActorID=3360 George Cole] (Aveleyman)
* {{British Comedy Guide|people|george_cole}}
* {{Discogs artist|George Cole (2)}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cole, George}}
[[Category:1925 births]]
[[Category:2015 deaths]]
[[Category:English male film actors]]
[[Category:English male television actors]]
[[Category:English male voice actors]]
[[Category:English autobiographers]]
[[Category:People from Tooting]]
[[Category:20th-century English male actors]]
[[Category:21st-century English male actors]]
[[Category:English adoptees]]
[[Category:Royal Air Force personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:British male comedy actors]]