Kurt at 16:30, 21 November 2022

2022-11-21T16:30:57Z

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	{{Short description\|ITV situation comedy}}		{{Short description\|ITV situation comedy}}
	~~{{Use dmy dates\|date=May 2014}}~~
	~~{{Use British English\|date=May 2014}}~~
	{{Infobox television		{{Infobox television
	\| image = Oh_No,_It's_Selwyn_Froggit.jpg		\| image = Oh_No,_It's_Selwyn_Froggit.jpg
	\| caption =		\| caption =
	\| runtime = 30 minutes		\| runtime = 30 minutes
	\| creator = [[Roy Clarke]]		\| creator = [[w:Roy Clarke\|Roy Clarke]]
	\| director = [[Derrick Goodwin]] (pilot)<br/>Ronnie Baxter (series)		\| director = [[w:Derrick Goodwin\|Derrick Goodwin]] (pilot)<br/>Ronnie Baxter (series)
	\| starring = {{plainlist\|		\| starring = {{plainlist\|
	* [[Bill Maynard]]		* [[Bill Maynard]]
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	* [[Harold Goodwin (English actor)\|Harold Goodwin]]		* [[Harold Goodwin (English actor)\|Harold Goodwin]]
	* [[Ray Mort]]}}		* [[Ray Mort]]}}
	\| channel = [[ITV (TV network)\|ITV]]		\| channel = [[w:ITV (TV network)\|ITV]]
	\| company = [[ITV Yorkshire\|Yorkshire Television]]		\| company = [[w:ITV Yorkshire\|Yorkshire Television]]
	\| first_aired = {{start date\|1974\|09\|30\|df=y}}		\| first_aired = {{start date\|1974\|09\|30\|df=y}}
	\| last_aired = {{end date\|1978\|10\|17\|df=y}}		\| last_aired = {{end date\|1978\|10\|17\|df=y}}

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External links

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	{{Roy Clarke}}		{{Roy Clarke}}
	~~{{Alan Plater}}~~

	[[Category:ITV sitcoms]]		[[Category:ITV sitcoms]]

Kurt: /* List of episodes */

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List of episodes

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	!colspan="2"\|Original Broadcast		!colspan="2"\|Original Broadcast
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	![[Season premiere\|Series premiere]]		![[w:Season premiere\|Series premiere]]
	![[Season finale\|Series finale]]		![[w:Season finale\|Series finale]]
	\|-		\|-
	\|bgcolor="F0DC82" width="1px"\|		\|bgcolor="F0DC82" width="1px"\|

Kurt: 1 revision imported

2022-09-27T15:43:29Z

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2022-05-26T12:45:15Z

format infobox params per Template:Infobox television

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{{Short description|ITV situation comedy}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2014}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2014}}
{{Infobox television
| image = Oh_No,_It's_Selwyn_Froggit.jpg
| caption =
| runtime = 30 minutes
| creator = [[Roy Clarke]]
| director = [[Derrick Goodwin]] (pilot)<br/>Ronnie Baxter (series)
| starring = {{plainlist|
* [[Bill Maynard]]
* [[Megs Jenkins]]
* [[Bob Keegan (actor)|Robert Keegan]]
* [[Rosemary Martin]]
* [[Lynda Baron]]
* [[Richard Davies (Welsh actor)|Richard Davies]]
* [[Bill Dean]]
* [[Harold Goodwin (English actor)|Harold Goodwin]]
* [[Ray Mort]]}}
| channel = [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]]
| company = [[ITV Yorkshire|Yorkshire Television]]
| first_aired = {{start date|1974|09|30|df=y}}
| last_aired = {{end date|1978|10|17|df=y}}
| executive_producer =
| producer =
| theme_music_composer =
| country = United Kingdom
| language = English
| num_series = 4
| num_episodes = 29
}}
'''''Oh No It's Selwyn Froggitt''''' is a [[British television]] [[sitcom]] which ran on the [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] network from 1974 to 1978. Set in the fictional [[Yorkshire]] town of Scarsdale, the series stars [[Bill Maynard]] as Selwyn Froggitt, a council labourer, hapless handyman, [[working men's club]] secretary and all-round public nuisance. It was created by [[Roy Clarke]] from a concept by Maynard. Clarke wrote the pilot episode transmitted in 1974 but was replaced by [[Alan Plater]] when the first series was commissioned. It was made by [[Yorkshire Television]] and was a ratings success. For its fourth and final season, the programme was renamed '''''Selwyn''''' and its location changed to a holiday camp.

==Cast==
*[[Bill Maynard]] – Selwyn Froggitt
*[[Megs Jenkins]] – Mrs Froggitt (Series 1–3)
*[[Bob Keegan (actor)|Robert Keegan]] – Maurice Froggitt (Series 1–3)
*[[Rosemary Martin]] – Vera Parkinson (Series 1)
*[[Lynda Baron]] – Vera Parkinson (Series 2–3)
*[[Richard Davies (Welsh actor)|Richard Davies]] – Clive (Series 1–3)
*[[Bill Dean]] – Jack (Series 1–3)
*[[Harold Goodwin (English actor)|Harold Goodwin]] – Harry (Series 1–3)
*[[Ray Mort]] – Ray (Series 1–3)
*[[Bernard Gallagher]] – Mervin Price (Series 4)

==Conception==
Bill Maynard had the initial idea for the show, wanting to create a sitcom based around the members of the [[working men's club]] in his home village [[Sapcote, Leicestershire]]. Maynard would later say "every character came from that club".<ref name="Named after wine gums">{{cite web |last1=Wakelin |first1=Adam |title=Named after wine gums, a fortune squandered – Things you never knew about Heartbeat actor Bill Maynard |url=https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/named-after-wine-gums-fortune-1403499 |website=Leicestershire Live |date=30 March 2018 |access-date=1 June 2020}}</ref> Maynard modelled his lead character on a larger-than-life patron named Peter Wright.<ref name="Leicestershire Live">{{cite web |last1=Marlow |first1=Lee |title='I made 31 films, most were rubbish': Bill Maynard in his own hilarious words |url=https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/bill-maynard-own-words-1403138 |website=Leicestershire Live |date=30 March 2018 |access-date=1 June 2020}}</ref><ref name="Moving Up">{{cite web |title=Moving Up |url=http://billmaynard.bothofus.co.uk/ |website=Bill Maynard |access-date=1 June 2020}}</ref> Wright would often exclaim "magic!" and order "a pint of cooking and a bag of nuts", both of which became catchphrases of Maynard's character.<ref name="Northern Life">{{cite web |last1=Shaw |first1=Karen |title=A scoundrel, thespian, CHEEKY CHARMER {{!}} Bill Maynard |url=http://northernlifemagazine.co.uk/bill-maynard/ |website=Northern Life |date=21 December 2015 |access-date=1 June 2020}}</ref> Wright had arms so muscular he could not fold them properly so he often kept them high on his chest, another attribute Maynard borrowed.<ref name="Named after wine gums"</>

Maynard attempted to get the show commissioned by [[Duncan Wood]] during his 1972–73 tenure as the [[BBC]]'s Head of Comedy.<ref name="Stand Up">{{cite book |last1=Maynard |first1=Bill |last2=Sheard |first2=John |title=Stand Up... And Be Counted |date=1997 |publisher=Breedon Books |isbn=1-85983-080-3 |edition=1st |url= https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1160797.Stand_Up_And_Be_Counted |access-date=9 April 2021}}</ref> Wood commissioned a pilot after he had moved to [[ITV Yorkshire|Yorkshire Television]] to be Head of Light Entertainment.<ref name="Maynard Interview">{{cite web |title=Bill Maynard Interview |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85OZXwbFApM&t=1119s |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211219/85OZXwbFApM |archive-date=2021-12-19 |url-status=live|website=Youtube |access-date=1 June 2020}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Wood brought in [[Roy Clarke]], the creator of ''[[Last of the Summer Wine]]'', to write the pilot. As Clarke felt he lacked the familiarity to write about a working men's club, Maynard took the train to [[Leeds]] to assist him. Clarke titled the programme ''Oh No It's Selwyn Froggitt'', and the pilot episode was transmitted on 30 September 1974.<ref name="Stand Up"</> This initial episode rendered Selwyn's surname as 'Froggit'. Feeling the pilot was at odds with his original concept, Maynard met again with Clarke to discuss the show's direction. Clarke admitted he had found it difficult to write about situations he had not thought up himself, and decided he was not right for the job.<ref name="Stand Up"</>

Maynard approached [[Alan Plater]] to take Clarke's place as writer, having worked with the playwright and screenwriter on ''[[Trinity Tales]]'' (1975).<ref name="Stand Up"</> Plater was best known for writing television drama including ''[[Shoulder to Shoulder]]'' (1974) and ''[[The Stars Look Down (TV serial)|The Stars Look Down]]'' (1975); ''Oh No It's Selwyn Froggitt'' was his only foray into sitcom writing. This has been noted as indicative of Plater's maverick and prolific approach to television writing.<ref name="Plater interview">{{cite web |last1=Sweet |first1=Matthew |title=Alan Plater: 'I used to be cool...' |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/features/alan-plater-i-used-to-be-cool-551568.html |website=Independent |date=4 September 2004 |access-date=5 June 2020}}</ref>

==Plot==
[[File:FroggittCast.jpg|thumb|right|260 px|The original ''Oh No It's Selwyn Froggitt'' regular cast. Left to right from top row: Maurice (Robert Keegan), Selwyn (Bill Maynard), Mrs Froggitt (Megs Jenkins), Ray (Ray Mort), Clive (Richard Davies), Jack (Bill Dean) and Harry (Harold Goodwin).]]
The first three series centred on the bungling exploits of Selwyn Froggitt as Working Men's Club secretary and a council labourer in the fictional [[Yorkshire]] town of Scarsdale. [[Bill Maynard]] described Froggitt, a burly, balding and good-natured man often clad in a [[donkey jacket]], as "this naïve boy who never grew up".<ref name="Northern Life"</> Maynard took inspiration from [[Nick Bottom|Bottom]], a comic character from [[Shakespeare]]'s ''[[A Midsummer Night's Dream]]''.<ref name="Hannam">{{cite web |last1=Hannam |first1=John |title=John Hannam Meets Bill Maynard (Archive Edition) |url=https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/john-hannam-meets-bill-maynard-archive-edition/id1404939895?i=1000414830695 |website=Apple |accessdate=1 June 2020}}</ref> Froggitt has an urge to improve his life and that of everyone around him; he carries ''[[The Times]]'' and often tells people "there was an article about it in ''The Times''" regarding subjects he has brought up. Maynard considered this an important part of the character, explaining "I wanted him to be intelligent, always anxious to improve himself. The easy route would've been to use old cliches, like [[Malapropism]]s and [[Spoonerism]]s, but that would have made the character too one-dimensional. By getting him to read ''The Times'' and be an ardent student of dynamic word power, we gave him the breadth to spread the comedy over a wide range of subjects. We wanted people to laugh ''with'' him, not ''at'' him".<ref name="Stand Up"</>

Froggitt lives with his mother ([[Megs Jenkins]]) and his brother Maurice (Robert Keegan). Maurice's girlfriend, Vera Parkinson, was played by [[Rosemary Martin]] in the first series. In the second and third series (during which Maurice and Vera marry), Vera was played by [[Lynda Baron]]. A running gag is Froggitt's mother saying, "Don't open that cupboard our Selwyn, things fall out!" whenever he opens the cupboard in the Froggitt front room, before objects fall from it. Froggitt is on the committee of his local [[working men's club]], serving as concert secretary in charge of booking "turns". Froggitt's colleagues on the committee are the dour [[Scouser]] Jack ([[Bill Dean (actor)|Bill Dean]]), Harry ([[Harold Goodwin (English actor)|Harold Goodwin]]) and excitable, stereotypical Welshman Clive ([[Richard Davies (Welsh actor)|Richard Davies]]), often referred to as [[Taffy was a Welshman|Taff]] by Selwyn. All decisions taken by the club committee are taken on a "show of hands..." and "carried unanimously". In keeping with the ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' characterisations, Maynard saw the committee as the [[Mechanical (character)|mechanicals]].<ref name="Hannam"</> Froggitt is incompetent at everything he turns his hand to, being equally inept at his day job (digging holes and filling them in), [[do-it-yourself]] at home, and booking acts for the club. Nevertheless, he is honest and hard-working, unlike the other committee members, who usually sit back in comfort while Froggitt does the manual labour. They generally tolerate him because he is prepared to volunteer for unwanted tasks. Barman at the club is Raymond (Ray Mort), often seen answering the telephone with a number of highly fictitious and fanciful addresses.

The show's humour included a fair measure of [[slapstick]] alongside Plater's typical northern humour. It was mainly shot at [[The Leeds Studios|Yorkshire Television Studios]] on Kirkstall Road, Leeds, whilst outdoor location filming for the series took place in [[Skelmanthorpe]], [[West Yorkshire]] and [[Elvington, City of York|Elvington]], [[North Yorkshire]]. The series was a ratings success, reaching peak viewing figures of 29 million.<ref name="Leicestershire Live"</>

Between the second and third series, Bill Maynard suffered a slipped disc and used a wheelchair. He recovered sufficiently in time for the commencement of filming of the third series on 5 September 1977.<ref name="Wheelchair Winner">{{cite news |last1=Smyllie |first1=Patricia |title=A Wheelchair Winner – That's Selwyn |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000560/19770601/168/0024 |access-date=3 June 2020 |work=Daily Mirror |date=1 June 1977}}</ref> Alan Plater would later say that Maynard had "a constitutional resistance to learning the script".<ref name="Plater interview"</>

In the fourth (and final) series, the format of the show changed radically. This version of the series was entitled ''Selwyn''; all of the regular cast from the first three series (bar Maynard) left the show, to focus on and pursue other TV work. The Froggitt character became entertainments manager at a seedy holiday camp on the east coast. Plater was no longer involved with the series, but with disappointing audience reactions a planned fifth series was cancelled.

==List of episodes==
{| class="wikitable" width="600px" style="text-align:center"
|-
!colspan="2" rowspan="2"|Series
!rowspan="2"|Episodes
!colspan="2"|Original Broadcast
|-
![[Season premiere|Series premiere]]
![[Season finale|Series finale]]
|-
|bgcolor="F0DC82" width="1px"|
|Pilot
|1
|colspan="2"|30 September 1974
|-
|bgcolor="#008D96" width="1px"|
|Series 1 (1976)
|6
|7 January 1976
|11 February 1976
|-
|bgcolor="73C2FB"|
|Series 2 (1977)
|7
|21 February 1977
|4 April 1977
|-
|bgcolor="B77FDF"|
|Series 3 (1977)
|7
|8 November 1977
|20 December 1977
|-
|bgcolor="FF5F64"|
|Christmas Special (1977)
|1
|colspan="2"|27 December 1977
|-
|bgcolor="ED9121"|
|Series 4 (1978)
|7
|5 September 1978
|17 October 1978
|}

===Pilot (1974)===
*Oh No- It's Selwyn Froggit (30 September 1974)

===Series 1 (1976)===
* Three Fifths of the World Loves a Lover (7 January 1976)
* We Are the Masters Now (14 January 1976)
* There Are Several Businesses Like Show Business (21 January 1976)
* The Grand Outing (28 January 1976)
* The Master Builder (4 February 1976)
* Ladies' Desire (11 February 1976)

===Series 2 (1977)===
* Daze of Hope (21 February 1977)
* The Game of the Name (28 February 1977)
* Raffles (7 March 1977)
* Selwyn Rides Again (14 March 1977)
* Alphabetic Orders (21 March 1977)
* The Protection Racket (28 March 1977)
* Just Cause and Impediment (4 April 1977)

===Series 3 (1977)===
* Be It Ever So Humble, There's No Place (8 November 1977)
* Gala Performance (15 November 1977)
* Boom Boom (22 November 1977)
* Occupational Hazard (29 November 1977)
* Sling Along with Selwyn (6 December 1977)
* A Little Learning (13 December 1977)
* Around the Houses (20 December 1977)
* On the Feast of Selwyn (27 December 1977)

===Series 4 (1978)===
NOTE: Series 4 of ''Oh No It's Selwyn Froggitt'' was retitled ''Selwyn''

* The Road to Paradise Valley (5 September 1978)
* Wish You Were Here (12 September 1978)
* Better Never Than Late (19 September 1978)
* Take a Tip from Selwyn (26 September 1978)
* I've Gotta Jockey (3 October 1978)
* Don't Make Waves (10 October 1978)
* A Man for One Season (17 October 1978)

==DVD release==
All four series of ''Oh No It's Selwyn Froggitt'' have been released on DVD. A four-disc set of the complete series of both complete series titles has also been released.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! DVD !! Year(s)!! Release date
|-
| The Complete Series 1 || 1974<br>1976 || 25 May 2009
|-
| The Complete Series 2 || 1977 || 7 September 2009
|-
| The Complete Series 3 || 1977 || 3 May 2010
|-
| The Complete Series 4 || 1978 || 16 August 2010
|-
| The Complete Series 1 to 4 Box Set || 1974–<br>1978 || 11 October 2010
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{IMDb title|0077056|Oh No, It's Selwyn Froggitt!'' (series 1–3)}}
*{{IMDb title|0164282|Selwyn'' (series 4)}}
*{{British Comedy Guide|tv|oh_no_selwyn_froggitt}}

{{Roy Clarke}}
{{Alan Plater}}

[[Category:ITV sitcoms]]
[[Category:1974 British television series debuts]]
[[Category:1978 British television series endings]]
[[Category:1970s British sitcoms]]
[[Category:English-language television shows]]
[[Category:Television series by ITV Studios]]
[[Category:Television series by Yorkshire Television]]
[[Category:Television shows set in Yorkshire]]

Oh No It's Selwyn Froggitt - Revision history

Kurt at 16:30, 21 November 2022

Kurt: /* External links */

Kurt: /* List of episodes */

Kurt: 1 revision imported

en>Butlerblog: format infobox params per :Template:Infobox television