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{{Infobox television | {{Infobox television | ||
| image = Citizen James DVD.jpg | | image = Citizen James DVD.jpg | ||
| caption = | | caption = | ||
| alt_name = | | alt_name = | ||
| genre = [[ | | genre = [[Comedy|Comedy]] | ||
| creator = | | creator = | ||
| developer = | | developer = | ||
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| company = | | company = | ||
| distributor = | | distributor = | ||
| channel = [[ | | channel = [[BBC One|BBC TV]] | ||
| picture_format = | | picture_format = | ||
| audio_format = | | audio_format = | ||
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| related = | | related = | ||
}} | }} | ||
'''''Citizen James''''' is a [[ | '''''Citizen James''''' is a [[BBC|BBC]] [[sitcom|sitcom]] that ran for three series between 24 November 1960 and 23 November 1962. The show featured comedian and actor [[Sid James]] and [[Sydney Tafler]] with [[Bill Kerr]] and [[Liz Fraser]] appearing in early episodes. It was initially written by the [[comedy|comedy]] writing team of [[Galton and Simpson]], who based the characters very much on the "Sidney Balmoral James" and "Bill Kerr, the dim-witted Australian" roles that they had played in ''[[Hancock's Half Hour]]''. | ||
The first series was set around 'Charlie's Nosh Bar', a cafe in [[ | The first series was set around 'Charlie's Nosh Bar', a cafe in [[Soho|Soho]], and centred on Sid's [[get-rich-quick scheme|get-rich-quick scheme]]s. He is helped by "Billy the Kerr" and quite often frustrated by the local [[bookmaker|bookmaker]] Albert Welshman (Tafler). Liz Fraser played Sid's long-suffering girlfriend who has been waiting for seven years for Sid to set the date. | ||
Changes were made to the format after the first series. Sid James' character was changed to be something of a people's champion, campaigning for social justice. Bill Kerr and Liz Fraser departed and Sidney Tafler played a different character: Charlie Davenport. The location switched from Soho to Sid and Charlie sharing a house. | Changes were made to the format after the first series. Sid James' character was changed to be something of a people's champion, campaigning for social justice. Bill Kerr and Liz Fraser departed and Sidney Tafler played a different character: Charlie Davenport. The location switched from Soho to Sid and Charlie sharing a house. | ||
| Line 64: | Line 62: | ||
==Episodes== | ==Episodes== | ||
Like many BBC series of this time, episodes were not necessarily retained (see [[ | Like many BBC series of this time, episodes were not necessarily retained (see [[Wiping|Wiping]]). Only eleven episodes from the three series are known to still exist. | ||
{| class="wikitable" | {| class="wikitable" | ||
|+ Episodes | |+ Episodes | ||
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!style="width: 390px;"| Synopsis | !style="width: 390px;"| Synopsis | ||
|- | |- | ||
!colspan=4 style="text-align:left" | Series 1 | !colspan=4 style="text-align:left; height:4em;" | Series 1 | ||
|- | |- | ||
|style="text-align:center"| 1 | |style="text-align:center"| 1 | ||
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|| Albert has a wager with Sid that he can get a date with Sid's fiancée. And at 10-1, Sid can't resist the odds. | || Albert has a wager with Sid that he can get a date with Sid's fiancée. And at 10-1, Sid can't resist the odds. | ||
|- | |- | ||
!colspan=4 style="text-align:left" | Series 2 | !colspan=4 style="text-align:left; height:4em;" | Series 2 | ||
|- | |- | ||
|style="text-align:center"| 1 | |style="text-align:center"| 1 | ||
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|| | || | ||
|- | |- | ||
!colspan=4 style="text-align:left" | Series 3 | !colspan=4 style="text-align:left; height:4em;" | Series 3 | ||
|- | |- | ||
|style="text-align:center"| 1 | |style="text-align:center"| 1 | ||
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==DVD== | ==DVD== | ||
The then-surviving episodes, comprising the complete Series One, and two episodes each from Series Two and Series Three, were released as a collection by [[ | The then-surviving episodes, comprising the complete Series One, and two episodes each from Series Two and Series Three, were released as a collection by [[Acorn Media UK|Acorn Media UK]] in February 2012. A further episode, the sixth episode of series three, was subsequently found in a store room of Monaco Television, by [[Philip Morris (archivist)|Philip Morris]].<ref>{{cite web |title=BFI announces Morecambe & Wise and Sid James recoveries |url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/news/5086/missing_believed_wiped_2018/ |website=British Comedy Guide |access-date=28 December 2020 |date=5 November 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Bennett |first1=Steve |title=Found in Sierra Leone... the lost Morecambe and Wise : News 2018 : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide |url=http://www.chortle.co.uk/news/2018/11/05/41616/found_in_sierra_leone..._the_lost_morecambe_and_wise |website=www.chortle.co.uk |access-date=28 December 2020 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=MISSING BELIEVED WIPED 25TH BIRTHDAY BONANZA FEATURING NEW DOCTOR WHO ANIMATED MINI-EPISODE MORECAMBE AND WISE, CITIZEN JAMES, BASIL BRUSH, VINCE HILL, THE KINKS |url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/sites/bfi.org.uk/files/downloads/bfi-press-release-missing-believed-wiped-25th-birthday-bonanza-2018-11-05-v1.pdf |publisher=[[BFI National Archive|BFI National Archive]] |access-date=28 December 2020}}</ref> | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
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==External links== | ==External links== | ||
*{{BBC programme}} | *{{BBC programme}} | ||
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20050407221444/http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/articles/c/citizenjames_7771430.shtml ''Citizen James''] at the [[ | *[https://web.archive.org/web/20050407221444/http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/articles/c/citizenjames_7771430.shtml ''Citizen James''] at the [[BBC Online|BBC Online]] Comedy Guide | ||
*{{British Comedy Guide|tv|citizen_james}} | *{{British Comedy Guide|tv|citizen_james}} | ||
*{{IMDb title|0053492}} | *{{IMDb title|0053492}} | ||
Latest revision as of 13:22, 11 March 2023
| Citizen James | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Comedy |
| Starring | Sid James Sydney Tafler Alec Bregonzi Bill Kerr |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 32 (21 missing) |
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC TV |
| Release | 24 November 1960 – 23 November 1962 |
Citizen James is a BBC sitcom that ran for three series between 24 November 1960 and 23 November 1962. The show featured comedian and actor Sid James and Sydney Tafler with Bill Kerr and Liz Fraser appearing in early episodes. It was initially written by the comedy writing team of Galton and Simpson, who based the characters very much on the "Sidney Balmoral James" and "Bill Kerr, the dim-witted Australian" roles that they had played in Hancock's Half Hour.
The first series was set around 'Charlie's Nosh Bar', a cafe in Soho, and centred on Sid's get-rich-quick schemes. He is helped by "Billy the Kerr" and quite often frustrated by the local bookmaker Albert Welshman (Tafler). Liz Fraser played Sid's long-suffering girlfriend who has been waiting for seven years for Sid to set the date.
Changes were made to the format after the first series. Sid James' character was changed to be something of a people's champion, campaigning for social justice. Bill Kerr and Liz Fraser departed and Sidney Tafler played a different character: Charlie Davenport. The location switched from Soho to Sid and Charlie sharing a house.
Later episodes were written by then Morecambe and Wise writers Sid Green and Dick Hills.[1]
Despite not being written by Galton and Simpson, the sets and familiar supporting cast gave these last two series a recognisable Hancock feeling to the proceedings.
Episodes
Like many BBC series of this time, episodes were not necessarily retained (see Wiping). Only eleven episodes from the three series are known to still exist.
| Episode | Broadcast | Title | Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Series 1 | |||
| 1 | Thursday 24 November 1960 |
The Race | Out of money, Sid hits on an idea to fix a "waiter's race" by use of a ringer. |
| 2 | Thursday 1 December 1960 |
The Elixir | Sid and Bill try their hand in the snake-oil business, selling "Dr." Sidney James's Magical Elixir. |
| 3 | Thursday 8 December 1960 |
The Raffle | Sid and Bill have to organise a raffle to replace the 'Nosh Bar' Christmas money which went on Sid's gambling debts. |
| 4 | Thursday 15 December 1960 |
The Money | Liz entrusts £300 to Sid to take to the Bank, but Sid and Bill soon find themselves parted from the money by Albert. |
| 5 | Thursday 22 December 1960 |
The Brand Image | Sid and Bill try their hand at selling cigarettes but need an actor to help launch their new brand. |
| 6 | Thursday 29 December 1960 |
The Rivals | Albert has a wager with Sid that he can get a date with Sid's fiancée. And at 10-1, Sid can't resist the odds. |
| Series 2 | |||
| 1 | Monday 2 October 1961 |
The Lamp | Sid and Charlie find themselves in a new set of awkward circumstances. It's probably their own fault. |
| 2 | Monday 9 October 1961 |
Crusty Bread | Sid and Charlie set out to find why the old style crusty bread loaves have disappeared. Why aren't they baked any more if people still want them? |
| 3 | Monday 16 October 1961 |
Episode Three | |
| 4 | Monday 23 October 1961 |
Episode Four | |
| 5 | Monday 30 October 1961 |
Episode Five | |
| 6 | Monday 6 November 1961 |
Episode Six | |
| 7 | Monday 13 November 1961 |
Episode Seven | |
| 8 | Monday 20 November 1961 |
Episode Eight | |
| 9 | Monday 27 November 1961 |
Episode Nine | |
| 10 | Monday 4 December 1961 |
Episode Ten | |
| 11 | Monday 11 December 1961 |
Teenagers | Sid and Charlie go rushing across the country to stop a young couple on their way to Gretna Green. |
| 12 | Monday 18 December 1961 |
Episode Twelve | |
| 13 | Sunday 25 December 1961 |
Episode Thirteen | |
| Series 3 | |||
| 1 | Friday 31 August 1962 |
The Hospital (missing) |
|
| 2 | Friday 7 September 1962 |
The Play's The Thing (missing) |
|
| 3 | Friday 14 September 1962 |
The Tennis Ball (missing) |
|
| 4 | Friday 21 September 1962 |
It's Not Cricket (missing) |
|
| 5 | Friday 28 September 1962 |
The Reporter (missing) |
|
| 6 | Friday 5 October 1962 |
The Day Out | Sid and Charlie head to Whitsea for the day for a bit of sea air, but are soon caught out on a very busy beach. |
| 7 | Friday 12 October 1962 |
The Transistor (missing) |
|
| 8 | Friday 19 October 1962 |
The Old People's Outing (missing) |
|
| 9 | Friday 26 October 1962 |
A Perfect Friendship? (missing) |
|
| 10 | Friday 2 November 1962 |
The Watchdog | Finding a burglar in their house the boys take security for the street into their own hands, so Sid buys a dog. |
| 11 | Friday 9 November 1962 |
The Librarian (missing) |
|
| 12 | Friday 16 November 1962 |
The Tube Station (missing) |
|
| 13 | Friday 23 November 1962 |
The Jury | The boys are on jury duty, Sid is hoping for major case, but gets a drink-driving case. However that doesn't stop him investigating. |
DVD
The then-surviving episodes, comprising the complete Series One, and two episodes each from Series Two and Series Three, were released as a collection by Acorn Media UK in February 2012. A further episode, the sixth episode of series three, was subsequently found in a store room of Monaco Television, by Philip Morris.[2][3][4]
References
- ^ Lewisohn, Mark (2005). "bbc.co.uk Guide to Comedy - Citizen James". BBC. Archived from the original on 7 April 2005. Retrieved 21 October 2007.
- ^ "BFI announces Morecambe & Wise and Sid James recoveries". British Comedy Guide. 5 November 2018. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
- ^ Bennett, Steve. "Found in Sierra Leone... the lost Morecambe and Wise : News 2018 : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide". www.chortle.co.uk. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
- ^ "MISSING BELIEVED WIPED 25TH BIRTHDAY BONANZA FEATURING NEW DOCTOR WHO ANIMATED MINI-EPISODE MORECAMBE AND WISE, CITIZEN JAMES, BASIL BRUSH, VINCE HILL, THE KINKS" (PDF). BFI National Archive. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
External links
- Citizen James at BBC Online
- Citizen James at the BBC Online Comedy Guide
- Citizen James at British Comedy Guide
- Citizen James at IMDb
- Citizen James at British TV Resources
Categories:
- Articles with short description
- Pages using infobox television with unknown parameters
- BBC programme ID not in Wikidata
- BBC programme template using Wikidata
- IMDb title ID not in Wikidata
- 1960 British television series debuts
- 1962 British television series endings
- 1960s British sitcoms
- BBC television sitcoms
- Lost BBC episodes
- Television series created by Ray Galton
- Television series created by Alan Simpson
