Oh, Brother!

Oh, Brother!
DVD cover
Genre	Sitcom
Written by	David Climie Austin Steele
Starring	Derek Nimmo Felix Aylmer Derek Francis
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of series	3
No. of episodes	19
Production
Running time	30 minutes
Original release
Network	BBC1
Release	13 September 1968 (1968-09-13) – 27 February 1970 (1970-02-27)

Oh, Brother! is a British television sitcom starring Derek Nimmo, which aired on BBC1 from 13 September 1968 to 27 February 1970.

Synopsis

The series was set in the fictional Mountacres Monastery, with Nimmo cast as the well-meaning but inept novice Brother Dominic making life difficult for the Prior (Father Anselm played by Felix Aylmer) and the Master of the Novices (Father Bernard played by Derek Francis).

Nimmo was playing a very similar role in All Gas and Gaiters which ran from 1966 to 1971, the main difference being that Brother Dominic was working-class, whereas Nimmo's previous character, Rev. Mervyn Noote, had been upper-class.

Reception

Oh, Brother! was not quite as successful or as affectionately remembered as the earlier programme, although it did last three series containing 19 episodes, only eight of which exist in the BBC archives. The comic potential in a monastery may have been rather limited, although it did benefit from a cast which included some experienced actors, particularly Nimmo himself and Felix Aylmer as Father Prior.

Episodes

Series 1 (1968)

• The Voice of the Turtle (13 September 68)
• A House of Merchandise (20 September 68)
• My Brother's Keeper (27 September 68)
• The Sins of the Father (4 October 68)
• The Root of All Evil (11 October 68)
• Treasures on Earth (18 October 68)

Series 2 (1969)

• A Goodly Inheritance (11 April 69)
• Thine House in Order (18 April 69)
• A Mother in Israel (25 April 69)
• Behold This Dreamer (2 May 69)
• An Uncertain Sound (9 May 69)
• In The Beginning (16 May 69)

Series 3 (1970)

• A Still, Small Voice (16 January 70)
• By The Fleshpots (23 January 70)
• The Laughter of a Fool (30 January 70)
• A Fool Returneth (6 February 70)
• The Hands of Esau (13 February 70)
• A Stone of Stumbling (20 February 70)
• The Fullness of His Days (27 February 70)

Surviving episodes

Series No'	Ep No'	Title	Broadcast	Notes
Series 1	Episode 1	The Voice of the Turtle	13 September 1968
Series 3	Episode 1	A Still Small Voice	16 January 1970
Series 3	Episode 2	By The Fleshpots	23 January 1970
Series 3	Episode 3	The Laughter of a Fool	30 January 1970
Series 3	Episode 4	A Fool Returneth	6 February 1970
Series 3	Episode 5	The Hands of Esau	13 February 1970
Series 3	Episode 6	A Stone For Stumbling	20 February 1970
Series 3	Episode 7	The Fullness of His Days	27 February 1970

DVD release

A Region 2 DVD was released in 2004.

Sequel series

Oh, Brother! was followed by a sequel Oh, Father! in 1973, also starring Nimmo and with the same writers. In this series, Dominic left the monastery and became a Roman Catholic priest. It had a supporting cast of Laurence Naismith, Pearl Hackney and David Kelly. This was not a success and only lasted a single series of seven episodes.

External links

• Oh, Brother! at BBC Online
• Oh, Brother! at IMDb
• Oh, Brother! on Comedy Series Info