by PETER TATCHELL (reprinted from LAUGH MAGAZINE #4, 1992)
In mid-1968 British commercial television was in a state of upheaval. A review of the franchise holders had resulted in two new players being allocated the right to transmit programming in the London area. Thames Television (combining the expertise of the previous ABC and Associated Rediffusion companies) took over the weekdays, and the recently formed London Weekend broadcast from 7pm Fridays until the close of transmission on Sundays.
Frank Muir was appointed Head of Light Entertainment at London Weekend and within the first year had launched three very popular sitcoms which relied on ensemble casts . . . Please Sir, On The Buses and an updating of the old Richard Gordon “Doctor” books cum movies.
(see Laughterlog’s profile of the DOCTOR movies in the film section)
Since the novels first appeared in the early 1950s, the British way of life had changed a great deal, and the television version capitalised on many aspects of the ‘swinging sixties’. Barry Evans, fresh from the success of Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush in which he played a naive and virginal teenager, took the lead role of Mike Upton, a naive and virginal medical student. The largely unknown supporting cast of Robin Nedwell, Geoffrey Davies, George Layton, Simon Cuff and Martin Shaw played his fellow students and Ernest Clark (who had appeared in minor roles in some of the Doctor movies) appeared as Professor Loftus, a character in the Sir Lancelot Spratt mould. As with the books and films, the action took place at the mythical St. Swithin’s Hospital one of the few names not changed from the original.
On the writing side, four graduates from the Cambridge Footlights revues now ensconced in the world of show business were chosen to provide the initial batch of scripts. John Cleese and Graham Chapman who had recently been involved with At Last The 1948 Show supplied the opening installment before heading off to create Monty Python’s Flying Circus, and Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie wrote the bulk of the remainder. Chapman teamed with Barry Cryer to pen three other shows in the first series.
The success of the thirteen episodes led to a follow-up season a year later, all scripted by Garden and Oddie who by then had created The Goodies and would have to share the writing duties with others in future spin offs of the show About the only significant change in this second series was the replacement of Martin Shaw’s Welsh student with an Irish one played by ex-Footlighter Jonathan Lynn who would later become a successful television writer himself with the popular Yes Minister. After a further thirteen chapters Mike Upton succeeds in his quest to become a doctor and Doctor In The House spawned no fewer than six spin-off series.
The first of these, Doctor At Large, saw Upton moving through a number of jobs in the world outside St. Swithin’s with most of the supporting cast phased out. Only Layton, Davies and Clark were retained to come and go depending on the storyline. In the early editions, Upton and Collier get positions at the practice of a country doctor, Major Maxwell, played by Arthur Lowe of Dad’s Army fame. Unfortunately these episodes were only filmed in black and white owing to a technician’s strike and are rarely repeated as a result. After failing to secure a desired position back at St. Swithin’s, Mike spends some time at a posh Harley Street practice in company with Dick Stuart-Clark before working in general practice in the suburbs with Collier. By the final third of the twenty-nine episode season Upton has returned to St. Swithin’s where his main adversary is the sycophantic Dr. Lawrence Bingham, played by Richard O’Sullivan a couple of years before he’d be featured in the popular Man About The House.
After fifty-five episodes of Doctor In The House and Doctor At Large, Barry Evans decided he’d had enough of the role and Robin Nedwell returned as Duncan Waring for the series Doctor In Charge. The rest of the cast remained unchanged but the scripts now had the main character more a part of the outlandish goings-on, rather than an innocent bystander caught up in the proceedings. During the show’s two seasons, Professor Loftus gains his knighthood and Dr. Bingham makes his way to the altar to wed his ladylove Mary.
By the mid-1970s, the producers decided it was time for a change of direction and Waring and Stuart-Clark leave St. Swithin’s to take up jobs on a cruise liner, M.S. Begonia. Their thoughts of a life of ease on the ocean waves are shattered when they meet their captain, the no-nonsense brother of their nemesis, Sir Geoffrey Loftus. They must also contend with the Bingham-like ways of the purser while tending the medical needs of the passengers and crew as the ship visits a bevy of colourful ports.
After thirteen episodes on the waves, production moved back to St. Swithin’s for a new batch of hospital farces, this time called Doctor On The Go. Apart from Sir Geoffrey Loftus the rest of the supporting cast had moved on, and a new team of fellow doctors was found for Waring and Stuart-Clark. Waring also had a love interest with Jacquie-Ann Carr playing Dr. Kate Wright, Andrew Knox continued the “Bingham” tradition as James Gascoigne, and John Kane followed earlier Welsh and Irish medical men as the token Scotsman, Andrew MacKenzie.
Doctor On The Go ran two seasons for a total of twenty-six editions and virtually marked the end of the road for show. There were however two encores.
In the mid-1970s, Nedwell and Davies had toured Australia in stage versions of Doctor In The House and Doctor In Love playing “Simon Sparrow” and “Tony Grimsdyke” and the TV series also enjoyed enormous popularity ‘down under’. On hearing the program had finished its run in Britain, the Seven Network decided to produce a version of its own and Doctor Down Under saw Waring and Stuart-Clark desert St. Swithin’s for employment at St. Barnabus Hospital in Sydney. Local actors John Derum and Frank Wilson took the parts of antipodean equivalents of Bingham and Loftus in the thirteen episodes screened by Seven as two series in 1979 and 1980. Twelve of the episodes were subsequently aired in Britain in early 1981. Then after 150 stories the cast went their separate ways.
But the saga wasn’t quite over. In 1991, George Layton and Bill Oddie scripted seven new episodes tracing the careers of Waring, Stuart-Clark, Collier and Loftus over a dozen years later. Waring is now a paediatrician working for the National Health Service and has five daughters, Collier who was last seen in Doctor In Charge is a successful Harley Street surgeon and Stuart-Clark has somehow become St. Swithin’s Professor of Surgery in place of Sir Geoffrey Loftus, who has reluctantly retired. And the new batch of programs was produced by the BBC instead of London Weekend. Initial viewer curiosity saw the show high in the ratings but the it didn’t run to a second season.
It’s now been over fifty years since Richard Gordon’s Doctor In The House first hit the bookshelves, so who knows when and where the doctors will next turn up.
Doctor In The House
Starring Barry Evans (as Mike Upton), Robin Nedwell (Duncan Waring), Geoffrey Davies (Dick Stuart-Clark), George Layton (Paul Collier), Simon Cuff (Dave Briddock), Martin Shaw (Huw Evans) series 1, Jonathan Lynn (Danny Hooley) series 2, Ralph Michael (The Dean) and Ernest Clark (Professor Geoffrey Loftus)
Series One
1/1 July 12 1969 Why Do You Want To Be A Doctor?
by John Cleese and Graham Chapman
Mike Upton arrives at the teaching hospital of St. Swithin’s where he encounters a rugby-mad Dean and an acid-tongued Anatomy Professor.
1/2 July 19 1969 Settling In
by Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie
Mike rescues a damsel in distress at the Rugby party but his fellow students throw obstacles in the way of any romantic entanglement.
1/3 July 25 1969 It’s All Go
by Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie
Having a liquid lunch after Professor Loftus’s dissection class is not a good idea as Mike soon discovers.
1/4 August 2 1969 Peace And Quiet
by Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie
Mike’s desire for a peaceful environment in which to study is not helped when he’s forced to share his new flat with a handful of noisy fellow students.
1/5 August 9 1969 The Students Are Revolting
by Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie
The Dean is not pleased when he sees a newspaper photograph of rioting students apparently being led by one Michael Upton.
1/6 August 16 1969 Rallying Round
by Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie
Whilst taking part in a Motor Club Rally with a wacky blonde, Mike is sidetracked to the home of her very pregnant sister.
1/7 August 23 1969 If In Doubt, Cut It Out
by Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie
Mike is struck down with appendicitis and the ensuing operation involves a missing contact lens.
1/8 August 30 1969 The War Of The Mascots
by Graham Chapman and Barry Cryer
The annual rugby match against High Cross Hospital results in St. Swithin’s mascot ape being snatched
1/9 September 6 1969 Getting The Bird
by Graham Chapman and Barry Cryer
Dick decides to help rectify Mike’s lack of success with girls by setting up a date for him with Pat Morlake, colloquially known as “Rigor Mortis”.
1/10 September 13 1969 The Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever Casino
by Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie
Dave’s scheme of turning the flat into an all-night gambling club results in visits by the Dean and a gang of underworld characters.
1/11 September 19 1969 Keep It Clean
by Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie
Mike is chosen to produce the annual revue because he has a brother in the Royal Ballet, but the Dean’s edict to eliminate the smut isn’t helped by his fellow students.
1/12 September 26 1969 All For Love
by Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie
Mike’s latest romantic infatuation is playing havoc with his studies so Waring and Evans decide to sort out the situation.
1/13 October 3 1969 Pass Or Fail
by Graham Chapman and Barry Cryer
All too soon it’s examination time and things aren’t helped by having to face Professor Loftus in the testing procedure.
Series Two
2/1 April 10 1970 It’s All In The Little Blue Book
by Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie
Mike and his friends are now second year students and he’s advised to get hold of “the little blue book” which will help enormously with anatomy classes.
2/2 April 17 1970 What Seems To Be The Trouble?
by Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie
On his first clay of ward duty Mike is having a lot of difficulty understanding an elderly Yugoslavian patient.
2/3 April 24 1970 Take Off Your Clothes And Hide
by Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie
Mike and his fellow students come to the aid of a stripper who faints during her performance in a Soho club.
2/4 May 1 1970 Nice Bodywork – Lovely Finish
by Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie
In order to get to Cambridge for a rugby match, Mike, Duncan and Paul buy a second-hand hearse which soon acquires a coffin with a corpse in it.
2/5 May 8 1970 Look Into My Eyes
by Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie
Mike’s first attempt at hypnosis goes disastrously wrong when he is unable to bring Duncan out of a deep trance.
2/6 May 15 1970 Put Your Hand On That
by Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie
Mike becomes so squeamish in his first visit to the operatingtheatre that he considers chucking it all in.
2/7 May 22 1970 The Royal Visit
By Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie
Mike is involved in the official welcome for a visiting Royal couple but Hooley, a staunch anti-monarchist, is intent on disrupting things.
2/8 May 29 1970 If You Can Help Somebody … Don’t
by Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie
Mike feels sorry for an elderly female patient who dreads leaving the hospital for her lonely existence at home, but all is not as it seems.
2/9 June 15 1970 Hot Off The Presses
by Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie
Mike is the new editor of the hospital magazine but his ideas for modernising its appearance don’t find favour with the powers-that-be.
2/10 June 12 1970 A Stitch In Time
by Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie
Mike and Duncan’s shift in Casualty is thrown into turmoil by the arrival of a criminal on the run from police.
2/11 June 19 1970 May The Best Man
by Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie
Mike and Danny are at loggerheads over the affections of a hospital lab assistant named Jenny.
2/12 June 26 1970 Doctor On The Box
by Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie
A television program about St. Swithin’s featuring Mike and Dick is disrupted by Hooley and his friends.
2/13 July 3 1970 Finals
by Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie
Mike misses a vital examination when he stops to treat a heart patient who has collapsed.
Doctor At Large
Starring Barry Evans (as Mike Upton), Geoffrey Davies (Dick Stuart-Clark), George Layton (Paul Collier), Richard O’Sullivan (Lawrence Bingham), Ernest Clark (Professor Loftus) and Arthur Lowe (Dr. Maxwell) episodes 3 to 7
1 February 28 1971 Now, Dr. Upton (recorded in black and white)
by Graham Chapman and Bernard McKenna
Mike misses out on the position of junior house surgeon and must settle for a job in the Ear, Nose And Throat ward.
2 March 7 1971 You’ve Really Landed Me In It This Time (recorded in black and white)
by Graham Chapman and Bernard McKenna
When Mike agrees to help Paul as assistant to a crazy Scottish GP he doesn’t count on the advances of his amorous receptionist.
3 March 14 1971 You Make Me Feel So Young (recorded in black and white)
by Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie
Mike and Paul start work at the practice of Dr. Maxwell, known to all as “The Major” because of his army background but his patients believe they’re too young to be any good.
4 March 21 1971 Doctor Dish (recorded in black and white)
by Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie
Mike’s sex lecture to a local girl’s school results in him receiving a stack of passionate fan mail, which Paul takes the liberty of answering.
5 March 28 1971 Modernising Major (recorded in black and white)
by Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie
Mike and Paul’s attempts to update the Major’s practice are met with a considerable amount of opposition.
6 April 4 1971 Congratulations – It’s A Toad (recorded in black and white)
by Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie
Paul’s collection of toads for use with pregnancy testing causes a lot of confusion within the practice.
7 April 11 1971 Change Your Partners
by Graeme Chapman and Bill Oddie
An argument with the Major causes Mike to leave his practice but when he decides to “forgive and forget” he finds he’s already been replaced by an attractive female doctor.
8 April 18 1971 Trains And Notes And Veins
by Bernard McKenna
While travelling home for the weekend, Mike dispenses some free medical advice to a woman passenger and describes her own doctor as an “old twit”.
9 April 25 1971 Lock, Stock And Beryl
by Graham Chapman and Bernard McKenna
Mike’s return to St. Swithin’s isn’t helped by his confrontations with Dr. Bingham and the advances of a passionate nurse.
10 May 21971 Upton Sells Out
by Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie
When Mike accepts a cushy job in a fashionable Harley Street practice, Paul decides he must be made to see the error of his ways.
11 May 9 1971 Saturday Matinee
by John Cleese
Mike has been left in charge of the practice on a “quiet” Saturday afternoon but all of a sudden he’s confronted by a series of chaotic events.
12 May 16 1971 Where There’s A Will
by Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie
Mike’s treatment of a cantankerous elderly patient is the subject of scrutiny by the police when the old man dies and leaves everything to “his doctor”.
13 May 23 1971 Students At Heart
by Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie
Despite being qualified Doctors, Mike and his friends are caught up in the student hi-jinks of a boisterous rugby victory at St. Swithin’s.
14 May 30 1971 No Ill Feeling
by John Cleese
Mike’s new job at a suburban general practice is being made a misery by a practical joker at the hotel where he is staying.
(* prototype for Fawlty Towers)
15 June 6 1971 Let’s Start At The Beginning
by Graham Chapman and Bernard McKenna
Mike’s attempts at psychiatry aren’t helped when he follows the advice of Dr. Stuart Clark.
16 June 13 1971 It’s All In The Mind
by John Cleese
Mike and Paul are invited to a cocktail paly where their hostess claims to be a witch.
17 June 20 1971 Cynthia Darling
by John Cleese
Mike is being run off his feet by constant visits to the delicate Cynthia whose mother is proving to be a bit of a problem.
18 June 27 1971 A Little Help From My Friends
by Geoff Rowley and Andy Baker
Mike is in charge of the practice while Dr. Griffin is away but Paul and Dick aren’t exactly helping things when they decide to uprade its image.
19 July 4 1971 Devon Is Lovely At This Time Of The Year
by Geoff Rowley and Andy Baker
While Dr Griffin is away, Mike works with a woman doctor who turns out to be a rival for the job of St Swithin’s house surgeon.
20 July 11 1971 Operation Loftus
by Graham Chapman and Bernard McKenna
Back at St. Swithin’s Professor Loftus requires emergency surgery and doesn’t relish being at the other end of the knife.
21 July 18 1971 Mother And Father Doing Well
by John Cleese
Mike’s old student friend Huw Evans is about to become a father but his wife Pippa is handling the situation better than he is.
22 July 25 1971 A Joke’s A Joke
by Graham Chapman and Bernard McKenna
Mike and Paul are given the jobs of anatomy demonstrators over Dick and Bingham who plan to get even with them.
23 August 1 1971 Pull The Other One
by Oliver Fry and Jonathan Lynn
A new intake of student nurses is causing havoc amongst the doctors, particularly Dr. Collier.
24 August 8 1971 It’s The Rich Wot Gets The Pleasure
by Graham Chapman and Bernard McKenna
Dick has been left a legacy and decides celebrations are in order.
25 August 15 1971 Things That Go Mump In The Night
by Graham Chapman and Bernard McKenna
Mike appears to have a case of mumps but Dr. Bingham suspects something more sinister and confines him to bed next to an unbearable patient and at the mercy of a team of students.
26 August 22 1971 Mr. Moon
by John Cleese
Mike convalesces at a health farm where the proprietor insists a on vegetarian food and strict behaviour
27 August 29 1971 The Viva
by Bernard McKenna and Graham Chapman
Mike decides on a spot of fishing to help him relax before he takes his Primary Fellowship exam but car troubles on the way back create a problem.
28 September 5 1971 Bewigged, Bothered And Bewildered
by David A. Yallop
Following a stint in casualty, Mike finds himself in court charged with gross negligence.
29 September 12 1971 A Situation Full Of Promise
by Oliver Fry
With Mike and Paul in charge of selecting a new Senior Houseman, Dick believes the job is his for the asking but the arrival of an attractive blonde alters things.
Doctor In Charge
Starring Robin Nedwell (as Duncan Waring), Geoffrey Davies (Dick Stuart-Clark), George Layton (Paul Collier), Richard O’Sullivan (Lawrence Bingham) and Ernest Clark (Professor Loftus).
Series One
1/1 April 9 1972 The Devil You Know
by Graham Chapman and Bernard McKenna
Mike Upton has run away to sea after drunkenly proposing and Duncan Waring returns to St. Swithin’s as Houseman.
1/2 April 16 1972 The Research Unit
by Graham Chapman and Bernard McKenna
Professor Loftus creates a research unit to enhance his chances of being awarded a knighthood, but for Paul it’s a convenient cover for making wine.
1/3 April 23 1972 The Minister’s Health
by Graham Chapman and Bernard McKenna
When the Minister of Health is admitted as a patient his “V.I.P.” treatment is misdirected to a lowly parson.
1/4 April 30 1972 The Black And White Medical Show
by Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie
St. Swithin’s multi-racial approach to research suffers from the bigotry of a Scottish patient and the confusion caused by an Indian doctor.
1/5 May 7 1972 Honeylamb
by Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie
The arrival of an ex-girlfriend from America causes chaos for Duncan who must embark on a romantic merry-go-round.
1/6 May 14 1972 Doctor’s Lib
by Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie
Paul is skating on thin ice when he conducts a time-and-motion study on Professor Loftus and his results find their way into the newspapers
1/7 May 21 1972 Which Doctor?
by George Layton and Jonathan Lynn
When Paul borrows Duncan’s car which contains a Harley Street surgeon’s bag on the back seat, they end up at the police station.
1/8 May 28 1972 Climbing The Ladder
by Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie
When Dick desires to be accepted as a Freemason, Paul and Duncan stage an initiation ceremony in the ghostly remains of Wookham Priory.
1/9 June 4 1972 Face The Music
by George Layton and Jonathan Lynn
Bingham volunteers to replace the organist Duncan has injured on the golf course but the others conspire to get him drunk beforehand.
1/10 June 11 1972 Mum’s The Word
by Bernard McKenna and Graham Chapman
To get Duncan a position on the hospital board, Dick and Paul claim his mother is a countess but when the lady in question is admitted with a broken ankle the plan misfires.
1/11 June 18 1972 The Fox
by Bernard McKenna and Graham Chapman
The doctors can’t abide the authoritarian ways of the new
Matron and decide to get even with her stern ways.
1/12 June 25 1972 A Night With The Dead
by Bernard McKenna and Graham Chapman
To get over his fear of corpses, Duncan accepts a bet from Dick to stay overnight in the mortuary.
1/13 July 2 1972 This Is Your Wife
by Bernard McKenna and Graham Chapman
Mary Parsons agrees to marry Dr. Bingham if the wedding can be kept secret, but their plans aren’t helped when Dick and Paul believe Duncan is the bridegroom-to-be and decide to throw a spanner in the works.
1/14 July 9 1972 Honeymoon Special
by Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie
About to leave on his honeymoon, Bingham gets himself encased in a plaster cast courtesy of Paul and Dick.
1/15 July 16 1972 The Long, Long Night
by Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie
Suspecting a case of smallpox, Bingham quarantines the emergency room and Duncan is forced to spend the night in chaotic conditions.
1/16 July 23 1972 The System
by Graham Chapman and Bernard McKenna
Professor Loftus wants a new system organised for teaching in the wards but Duncan’s scheme turns into a nightmare.
1/17 July 30 1972 On the Brink
by Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie
Paul has been acting strangely and Duncan believes he’s headed for a nervous breakdown.
1/18 August 6 1972 Amazing Grace
by Graham Chapman and Bernard McKenna
Duncan and Paul are forced to hide the actions of a hopelessly inept and clumsy student.
1/19 August 13 1972 Shut Up And Eat What You’re Given
by George Layton and Jonathan Lynn
When Professor Loftus takes issue with Duncan’s comments about the hospital food he is challenged to join the doctors for a canteen meal.
1/20 August 20 1972 Yellow Fever
by Graham Chapman and Bernard McKenna
A delegation from Red China causes chaos during a visit to St. Swithin’s.
1/21 August 27 1972 The Taming Of The Wolf
by Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie
A pretty new physiotherapist proves more than a match for Duncan’s romantic interests.
1/22 September 3 1972 An Officer And A Gentleman
by George Layton and Jonathan Lynn
In their pursuit of a new flat Dick and Paul meet the eccentric Major Woodnutt.
1/23 September 10 1972 That’s My Uncle!
by Bernard McKenna and Graham Chapman
Professor Loftus is temporarily replaced by Dick’s uncle who has a nasty habit of acquiring other people’s money, drinks and lady friends.
1/24 September 17 1972 The Big Match
by Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie
Fed up with Bingham’s boasting about his table tennis prowess, Duncan and Paul challenge him to a no holds barred match.
1/25 September 24 1972 The Rumour
by George Layton and Jonathan Lynn
St. Swithin’s is abuzz with stories that Professor Loftus is seeing quite a bit of a pretty new junior nurse.
1/26 October 1 1972 Blackmail
by Bernard McKenna and Graham Chapman
The bar funds are £200 short and Professor Loftus discovers that Dick is the culprit.
1/27 October 8 1972 A Long Day’s Journey Into Knighthood
by George Layton and Jonathan Lynn
Professor Loftus is about to receive his knighthood but getting from St. Swithin’s to Buckingham Palace proves to be something of a headache.
Series Two
2/1 September 15 1973 The Merger
by Graham Chapman and David Sherlock
Sir Geoffrey is shocked to learn of plans to merge St. Swithin’s with High Cross and build an hotel on the site.
2/2 September 22 1973 Men Without Women
by Bernard McKenna
Duncan zeros in on a new nurse until her husband makes an appearance.
2/3 September 29 1973 A Deep Depression Stationed Over St. Swithin’s
by George Layton and Jonathan Lynn
Dick’s threat to give up medicine is greeted by indifference from his fellow doctors but Sir Geoffrey’s reaction is surprising.
2/4 October 6 1973 The Epidemic
by Phil Redmond
Reggie Grace is thought to be a hypochondriac but Duncan believes he may be suffering from typhoid.
2/5 October 13 1973 The Garden Fete
by Phil Redmond
The doctors are asked to come up with ideas for the annual garden fete and their suggestions turn out to be chaotic but profitable.
2/6 October 20 1973 Brotherly Hate
by George Layton and Jonathan Lynn
The arrival of Bingham’s twin brother is seen as a help to Paul’s quest for a position on the Loftus surgical team.
2/7 October 27 1973 The Loftus Papers
by George Layton and Jonathan Lynn
Sir Geoffrey is to deliver a speech at a conference in Rome but the manuscript has an awkward habit of disappearing.
2/8 November 3 1973 In Place Of Strife
by Bernard McKenna
The hospital is brought to a standstill when a team of white-overalled painters are mistaken for students, and vice versa.
2/9 November 10 1973 The Pool
by David Askey
The doctors are up in arms when they learn St. Swithin’s swimming pool is to be replaced by a new surgical wing.
2/10 November 17 1973 The Godfather
by Gail Renard
Bingham wants Mary to have children instead of pursuing her career and asks Duncan to help convince her.
2/11 November 24 1973 A Man’s Best Friend is His Cat
by George Layton and Jonathan Lynn
Duncan leaves the Loftus cat in the hospital’s animal house and when it disappears he assumes it has been used for surgical research.
2/12 December 1 1973 There’s No Fire Without Smoke
by Bernard McKenna
When Duncan and Dick are forced to be fire wardens, Bingham decides to help make fire drills more realistic.
2/13 December 8 1973 Hello Sailor!
by Graham Chapman and David Sherlock
Following a rejection by Annabel, Duncan joins the Navy but then tries to get out of it by failing his medical.
2/14 December 15 1973 Any Complaints?
by Phil Redmond
The Patient’s Protection League asserts that St. Swithin’s is providing poor treatment and has little trouble in locating examples of ineptitude by some of the doctors.
2/15 December 22 1973 Watch Out – There’s A Thief About
by Bernard McKenna
Bingham decides to locate the culprit behind a series of thefts at St. Swithin’s.
2/16 December 29 1973 Should Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot
by George Layton and Jonathan Lynn
Danny Hooley returns as a locum in Casualty but Bingham discovers he’s been struck off after having an affair with a patient.
Doctor At Sea
Starring Robin Nedwell (as Duncan Waring), Geoffrey Davies (Dick Stuart-Clark), Ernest Clark (Captain Norman Loftus), John Grieve (the Purser) and Bob Todd (the Entertainments Officer)
1 April 21 1974 Sir John and Baby Doc
by Gail Renard and Phil Redmond
When Dick is sacked and Duncan’s threat to quit is accepted, the doctors decide to get nice cushy jobs on a cruise liner.
2 April 28 1974 I Do Like To Be Beside The Seasick
by Bernard McKenna and Richard Laing
On the first day at sea Captain Loftus is not pleased to find his new medical team under the weather.
3 May 5 1974 A Healthy Ship Is A Happy Ship
by George Layton and Jonathan Lynn
When Dick’s scheme of selling sick leave chits raises the ire of the Captain, Duncan protests the crew’s right to be ill and nearly causes a mutiny.
4 May 12 1974 The Senior Officer’s Perks
by George Layton and Jonathan Lynn
Duncan pulls rank when both he and Dick vie for the attentions of a glamorous Austrian passenger.
5 May 19 1974 Go Away Stowaway
by Bernard McKenna and Richard Liang
Duncan and Dick help a stowaway avoid the Purser’s search.
6 May 26 1974 Floating Profits
by Bernard McKenna and Richard Liang
Dick is a master at making a quid with any number of shady ventures and the cruise of the Begonia has opened up a whole new batch of schemes.
7 June 2 1974 Goodbye, Mr. Ships
by Gail Renard
Despite a stern warning from the Captain about discipline, Duncan and Dick manage to get stranded in Madeira when the ship sails without them.
8 June 9 1974 The VIP
by George Layton and Jonathan Lynn
Duncan’s rudeness to a passenger threatens to land him in trouble when he learns there’s a special person on board whom the Captain is particularly keen to impress.
9 June 16 1974 In A Little Spanish Town
by George Layton and Jonathan Lynn
Barred by the Captain from associating with female passengers, Duncan saves a girl from drowning on a Spanish island and is almost forced to the altar.
10 June 23 1974 Physician, Heal Thyself
by George Layton and Jonathan Lynn
Duncan wants the day off in Madeira with the lovely Rosita so he gets Dick to look after the Captain’s gout … much to the displeasure of the Captain.
11 June 30 1974 Wolf In Ship’s Clothing
by Bernard McKenna and Richard Liang
Duncan inadvertently arranges dates with three different girls on the same evening.
12 July 7 1974 Murder! He Said
by Bernard McKenna and Richard Liang
Following yet another argument with Duncan, the Purser disappears and foul play is suspected.
13 July 14 1974 But It’s So Much Nicer To Come Home
by Bernard McKenna and Richard Liang
Duncan must perform an emergency operation in the middle of the fancy-dress ball and after an argument with Dick decides to head back to St. Swithin’s.
Doctor On The Go
Starring Robin Nedwell (as Duncan Waring), Geoffrey Davies (Dick Stuart-Clark), Ernest Clark (Sir Geoffrey Loftus), Andrew Knox (James Gascoigne), Jacquie-Ann Carr (Katherine Wright) and John Kane (Andrew MacKenzie).
Series One
1/1 April 27 1975 Keep Your Nose Clean
by George Layton and Jonathan Lynn
Duncan and Dick return to St. Swithin’s and one of their first patients is a star footballer.
1/2 May 4 1975 When A Body Needs A Body
by George Layton and Jonathan Lynn
A prisoner is transported to St. Swithin’s for an operation but through a mix-up wakes up in the hospital mortuary.
1/3 May 11 1975 It’s The Thought That Counts
by George Layton and Jonathan Lynn
It’s Sir Geoffrey’s wedding anniversary and everyone decides to chip in, until he makes a few comments about Kate’s dress.
1/4 May 18 1975 Radio Activity
by Bernard McKenna and Richard Liang
Duncan is put in charge of St. Swithin’s own radio station but the opening broadcast proves to be a memorable one.
1/5 May 25 1975 A Run For The Money
by Bernard McKenna and Richard Liang
To make up for the £500 Duncan has misplaced while drunk, Dick decides to win back the money by betting on the inter-hospital cross-country race.
1/6 June 1 1975 Learning By Heart
by Bernard McKenna and Richard Liang
Duncan is having trouble studying for an anatomy exam but Kate offers to give him some assistance.
1/7 June 8 1975 It’s Just The Job
by Bernard McKenna and Richard Liang
It’s a dog eat dog situation when a luxury hotel advertises for a resident doctor who’ll be paid £7,000 a year.
1/8 June 15 1975 What’s Op Doc?
by Gail Renard
Duncan completes an operation and is astounded to find an extra bit in the bin.
1/9 June 22 1975 Room For Change
by Bernard McKenna and Richard Liang
In exchange for an introduction to the local golf club professional Loftus agrees to try and improve the camped conditions in the doctors’ office.
1/10 June 29 1975 A Heart In The Right Place
by Steve Thorn and Paul Wolfson
Waring and Gascoigne compete against each other in the quest to provide the most unusual medical condition to present before an upcoming conference.
1/11 July 6 1975 What’s Your Problem?
by Bernard McKenna and Richard Liang
Waring is feeling a bit depressed and decides to get some professional advice from the Professor of Psychiatry.
1/12 July 13 1975 Clunk Click
by George Layton and Jonathan Lynn
Waring is suffering a slipped disc and his situation is not helped when its cause is made known to his fellow doctors.
1/13 July 20 1975 The Course Of True Love
by George Layton and Jonathan Lynn
With Kate after his heart and Gascoigne after his job, Duncan is in a bad way.
Series Two
2/1 January 16 1977 When Did You Last See Your Mother?
by David A. Yallop
Duncan finds a baby on his doorstep and a confusing note leads to problems in ascertaining its parentage.
2/2 January 23 1977 I Love Paris … When I Get There
by Steve Thom and Paul Wolfson
Duncan and Kate’s romantic weekend in Paris is sidetracked when he becomes involved in a mercy dash with a kidney needed for an urgent operation.
2/3 January 30 1977 Money Spasms
by Selwyn Roberts
While Loftus is away, Dick and Duncan decide to make some desperately needed cash by volunteering as research guinea pigs.
2/4 February 6 1977 What’s In A Name?
by Bernard McKenna
Something fishy has been going on when a vivacious new physiotherapist keeps mixing up doctors Waring and Stuart-Clark.
2/5 February 13 1977 The War Of The Wards
by Steve Thom and Paul Wolfson
Waring and MacKenzie fight over whether a patient with gallstones should be treated by a surgeon or a physician.
2/6 February 20 1977 For Your Own Good
by Graham Chapman and Douglas Adams
Gascoigne’s rich and unpleasant father visits the hospital and causes problems for the doctors.
2/7 February 27 1977 Bunny Makes The World Go Round
by Rob Buckman and Chris Beetles
St. Swithin’s is awash with soft toys as Duncan tries to organise five interesting patients for an exam.
2/8 March 6 1977 Loftus The Terrible
by Bernard McKenna
When Sir Geoffrey is in a particularly bad mood and even his wife won’t talk to him, it is up to Duncan to sort things out
2/9 March 13 1977 A Turn For The Nurse
by Gail Renard and Brenda Crankmen
To replace missing funds the doctors on the Entertainments Committee must organise a competition to select the top nurse.
2/10 March 20 1977 M*A*T*C*H
by Rob Buckman and Chris Beetles
Duncan has been looking forward to Sunday afternoon watching an international soccer game on the telly but he keeps being called to Casualty.
2/11 March 27 1977 California Girl
by Steve Thorn and Paul Wolfson
The arrival of a beautiful visitor has attracted the attention of the doctors, and Kate for one is not at all pleased.
2/12 April 3 1977 Sunday Bleeping Sunday
by Rob Buckman and Chris Beetles
After working the night shift, Duncan is looking forward to a peaceful way to spend his birthday.
2/13 April 10 1977 Happy Ever After
by Bernard McKenna
When it appears Duncan and Kate are headed for the altar, everyone offers help and advice.
Doctor Down Under
Starring Robin Nedwell (as Duncan Waring), Geoffrey Davies (Dick Stuart-Clark), Frank Wilson (Professor Norman Beaumont) and John Derum (Maurice Griffin).
* the following screening dates are for Australian television – the series appeared on British television from January 11 to March 29 1981.
Series One
1/1 February 5 1979 Thanks For The Memory
by Bernard McKenna and Jon Watkins
Now working at St. Barnabas hospital in Australia, Duncan is surprised to encounter Dick Stuart-Clark an apparent amnesia patient in one of the wards.
1/2 February 12 1979 If A Job’s Worth Doing
by Bernard McKenna
Duncan has had enough of Dick sponging off his money, his car, his flat and his girls and insists he get a job.
1/3 February 19 1979 A Bird In The Hand
by Jon Watkins
Duncan and Dick are both eager for a weekend off to pursue the very attractive Pamela Wincaid.
1/4 February 26 1979 I Gotta Horse
by Bernie Sharp
Dick’s patient offers him a half-ownership of a race horse in lieu of his hospital bills and after Duncan is lured in as well they learn the animal is a dud.
1/5 March 51979 The Hawaiian Operation
by Jon Watkins
When Dick organises a raffle with first prize a trip for two to Hawaii, Professor Beaumont buys a bundle of tickets to be sure of winning.
1/6 March 12 1979 The More We Are Together
by Jon Watkins
Duncan has had enough of Dick’s antics and wants him to move out of the flat.
Series Two
2/1 March 29 1980 It’s All In The Mind
by Bernie Sharp
Waring and Stuart-Clark are dressed for a costume party when they are suddenly called in for an emergency operation.
2/2 April 5 1980 If You Can’t Beat ‘Em
by Jon Watkins
Dick and Duncan manage to disrupt the visit to the hospital by the Health Minister
2/3 April 12 1980 Alias Clark And Waring
by Jon Watkins
Dick has run up a lot of gambling debts back in England and wants Duncan to pay them because they’re in his name.
2/4 April 19 1980 Impatients
by Bernard McKenna
Duncan has an altercation with an attendant at the hospital’s parking lot.
2/5 April 26 1980 The Sydney Surprise
by Jon Watkins
Duncan and Dick spend an afternoon on the Harbour
2/6 May 3 1980 The Name Of The Game
Waring and Stuart-Clark must cover up an illicit rendezvous by Professor Beaumont when his wife turns up.
2/7 May 10 1980 Identity Crisis
Not only do Dick and Duncan disagree on a patient’s diagnosis, but they operate on the wrong person.
Doctor At The Top
Starring Robin Nedwell (as Duncan Waring), Geoffrey Davies (Dick Stuart-Clark), George Layton (Paul Collier), Roger Sloman (Dr. Lionel Snell), Georgina Melville (Geraldine Waring), Jill Benedict (Emma Stuart-Clark) and Ernest Clark (Sir Geoffrey Loftus)
1 February 21 1991 Sins Of The Father
by George Layton
Waring, Stuart-Clark and Collier are now all respected doctors but each has a skeleton in the cupboard.
2 February 28 1991 Happy Birthday, Sir Geoffrey
by George Layton
When Dick offers to host a 75th birthday dinner for Sir Geoffrey it’s not all that surprising to discover his motives aren’t necessarily altruistic.
3 March 7 1991 The VIP
by George Layton
St. Swithin’s has fallen victim to stern economy measures by the new hospital manager.
4 March 14 1991 The Kindest Cut
by Bill Oddie
When both Waring and Collier agree to have vasectomies, they’re each suspicious of whether the other will actually go through with it.
5 March 21 1991 Bye Bye Bickerstaff
by George Layton
The doctors travel out of town to attend the funeral of a fellow student.
6 March 28 1991 It’s Alright I’m A Doctor
by Bill Oddie
Paul starts appearing on television and soon begins to receive fan mail.
7 April 4 1991 Waring Goes Private
by Bill Oddie
When Duncan considers Paul a bit of a “yuppie” is it just sour grapes?
DVDs
Doctor in the House – series 1
Network 2-DVD
Doctor in the House – series 2
Network 2-DVD
Doctor at Large
Network 4-DVD
Doctor in Charge – series 1
Network 4-DVD
Doctor in Charge – series 2
Network 2-DVD
Doctor at Sea
Network 2-DVD
Doctor on the Go – series 1
Network 2-DVD
Doctor on the Go – series 2
Network 2-DVD
Doctor Down Under
7/EMI 2-DVD
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