Please Sir!

Synopsis

The programme was set in the fictional Fenn Street Secondary Modern School and starred John Alderton as Bernard Hedges, a young teacher fresh out of training college. The supporting cast included Deryck Guyler, Joan Sanderson and Richard Davies. Character actors and actresses formed the guest cast, including Mollie Sugden as a parent of one of the pupils, Barbara Mitchell as Frankie Abbott's mother, and Ann Lancaster as Mrs Pearce in a pair of 1968 episodes.

There were three basic locations for the scenarios: Hedges' classroom, the staffroom and the playground/outer area.

The class nickname for Hedges is "Privet" deriving from privet hedges.

Bernard Hedges and the 5C pupils were replaced by a new teacher and pupils for the final series in 1971–1972, while the original pupils continued in a spin-off series, The Fenn Street Gang, which ran for 47 episodes between 1971 and 1973. This was followed by Bowler (1973), following crime boss Stanley Bowler, played by George Baker for 13 episodes.

As with many situation comedies of this era, a film version was developed, released in 1971. This was set in an outdoor pursuit centre, but starred most of the TV cast.

Cast

Staff

John Alderton as Mr Bernard Hedges (1968–1971) (36 episodes)

Deryck Guyler as Mr Norman Potter, the caretaker (55 episodes)

Noel Howlett as Mr Cromwell, the headmaster (55 episodes)

Joan Sanderson as Miss Doris Ewell, the senior mistress (55 episodes)

Richard Davies as Mr Price, the chemistry teacher (55 episodes)

Erik Chitty as Mr Smith (55 episodes)

Bernard Holley as Mr Hurst (1971–1972) (8 episodes)

Vivienne Martin as Miss Petting (1971–1972) (8 episodes)

Richard Warwick as Mr David Ffitchett-Brown (1971) (7 episodes)

Lindsay Campbell as Mr Sibley (1970–1972) (5 episodes)

Glynn Edwards as Mr Dix (1971) (2 episodes)

Arnold Peters as School Governor (1970–1972) (3 episodes)

Geoffrey Hughes as odd job man (series 2)

Pupils

Liz Gebhardt as Maureen Bullock (37 episodes)

Peter Cleall as Eric Duffy (36 episodes)

David Barry as Frankie Abbott (35 episodes)

Peter Denyer as Dennis Dunstable (35 episodes)

Penny Spencer as Sharon Eversleigh (1968–1970) (34 episodes)

Carol Hawkins as Sharon Eversleigh (1971) (1 episode), Hawkins also played the role in the 1971 film spin-off and the sequel series The Fenn Street Gang.

Malcolm McFee as Peter Craven (1968–1970) (34 episodes)

Leon Vitali as Peter Craven (1971) (1 episode)

George Georghiou pupil 1968 - 1971 (20 episodes)

Charles Bolton as Godber (13 episodes)

Shirley Cheriton as Pat (1971) (3 episodes)

Rosemary Faith as Daisy (12 episodes)

Brinsley Forde as Herman (1971) (2 episodes)

Billy Hamon as Des (12 episodes)

David Howe as Colin Lovelace (1970–1971) (6 episodes)

Linda Joliff as Elizabeth Jane Tye (1971) (2 episodes)

Barry McCarthy as Terry Stringer (12 episodes)

Drina Pavlovic as Celia (12 episodes)

Other

Jill Kerman as Penny Hedges (nee Wheeler) (1968–1972) (36 episodes)

Ann Lancaster as Mrs Pearce (1968) (2 episodes)

Barbara Mitchell as Mrs Abbott (1969–1970) (2 episodes)

Susan Richards as Madge Smith (2 episodes)

Episodes

NOTE: All of these episode descriptions have been taken from the DVD sleeves of the Please Sir DVDs, released by Network (In Australia, Series One and Two are available as one set of DVDs, Series Three (along with the 1971 Please Sir movie) as another).

Note: The first series was in an experimental 40-minute format (to fit in a 45-minute slot). Repeats of some first series episodes were later edited down into the standard 25-minute (half hour) runtime, losing a considerable amount of footage (and on occasion, plot detail) as a result. The remaining episodes were in the traditional 25-minute format (to fit in a 30-minute slot)

The transmission dates and times reflect the listings for the London ITV region. Listings for the alternative ITV regions are not indicated.

Series 1 (1968)

This series was recorded and transmitted in black and white on the VHF 405-line TV system.

Series 2 (1969)

All of these episodes were made in colour, although all the episodes up to The Generation Gap were transmitted in monochrome, as ITV began colour transmission on Saturday 15 November 1969. All were shown in colour in a repeat run, seen in some ITV regions in early 1970.

Series 3 (1970)

The final three episodes of this series were affected by the ITV Colour Strike, which affected all ITV programmes recorded between November 1970 and March 1971. As a result of this industrial action, these affected episodes were recorded and transmitted in black and white.

Series 4 (1971-1972)

Unlike the previous series, episodes were initially broadcast on a Saturday. However, there was a week's break in transmission between Episode 14 (Old Fennians Day) and Episode 15 (What Are You Incinerating). When it returned it was broadcast in a Sunday night slot. This was only in London. In the other ITV regions, it continued to be broadcast on Saturdays at 6:30pm, so the rest of the nation saw the last 7 episodes of this series one day before Londoners saw them.

Characters

Staff

Mr Bernard Hedges (Portrayed by John Alderton). A teacher fresh out of training. He was allocated Class 5C, the most unruly form in the school, at the beginning of term. At first relations were frosty between Bernard and Class 5C, but gradually Bernard gained the respect of his class and the rest of the staff. As the series progressed, he is shown to be a caring and very fair teacher and would always defend his form, regardless of how much evidence is put towards them.

In the movie, he met air stewardess Penny Wheeler. After misinterpreting a 'few white lies' made by a pupil accidentally left behind, Penny began to take shine to Bernard. After a period of dating, Bernard attempted to propose to Penny but she already said yes before he could complete his sentence and they got engaged and later married.

Shortly after Bernard got married, a new term started and he was allocated Class 4C. However, it was not quite the same as 5C. He later resigned and left at the end of Series 4 episode 2 to take a course in Sociology at the University of London..

Mr Norman Potter (Portrayed by Deryck Guyler). The pedantic and officious school caretaker. His speech is peppered with malapropisms. He claimed to have been a Desert Rat and constantly complains about the unruly behaviour of Hedges' class 5C. He is fiercely loyal (to the point of sycophancy) to the headmaster but a thorn in the side of the rest of the staff. His various comeuppances provide much of the ongoing humour of the sitcom. He often talks of his wife Ruby but she is never seen on-screen.

Mr Maurice Cromwell (Portrayed by Noel Howlett). The Headteacher – nicknamed "Oliver"– is a well-meaning, idealistic and liberal figure. He is also utterly ineffectual. He is admired and consistently flattered by his deputy Miss Ewell and caretaker Potter but regarded more ambivalently by Hedges and Price. He is the only person in the school who is unable to see through Potter's trouble-making and incompetence and sometimes ends up in childish arguments with the otherwise mild-mannered Mr Smith. Later in the Series his relationship with Miss Ewell becomes more strained but he does make a bond with new teacher Miss Petting.