Classic ITV sitcom returning to TV – 50 years after first episode
THAT’S TV’s Christmas channel is treating viewers to a cosy winter period this year by bringing back a classic ITV sitcom 50 years after it first aired.
It’s officially the start of the festive season as That’s Christmas launches on all major TV platforms with a schedule packed full of very nostalgic shows from the 70s and 80s.
The channel, which launched yesterday (October 16) on Freeview, Sky and Virgin, will broadcast festive entertainment including many classics first seen during the holiday seasons of yesteryear, bringing back much-loved characters from Christmas past such as Rik Mayall, John Thaw and Bruce Forsyth.
But the biggest programme coming to the channel is the classic sitcom Rising Damp which stars Leonard Rossiter, Don Warrington and Frances de la Tour.
Rising Damp ran for four seasons from 1974 to 1978 on ITV and included in that is a particularly memorable Christmas episode from 1975.
The episode, titled For the Man Who Has Everything, sees Rigsby (Leonard) at home on his own for Christmas. He is briefly visited by the milkman, then by the postwoman—who delivers a card which Rigsby sent to himself.
Of course, comedy ensues when Alan (Richard Beckinsdale) and Brenda (Gabrielle Rose) arrive, believing that Rigsby would be spending Christmas at his brother’s house, followed by Philip (Don) and Lucy (Elizabeth Adare). Rigsby fails in his attempts to kiss Brenda and Lucy.
Rising Damp will be available to watch on That’s Christmas, along with a number of long forgotten sitcoms.
As That’s Christmas Head of Programming, Kris Vaiksalu, pointed out: “Watching age-old comedy is a national Christmas tradition but for some years many of these favourites have been missing from the festivities.”
So remedying that, That’s Christmas is marking the significant anniversaries of a number of seminal UK comedy series’ by showing:
- Oh No It’s Selwyn Froggitt – celebrating 50 years since the first episode of the popular sitcom starring Bill Maynard set in the fictional Yorkshire town of Scarsdale.
- Rising Damp – marking 50 years of the legendary sitcom starring Leonard Rossiter.
- A Bit of a Do – marking 35 years of the famous comedy starring David Jason and Gwen Taylor (not broadcast on any UK-wide television channel since 2016).
- Stay Lucky – marking 35 years of the comedy-drama about a small-time gangster starring Dennis Waterman and Jan Francis (not broadcast on any UK television channel for over a decade).
- Duty Free – commemorating 30 years since the launch of the classic comedy about adulterous holiday-makers starring Keith Baron and Gwen Taylor.
Best 80s sitcoms
We take a look at some of the best sitcoms to air on TV in the 80s.
The Simpsons
This satirical depiction of life in the US was developed by Matt Groening, James L. Brooks, and Sam Simon. It first launched in 1989 and has been going ever since as viewers tune in to see the antics of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, Maggie and the rest of the Springfield residents. With over 35 series making it onto the television airwaves, it has become one of the most famous and long-running television shows in history.
Only Fools And Horses
Widely accepted as one of the best British sitcoms of all time, Only Fools and Horses has made viewers laugh for decades. Seven series of the show were made for the BBC One from 1981 for ten years. Set in working-class Peckham, it starred Sir David Jason in his most famous role as the infamous market trader Derek “Del Boy” Trotter. Nicholas Lyndhurst starred as his younger half-brother, Rodney Trotter. In 2004, it was voted as Britain’s Best Sitcom in a BBC poll.
Full House
The US sitcom Full House was created in 1987 with Bob Saget starring father-of-three Danny Tanner. After his wife died, he called in the help of his brother-in-law Jesse (John Stamos) and best friend Joey (Dave Coulier) to move in and help raise his young daughters, DJ (Candace Cameron Bure), Stephanie (Jodie Sweetin) and Michelle (Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen). After eight series, the show came to an end before Netflix revived the franchise for a spin-off, Fuller House.
Golden Girls
Seven series aired from 1985 until 1992. It followed Four women – who were previously married – moved in together in a shared apartment in Miami. Together, they faced various struggles and encounter comical situations in their daily lives. Bea Arthur, Betty White, Rue McClanahan, and Estelle Getty starred in roles that short them to superstardom.
Cheers
1982 was the year that saw the inception of Cheers. An eclectic group of people from all different paths of life meet at a bar Cheers. The boston boozer sees the group share their experiences as they work and drank at the establishment. It starred the likes of Ted Danson, Shelley Long, Rhea Perlman. Huge names such as Kelsey Grammer, Woody Harrelson and Kirstie Alley also starred in the hit series.
Growing Pains
Dr. Jason Seaver (Alan Thicke) is a psychiatrist who works from home so his wife, Maggie (Joanna Kerns), can resume her career as a journalist. They share three children, Mike (Kirk Cameron), Carol (Tracey Gold), and Ben (Jeremy Miller). This was before their precocious daughter Chrissy (Ashley Johnson) was born. The programme tackled topical issues such as drugs, suicide, peer pressure and alcohol.
- The New Statesman – the political satire starring Rik Mayall as the dastardly scrooge Sir Alan B’Stard – returning to screens 30 years after the last episode was made (not broadcast on any UK-wide television channel for over a decade).
- Second Thoughts – marking 30 years since the end of the popular sitcom starring Lynda Bellingham and James Bolam.
To mark the festive period, there will of course be plenty of Christmas specials episodes, too.
That’s Christmas has teased a huge selection of iconic Christmas TV specials from the archives including Carry on Christmas, Tommy Cooper, Birds of a Feather, Robin’s Nest, Shelley, For the Love of Ada, After Henry, Never the Twain and Hallelujah! starring Thora Hird.
In addition, That’s Christmas will be showcasing many other beloved shows to keep viewers entertained, including:
- Only When I Laugh – the sitcom set in an NHS hospital starring James Bolam, Peter Bowles and Richard Wilson.
- Home To Roost – starring John Thaw as a happily-divorced singleton and Reece Dinsdale as his teenage son.
- Sunday Night at the London Palladium – surviving episodes from the 1960s of the variety show hosted by Bruce Forsyth and featuring the biggest stars of the day.
- Doctor in Charge – representing the comic misadventures of a group of doctors.
- Best Xmas Music – celebrating the biggest and best Christmas songs of all time.
Kris said: “Part of what makes Christmas such a special time of year is knowing the evenings will be lit up with some of the greatest TV shows ever made. There are so many special anniversaries we wanted to mark this year with it being the 50th year since Selwyn Froggitt, the 40th since Rising Damp and the 35th since A Bit of A Do and Stay Lucky.
“We’re excited to be able to showcase these all-time classics, representing an important part of our national TV heritage, as part of our comedy festival this Christmas season.”
That’s Christmas will broadcast free-to-air 24/7 across the UK on Freeview channel 71, Sky channel 191 and Virgin Media channel 296, replacing the That’s TV 3 channel until January 2025.
The group’s other entertainment channels, That’s TV, and That’s TV 2, will continue to broadcast as normal with their regular mix of entertainment on most major TV platforms.