- Come Back Mrs. Noah
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Come Back Mrs. Noah 
Titlescreen of the series, featuring the Britannia Seven spacecraft.Genre Sitcom Created by Jeremy Lloyd
David CroftWritten by Jeremy Lloyd
David CroftStarring Mollie Sugden
Ian Lavender
Donald Hewlett
Michael Knowles
Gorden KayeCountry of origin United Kingdom No. of episodes 6 Production Running time 30 minutes Broadcast Original channel BBC1 Original run 13 December 1977 – 14 August 1978 Come Back Mrs. Noah is a British sitcom that aired on BBC1 from 1977 to 1978. Starring Mollie Sugden and Ian Lavender, it was written by Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft, who had also written Are You Being Served?, which had also starred Mollie Sugden. Joke banter was recycled off other series, and outrageously strange props were used. Come Back Mrs Noah was not a success, with some regarding it as one of the worst British sitcoms ever made.[1][2]
Contents
Cast
- Mollie Sugden - Mrs. Gertrude Noah
- Ian Lavender - Clive Cunliffe
- Donald Hewlett - Carstairs
- Michael Knowles - Fanshaw
- Gorden Kaye - TV Presenter
- Tim Barrett - Garfield Hawk
- Joe Black - Garstang
- Ann Michelle - Scarth Dare
- Jennifer Lonsdale - Technician
Plot
In 2050, a British housewife called Gertrude Noah wins a cookery competition, and the prize is a tour of Britannia Seven, the UK's new Space Exploration Vehicle. In the pilot episode, the craft is accidentally sent blasting off into space with Mrs Noah and a small crew on it. The series then centres on efforts to bring Mrs Noah back down to Earth. The news bulletins on Earth, read by Gorden Kaye, revealed countries like the USA and Germany had to turn to Britain, the most successful nation on Earth, for help. After a failed effort to nudge the craft into the Earth's atmosphere, the series concluded with Mrs. Noah, and crew, careening off uncontrollably to the depths of space.
Episodes
Pilot (1977)
# Title Original airdate 1 "Pilot" 13 December 1977 Series One (1978)
# Title Original airdate 2 "In Orbit" 17 July 1978 It is 23 June 2050, and Far and Wide (a parody of Nationwide)reports on a debate in the Commons about the accidental launch of "Britannia Seven". Carstairs wife Rowena (Diana King) and Mrs. Noah's husband (Norman Mitchell) send messages to the space ship via Far and Wide. Shortly after, they make themselves scrambled eggs. The crew down on Earth fail to take off in their first rescue attempt. Clive and Mrs. Noah then go to the sleeping quarters, and find the toilet is on the wall and have to use magnetic shoes to use it. A time lock causes them to be stuck in the bedroom on their own for eight hours. 3 "To the Rescue" 24 July 1978 4 "Who Goes Home?" 31 July 1978 5 "The Housing Problem" 7 August 1978 6 "The Last Chance" 14 August 1978 Other countries
Come Back Mrs Noah was also shown in the Netherlands, starting on 30 June 1979. It was also aired in Australia and on several Public television stations in the United States.
References
- Mark Lewisohn, "Radio Times Guide to TV Comedy", BBC Worldwide Ltd, 2003
- Come Back Mrs Noah at the British TV Comedy Guide
Footnotes
- ^ "BBC Comedy Guide". BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/articles/c/comebackmrsnoah_1299000654.shtml.
- ^ Come Back Mrs. Noah at the former BBC Guide to Comedy, URL accessed 7th July 2010
External links
- Come Back Mrs Noah at BBC Online
- Come Back Mrs. Noah at the British Comedy Guide
- Come Back Mrs. Noah at the Internet Movie Database
David Croft sitcoms Dad's Army (1968) • Birds in the Bush (1972) • Are You Being Served? (1972) • It Ain't Half Hot Mum (1974) • Come Back Mrs. Noah (1977) • Hi-de-Hi! (1980) • Oh Happy Band! (1980) • 'Allo 'Allo! (1982) • You Rang, M'Lord? (1988) • Grace & Favour (1992) • Which Way to the War (1994) • Oh, Doctor Beeching! (1995) • Here Comes the Queen (2008)Categories:- 1977 in British television
- 1977 British television programme debuts
- 1978 television series endings
- 1970s British television series
- BBC television sitcoms
- British science fiction television programmes
- David Croft sitcoms
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