All Gas and Gaiters - A listing of both TV and Radio Series

BBC Clerical Comedy All Gas And Gaiters

All Gas And Gaiters
Television & Radio

First Uploaded November 18 2001

Radio Series Page

Episode Listing

TV Archives

L to R Robertson Hare, William Mervyn & Derek Nimmo
BBC Clerical comedy TV series, set around the cathedral of St. Oggs. It started life as a Comedy Playhouse episode "The Bishop Rides Again", in 1966. Created and written by Edwin Apps and Pauline Devaney, although this episode went out under the pseudonym of John Wraith. Apps was best known for playing the part of Mr. Halliforth in the TV series Whack-0! There were 32 more episodes in 5 Series, up to 1971.

Cast
Mervyn Noote........Derek Nimmo
The Bishop........William Mervyn
The Archdeacon........Robertson Hare
The Dean ......John Barron (Pilot, Series 1,4,5)
The Dean.....Ernest Clark (Series 2-3)

L to R Ernest Clark, William Mervyn & Derek Nimmo

All episodes were adapted by the writers for BBC Radio 4 and broadcast in a series of 13 in 1971, followed by a series of 20 in 1972.
Series One featured Derek Nimmo, but he was unavailable for Series Two, and the part of Noote was played by Jonathan Cecil.

Episode Listing

Television	TV date	Radio	Radio date

The Bishop Rides Again (Comedy Playhouse)	660517	1/1	710105

Television	TV date	Radio	Radio date

Series One (Jan - Mar 1967)
1. The Bishop Gets The Sack	670131	2/17	720814
2. The Bishop Meets A Bird	670207	1/3	710119
3. The Bishop Writes A Sermon	670214	1/2	710112
4. The Bishop Sees A Ghost	670221	1/5	710202
5. The Bishop Turns To Crime	670228	1/4	710126
6. Only Three Can Play	670307	1/6	710209

Series Two (Nov - Dec 1967)
1. The Dean Goes Primitive	671124	1/7	710216
2. The Bishop Gives A Party	671201	1/9	710302
3. The Bishop Gets A Letter	671208	1/8	710223
4. The Bishop Goes To Town	671215	1/10	710309
5. Give A Dog A Bad Name	671222	1/11	710316
6. The Bishop Gives A Shove	671229	1/12	710323

Series Three (Jan - Feb 1969)
1. The Bishop Learns The Facts	690108	2/14	720724
2. The Bishop Has A Flutter	690115	2/18	720821
3. The Bishop Is Hospitable	690122	2/27	721023
4. The Bishop Pays A Visit	690129	1/13	710331
5. The Bishop Takes A Holiday	690205	2/15	720731
6. The Affair At Cookham Lock	690212	2/19	720828
7. The Bishop Keeps His Diary	690219	2/30	721113

Television	TV date	Radio	Radio date

Series Four (Apr - May 1970)
1. The Bishop Buys A Car	700415	2/16	720807
2. The Bishop Gains A Reputation	700422	2/23	720925
3. The Bishop Loves His Neighbour	700429	2/20	720904
4. The Bishop Beats The System	700506	2/21	720911
5. The Bishop Buys A Mug	700513	2/24	721002
6. When In Rome	700520	2/26	721016
7. The Bishop Takes Up Business	700527	2/29	721106

Series Five (May - June 1971)
1. The Bishop Warms Up ***	710513	2/31	721120
2. The Bishop Entertains ***	710520	2/22	720918
3. The Bishop Gives A Present	710527	2/28	721030
4. The Bishop Shows His Loyalty	710603	2/32	721127
5. The Bishop Has A Rest	710610	2/33	721204
6. The Bishop Loses His Chaplain	710617	2/25	721009

Only 8 television episodes were preserved by the BBC, up to the middle of 2001, when both the pilot and the series one episode were returned by one of the writers in response to the BBC's Treasure Hunt Appeal.
Existing TV episodes are indicated in red. The programme was in colour from Series Four.
*** These episodes are only preserved as B & W telerecordings, not the original colour tapes.
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Thanks to Ian Beard for the UK broadcast dates of the Radio Series, & Archive Holdings information.