Come Back Mrs. Noah
| Come Back Mrs. Noah | |
|---|---|
 Titlescreen of the series, featuring the Britannia Seven spacecraft. | |
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Created by |
Jeremy Lloyd David Croft |
| Written by |
Jeremy Lloyd David Croft |
| Starring |
Mollie Sugden Ian Lavender Donald Hewlett Michael Knowles Gorden Kaye |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| No. of episodes | 6 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | David Croft |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC1 |
| Original release |
13 December 1977 – 14 August 1978 |
Come Back Mrs. Noah is a British sitcom starring Mollie Sugden that aired on BBC1 from 17 July to 14 August 1978 with a pilot broadcast on 13 December 1977. It was written by Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft, who had also written Are You Being Served? which also starred Mollie Sugden. Joke banter was recycled from 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]
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, British housewife 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 to Earth. The news bulletins on Earth, read by Gorden Kaye, revealed countries like the United States 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, careering off uncontrollably to the depths of space.
Episodes
| No | Title | Directed by: | Written by: | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | "Pilot" | Bob Spiers | David Croft, Jeremy Lloyd | 13 December 1977 |
| 1 | "In Orbit" | Bob Spiers | David Croft, Jeremy Lloyd | 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. | ||||
| 2 | "To the Rescue" | Bob Spiers | David Croft, Jeremy Lloyd | 24 July 1978 |
| 3 | "Who Goes Home?" | Bob Spiers | David Croft, Jeremy Lloyd | 31 July 1978 |
| 4 | "The Housing Problem" | Bob Spiers | David Croft, Jeremy Lloyd | 7 August 1978 |
| 5 | "The Last Chance" | Bob Spiers | David Croft, Jeremy Lloyd | 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.
- ↑ Come Back Mrs. Noah at the former BBC Guide to Comedy, URL accessed 7 July 2010
External links
- Come Back Mrs Noah at BBC Online
- Come Back Mrs. Noah at British Comedy Guide
- Come Back Mrs. Noah at the Internet Movie Database