Pardon the Expression

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Pardon the Expression
Starring	Arthur Lowe Paul Dawkins (series 1) Robert Dorning (series 2) Betty Driver Joy Stewart
No. of series	2
No. of episodes	36
Production
Producers	Harry Driver (series 1) Derek Granger (series 2)
Production company	Granada Television
Original release
Network	ITV
Release	2 June 1965 (1965-06-02) – 27 June 1966 (1966-06-27)
Related
Coronation Street Turn Out the Lights

Pardon The Expression was an ITV sitcom made by Granada Television, that was first broadcast from Wednesday 2 June 1965 to Monday 27 June 1966. The sitcom was one of four spin-offs from the soap opera Coronation Street. Pardon the Expression itself had a spin-off: Turn Out the Lights, broadcast in 1967. There was not another spin-off until the 1980s with The Brothers McGregor, which reused two characters (played by different actors) who appeared in a single episode.

Leonard Swindley, played by Arthur Lowe was the central character. Formerly the manager of the fashion retail store "Gamma Garments" in Coronation Street, in this series he is the deputy manager of the department store Dobson and Hawks. His boss in the series was Ernest Parbold, played by Paul Dawkins, who was replaced by Wally Hunt, played by Robert Dorning, in series 2. Other regulars were Betty Driver as canteen lady Mrs Edgeley, and Joy Stewart as Miss Sinclair, the boss's secretary. Another member of the cast was John Le Mesurier, who later reunited with Arthur Lowe in the classic comedy Dad's Army.

Cast[edit]

• Arthur Lowe as Leonard Swindley
• Betty Driver as Mrs Edgeley
• Joy Stewart as Miss Sinclair
• Paul Dawkins as Ernest Parbold (series 1)
• Barbara Young as Pam Plummer (series 1)
• Holly Doone as Mavis Foster (series 1)
• Robert Dorning as Wally Hunt (series 2)
• Anthony Sharp as Brigadier Hawk (series 2)
• John Le Mesurier as Sir Charles Dobson (series 2)
• Julian Holloway as Norman Burton (series 2)
• John Barron as Lord Penge (series 2)

Episodes[edit]

Series 1 (1965)[edit]

• "The First Day" (2 Jun 65)
• "The Headmistress" (9 Jun 65)
• "The Trouble With Ada" (16 Jun 65)
• "Mannequin Parade" (23 Jun 65)
• "The Dance" (30 Jun 65)
• "The Wedding" (7 Jul 65)
• "The Pensioner" (14 Jul 65)
• "The Visitor" (21 Jul 65)
• "Birthday Present" (28 Jul 65)
• "Little Boy Lost" (4 Aug 65)
• "The Old One Two" (11 Aug 65)
• "The Brain Drain" (18 Aug 65)

Series 2 (1966)[edit]

• "The Economy Drive" (10 Jan 66)
• "January Sale" (17 Jan 66)
• "The Resignation" (24 Jan 66)
• "Self Defence" (31 Jan 66)
• "The Stocktaking" (7 Feb 66)
• "The Home Help" (14 Feb 66)
• "Big Hotel" (21 Feb 66)
• "The Gaol Birds" (28 Feb 66)
• "A Night To Remember" (7 Mar 66)
• "Whose Baby Are You?" (21 Mar 66)
• "The Take-Over Bid" (28 Mar 66)
• "Between The Covers" (4 Apr 66)
• "Heads Down" (11 Apr 66)
• "A Sheik In The Night" (18 Apr 66)
• "Rustle Of Spring" (25 Apr 66)
• "The Ghost Of Batsworth Castle" (2 May 66)
• "The Sailor Home From The Sea" (9 May 66)
• "The Dinner Party" (16 May 66)
• "Man's Best Friend" (23 May 66)
• "Thunderfinger – Part 1" (30 May 66)
• "Thunderfinger – Part 2: Swindley Strikes Back" (6 Jun 66)
• "The Switched-On Scene" (13 Jun 66)
• "The Cup That Cheers" (20 Jun 66)
• "On Health Farm Sommet Stirs" (27 Jun 66)

Home media[edit]

Both series of Pardon the Expression were released (separately) in 2009, A 6-Disc set of the complete series has been released on 12 December 2011, just two years later.

External links[edit]

• Pardon the Expression at British Comedy Guide
• Pardon the Expression review