Comedy greats Jimmy Jewel and Hylda Baker star as Eli Pledge and his sister Nellie, in the classic, award-winning comedy - Nearest And Dearest. The series was set in Colne, Lancashire, and the humour was definitely Northern through and through, as were the stars.
Aging lothario Eli and Nellie - virtuous to the last, but in possession of a wonderfully flexible grip on the English language - inherit clapped out condiment company Pledge's Purer Pickles from their father, a delapidated factory, a difficult workforce, 12 tons of pickled onions, and storerooms full of assorted vegetables. If this were not enough to cope with, the siblings couldn't stand each other, frequently hurling abuse and insults with deadly aim. It would appear that this was also the case off-screen for the two stars, and whether true or not, the performance on screen is superb.
The series, like most successful TV sitcoms, lead to a feature film of the same name, and, more unusual, a stage show at the Grand Theatre in Blackpool in 1970. It was even exported to the US, where their version was entitled Thicker Than Water (it being just a coincidence that Jimmy Jewel starred in a BBC sitcom of the same name in 1969), but only ran for one season.
Network DVD have now released 6 of the 7 series and I have a copy of the latest release, series 6, to give away. All I would like to know is the answer to this simple question.
Jimmy Jewel and his cousin, Ben Warriss, had a hugely popular radio series. What was it called?
Answers should be sent here with NEAREST in the header, and don't forget to include the correct answer, your name, your address, and a contact telephone number.
And now for the small print: The competition closes at midnight on the 5th March and the winners will be advised as soon as they are pulled from the virtual hat. The competition is only open to UK residents, no correspondence will be entered into and the judges decision is final (so there). The British Comedy and Drama Website is not responsible for the prizes and are running the competition on behalf of third parties.
:: Series 1
It Comes To Us AllLead Me To The Altar
The Danger List
Take A Letter
You Make Me Feel So Young
The Wrong Side Of The Sheets
:: Series 2
A Breach Of The PeaceWish You Were Here
The Deon Drink
All You Wish Yourself
Now Is The Hour
:: Series 3
This series was recorded in colour but broadcast in black and white.
What Seems To Be The Trouble?The Birds And The Bees
Get Up Them Stairs
The Power Behind The Throne
Getting To Know You
Two Pennies To Rub Together
:: Series 4
A Price On YOur HeadA Young Man's Fancy
When You've Got to Go
When Love Walks In
An Open and Shut Case
:: Series 5
Make Yourself At HomeCompliments Of The Season
Barefaced In The Park
A Man And A Woman
Bottoms Up
X Marks The Spot
Something In The Night
Lucky For Some
:: Series 6
For Better, For WorseA Place In The Sun
The Female Of The Species
Workers' Playtime
The Right Spirit
A Question Of Taste
A Pair Of Bloomers
This particular release has a couple of extras. The first is Hylda Baker being interviewed by Russell Harty on his chat show in 1972 and the second is a performance of You're the One That I Want from Hylda Baker and Arthur Mullard on the pop show Get It Together in 1978.