British Comedy: Ripping Yarns

Years: 1976-1979
Broadcaster: BBC
Genre: Comedy
Written by: Michael Palin, Terry Jones
Stars: Michael Palin
Episodes: 9
Episode Average: 6.444*

BEST EPISODES:
Escape From Stalag Luft 112B (1977), Murder at Moorstones Manor (1977)

*including pilot

PILOT

(1976)

PILOT

TOMKINSON'S SCHOOLDAYS

Originally broadcast: 27 December 2005
Directed by: Jim Franklin
Written by: Michael Palin, Terry Jones

TV Introducer
(Michael Palin)

Director
(Terry Jones)

Tomkinson
(Michael Palin)

Headmaster
(Michael Palin)

Chaplain
(John Wentworth)

Grayson
(Ian Ogilvy)

Mummy
(Gwen Watford)

Mr. Moodie
(Terry Jones)

Mr. Ellis
(Terry Jones)

Mr. Craffitt
(Michael Palin)

Tomkinson struggles to cope with the horrors of life at boarding school, his mother insists that his father's absence means that he must stay on, and an escape attempt sees him selected for the school hopping team.

"Who said that? Shut up! Who was it? Right! The entire back three rows will come and beat me this evening."

HOLY GODIVA 4 - ONION JACK 4
TOTAL: 8

SERIES ONE

(1977)
5 episodes
Series Score: 35
Episode Average: 7.00
Perfect 10's: 1

S1E1

THE TESTING OF ERIC OLTHWAITE

Originally broadcast: 27 September 1977
Directed by: Jim Franklin
Written by: Michael Palin, Terry Jones

Eric Olthwaite
(Michael Palin)

Mrs. Olthwaite
(Barbara New)

Mr. Olthwaite
(John Barrett)

Irene Olthwaite
(Anita Carey)

Mrs. Bag
(Liz Smith)

Mr. Bag
(Reg Lye)

Enid Bag
(Petra Markham)

Bank Manager
(Michael Palin)

Robber
(Kenneth Colley)

Chauffeur
(Roger Avon)

Clifford Kershaw
(Mayor)

Eric Olthwaite is stunned when his family decide to run away from home, a visit to his girlfriend's house reveals that they all found him boring, and an attempt to be more interesting sees him caught up in a bank robbery.

"It was the same with me dad. He'd pretend to be French when he came in hoping I wouldn't have to talk to him."

HOLY GODIVA 4 - ONION JACK 4
TOTAL: 8

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S1E2

ESCAPE FROM STALAG LUFT 112B

Originally broadcast: 4 October 1977
Directed by: Jim Franklin
Written by: Michael Palin, Terry Jones

Major Errol Phipps
(Michael Palin)

Vogel
(Roy Kinnear)

Colonel Harcourt Badger Owen
(John Phillips)

Nicholson
(Timothy Carlton)

Attenborough
(David Griffin)

Biolek
(Julian Hough)

2nd Guard
(David English)

Cpl. Chipps
(Michael Palin)

Major Phipps' desire to escape sees him sent to an infamous POW camp, a fellow prisoner explains that all plans must be properly approved, and an overnight breakout leaves him as the only prisoner still on the camp.

"He's attempted five hundred and sixty escapes. Two hundred of them before he left England."

HOLY GODIVA 5 - ONION JACK 5
TOTAL: 10

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

S1E3

MURDER AT MOORSTONES MANOR

Originally broadcast: 11 October 1977
Directed by: Terry Hughes
Written by: Michael Palin, Terry Jones

Hugo Chiddingfold
(Michael Palin)

Charles Chiddingfold
(Michael Palin)

Lady Chiddingfold
(Isabel Dean)

Dr. Farson
(Iain Cuthbertson)

Father
(Frank Middlemass)

Manners
(Harold Innocent)

Dora
(Candace Glendenning)

Ruth
(Ann Zelda)

Hugo Chiddingfold abandons his fiancée en route to a family gathering, his father's murder signals the start of a dark and eventful evening, and his brother pushes to sort out his inheritance so can get back to London.

"What a disaster! I'd rather have a box of fish than a son like that."

HOLY GODIVA 5 - ONION JACK 4
TOTAL: 9

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

S1E4

ACROSS THE ANDES BY FROG

Originally broadcast: 18 October 1977
Directed by: Terry Hughes
Written by: Michael Palin, Terry Jones

Walter Snetterton
(Michael Palin)

Mr. Gregory
(Denholm Elliott)

Sgt. Major
(Don Henderson)

Old Woman
(Eileen Way)

1st Native
(Louis Mansi)

2nd Native
(Charles McKeown)

3rd Native
(John White)

Corporal
(Alan Leith)

Walter Snetterton tries to prove that frogs can survive at high altitudes, the FA Cup and Wimbledon mean that there is a shortage of guides, and the natives complain that the expedition is making the volcano restless.

"Above their heads, Sergeant Major, we don't want to lose their goodwill by killing them."

HOLY GODIVA 1 - ONION JACK 1
TOTAL: 2

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

S1E5

THE CURSE OF THE CLAW

Originally broadcast: 25 October 1977
Directed by: Jim Franklin
Written by: Michael Palin, Terry Jones

Kevin Orr
(Michael Palin)

Uncle Jack
(Michael Palin)

Kevin's Mother
(Hilary Mason)

Kevin's Father
(Tenniel Evans)

Captain Merson
(Keith Smith)

Grosvenor
(Aubrey Morris)

Chief Petty Officer Russell
(Judy Loe)

Lady Agatha
(Briget Armstrong)

Ship's Stoker
(Michael Stainton)

Ship's Engineer
(Vanessa Furse)

Kevin Orr knows why natives of the Naga Hills have arrived at his home,
a long hidden secret about a curse is shared with the expedition leader, and the story is told of how he set out to return a sacred claw to Burma.

"They exerted an iron discipline upon their children. They had my sister imprisoned for putting too much butter on her scone."

HOLY GODIVA 3 - ONION JACK 3
TOTAL: 6

SERIES TWO

(1977)
8 episodes
Series Score: 15
Episode Average: 5.00
Perfect 10's: 0

S2E1

WHINFREY'S LAST CASE

Originally broadcast: 10 October 1979
Directed by: Alan J.W. Bell
Written by: Michael Palin, Terry Jones

Gerald Whinfrey
(Michael Palin)

Mrs. Otway
(Maria Aitken)

Admiral Jefferson
(Anthony Carrick)

Mr. Girton
(Edward Hardwicke)

Carne
(Richard Hurndall)

General Chapman
(Jack May)

Lord Raglan
(Gerald Sim)

Old Lady
(Ann Way)

Smooth German
(Michael Sharvell-Martin)

Mr. Ferris
(Charles McKeown)

Gerald Whinfrey goes on holiday to avoid being the national hero again, the porter at a Cornish village station lies about it being the wrong stop, and a very worrying taxi journey leads to a strangely overstaffed cottage.

"We can save this war. And it can still be a great war. But if we should fail, I need hardly say, gentlemen, it could jeopardise our chances of ever having a war with the Germans again."

HOLY GODIVA 2 - ONION JACK 3
TOTAL: 5

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S2E2

GOLDEN GORDON

Originally broadcast: 17 October 1979
Directed by: Alan J.W. Bell
Written by: Michael Palin, Terry Jones

Gordon Ottershaw
(Michael Palin)

Mrs. Ottershaw
(Gwen Taylor)

Mr. Foggen
(Bill Fraser)

Chairman
(Teddy Turner)

Football Manager
(David Leland)

Barnstoneworth
(John Berlyne)

Cyril
(Ken Kitson)

'Baldy' Davitt
(Roger Sloman)

1st Footballer
(David Ellison)

2nd Footballer
(Colin Bennett)

3rd Footballer
(Matthew Scurfield)

Goalkeeper
(Charles McKeown)

Mrs. Foggen
(Pat Taylor)

Gordon Ottershaw is furious when the local football team lose yet again, the manager gets himself arrested after a meltdown about shorts, and the chairman announces that the club is to be sold off to a scrap dealer.

"Wrong! Barnstoneworth United hasn't been a football club for years. They've been a rest home for the physically incompetent. I could have had cows on that pitch for the last three years. They'd have paid for themselves, and scored more goals."

HOLY GODIVA 2 - ONION JACK 2
TOTAL: 4

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S2E3

ROGER OF THE RAJ

Originally broadcast: 24 October 1979
Directed by: Jim Franlin
Written by: Michael Palin, Terry Jones

Roger
(Michael Palin)

Lord Bartlesham
(Richard Vernon)

Lady Bartlesham
(Joan Sanderson)

Hopper
(Roger Brierley)

Colonel Runciman
(John Le Mesurier)

Miranda
(Jan Francis)

Major Daintry
(Allan Cuthbertson)

Captain Meredith
(David Griffin)

Captain Morrison
(Charles McKeown)

Captain Cooper
(David Warwick)

The Gamekeeper
(Michael Stainton)

1st Mutinous Officer
(Ken Shorter)

2nd Mutinous Officer
(Douglas Hinton)

Housemaid
(Dorothy Frere)

Roger Bartlesham starts to question the attitudes of his wealthy parents, several officers pay the price in India for daring to breach etiquette, and his sweetheart refuses to run away to England with him to open a shop.

"Oh, drat! Barty, we must not choose beaters who look like grouse. I just shot Barlow."

HOLY GODIVA 3 - ONION JACK 3
TOTAL: 6