Fairly Secret Army episode 1 -Geoffrey Palmer - comedy channel 4 - 1984
Vložit
- čas přidán 20. 06. 2014
- Here's the first episode of series one of the brilliant comedy "Fairly Secret Army" starring the brilliant Geoffrey Palmer it was broadcast in 1984 in the early days of Channel 4,strangely this excellent series which despite getting poor press reviews at the time lasted for a second series,but has never been repeated or released on vhs or dvd video. I seem to be the only one who recorded it at the time for my collection. Mid way through this you will see a short interlude sequence which I have shortened for this upload which channel 4 used at the time to fill up for a lack of advertising.Amazingly channel 4 in an age when their were only 4 TV channels in the UK was unable to find sufficient advertisers to fill its advertising slots,but they soon remedied the situation as advertisers woke up to the new TV channels potential. I always felt the series owed a debt to the early 1970's Hanna Barbara comedy cartoon series "Wait Til Your Father Gets Home" starring Tom Bosley which featured a right wing "Reds under the Beds" character called Ralph,but I seem to be the only one that has noticed this similarity to the Reginald Perrin "Jimmy" Character who was Renamed Major Harry Truscott character for this very funny series.Perhaps it is just a coincidence,but I spotted the .similarity as soon as I first watched this series in 1984.
Fairly Secret Army is a British sitcom which ran to thirteen episodes over two series between 1984 and 1986. Though not a direct spin-off from The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin, the lead character, Major Harry Truscott, was very similar to Geoffrey Palmer's character of Jimmy in that series, and the scripts were written by Reginald Perrin's creator and writer David Nobbs.
Harry Kitchener Wellington Truscott (ex Queen's Own West Mercian Lowlanders) is an inept and slightly barmy ex-army man intent on training a group of highly unlikely people into a secret paramilitary organisation. This idea first emerged in an episode of Perrin when Jimmy confided the plan to Reggie (who rubbished it) and was based on persistent though unsubstantiated rumours in the 1970s press that right wing generals were secretly planning a coup to rescue Britain from union militancy. The character's name was changed due to Fairly Secret Army being broadcast on Channel 4, and the television rights to The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin and its characters being held by the BBC.
The first series was script edited by John Cleese, whose training films company was responsible for the series. The series did not have a laughter track.[1] Nobbs only started work on the show when he turned down an offer to write a spin-off sitcom for Manuel of Fawlty Towers. - Zábava
They broke the mould when they made him , never be another like him , a true one off great man and actor !
I'm 85 and i've never seen this before - what have i been doing; this is the very essence of British understated comedy. Geoffrey Palmer was one of those actors who was in everything, but never a star in his own right. So many British actors and actresses were like that - 'always the bridesmaid, never the bride' but they were saught after the world over because they did the job and they did it without fuss and never let the side down. The amount of truly great acting talent that this country has produced is amazing and that, by itself, is the reason why they couldn't all become stars. Most British journeymen thespians could act the pants off most of the Hollywood box office stars and British script-writing made their characters so much more believable. RIP to an unsung hero of mine.
MIssed this first time round. Cock up on the TV watching front.
Made me laugh :D
R.I.P. Geoffrey Palmer. This was a forgotten gem
Loved this first time round, same this time. RIP the wonderful Geoffrey Palmer.
Added this to my watchlist only earlier this week. Fascinated by the character in Reggie Perrin and didn't even realise he'd (sort of) had his own series until recently. Today's sad news has prompted me to put it on. RIP Geoffrey Palmer, one of the all-time greats.
Me too. Thsi is a nice tribute. czcams.com/video/IH8VztBX2do/video.html
In case you missed it, Geoffrey stars in BBC radio's High Table, Lower Orders, a comic mystery over two series, about skulduggery in a fictional Cambridge college. He is at his sparkling best, the dry wit and easy intelligence on top form. It is still available on Radio Sounds and as a download. Enjoy.
“I’m a doctor and l want my sausages”
I remember that too, "Fatty Owls".
RIP Geoffrey Palmer 1927-2020
So glad I found this. Brilliant series. Haven't seen it since the 80s.
Thank you so very much. This was a show that my father and I enjoyed watching together and it is a delight to see it again.
Aw, that is wonderful! You are blessed to have enjoyed this with your dad. A most precious memory. Thanks for sharing :)
Just found this post. Bloody wonderful. Best comedy EVER. I recorded them all but I had a very poor signal from Channel 4 in its infancy, living in the sticks. Belated thanks! I'll chuck my old tapes away now!
many thanks for uploading this series. it's new for me
Fantastic save on the VCR, I boggle at the stuff I recorded and kept back in the which now sits gathering dust in my parents attic! Blott on the Landscape, Private Shultz, Dead Head, Edge of Darkness to name just a few. One day I'll dig them out and whack them on YT...
thanks for sharing
watching this for the first time in 2016 . what a GREAT show.
Well done that man!
I saw this run only once on PBS in Minneapolis/St. Paul. I wish this
series was on DVD. It wasn't among the venerated classic Brit-Coms but I
loved it all the same.
Hello damienouija.
A Fairly Secret Army IS available on DVD, from Amazon. It's not cheap, but if you have $70 or so, just lying around, or if you can ponce it off Curly, you could get the full 13 episode series. Its was on the air about the same length of time as Fawlty Towers. Good luck mate.
"Well done, that man"! Can't get enough of that! Thanks for posting.
+Isobel in Ottawa I watched this when it was first broadcast, when I was at Uni...and I picked up that phrase, still use it but forgot where I picked it up from ...until now..Ha
+Hoss Hoskins "Well done that Man" Memories Difficult Blighters ha ha
What an amazing theme tune at the end by Michael Nyman!
Same guy who wrote theme of "the piano"
Brilliant, thank you so much! Going forward, a message to the rights holder, a Blu-ray of this would make my Christmas!
What a Great Actor !
I loved this show. Thanks - please give us more
Best theme tune ever
Wonderful
Great series, many thanks for posting.
videocurios
Thanks a lot for uploading this series-never saw it before but looks promising-Geoffrey excellent in the role-all the best Tom
Thanks for sharing, amazing this was never released considering the junk that was put out to video and DVD. Now, if I could only find John Alderton in "Father's Day" - that truly is a lost cause I think.
Fantastic series! Wonderful cast! Can't believe it wasn't promoted more at the time. Thank you so, so much for stepping up & posting this bit of gold Sir! :-D
RIP Geoffrey.
I remember this show, particularly the episode where he was in a VW van, and I guess he thought he was in first gear when he was actually in reverse ...
Absolutely marvellous. Thank you so much for sharing. Pleased to see Rodney of Only Fools putting in an appearance in the pub scene as well.
Thanks so much for posting this.
I've been looking for this! Many thanks for the upload!
RIP you legend
this takes me back
Thank you so much for posting these two series of a brilliant comedy. I have been scanning the DVD releases for quite some time in the hope it would appear and had almost given up any hope of seeing these again.
Great acting Geoff
Hey mate, like your Channel. great selection of interesting films
Been looking to see this series as I only caught a few on its orig. run, needs a DVD release!
"Whiskey please." Hilarious!
Guy robs a church not the typical opening act for a sitcom.
Okay Mr Shaw, I'll join your army.
GREAT!
Tricky blighters,
sit coms
Many thanks for this my family loved the show and wanted much more of it. Personally its a shame that this and Reggie Perrin were on different channels, as it would have been excellent if that were not the case. Because I would have liked to see Reggie and his wife pop up on Secret Army and vice versa.
Agree top tune👍
Diane Fletcher who was in House of Cards with Ian Richardson
Fairly Secret Army has two series for a total of 13 episodes: One (6), two (7). well worth watching.....
"Treacherous chaps, Women"
Solid chap, Harry. Methods a little unorthodox, but heart in right place. Country could do with a few more at moment.
Reimer Bard Exactly ha ha
Diane Fletcher was quite a catch.
So enjoying seeing this again! By the way, do you have the footage of that Channel 4 break-filler or any others? Would love to see them again !!
I probably do on the vhs recordings,but didnt i leave a bit on these uploads its repetive stuff anyway
Wasn't there some copyright reason why they couldn't use the Jimmy character from Reginald Perrin so they had to use an expy?
Hadn't come across expy before interesting here's what google came up with "An expy (short "exported character") is a character from one series who is unambiguously and deliberately based on a character in another, older series. A few minor traits, such as age or hair color, may change, but there's no doubt that they are almost one and the same
@@videocurios thank you for defining that term. good to know
Wonder if Mr. Geoffrey Palmer was a real Palmer or if it was a stage name.
Was the chairman of the magistrates the waiter in Rising Damp ?
The channel 4 logo is leaking!
Surprisingly amusing, after the awful Legacy of RP.
No pension?
Great show I do not recall it being shown more than once. Geoffrey Palmer at his lugubrious best. And just saying that pint of ale in the pub looked awful, flat as a witches tit!
Anyone interested in starting a secret army?
You're my first recruit Heno!
You'd be okay Duc, we'd put you in charge of moral.
Yes, but a chap like you would soon sort them out. I'll put you down for Brigadier.
Pinkie, I've got this great idea mate; an army of dwarfs. Think about it, you could smuggle them in anywhere. The little fuckers could infiltrate the entire government Plus, if they get blow up by terrorists, there'll be less mess to clean up. Brilliant or what!
What do you mean, 'if they get blow up?'
Was this a sit com? Comedy? I never quite knew never laughed once.
No its not the standard sitcom format, it's more of a parody,and if you understand it, it is much funnier than most sitcoms.
It was awful back then and it's worse now.
And it'll be 10 x worse in the future ha ha
Well would you expect Brian , it was on Channel 4
Duc de Richleau Sorry no havent ot those
Duc de Richleau I remember Lame Ducks. Few remember it which is a shame. I enjoyed it.