All Along the Watchtower (TV series)
Encyclopedia
All Along the Watchtower is a British
sitcom
that aired on BBC One
in 1999. About a RAF
base in Scotland
, it was written by Pete Sinclair and Trevelyan Evans. The show is not related to Bob Dylan's song of the same name.
officer, whose job is to survey and then recommend RAF bases for closure. The latest on the list is Nuclear Command Bunker no. K553/44FS, a massive concrete Cold War
facility and airstrip, which looms over the isolated Scottish fishing village of Auchnacluchnie. Far from being staffed by the 300 crew he expects, he is horrified to find the base is actually manned only by the eccentric, obtuse and war-ready Wing-Commander Campbell-Stokes and his gauche junior Airman Tench. All the other staff have been siphoned off over the years and never been replaced, resulting in RAF Auchnacluchnie receiving the full quota of supplies and budget for its supposed population. Campbell-Stokes and Tench have been left to eat from 50 litre tins of baked beans, make tea from 100,000 bag boxes of tea-bags, and keep ready for a war that will never come.
The startling state of affairs is considered just as bad by the local villagers, who see the base as an English establishment foisted upon them. Harrison decides to file a report recommending the base's closure, but meanwhile becomes smitten with Eilidh, the pub landlord's beautiful daughter. She single-handedly runs the local school while her boyfriend, the impressively muscular and unseen Hamish, is away working away on an oil rig
. Alongside his romantic longings, Harrison realises that closing the base will have a profound impact on the village's school (which only stays open because Eilidh pretends she cares for the children of the 300 base staff). Falsifying his report to London, he is dismayed to find it has not only been accepted but also that he has been posted to the airbase permanently. Campbell-Stokes and Tench quickly accept him into the fold.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
sitcom
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
that aired on BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
in 1999. About a RAF
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
base in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, it was written by Pete Sinclair and Trevelyan Evans. The show is not related to Bob Dylan's song of the same name.
Cast
- Chris LangChris LangChris Lang is a writer, actor, and producer for British television.He has written for British television shows including 'Alas Smith and Jones, The Bill, Casualty, Soldier Soldier, The Knock, Reach for the Moon, The Glass, Sirens, Unconditional Love, P.O.W., Amnesia, Lawless,The Palace, 'Primeval...
- Flight Lieutenant Simon Harrison - Roger Blake - Wing Commander Hilary Campbell-Stokes
- Felix Bell - Airman Tench
- Tony RoperTony Roper (actor)Tony Roper is a Scottish actor, comedian, playwright and writer.His first major starring role was in Scotch and Wry. He wrote the classic comedy-drama The Steamie in 1988. He achieved even greater fame in Naked Video and in the spin off series Rab C Nesbitt, in which he played Rab's...
- Iain Guthrie - Zoë Eeles - Eilidh Guthrie
- Tom WatsonTom Watson (actor)Tom Watson was a Scottish-born stage, television and film actor.- Early life :Thomas Welsh Watson was born on the 21 March 1932 at Auchinleck, Ayrshire, Scotland. His family subsequently moving to Cambuslang, Lanarkshire, he attended the Hamilton Academy school where he excelled in amateur dramatics...
- Douggie Maclaggan - George Glen - Mrs Mulvey
Plot
The series focuses on Flight Lieutenant Harrison, a young up-and-coming RAFRoyal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
officer, whose job is to survey and then recommend RAF bases for closure. The latest on the list is Nuclear Command Bunker no. K553/44FS, a massive concrete Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
facility and airstrip, which looms over the isolated Scottish fishing village of Auchnacluchnie. Far from being staffed by the 300 crew he expects, he is horrified to find the base is actually manned only by the eccentric, obtuse and war-ready Wing-Commander Campbell-Stokes and his gauche junior Airman Tench. All the other staff have been siphoned off over the years and never been replaced, resulting in RAF Auchnacluchnie receiving the full quota of supplies and budget for its supposed population. Campbell-Stokes and Tench have been left to eat from 50 litre tins of baked beans, make tea from 100,000 bag boxes of tea-bags, and keep ready for a war that will never come.
The startling state of affairs is considered just as bad by the local villagers, who see the base as an English establishment foisted upon them. Harrison decides to file a report recommending the base's closure, but meanwhile becomes smitten with Eilidh, the pub landlord's beautiful daughter. She single-handedly runs the local school while her boyfriend, the impressively muscular and unseen Hamish, is away working away on an oil rig
Drilling rig
A drilling rig is a machine which creates holes or shafts in the ground. Drilling rigs can be massive structures housing equipment used to drill water wells, oil wells, or natural gas extraction wells, or they can be small enough to be moved manually by one person...
. Alongside his romantic longings, Harrison realises that closing the base will have a profound impact on the village's school (which only stays open because Eilidh pretends she cares for the children of the 300 base staff). Falsifying his report to London, he is dismayed to find it has not only been accepted but also that he has been posted to the airbase permanently. Campbell-Stokes and Tench quickly accept him into the fold.
Episodes
| Title | Airdate | Overview |
|---|---|---|
| "Back to the Front" | 28 February | Flt Lt Harrison is forced to decide what to do about the defunct, but still manned, RAF Auchnacluchnie, while Wing-Commander Campbell-Stokes attempts to censor the airbase from civilian postcards. |
| "Wet Wet Wet" | 7 March | Airman Tench is in love with the TV weather-girl, but the weather, according to Campbell-Stokes, is top-secret and shouldn't even be talked about, which causes some trouble for the pub's lottery and beer garden. Meanwhile, the school sports day proves to be somewhat of a damp squib. |
| "Keeping the Peace" | 14 March | Auchnacluchnie is voted one of the quietest places in the UK, gaining itself '4 ears' in the Michelin Guide Michelin Guide The Michelin Guide is a series of annual guide books published by Michelin for over a dozen countries. The term normally refers to the Michelin Red Guide, the oldest and best-known European hotel and restaurant guide, which awards the Michelin stars... . This boon for tourism would be good, if not for the base's new North Korea North Korea The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea... n-made siren. |
| "One Flew Into The Cuckoo's Nest" | 21 March | An osprey Osprey The Osprey , sometimes known as the sea hawk or fish eagle, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey. It is a large raptor, reaching more than in length and across the wings... nest in one of the radar-dishes mechanisms causes consternation and cat-hunting. |
| "Wish You Weren't Here" | 28 March | Re-decorating the pub Public house A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller... proves to be somewhat more of a chore than it should be. |
| "The Fallout Zone" | 11 April | A Russia Russia Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects... n fighter plane Fighter aircraft A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed primarily to attack ground targets... is incoming on RAF Auchnacluchnie, the last line of defence against the total destruction of Great Britain. |
External links
- All Along the Watchtower at British TV Comedy Resources