Bless Me Father
Encyclopedia
Bless me, Father was a British situation comedy starring Arthur Lowe
, Daniel Abineri
, Gabrielle Daye
, Patrick McAlinney
, David Ryall
, Derek Francis
and Sheila Keith
. It was aired on ITV
from 1978 until 1981 and described the adventures of an Irish Catholic
priest, Father Charles Duddleswell (Lowe) and his young curate (Abineri) in the fictional parish of St. Jude's in suburban London. 21 episodes, written by Peter De Rosa, (who had previously been a novice curate
) were aired. De Rosa wrote the series using the pseudonym of Neil Boyd which was also the name of the young curate character; Boyd also served as the narrator in the series of novels upon which the series was based. It was made for the ITV
network by London Weekend Television
The series was set in 1950 and marked a departure from the middle class 'bank manager' roles associated with Lowe such as that in Dad's Army
. The other regular characters included Mrs Pring (Daye), the housekeeper, the hard-drinking Dr Daley (McAlinney), the non-religious neighbour Billy Buzzle (Ryall), and abbess Reverend Mother Stephen (Keith).
Arthur Lowe
Arthur Lowe was a BAFTA Award winning English actor. He was best known for playing Captain George Mainwaring in the popular British sitcom Dad's Army from 1968 until 1977.-Early life:...
, Daniel Abineri
Daniel Abineri
Daniel Abineri is an English actor, songwriter and playwright, famous for writing the book, music and lyrics for the controversial musical Bad Boy Johnny and the Prophets of Doom....
, Gabrielle Daye
Gabrielle Daye
Gabrielle Daye was a British television actress, notable for her role as Mrs. Pring on Bless Me Father...
, Patrick McAlinney
Patrick McAlinney
Patrick McAlinney was an Irish-born character actor who starred in many British dramas and sitcoms. His most memorable roles included a brother on the hit sitcom Oh, Brother! which starred Derek Nimmo, Mr. O'Reilly in The Tomorrow People and Dr...
, David Ryall
David Ryall
David Ryall is an English actor who has appeared on British television since the 1970s. He has had leading roles in Lytton's Diary and Goodnight Sweetheart, as well as memorable roles in Dennis Potter's The Singing Detective and Andrew Davies's adaptation of To Play the King and The Final Cut, the...
, Derek Francis
Derek Francis
Derek Francis was an English comedy and character actor.He was a regular in the Carry On film players, appearing in six of the films in the 1960s and 1970s. He appeared in Roger Corman's last film of his Edgar Allan Poe series The Tomb of Ligeia...
and Sheila Keith
Sheila Keith
Sheila Keith was a British actress, active in films and TV, born to Scottish parents in London while they were visiting the city and brought up in Aberdeen, Scotland....
. It was aired on ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
from 1978 until 1981 and described the adventures of an Irish Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
priest, Father Charles Duddleswell (Lowe) and his young curate (Abineri) in the fictional parish of St. Jude's in suburban London. 21 episodes, written by Peter De Rosa, (who had previously been a novice curate
Curate
A curate is a person who is invested with the care or cure of souls of a parish. In this sense "curate" correctly means a parish priest but in English-speaking countries a curate is an assistant to the parish priest...
) were aired. De Rosa wrote the series using the pseudonym of Neil Boyd which was also the name of the young curate character; Boyd also served as the narrator in the series of novels upon which the series was based. It was made for the ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
network by London Weekend Television
London Weekend Television
London Weekend Television was the name of the ITV network franchise holder for Greater London and the Home Counties including south Suffolk, middle and east Hampshire, Oxfordshire, south Bedfordshire, south Northamptonshire, parts of Herefordshire & Worcestershire, Warwickshire, east Dorset and...
The series was set in 1950 and marked a departure from the middle class 'bank manager' roles associated with Lowe such as that in Dad's Army
Dad's Army
Dad's Army is a British sitcom about the Home Guard during the Second World War. It was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft and broadcast on BBC television between 1968 and 1977. The series ran for 9 series and 80 episodes in total, plus a radio series, a feature film and a stage show...
. The other regular characters included Mrs Pring (Daye), the housekeeper, the hard-drinking Dr Daley (McAlinney), the non-religious neighbour Billy Buzzle (Ryall), and abbess Reverend Mother Stephen (Keith).