Dad (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Dad is a BBC1 sitcom that ran for 13 episodes (each 30 minutes long) over two series and a Christmas
special. Described by the BBC
as a 'generation-gap comedy', it starred George Cole as Brian Hook, Kevin McNally
as his son Alan Hook, and Toby Ross-Bryant as his (Alan's) son Vincent Hook and Julia Hills
as his (Alan's) wife Beryl Hook. Written by Andrew Marshall
, the title of each episode was a pun on the word 'Dad'.
Most of the episodes involved Alan Hook getting frustrated by situations brought upon him by his father and son. For example, in 'Dadmestic', Vincent's mother allows him to host a house-party, leaving Alan with no alternative but to spend the evening at his father's house. In the episode 'Habadadery', Brian comes down with a bout of illness, meaning that Alan has to look after him. Brian then takes Alan to 'Mr Nigel's shop', where Alan's middle-aged style crisis goes from bad to worse as he purchases an extremely bold Hawaiian shirt.
Series Two also comprised six episodes and was first aired from 11 January to 15 February 1999, but this time on Mondays at 8.30pm. The episodes were entitled (in order of their airing): 'Transcendadtal'; 'Dadmocracy'; 'Reprodadtion'; 'Securidad'; 'Dad's Arsenal' and 'Dad Calm'.
The final episode was a Christmas special that aired on 21 December 1999, this time a Tuesday, at 8.30pm. It broke with the tradition of punning on 'Dad' for the title, and was named 'Nemesis', although Andrew Marshall later revealed that the original title "Feliz Navidad" was nixed by the BBC, feeling it too obscure.
The show received less critical acclaim than the similar BBC
family sitcom 2point4 children
, also written by Andrew Marshall. It is not available on DVD
or VHS
.
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
special. Described by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
as a 'generation-gap comedy', it starred George Cole as Brian Hook, Kevin McNally
Kevin McNally
Kevin McNally is an English actor who has worked in theatre and radio extensively as well as in film and television.-Life and career:...
as his son Alan Hook, and Toby Ross-Bryant as his (Alan's) son Vincent Hook and Julia Hills
Julia Hills
Julia Hills is a British actress, known for being a member of the cast of the Channel 4 late-night comedy sketch show Who Dares Wins in the 1980s. She also played the character of Rona, the man-hungry neighbour, in eight series of the BBC hit sitcom 2point4 children...
as his (Alan's) wife Beryl Hook. Written by Andrew Marshall
Andrew Marshall (writer)
Andrew Marshall is an English comedy screenwriter, most noted for the domestic sitcom 2point4 children. He was also the inspiration for Marvin the Paranoid Android in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy...
, the title of each episode was a pun on the word 'Dad'.
Most of the episodes involved Alan Hook getting frustrated by situations brought upon him by his father and son. For example, in 'Dadmestic', Vincent's mother allows him to host a house-party, leaving Alan with no alternative but to spend the evening at his father's house. In the episode 'Habadadery', Brian comes down with a bout of illness, meaning that Alan has to look after him. Brian then takes Alan to 'Mr Nigel's shop', where Alan's middle-aged style crisis goes from bad to worse as he purchases an extremely bold Hawaiian shirt.
Episodes
Series One comprised six episodes and was first aired from 25 September to 30 October, 1997 on Thursdays at 8.30pm. The episodes were entitled (in order of their airing): 'Dadism'; 'Dadmestic'; 'Dadcipline'; 'Habadadery'; 'Dadcoholic', and 'Holidad'.Series Two also comprised six episodes and was first aired from 11 January to 15 February 1999, but this time on Mondays at 8.30pm. The episodes were entitled (in order of their airing): 'Transcendadtal'; 'Dadmocracy'; 'Reprodadtion'; 'Securidad'; 'Dad's Arsenal' and 'Dad Calm'.
The final episode was a Christmas special that aired on 21 December 1999, this time a Tuesday, at 8.30pm. It broke with the tradition of punning on 'Dad' for the title, and was named 'Nemesis', although Andrew Marshall later revealed that the original title "Feliz Navidad" was nixed by the BBC, feeling it too obscure.
The show received less critical acclaim than the similar BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
family sitcom 2point4 children
2point4 children
2point4 Children is a 1990s British sitcom that was created and written by Andrew Marshall. It follows the lives of the Porter family; an average family that is persistently faced with surreal situations and sheer bad luck....
, also written by Andrew Marshall. It is not available on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
or VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
.