Girls On Top
Encyclopedia
Girls On Top was a British
television sitcom on ITV
from 1985 to 1986. It was conceived by and starred French & Saunders
- their first high-profile writing for television - and despite a low budget and poor critical reception received high ratings. It was made for the ITV
network by Central
.
The show focused on four female flatmates and their landlady. The characters were stereotypes with little depth and the comedy focused on conflicts from their personalities. It was an attempt at a female version of The Young Ones
, two series of which had appeared in 1982 and 1984. Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders
had both appeared on it and, like most of its stars, were members of The Comic Strip
group. Saunders is also married to Adrian Edmondson
, one of the "Young Ones".
The theme tune was written and performed by Glenn Tilbrook
and Chris Difford
from the British band Squeeze (with the cast singing the theme for the first series, and Tilbrook singing for the second).
Others in cameo roles included Helen Lederer
, Pauline Melville
, Helen Atkinson Wood, Mark Arden
, Stephen Frost
, Robbie Coltrane
, Harry Enfield
, Hugh Laurie
, Pauline Quirke
, Alan Rickman
, John Sessions
and Arthur Smith
plus the Beverley Sisters
and American Soap (TV series)
star Katherine Helmond
, who appeared once as Shelley's mother.
Each episode centered on the fact that Shelley could order the others around because they relied on her to get the rent paid; usually the show incorporated Candice's latest invented fatal illness, or any other reason to not pay the rent. One episode had Candice convincing everyone she was dating The Prince Andrew
while another found her tricking Shelley into staring in a porn
o movie.
Tracey Ullman
left after the first series due to her pregnancy. A variety of stars filled the second series.
Ruby Wax, Jennifer Saunders, and Dawn French all wrote Girls on Top.
Note: The transmission dates reflect those in the London ITV region. Alternative transmissions in other ITV regions are not listed.
Series One
Series Two
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...
television sitcom 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 1985 to 1986. It was conceived by and starred French & Saunders
French & Saunders
French and Saunders is a British sketch comedy television show written by and starring comic duo Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders. It is also the name by which the performers are known on the occasions when they appear elsewhere as a double act....
- their first high-profile writing for television - and despite a low budget and poor critical reception received high ratings. 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 Central
Central Independent Television
Central Independent Television, more commonly known as Central is the Independent Television contractor for the Midlands, created following the restructuring of ATV and commencing broadcast on 1 January 1982. The station is owned and operated by ITV plc, under the licensee of ITV Broadcasting...
.
The show focused on four female flatmates and their landlady. The characters were stereotypes with little depth and the comedy focused on conflicts from their personalities. It was an attempt at a female version of The Young Ones
The Young Ones (TV series)
The Young Ones is a British sitcom, first broadcast in 1982, which ran for two series on BBC2. Its anarchic, offbeat humour helped bring alternative comedy to television in the 1980s and made household names of its writers and performers...
, two series of which had appeared in 1982 and 1984. Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders
Jennifer Saunders
Jennifer Jane Saunders is an English comedienne, screenwriter, singer and actress. She has won two BAFTAs, an International Emmy Award, a British Comedy Award, a Rose d'Or Light Entertainment Festival Award, two Writers' Guild of Great Britain Awards, and a Peoples Choice Award.She first came into...
had both appeared on it and, like most of its stars, were members of The Comic Strip
The Comic Strip
The Comic Strip is a group of British comedians, known for their television series The Comic Strip Presents.... The core members are Adrian Edmondson, Dawn French, Rik Mayall, Nigel Planer, Peter Richardson and Jennifer Saunders, with frequent appearances by Keith Allen, Robbie Coltrane and...
group. Saunders is also married to Adrian Edmondson
Adrian Edmondson
Adrian Charles "Ade" Edmondson is an English comedian. He is probably best known for his comedic roles in the television series The Young Ones and Bottom , for which he also wrote together with his long-time collaboration partner Rik Mayall.-Early life:Edmondson, the second of four children, was...
, one of the "Young Ones".
The theme tune was written and performed by Glenn Tilbrook
Glenn Tilbrook
Glenn Martin Tilbrook is the lead singer and guitarist of the English band Squeeze, a band formed in the mid 1970s who broke through in the new wave era at the decade's end. He generally wrote the melody for Squeeze, while his writing partner, Chris Difford, wrote the lyrics...
and Chris Difford
Chris Difford
Chris Difford is a singer, musician, songwriter, and record producer....
from the British band Squeeze (with the cast singing the theme for the first series, and Tilbrook singing for the second).
Characters
- Amanda Ripley (Dawn French), a radical feminist who is straitlaced, anti-male and liberal; the character around whom the series was based. Like Shelley, she takes her efforts too far when she has something to prove. Amanda tries to hide her fascination for men. All in all though she was generally the most level headed of the group.
- Jennifer Marsh (Jennifer SaundersJennifer SaundersJennifer Jane Saunders is an English comedienne, screenwriter, singer and actress. She has won two BAFTAs, an International Emmy Award, a British Comedy Award, a Rose d'Or Light Entertainment Festival Award, two Writers' Guild of Great Britain Awards, and a Peoples Choice Award.She first came into...
), a mousy and childlike woman (whom Saunders portrays as having learning difficulties) who serves as the whipping post for everyone else. In the second series she is more assertive though no less naive. - Shelley DuPont (Ruby WaxRuby WaxRuby Wax is a BAFTA nominated American comedian who made a career in the United Kingdom as part of the alternative comedy scene in the 1980s.-Early life:...
), a struggling actress and the British stereotype of a gaudily dressed, rude, loud-mouthed American. - Candice Valentine (Tracey UllmanTracey UllmanTracey Ullman is a British stage and television actress, comedienne, singer, dancer, screenwriter and author ....
), a promiscuous, lazy, manipulative gold-digger. In season 2, Candice has died, each girl fearing she is to blame. This turns out to be a prank, as they receive a recorded message from Candice saying she is engaged to someone with more money than Shelley. She is not heard or spoken about after this episode. - Lady Chloe Carlton (Joan GreenwoodJoan GreenwoodJoan Greenwood was an English actress. Born in Chelsea, she studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Her husky voice, coupled with her slow, precise elocution, was her trademark...
), an eccentric elderly romance novelist and the landlady.
Others in cameo roles included Helen Lederer
Helen Lederer
Helen Lederer is a Welsh comedienne, writer and actress who emerged as part of the alternative comedy boom at the beginning of the 1980s.-Career:...
, Pauline Melville
Pauline Melville
Pauline Melville is a Guyanese-born writer and actress. Her mother was English, and her father Guyanese. Her first book, Shape-Shifter , a collection of short stories, won the 1991 Commonwealth Writers' Prize , and the Guardian Fiction Prize.The book consists of a number of short stories dealing...
, Helen Atkinson Wood, Mark Arden
Mark Arden
Mark Arden is an English comedian and actor, best known for being one half of comic double act "The Oblivion Boys" with Stephen Frost....
, Stephen Frost
Stephen Frost
Stephen Frost , also known as Steve Frost, is an English comedian.Frost is known for his work in the 1980s with Mark Arden as part of the double act The Oblivion Boys on Saturday Live...
, Robbie Coltrane
Robbie Coltrane
Robbie Coltrane, OBE is a Scottish actor, comedian and author. He is known both for his role as Dr...
, Harry Enfield
Harry Enfield
Henry Richard "Harry" Enfield is a BAFTA-winning English comedian, actor, writer and director.-Early life:...
, Hugh Laurie
Hugh Laurie
James Hugh Calum Laurie, OBE , better known as Hugh Laurie , is an English actor, voice artist, comedian, writer, musician, recording artist, and director...
, Pauline Quirke
Pauline Quirke
Pauline Perpetua Quirke is a British actress. She is best known for her role as Sharon in the comedy series Birds of a Feather, alongside her lifelong friend and frequent acting partner Linda Robson...
, Alan Rickman
Alan Rickman
Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman is an English actor and theatre director. He is a renowned stage actor in modern and classical productions and a former member of the Royal Shakespeare Company...
, John Sessions
John Sessions
John Gibb Marshall , better known by the stage name John Sessions, is a Scottish actor and comedian. He is known for comedy improvisation in television shows such as Whose Line Is It Anyway?; as a panellist on QI; and as a character actor in numerous films, both in the UK and in Hollywood.-Early...
and Arthur Smith
Arthur Smith (comedian)
Brian Arthur John Smith is an English alternative comedian and writer. He was born in Bermondsey, South London, brother to Richard Smith...
plus the Beverley Sisters
Beverley Sisters
The Beverley Sisters are a British female vocal trio, popular during the 1950s and 1960s. The trio consists of eldest sister Joy and the twins, Teddie...
and American Soap (TV series)
Soap (TV series)
Soap is an American sitcom that originally ran on ABC from 1977 to 1981.The show was created as a parody of daytime soap operas, presented as a weekly half-hour prime time comedy. Similar to a soap opera, the show's story was presented in a serial format and included melodramatic plot elements such...
star Katherine Helmond
Katherine Helmond
Katherine Marie Helmond is an American film, theater and television actress, who played Emily Dickinson on Meeting of Minds, as well as such fictional characters as Jessica Tate on Soap, Mona Robinson on Who's the Boss?, Doris Sherman on Coach, and Lois Whelan on Everybody Loves...
, who appeared once as Shelley's mother.
Synopsis
The first episode had Amanda struggling to find a flat and managing to procure one (that she cannot afford) from Lady Carlton. The former resident, Candice, convinces Amanda to let her stay until Wednesday because she has nowhere to go. Then Jennifer, Amanda's childhood friend, arrives unexpectedly with nowhere to go. Eventually Shelley is recruited to move in because none of the others can afford to cover the rent and deposit.Each episode centered on the fact that Shelley could order the others around because they relied on her to get the rent paid; usually the show incorporated Candice's latest invented fatal illness, or any other reason to not pay the rent. One episode had Candice convincing everyone she was dating The Prince Andrew
Prince Andrew, Duke of York
Prince Andrew, Duke of York KG GCVO , is the second son, and third child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
while another found her tricking Shelley into staring in a porn
PORN
Porn is a common short form for pornography. It may also refer to:* Progressive outer retinal necrosis, a disease of the retina* PORN, a French industrial rock band...
o movie.
Tracey Ullman
Tracey Ullman
Tracey Ullman is a British stage and television actress, comedienne, singer, dancer, screenwriter and author ....
left after the first series due to her pregnancy. A variety of stars filled the second series.
Ruby Wax, Jennifer Saunders, and Dawn French all wrote Girls on Top.
Episodes
NOTE: these episode descriptions are taken from the sleeve of the DVD release, released by NetworkNetwork DVD
Network DVD is a DVD publishing company that specialises in classic British television. In particular, it has the rights to a number of well-known ITV programmes...
Note: The transmission dates reflect those in the London ITV region. Alternative transmissions in other ITV regions are not listed.
Series One
- Four-Play
- Amanda manages to snag herself a flat in Chelsea but is unable to pay for it herself. She has no other choice but to look for flatmates.
- Guest: Alan RickmanAlan RickmanAlan Sidney Patrick Rickman is an English actor and theatre director. He is a renowned stage actor in modern and classical productions and a former member of the Royal Shakespeare Company...
- Written by Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders and Ruby Wax
- Directed by Paul Jackson
- Original ITVITVITV 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...
transmission: Wednesday 23 October 1985 8:30pm
- Staying Alive
- Candice is cultivating her latest illness; Amanda is quoting liberally from her latest publication "Spare cheeks"; Shelley has failed yet another audition; and Jennifer, well, she's just Jennifer.
- Written by Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders and Ruby Wax
- Directed by Paul Jackson
- Original ITVITVITV 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...
transmission: Wednesday 30 October 1985 8:30pm
- C.O.D.
- Candice arrives home with her latest Latin lover, Julio, but just as they're about to get down to the nitty-gritty, they are aware that there is another in their company - the inevitable Jennifer.
- Guest: Robbie ColtraneRobbie ColtraneRobbie Coltrane, OBE is a Scottish actor, comedian and author. He is known both for his role as Dr...
- Written by Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders and Ruby Wax
- Directed by Paul Jackson
- Original ITVITVITV 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...
transmission: Wednesday 6 November 1985 8:30pm
- Cancel Toast
- It's Shelley's big day. Can her ambition to become the next Glenda Jackson finally be realised at her audition for RADARadaRada is the term for "council" or "assembly"borrowed by Polish from the Low Franconian "Rad" and later passed into the Czech, Ukrainian, and Belarusian languages....
? However, instead of asking her to do Shakesperean Juliet speech, they want her to improvise. . . as a fried egg.
- Written by Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders and Ruby Wax
- Directed by Paul Jackson
- Original ITVITVITV 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...
transmission: Wednesday 13 November 1985 8:30pm
- Ident: Candy Time
- Amanda is miffed that Candice is not paying her way with the rent even though she keeps buying expensive clothes. Shelley suggests that Candice could be a prostitute so they all decide to follow her one day.
- Written by Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders and Ruby Wax
- Directed by Paul Jackson
- Original ITVITVITV 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...
transmission: Wednesday 20 November 1985 8:30pm
- Skankin'
- Annoyed at not being asked to help with the street festival, Amanda goes out into the streets of Chelsea to look for needy people. She pounces on two black boys and then phones the festival organiser to say she has found her a reggae band.
- Written by Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders and Ruby Wax
- Directed by Paul Jackson
- Original ITVITVITV 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...
transmission: Wednesday 27 November 1985 8:30pm
- Hark
- Oh horror! Oh Calamity! Oh Jennifer! She who is lacking in almost everything, plumbs new depths when she takes Josephine, Lady Carlton's stuffed black dog, for a walk and promptly loses her in a shop. The girls plan various schemes, including a stuffed coypu, and giving Lady Carlton a message "from heaven" by a teddy bear, which is supposed to be Josephine, transformed into an angel.
- Written by Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, and Ruby Wax
- Directed by Paul Jackson
- Note: This is the final appearance of Tracey UllmanTracey UllmanTracey Ullman is a British stage and television actress, comedienne, singer, dancer, screenwriter and author ....
as Candice Valentine.
- Original ITVITVITV 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...
transmission: Wednesday 4 December 1985 8:30pm
Series Two
- Mr Fluffy Knows Too Much
- Shelley and Amanda stir Jennifer into comforting Candice about her pornographic habits which have corrupted even Lady Carlton. But Candice has left a note saying she's in hospital. . .
- Guest: Harry EnfieldHarry EnfieldHenry Richard "Harry" Enfield is a BAFTA-winning English comedian, actor, writer and director.-Early life:...
- Written by Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders and Ruby Wax
- Directed by Ed Bye
- Original ITVITVITV 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...
transmission: Thursday 30 October 1986 9:00pm
- Big Snogs
- The women at Spare Cheeks are taking classes in electrical repair work which is now being taught Tom, whose sister can't make it. Amanda, always on the lookout for a man, falls head over heels in love.
- Guest: Hugh LaurieHugh LaurieJames Hugh Calum Laurie, OBE , better known as Hugh Laurie , is an English actor, voice artist, comedian, writer, musician, recording artist, and director...
- Written by Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders and Ruby Wax
- Directed by Ed Bye
- Original ITVITVITV 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...
transmission: Thursday 6 November 1986 9:00pm
- Who's Ya Uncle, Shelley?
- Once the subject of an exploratory brain operation (nothing was found), Jennifer suddenly reaches hitherto unknown areas of intelligence when she becomes a financial whizz-kid.
- Guests: John SessionsJohn SessionsJohn Gibb Marshall , better known by the stage name John Sessions, is a Scottish actor and comedian. He is known for comedy improvisation in television shows such as Whose Line Is It Anyway?; as a panellist on QI; and as a character actor in numerous films, both in the UK and in Hollywood.-Early...
and Pauline QuirkePauline QuirkePauline Perpetua Quirke is a British actress. She is best known for her role as Sharon in the comedy series Birds of a Feather, alongside her lifelong friend and frequent acting partner Linda Robson...
- Written by Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders and Ruby Wax
- Directed by Ed Bye
- Original ITVITVITV 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...
transmission: Thursday 20 November 1986 9:00pm
- Bring Me More Flamingoes
- Shelley is determined to be a megastar but, at her glam/glit party, the only invitees who bother to turn up are The Beverley Sisters and the loopy Lade Carlton.
- Guests: The Beverley Sisters
- Written by Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders and Ruby Wax
- Directed by Ed Bye
- Original ITVITVITV 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...
transmission: Thursday 27 November 1986 9:00pm
- Mr Yummie Brownie
- Shelley's mother pays a surprise visit and is expecting her offspring to be a fully-fledged member of the Royal Shakespeare CompanyRoyal Shakespeare CompanyThe Royal Shakespeare Company is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs 700 staff and produces around 20 productions a year from its home in Stratford-upon-Avon and plays regularly in London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and on tour across...
by now. She is a touch disappointed to discover that Shelley is with a theatre in education group. . . playing a tadpoleTadpoleA tadpole or polliwog is the wholly aquatic larval stage in the life cycle of an amphibian, particularly that of a frog or toad.- Appellation :...
- Guest: Katherine HelmondKatherine HelmondKatherine Marie Helmond is an American film, theater and television actress, who played Emily Dickinson on Meeting of Minds, as well as such fictional characters as Jessica Tate on Soap, Mona Robinson on Who's the Boss?, Doris Sherman on Coach, and Lois Whelan on Everybody Loves...
- Written by Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders and Ruby Wax
- Directed by Ed Bye
- Original ITVITVITV 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...
transmission: Thursday 4 December 1986 9:00pm
- Lower the Donkey
- Lady Carlton has won a new kitchen in a competition but when her microwave explodes, all the lights go out and Shelley thinks that the world is about to end. She grovels her way into Amanda's makeshift shelter but finds there's no food there so they send Jennifer out to forage.
- Written by Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, and Ruby Wax
- Directed by Ed Bye
- Original ITVITVITV 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...
transmission: Wednesday 11 December 1986 9:00pm
DVD releases
| DVD Name | Release Date | Additional Information | Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| Girls on Top - Set One |
2003 | One Disc DVD set, containing all episodes from the first series. Special features:
|
Region 1 (US) |
| Girls on Top -
Set Two |
2003 | One Disc DVD set, containing all episodes from the second series. Special features:
|
Region 1 (US) |
| Girls on Top - The Complete Series | 2007 | Two Disc DVD set, containing all 13 episodes from Series' One and Two.
Special features:
|
Region 2 (UK) |
| Girls on Top - The Complete Series | 2007 | Two Disc DVD set, containing all 13 episodes from both Series' One and Two.
Special Features:
|
Region 4 (Australia/New Zealand) |
Crew
- Dawn French - Writer
- Jennifer SaundersJennifer SaundersJennifer Jane Saunders is an English comedienne, screenwriter, singer and actress. She has won two BAFTAs, an International Emmy Award, a British Comedy Award, a Rose d'Or Light Entertainment Festival Award, two Writers' Guild of Great Britain Awards, and a Peoples Choice Award.She first came into...
- Writer - Ruby WaxRuby WaxRuby Wax is a BAFTA nominated American comedian who made a career in the United Kingdom as part of the alternative comedy scene in the 1980s.-Early life:...
- Writer - Ben EltonBen EltonBenjamin Charles "Ben" Elton is an English comedian, author, playwright and director. He was a leading figure in the British alternative comedy movement of the 1980s, as a writer on such cult series as The Young Ones and Blackadder, as well as also a successful stand-up comedian on stage and TV....
- Script Editor - Paul JacksonPaul Jackson (producer)Kevin Paul Jackson , credited as Paul Jackson; sometimes as K. Paul Jackson, is a British television director, producer and executive.-Career in television:...
- Director (series 1) - Ed ByeEd ByeEdward Richard Morrison Bye is a British film and TV producer and director. He is best known for his work with Grant Naylor, Harry Enfield and Jasper Carrott, and has worked with many of British TV's best known comedians and comedy actors...
- Director (series 2) - Allan McKeownAllan McKeownAllan McKeown is an English Emmy-Award winning UK and US television and stage producer.- Early life :Allan McKeown was born in Ealing on 21 May 1946. His parents Edith McKeown and Victor McKeown moved first to Hackney and then to Hainault in Essex. His father was the Clerk of Works at the new...
- Executive Producer - Paul JacksonPaul Jackson (producer)Kevin Paul Jackson , credited as Paul Jackson; sometimes as K. Paul Jackson, is a British television director, producer and executive.-Career in television:...
- Producer