Hallelujah! (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Hallelujah! was a British
sitcom made by Yorkshire Television
for the ITV network and was broadcast from April 1983 to December 1984.
The series was set in a Salvation Army
citadel
in the fictional Yorkshire
town of Brigthorpe during series 1 (and later in the fictional place of Blackwick in series 2). Captain Emily Ridley (Thora Hird
) has been posted there, having been an active member of the Salvation Army for 42 years. Despite the town and residents being seemingly pleasant, Emily is determined to flush out sin from behind the net curtains. Assisting Emily are her niece Alice Meredith (Patsy Rowlands
).
The programme was a repeat collaboration between Hird and the creator Dick Sharples
, having worked together on the comedy series In Loving Memory
between 1979 and 1986.
The show even featured guest appearances from guest stars like Hird's Last of the Summer Wine
co-star actor Michael Aldridge
and television presenter & Countdown
Legend Richard Whiteley
Himself.
as her niece Alice Meredith with Rosemund Green as Sister Dorothy Smith (whom left after the first series and was later replaced by David Daker as Brother Benjamin in the second series thereafter).
The most notable was that every episode ended with the audience clapping once during the closing sequence throughout its year-long run.
The first series was set in "Brigthorpe" a fictional Yorkshire Town in the "Leeds Area", In the second series the series was relocated to "Blackwick" also a fictional Yorkshrie place within or outer Leeds itself.
Contrary to popular belief, only 15 episodes over two series were ever made. It is unknown why many sources claim that there were three series made. This is in fact not true; there were only two series and one Christmas special shown between 1983 and 1984. The sites that list three series may be using working title
s in their listings.
The complete first series of Hallelujah! is now available from Network DVD. The complete second series is now also available. The complete series 1 & 2(Including the Christmas Special 'A Goose For Mrs. Scratchitt') has now also been released.
Hallelujah! has been released in Australia by Acorn Media Australia. It is a boxset with both series plus the Christmas special. It has been released as an all region DVD (PAL).
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 made by Yorkshire Television
Yorkshire Television
Yorkshire Television, now officially known as ITV Yorkshire and sometimes unofficially abbreviated to YTV, is a British television broadcaster and the contractor for the Yorkshire franchise area on the ITV network...
for the ITV network and was broadcast from April 1983 to December 1984.
The series was set in a Salvation Army
Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....
citadel
Citadel (Salvation Army)
A Salvation Army corps is a church and place of worship in The Salvation Army. In keeping with Salvationist convention in using military terminology, corps are sometimes casually known as barracks...
in the fictional Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
town of Brigthorpe during series 1 (and later in the fictional place of Blackwick in series 2). Captain Emily Ridley (Thora Hird
Thora Hird
Dame Thora Hird DBE was an English actress.-Early life and career:Hird was born in the Lancashire seaside town of Morecambe. She first appeared on stage at the age of two months in a play her father was managing...
) has been posted there, having been an active member of the Salvation Army for 42 years. Despite the town and residents being seemingly pleasant, Emily is determined to flush out sin from behind the net curtains. Assisting Emily are her niece Alice Meredith (Patsy Rowlands
Patsy Rowlands
Patsy Rowlands was an English actress who is best remembered for her roles in the Carry On films, as Betty in the popular ITV Thames sitcom Bless This House, and as Alice Meredith in the Yorkshire Television sitcom Hallelujah!.-Early years:She was born in Palmers Green, London and attended a...
).
The programme was a repeat collaboration between Hird and the creator Dick Sharples
Dick Sharples
Dick Sharples is a British TV scriptwriter of British sitcoms. He has also written novels, plays and drama series .-Life and career:...
, having worked together on the comedy series In Loving Memory
In Loving Memory (TV series)
In Loving Memory is a British period sitcom set in an undertakers business that starred Thora Hird and Christopher Beeny. A pilot was transmitted in 1969 by Thames Television who rejected the idea before it was finally accepted by Yorkshire Television in 1979 where it further ran for five series...
between 1979 and 1986.
The show even featured guest appearances from guest stars like Hird's Last of the Summer Wine
Last of the Summer Wine
Last of the Summer Wine is a British sitcom written by Roy Clarke that was broadcast on BBC One. Last of the Summer Wine premiered as an episode of Comedy Playhouse on 4 January 1973 and the first series of episodes followed on 12 November 1973. From 1983 to 2010, Alan J. W. Bell produced and...
co-star actor Michael Aldridge
Michael Aldridge
Michael William ffolliott Aldridge was an English actor. While it was his role as Seymour in the television series Last of the Summer Wine which made him widely recognised, his long career as a successful character actor on stage and screen dated back to the 1930s.-Early life:The son of Dr...
and television presenter & Countdown
Countdown (game show)
Countdown is a British game show involving word and number puzzles. It is produced by ITV Studios and broadcast on Channel 4. It is presented by Jeff Stelling, assisted by Rachel Riley, with regular lexicographer Susie Dent. It was the first programme to be aired on Channel 4, and over sixty-five...
Legend Richard Whiteley
Richard Whiteley
John Richard Whiteley, OBE DL , usually known as Richard Whiteley, was an English broadcaster and journalist. He was famous for his twenty-three years as host of Countdown, a letters and numbers arrangement game show broadcast most weekdays on Channel 4...
Himself.
Plot
The show was set in the salvation army based in the fictional Yorkshrie town of Brigthorpe during series 1 and in the fictional Yorkshire place of Blackwick during series 2 in the mid 1980s and starred the late Dame Thora Hird as Captain Emilt Ridley with the late Patsy RowlandsPatsy Rowlands
Patsy Rowlands was an English actress who is best remembered for her roles in the Carry On films, as Betty in the popular ITV Thames sitcom Bless This House, and as Alice Meredith in the Yorkshire Television sitcom Hallelujah!.-Early years:She was born in Palmers Green, London and attended a...
as her niece Alice Meredith with Rosemund Green as Sister Dorothy Smith (whom left after the first series and was later replaced by David Daker as Brother Benjamin in the second series thereafter).
The most notable was that every episode ended with the audience clapping once during the closing sequence throughout its year-long run.
The first series was set in "Brigthorpe" a fictional Yorkshire Town in the "Leeds Area", In the second series the series was relocated to "Blackwick" also a fictional Yorkshrie place within or outer Leeds itself.
- Series 1 - set in "Brigthorpe" 1983
- Series 2 - set in "Blackwick" 1984
Cast
- Thora HirdThora HirdDame Thora Hird DBE was an English actress.-Early life and career:Hird was born in the Lancashire seaside town of Morecambe. She first appeared on stage at the age of two months in a play her father was managing...
- Captain Emily Ridley - Patsy RowlandsPatsy RowlandsPatsy Rowlands was an English actress who is best remembered for her roles in the Carry On films, as Betty in the popular ITV Thames sitcom Bless This House, and as Alice Meredith in the Yorkshire Television sitcom Hallelujah!.-Early years:She was born in Palmers Green, London and attended a...
- Alice Meredith - Rosamund GreenwoodRosamund GreenwoodRosamund Greenwood was a British actress who was active on screen from 1935 until 1990.In a career stretching more than 50 years, Greenwood appeared in productions including The Prince and the Showgirl, Night of the Demon, Upstairs, Downstairs, Angels, Crown Court and A Perfect Spy...
- Sister Dorothy Smith (series 1) - David DakerDavid DakerDavid Daker is an English actor.His is best known for his role as Harry Crawford in the hit series Boon. He also played PC Owen Culshaw in Z-Cars, Jarvis in Porridge, Captain Nathan Spiker in Dick Turpin....
- Brother Benjamin (series 2) - Geoffrey BayldonGeoffrey BayldonGeoffrey Bayldon is a British actor. After playing roles in many dramas including Shakespeare, he became known for portraying the title role of the children's series Catweazle , after turning down the opportunity to play both the First and Second Doctors in the long-running BBC science fiction...
- Mr Sedgewick - Michael AldridgeMichael AldridgeMichael William ffolliott Aldridge was an English actor. While it was his role as Seymour in the television series Last of the Summer Wine which made him widely recognised, his long career as a successful character actor on stage and screen dated back to the 1930s.-Early life:The son of Dr...
- Brig Langton (series 1) - Garfield MorganGarfield MorganGarfield Morgan was an English actor who appeared mostly on TV and occasionally in films.Born in Birmingham, Morgan was apprenticed as a dental mechanic before going to drama school. He started his acting career with the Arena Theatre, Birmingham...
- Brig Langton (series 2)
Series 1 (1983)
- Retirement (29 Apr 83)
- Repentance (6 May 83)
- Counselling (13 May 83)
- Poor Box (20 May 83)
- Luncheon Club (27 May 83)
- Mobile Canteen (3 Jun 83)
- Struck Down (10 Jun 83)
Series 2 (1984)
- Marching Orders (2 Nov 84)
- Just A Song At Twilight (9 Nov 84)
- Holy Deadlock (16 Nov 84)
- The Snake Pit : Part 1 (23 Nov 84)
- The Snake Pit : Part 2 (30 Nov 84)
- Rock Bottom (7 Dec 84)
- It Happened One Night (14 Dec 84)
Christmas Special
- A Goose For Mrs Scratchitt (21 Dec 84)
Contrary to popular belief, only 15 episodes over two series were ever made. It is unknown why many sources claim that there were three series made. This is in fact not true; there were only two series and one Christmas special shown between 1983 and 1984. The sites that list three series may be using working title
Working title
A working title, sometimes called a production title, is the temporary name of a product or project used during its development, usually used in filmmaking, television production, novel, video game, or music album.-Purpose:...
s in their listings.
Location filming
The series was filmed mostly in and around both Yorkshrie Television Studios and the Leeds area. Most notable filming location was Leeds General Hospital, especially appearances by old run-down buildings old and new around the leeds-area at the time.DVD release
DD Home Entertainment (now known as 'Simply Home Entertainment') released series 1 and 2 in 2008. They claimed that series two was complete at first, However, as the Christmas special was not included, they later dropped this claim (the artwork on the cover stayed the same however)The complete first series of Hallelujah! is now available from Network DVD. The complete second series is now also available. The complete series 1 & 2(Including the Christmas Special 'A Goose For Mrs. Scratchitt') has now also been released.
| DVD | Year(s) | Release date |
|---|---|---|
| The Complete Series 1 | 1983 | 19 April 2010 |
| The Complete Series 2 | 1984 | 5 July 2010 |
| The Complete Series 1 & 2 and Christmas Special | 1983–1984 | 8 Nov 2010 |
Hallelujah! has been released in Australia by Acorn Media Australia. It is a boxset with both series plus the Christmas special. It has been released as an all region DVD (PAL).