On the Up
Encyclopedia
On the Up was a British
situation comedy
written by Bob Larbey
. It ran for three series, from 1990 to 1992.
minicab firm into a successful chauffeur-driven car service. He lives in a large detached mansion in Esher
, surrounded by Rolls Royces and BMWs, with a domestic staff who respect him, and who he adores; Witty and insolent butler/driver Sam (who is also a childhood friend of Tony), acerbic secretary Maggie and cook Mrs Wembley (responsible for the series' catch-phrase of "Just the one", used to respond to the offer of a sherry
even if it was her third or fourth).
Despite all these advantages, Tony's life is full of conflict:
Although this series is presented as Sitcom, the story arc
is actually about the failure of a marriage and its impact on the family and friends of the couple. Unusually for a British Sitcom, the storylines of episodes within each series are largely contiguous, and although filmed over 3 years the timeline probably takes place in the Spring and Summer of a single year.
No.11 in A major - a classical instrumental piece, played by the Guildhall String Ensemble. However, the closing credits
are accompanied by Dennis Waterman's rendition of the series' custom theme tune. This continues a pattern from his long running comedy-drama series Minder
.
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...
situation comedy
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...
written by Bob Larbey
Esmonde and Larbey
John Gilbert Esmonde and Bob Larbey were a British television comedy scriptwriting duo from the 1960s to the 1990s, creating popular situation comedies such as Please Sir! and The Good Life.-Larbey's life:Larbey was born in Clapham, South London in 1934 and made his writing debut for...
. It ran for three series, from 1990 to 1992.
Plot summary
Tony Carpenter is a self-made millionaire who turned his South LondonSouth London
South London is the southern part of London, England, United Kingdom.According to the 2011 official Boundary Commission for England definition, South London includes the London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Southwark, Sutton and...
minicab firm into a successful chauffeur-driven car service. He lives in a large detached mansion in Esher
Esher
Esher is a town in the Surrey borough of Elmbridge in South East England near the River Mole. It is a very prosperous part of the Greater London Urban Area, largely suburban in character, and is situated 14.1 miles south west of Charing Cross....
, surrounded by Rolls Royces and BMWs, with a domestic staff who respect him, and who he adores; Witty and insolent butler/driver Sam (who is also a childhood friend of Tony), acerbic secretary Maggie and cook Mrs Wembley (responsible for the series' catch-phrase of "Just the one", used to respond to the offer of a sherry
Sherry
Sherry is a fortified wine made from white grapes that are grown near the town of Jerez , Spain. In Spanish, it is called vino de Jerez....
even if it was her third or fourth).
Despite all these advantages, Tony's life is full of conflict:
- His working-classWorking classWorking class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
background and sensibilities make him uncomfortable with the idea of having domestic staff, and in dealing with local snobs. - Nothing he does seems to please his snooty wife Ruth, who hates his downmarket behaviour, constantly suspects him of infidelity with either his secretary Maggie or friend & model Dawn (both of whom are significantly younger than herself), and cannot abide the "chummy" relationship he has with "servants".
- Then there is daughter Stephanie, away from home at a Public SchoolPublic School (UK)A public school, in common British usage, is a school that is neither administered nor financed by the state or from taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of endowments, tuition fees and charitable contributions, usually existing as a non profit-making charitable trust...
and thus being inculcated with upperUpper classIn social science, the "upper class" is the group of people at the top of a social hierarchy. Members of an upper class may have great power over the allocation of resources and governmental policy in their area.- Historical meaning :...
/ middle classMiddle classThe middle class is any class of people in the middle of a societal hierarchy. In Weberian socio-economic terms, the middle class is the broad group of people in contemporary society who fall socio-economically between the working class and upper class....
sensibilities, who is embarrassed by both her father's differing outlook, and by the unsettled relationship between her parents. - Finally there is his mother, who is still living in a South London terraceTerraced houseIn architecture and city planning, a terrace house, terrace, row house, linked house or townhouse is a style of medium-density housing that originated in Great Britain in the late 17th century, where a row of identical or mirror-image houses share side walls...
, and never seems impressed with his achievements, finding herself unable to understand why he lives "all the way over there" (in reality about 14 miles or 40 minutes' by car, or a few stops—less than 20 minutes—by train) in his big house.
Although this series is presented as Sitcom, the story arc
Story arc
A story arc is an extended or continuing storyline in episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books, comic strips, boardgames, video games, and in some cases, films. On a television program, for example, the story would unfold over many episodes. In television, the use of the story...
is actually about the failure of a marriage and its impact on the family and friends of the couple. Unusually for a British Sitcom, the storylines of episodes within each series are largely contiguous, and although filmed over 3 years the timeline probably takes place in the Spring and Summer of a single year.
Regular cast
- im Davidson] as Tony Carpenter, the lead character, owner of a luxury car hire business in the SurreySurreySurrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
"Stockbroker Belt" and ardent supporter of Crystal Palace F.C.Crystal Palace F.C.Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in... - Sam KellySam KellySam Kelly is an English actor who has appeared in television, radio and theatre.-Career:He has had roles in British sitcoms such as Porridge as Bunny Warren, Allo 'Allo! as Captain Hans Geering leaving after series three, On the Up as Dennis Waterman's chauffeur and We'll Think of Something as Les...
as Sam Jones, a friend of Tony since their days at ClaphamClaphamClapham is a district in south London, England, within the London Borough of Lambeth.Clapham covers the postcodes of SW4 and parts of SW9, SW8 and SW12. Clapham Common is shared with the London Borough of Wandsworth, although Lambeth has responsibility for running the common as a whole. According...
Parochial School, an ex Merchant Seaman, and the first driver he ever employed, now employed as chauffeurChauffeurA chauffeur is a person employed to drive a passenger motor vehicle, especially a luxury vehicle such as a large sedan or limousine.Originally such drivers were always personal servants of the vehicle owner, but now in many cases specialist chauffeur service companies, or individual drivers provide...
to the Carpenter family - Joan SimsJoan SimsJoan Sims was an English actress best remembered for her roles in the Carry On films, and latterly for playing Madge Hardcastle in As Time Goes By.-Early life:...
as Mrs. Fiona Wembley, the Carpenter family's cordon bleu cook - Jenna RussellJenna RussellJenna Russell is an English actress and singer. She has appeared on the stage in London in both musicals and dramas, as well as appearing with the Royal Shakespeare Company...
as Maggie Lomax, a young ScottishScottish peopleThe Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
secretary of strong socialist leanings, presumably of Edinburgh catholic stock as she is a HibsHibs- As an abbreviation :* Hibernian F.C., a Scottish professional football club* Hibernians F.C., a Maltese professional football club- As an acronym :* Hult International Business School, a business school with several campuses globally...
supporter - Judy BuxtonJudy BuxtonJudy Buxton , is an English actress.She graduated from the Rose Bruford College. She then was a regular in the television series General Hospital playing nurse Katy Shaw. She joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1979, where she played principal roles until 1982...
as Ruth Carpenter, who is described in the title song as regarding her husband as a "bit of rough" - Michelle HatchMichelle HatchMichelle Hatch is a British actress who played Dawn in the 1990s sitcom, On the Up. She is the daughter of songwriters Tony Hatch and Jackie Trent.-External links :...
as Dawn, a lifelong friend-of-the-family and currently a Lingerie ModelModel (person)A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art.... - Vanessa Hadaway as Stephanie Carpenter, Ruth and Tony Carpenter's teenage daughter
- Dora BryanDora BryanDora May Bryan OBE is an English actress of stage, film and television.-Early life:Bryan was born as Dora May Broadbent in Southport, Lancashire, England. Her father was a salesman and she attended Hathershaw County Primary School in Oldham, Lancashire...
(series 1) then Pauline Letts (series 2 and 3) as Mrs Carpenter Senior, Tony's Mum - Fiona MollisonFiona MollisonFiona Mollison is a British television and theatre actress.Her father managed a rubber company in British Malaya, and sent Fiona to England to a boarding school...
as Jane Webster (Series 2-3), from nearby CobhamCobham, SurreyCobham is a town in the Borough of Elmbridge in Surrey, England, about south-west of central London and north of Leatherhead. Elmbridge has been acclaimed by the Daily Mail as the best place to live in the UK, and Cobham is a prosperous part of the London commuter belt...
, the mother of one of Stephanie's school friends, Marina Webster
Recurring characters
- Jenny Lee as Mrs Purvis, Stephanie's Headmistress
- William LucasWilliam Lucas (British actor)William Lucas is a British film and television actor. His first acting role was in the film Portrait of Alison , and later appeared in many Hammer Film Productions such as Shadow of the Cat. He is probably best known for his role in The Adventures of Black Beauty as Dr...
as Sir Douglas Hoyle - Bunny May as Barry, Office Manager of Tony Carpenter's car hire business
- Paul Weakley as the Singing Gardener
- John HardingJohn HardingJohn Harding may refer to:*John Harding *J. Eugene Harding , U.S. Representative from Ohio*John Harding, 1st Baron Harding of Petherton , British General of World War II and Colonial Governor of Cyprus...
as Stephen, a Solicitor
Music
The open titles are accompanied by the 1st movement of the Handel concerti grossi Op.6Handel concerti grossi Op.6
The Handel concerti grossi Op.6 or Twelve Grand Concertos, HWV 319-330, are 12 concerti grossi by George Frideric Handel for a concertino trio of two violins and violoncello and a ripieno four-part string orchestra with harpsichord continuo. First published by subscription in London by John Walsh...
No.11 in A major - a classical instrumental piece, played by the Guildhall String Ensemble. However, the closing credits
Closing credits
Closing credits or end credits are added at the end of a motion picture, television program, or video game to list the cast and crew involved in the production. They usually appear as a list of names in small type, which either flip very quickly from page to page, or move smoothly across the...
are accompanied by Dennis Waterman's rendition of the series' custom theme tune. This continues a pattern from his long running comedy-drama series Minder
Minder (TV series)
Minder is a British comedy-drama about the London criminal underworld. Initially produced by Verity Lambert, it was made by Euston Films, a subsidiary of Thames Television and shown on ITV...
.