P'tang, Yang, Kipperbang
Encyclopedia
P'tang, Yang, Kipperbang is a television film first shown on Channel 4
on its second night, 3 November, 1982.
Written by Jack Rosenthal
as part of his First Love series, it is a simple coming-of-age film set in a grammar school
in the outer London
suburbs of the early 1950s. It is the story of Alan Duckworth (John Albasiny), a young cricket
-obsessed boy, and his first kiss with Ann Lawton (Abigail Cruttenden
). Alan's thoughts are voiced by real life BBC Radio
cricket commentator
John Arlott
in the style of a match commentary. The title phrase comes from a password "tag" used by members of Alan's gang http://homecinema.thedigitalfix.co.uk/content/id/65857/ptang-yang-kipperbang.html.
and everyone, regardless of race or creed, will have a Teasmade
.
Miss Land (Alison Steadman
), meanwhile, is worried she is pregnant with Tommy's baby, something that would result in her having to resign from her job as an English teacher.
While his friends are all interested in sex, which Alan refers to as 'the other thing', he is purely focused on kissing Ann Lawton. Ann, however, is not well regarded by Alan's friends as she is very strait-laced. When Miss Land casts them together in the school play, Alan and Ann have to kiss.
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
on its second night, 3 November, 1982.
Written by Jack Rosenthal
Jack Rosenthal
Jack Morris Rosenthal CBE was an English playwright, who wrote 129 early episodes of the ITV soap opera Coronation Street and over 150 screenplays, including original TV plays, feature films, and adaptations.-Biography:...
as part of his First Love series, it is a simple coming-of-age film set in a grammar school
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
in the outer London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
suburbs of the early 1950s. It is the story of Alan Duckworth (John Albasiny), a young cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
-obsessed boy, and his first kiss with Ann Lawton (Abigail Cruttenden
Abigail Cruttenden
Abigail Cruttenden is an English actress.Cruttenden played opposite Sean Bean as his character's onscreen wife Jane in several episodes of Sharpe. The couple wed in real life in 1997 and had a daughter, Evie. Three months later they started divorce proceedings, and divorced in 2000. In 2003,...
). Alan's thoughts are voiced by real life BBC Radio
BBC Radio
BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company...
cricket commentator
Sports commentator
In sports broadcasting, a commentator gives a running commentary of a game or event in real time, usually during a live broadcast. The comments are normally a voiceover, with the sounds of the action and spectators also heard in the background. In the case of television commentary, the commentator...
John Arlott
John Arlott
Leslie Thomas John Arlott OBE was an English journalist, author and cricket commentator for the BBC's Test Match Special. He was also a poet, wine connoisseur and former police officer in Hampshire...
in the style of a match commentary. The title phrase comes from a password "tag" used by members of Alan's gang http://homecinema.thedigitalfix.co.uk/content/id/65857/ptang-yang-kipperbang.html.
Plot
Alan Duckworth (known as 'Quack Quack' to his friends) is a socially awkward fourteen year-old who is obsessed with cricket and Ann Lawton. Alan daydreams throughout his day showing up late for school and making little academic progress. He becomes friends with the groundsman Tommy (Garry Cooper) who he sees as some sort of 'war hero'. Alan often follows Tommy around telling him how he helped to win the war while making predictions about what the world will be like now the war is won. Among other things, Alan predicts there will be no more wars, everyone will speak EsperantoEsperanto
is the most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. Its name derives from Doktoro Esperanto , the pseudonym under which L. L. Zamenhof published the first book detailing Esperanto, the Unua Libro, in 1887...
and everyone, regardless of race or creed, will have a Teasmade
Teasmade
A teasmade is a machine for making tea automatically. It was once common in the United Kingdom and some of its former colonies. Teasmades generally include an analogue alarm clock and are designed to be used at the bedside, to ensure tea is ready first thing in the morning...
.
Miss Land (Alison Steadman
Alison Steadman
Alison Steadman OBE is an English actress. She established her career with roles such as Beverley in Abigail's Party and Candice Marie in Nuts in May for the director Mike Leigh, to whom she was once married. In addition to her stage and radio work, she has had lead roles in The Singing Detective,...
), meanwhile, is worried she is pregnant with Tommy's baby, something that would result in her having to resign from her job as an English teacher.
While his friends are all interested in sex, which Alan refers to as 'the other thing', he is purely focused on kissing Ann Lawton. Ann, however, is not well regarded by Alan's friends as she is very strait-laced. When Miss Land casts them together in the school play, Alan and Ann have to kiss.