Romany Jones
Encyclopedia
Romany Jones is a British sitcom made by LWT
, It starred Arthur Mullard
and Queenie Watts
as Wally and Lily Briggs and was broadcast between 1973 and 1975, The show was originally designed as a vehicle for James Beck
(Private Walker in Dad's Army
), involving the comic misadventures of two layabout families living on a caravan site.
Following the death of Beck in August 1973, aged just 44, Bert and Betty Jones were written out of the series, and Jonathan Cecil and Maureen Sweeney took over the lead roles, playing new neighbours, Jeremy and Susan Crichton-Jones.
The show had a pilot broadcast in 1972 and was followed by a spin off sequel in 1976 entitled Yus, My Dear
, starring Mullard and Watts.
on 6th June 2011. The second series will be released on the 23rd January 2012
, intended to be a sequel to Romany Jones. The show focused on the two main characters who had now left the caravan site to live in a council house.
, separately. However a 3-disc set of the complete series containing both series together has yet to be released.
London Weekend Television
London Weekend Television was the name of the ITV network franchise holder for Greater London and the Home Counties including south Suffolk, middle and east Hampshire, Oxfordshire, south Bedfordshire, south Northamptonshire, parts of Herefordshire & Worcestershire, Warwickshire, east Dorset and...
, It starred Arthur Mullard
Arthur Mullard
Arthur Ernest Mullard, original surname Mullord was an English comedy actor.- Early life :...
and Queenie Watts
Queenie Watts
Queenie Watts was an English actress and singer of film and television....
as Wally and Lily Briggs and was broadcast between 1973 and 1975, The show was originally designed as a vehicle for James Beck
James Beck
Stanley James Carroll Beck was a British actor best remembered for his role as Private Joe Walker, the cockney spiv in the popular BBC sitcom Dad's Army. The cast was mainly composed of older actors, but Beck was one of the younger members.-Early life:Beck was born in Islington, North London and...
(Private Walker in Dad's Army
Dad's Army
Dad's Army is a British sitcom about the Home Guard during the Second World War. It was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft and broadcast on BBC television between 1968 and 1977. The series ran for 9 series and 80 episodes in total, plus a radio series, a feature film and a stage show...
), involving the comic misadventures of two layabout families living on a caravan site.
Following the death of Beck in August 1973, aged just 44, Bert and Betty Jones were written out of the series, and Jonathan Cecil and Maureen Sweeney took over the lead roles, playing new neighbours, Jeremy and Susan Crichton-Jones.
The show had a pilot broadcast in 1972 and was followed by a spin off sequel in 1976 entitled Yus, My Dear
Yus, My Dear
Yus, My Dear is a British situation comedy which ran for nineteen episodes over two series in 1976 featuring Arthur Mullard and Queenie Watts in the lead roles, it was written by Ronald Chesney and Ronald Wolfe...
, starring Mullard and Watts.
Cast
- Arthur MullardArthur MullardArthur Ernest Mullard, original surname Mullord was an English comedy actor.- Early life :...
- Wally Briggs - Queenie WattsQueenie WattsQueenie Watts was an English actress and singer of film and television....
- Lily Briggs - James BeckJames BeckStanley James Carroll Beck was a British actor best remembered for his role as Private Joe Walker, the cockney spiv in the popular BBC sitcom Dad's Army. The cast was mainly composed of older actors, but Beck was one of the younger members.-Early life:Beck was born in Islington, North London and...
- Bert Jones (series 1 and 2) - Jo RowbottomJo RowbottomJo Rowbottom is a British character actress, best known for guest roles in numerous British TV series, and as James Beck's wife in Romany Jones.-Selected television credits:*Dixon of Dock Green*Z-Cars*The Baron*Mogul...
- Betty Jones (series 1 and 2) - Kevin BrennanKevin Brennan (actor)Kevin Martin Brennan was a British film and television actor.-Selected filmography:* On the Beach * The Punch and Judy Man * The Small World of Sammy Lee...
- Mr Gibson (series 1 and 2) - Jonathan CecilJonathan CecilJonathan Hugh Gascoyne-Cecil , more commonly known as Jonathan Cecil, was an English theatre, film and television actor.-Early life:...
- Jeremy Crichton-Jones (series 3 and 4) - Maureen Sweeney - Susan Crichton-Jones (series 3 and 4)
Trivia
- Chris BoucherChris BoucherChris Boucher is a British television writer, best known for his frequent contributions to two genres, science fiction and crime dramas.-Biography:...
, later to write extensively for science fiction shows including Doctor WhoDoctor WhoDoctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
, Blake's 7Blake's 7Blake's 7 is a British science fiction television series produced by the BBC for its BBC1 channel. The series was created by Terry Nation, a prolific television writer and creator of the Daleks for the television series Doctor Who. Four series of Blake's 7 were produced and broadcast between 1978...
and Star CopsStar CopsStar Cops is a British science fiction television series first broadcast on BBC Two in 1987. It was devised by Chris Boucher, a writer who had previously worked on the science fiction television series Doctor Who and Blake's 7 as well as crime dramas such as Juliet Bravo and Bergerac...
, wrote the episode "Run Rabbit Run". - Arthur EnglishArthur EnglishArthur Leslie Norman English was an English actor and comedian from the music hall tradition.English was born in Aldershot, Hampshire. After serving in the army in World War II, reaching the rank of sergeant, English worked as a painter and decorator in his native town...
played Wally Briggs in the pilot episode.
DVD Release
The first series of Romany Jones has been released by Network DVDNetwork 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...
on 6th June 2011. The second series will be released on the 23rd January 2012
Yus, My Dear
In 1976 a year after their previous LWT sitcom vehicle Romany Jones ended, Mullard and Watts (both main characters of the show) starred in a spin-off sitcom called Yus, My DearYus, My Dear
Yus, My Dear is a British situation comedy which ran for nineteen episodes over two series in 1976 featuring Arthur Mullard and Queenie Watts in the lead roles, it was written by Ronald Chesney and Ronald Wolfe...
, intended to be a sequel to Romany Jones. The show focused on the two main characters who had now left the caravan site to live in a council house.
DVD Release
Both the first and second series have now been released on DVD 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...
, separately. However a 3-disc set of the complete series containing both series together has yet to be released.