Steptoe and Son in Murder at Oil Drum Lane
Encyclopedia
John Antrobus
John Antrobus is an English playwright and script writer. He has written extensively for stage, screen, TV and radio, including the epic World War II play, Crete and Sergeant Pepper at the Royal Court...
that brought the Steptoe and Son
Steptoe and Son
Steptoe and Son is a British sitcom written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson about two rag and bone men living in Oil Drum Lane, a fictional street in Shepherd's Bush, London. Four series were broadcast by the BBC from 1962 to 1965, followed by a second run from 1970 to 1974. Its theme tune, "Old...
saga to an end. It was first performed in 2005.
The title of the play was borrowed from the Swedish 1982 play Albert & Herbert
Albert & Herbert
Albert & Herbert was a Swedish comedy series that ran in 1974, 1976–1979, 1981–1982, an advent series and a theatre play titled Mordet på Skolgatan 15, and had a spin-off series in 1995...
: Mordet på Skolgatan 15 (meaning Albert & Harold : The Murder at Skolgatan 15) by Sten-Åke Cederhök, although in this play, the murder refers not to Albert but to their home in Haga, Gothenburg
Haga, Gothenburg
Haga is a city district in Gothenburg, Sweden, renowned for its picturesque wooden houses, 19th century-atmosphere and cafés. Originally a working class suburb of the city with a rather bad reputation, it was gradually transformed into a popular visiting place for tourists and Gothenburgers...
.
Background
Steptoe and Son had been a successful British sitcom in the 1960s and 1970s. Ray Galton had been one of the two writers of the original series, and he co-wrote this play. It brought an end to the Steptoe and Son saga, explaining the two protagonists' lives together and their deaths.Plot
The year is 2005. Steptoe's old house is now the property of the National TrustNational Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
. Harold Steptoe, now in his 70s, visits the place but gets shut in after closing time. Through his monologue, the audience discovers that he eventually killed his father by throwing a spear at him when he was sitting on the toilet
Toilet
A toilet is a sanitation fixture used primarily for the disposal of human excrement, often found in a small room referred to as a toilet/bathroom/lavatory...
. Since then, he has been living in secret in Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
.
While pondering his old home, the ghost
Ghost
In traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...
of his father, Albert, re-appears. Albert explains that he has been trapped in this house with the "poncy" National Trust man, and that the only thing that Albert needs to get into heaven
Heaven
Heaven, the Heavens or Seven Heavens, is a common religious cosmological or metaphysical term for the physical or transcendent place from which heavenly beings originate, are enthroned or inhabit...
is an apology from Harold. But Harold refuses to give it, because he blames Albert for ruining his life.
Most of the story is told in flashback. Albert refused to let him go to school, forcing him into a life of no education. Albert forced Harold to take the blame for looting in the Blitz
The Blitz
The Blitz was the sustained strategic bombing of Britain by Nazi Germany between 7 September 1940 and 10 May 1941, during the Second World War. The city of London was bombed by the Luftwaffe for 76 consecutive nights and many towns and cities across the country followed...
. Albert then stopped him going to the D-Day
D-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
landings. Albert had locked him in a secret compartment throughout the war. When the war ends, Harold is arrested and sent to fight in the Malayas. When he returns, Albert continues to ruin his life. In an attempt to be rid of Albert forever, Harold plans to emigrate to New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
with his fiancée, Joyce. Albert ruins it by telling them that Joyce is secretly Harold's sister. Harold sets off for New Zealand but Albert gets him arrested by framing him as a thief. When Harold gets out of jail, Albert thwarts all his attempts to get a girlfriend. Harold is absolutely mad at Albert until he discovers that in all the junk he has a copy of the Gutenberg Bible
Gutenberg Bible
The Gutenberg Bible was the first major book printed with a movable type printing press, and marked the start of the "Gutenberg Revolution" and the age of the printed book. Widely praised for its high aesthetic and artistic qualities, the book has an iconic status...
, worth £3 million. Harold is over the moon and runs off to celebrate. Albert is not so happy, realising that his simple life with Harold will be over. In the next scene, Harold returns home to find the Bible missing, and presumes his father has destroyed it. In a fit of rage he throws a spear at the toilet door. At that moment, Albert opens the door and is stabbed by the spear.
The flashbacks end. Harold finds it in his heart to forgive Albert. It is then that he has a heart attack (due to finding the Bible was hidden for safe measures, not destroyed, yet over time it had been chewed and ripped) and becomes a ghost along with Albert. The next morning, his body is discovered, and Joyce, who has become a nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
, asks for him to be buried next to his father, much to Harold's annoyance. Albert accidentally tells Harold that Joyce and he aren't really related. Harold is furious and in the argument they fly into the sky on their old wagon, pulled by their old horse Hercules, arguing over which one will go to Heaven.
Actors
- Harold - Jake Nightingale
- Albert - Harry Dickman
- National Trust Man, Policeman #1, Military Policeman - Daniel Beales
- Joyce, Pamela - Katie Males
- Fiona - Louise Metcalfe
- Policeman #2 - Andy Clarkson
Production credits
- Director - Roger Smith
- Designer - Nigel Hook
- Lighting designer - Tony Simpson
- Composer - Christopher Madin
- Sound designer - Clement Rawling
- General manager - Armand Gerrard
- Production manager - Dominic Fraser