Terry and June
Encyclopedia
Terry and June is a British
sitcom that was broadcast on BBC1
from 1979 to 1987. The programme is largely a continuation of Happy Ever After, and stars Terry Scott
and June Whitfield
as a middle-class suburban couple, Terry and June Medford. Most of the 65 episodes were written by John Kane
, with seven other writers also writing some episodes.
pilot
called "Happy Ever After" aired on BBC1 with Scott and Whitfield playing Terry and June Fletcher, a middle-class couple whose grown-up children have just left home. This was commissioned into a series, and five series and three Christmas specials were broadcast, ending on 20 December 1978. John T. Chapman, one of the original writers, said that the programme had run out of ideas and should end. BBC Comedy, however, were unwilling to end a popular show, and so brought in new writers. Legal complications meant that the name and setting had to change, and Terry and June was born. The characteristics of Terry and June remained largely similar. However, the character of Aunt Lucy, a popular ingredient of Happy Ever After, disappeared, as did her mynah bird.
The character of Melinda Spry, Terry and June's neighbour, was originally played by Joan Benham
in the 1981 episode "The Lawnmower". Benham died on 13 June 1981, and Terry and June was her last television appearance. She was replaced by Diana King
.
The BBC planned a feature-length film, entitled Terry and June - The Movie, but it was never made.
, Surrey
. They are in their late 40s, and have a daughter Wendy, who is married to Roger; both are rarely seen. Terry's nephew, Alan Medford, pays occasional visits when he always causes some form of trouble. Terry is headstrong, and determined, although his plans and schemes normally end in disaster. June meanwhile is patient of her husband, but frequently doubtful about his ideas.
Terry works for "Playsafe Fire Extinguishers and Appliances", and his boss is Malcolm Harris. Malcolm frequently has affairs, and he and his wife Beattie, a friend of June, frequently argue. The owner of Terry's company is Sir Dennis Hodge, a grumpy man who rules the company with a rod of iron (played by Reginald Marsh
who played a similar character in The Good Life). His personal secretary of over 20 years is Miss Nora Fennell, whose fondness for Sir Dennis is not returned.
In the first two series, their neighbours are Brian and Tina Pillbeam. From the third to sixth series, the Medfords' neighbours are Tarquin and Melinda Spry. Terry and Tarquin are frequently competing against each other.
. At the start of the second series Terry receives a new company car, a metallic Tara Green Austin Princess (a Series 2 1700HL model, with fake registration NMO 49W). This Princess was not used in the following series as the next model Terry uses is an older Series 1 Brooklands Green 2200HL, but still with the fake and now incorrect registration. In the 1984 season Terry keeps his "Wedge" theme with the updated Neutilus Blue Austin Ambassador
. In the 1986 season, however, Terry goes back to Ford
and drives a metallic red Ford Sierra
. In the last season he switches to a briefly seen Mk3 Ford Granada
.
programmes with which it was contemporaneous, some of which frequently lampooned the show. In 2004, it came 73rd in Britain's Best Sitcom
, jointly with Happy Ever After.
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 that was broadcast on BBC1
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
from 1979 to 1987. The programme is largely a continuation of Happy Ever After, and stars Terry Scott
Terry Scott
Owen John "Terry" Scott was an English actor and comedian who appeared in seven Carry On films. He also appeared in BBC1's popular domestic sitcom Terry and June with June Whitfield...
and June Whitfield
June Whitfield
June Rosemary Whitfield, CBE is an English actress, well known in the United Kingdom since the 1950s for roles in radio and television comedy series....
as a middle-class suburban couple, Terry and June Medford. Most of the 65 episodes were written by John Kane
John Kane (writer)
John Kane is an actor and writer.-Career:An associate actor with the Royal Shakespeare Company, he played Puck in Peter Brook's acclaimed production of A Midsummer Night's Dream alongside Ben Kingsley, Alan Howard and Frances de la Tour, before turning to comedy script writing...
, with seven other writers also writing some episodes.
Production
Terry Scott and June Whitfield began their television partnership in Scott On in 1968. On 7 May 1974, a Comedy PlayhouseComedy Playhouse
Comedy Playhouse was a long-running British anthology series of one-off unrelated sitcoms that aired for 120 episodes from 1961 to 1975. Many episodes later graduated to their own series, including Steptoe and Son, Till Death Us Do Part, All Gas and Gaiters, The Liver Birds, Are You Being Served?...
pilot
Television pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
called "Happy Ever After" aired on BBC1 with Scott and Whitfield playing Terry and June Fletcher, a middle-class couple whose grown-up children have just left home. This was commissioned into a series, and five series and three Christmas specials were broadcast, ending on 20 December 1978. John T. Chapman, one of the original writers, said that the programme had run out of ideas and should end. BBC Comedy, however, were unwilling to end a popular show, and so brought in new writers. Legal complications meant that the name and setting had to change, and Terry and June was born. The characteristics of Terry and June remained largely similar. However, the character of Aunt Lucy, a popular ingredient of Happy Ever After, disappeared, as did her mynah bird.
The character of Melinda Spry, Terry and June's neighbour, was originally played by Joan Benham
Joan Benham
Joan Benham was an English actress best known for her portrayal of Lady Prudence Fairfax in the ITV period drama series Upstairs, Downstairs...
in the 1981 episode "The Lawnmower". Benham died on 13 June 1981, and Terry and June was her last television appearance. She was replaced by Diana King
Diana King (actress)
Diana King was an English television actress who had a career on British television from 1939 to 1986. She was sometimes credited as Diane King, and was born in Buckinghamshire....
.
The BBC planned a feature-length film, entitled Terry and June - The Movie, but it was never made.
Main characters
- Terry ScottTerry ScottOwen John "Terry" Scott was an English actor and comedian who appeared in seven Carry On films. He also appeared in BBC1's popular domestic sitcom Terry and June with June Whitfield...
- Terence 'Terry' Medford - June WhitfieldJune WhitfieldJune Rosemary Whitfield, CBE is an English actress, well known in the United Kingdom since the 1950s for roles in radio and television comedy series....
- June Medford - Reginald MarshReginald Marsh (actor)Reginald Marsh was an English actor who is best remembered for starring in many British sitcoms from the 1970s onwards.-Early life and career:...
- Sir Dennis Hodge - Terence AlexanderTerence AlexanderTerence Joseph Alexander was an English film and television actor, best known for his role as Charlie Hungerford in the British TV drama Bergerac.-Early life and career:...
- Malcolm Harris (series 1 and 2) - Tim Barrett - Malcolm Harris (1980 Special to series 7)
- John QuayleJohn Quayle (actor)John Quayle is an English actor who is best remembered for his roles in many sitcoms including All Gas and Gaiters, Terry and June, Steptoe and Son and The Liver Birds.-Career:...
- Malcolm Harris (series 8 and 9) - Rosemary Frankau - Beattie Harris
- Joanna Henderson - Miss Nora Fennell (series 3 to 5; 8 to 9)
Recurring characters
- Roland CurramRoland CurramRoland Curram is a successful English actor.Curram was educated at Brighton College and has led a long film, television and theatre career. His appearances include Julie Christie's gay travelling companion in her Oscar-winning movie Darling and the expatriate Freddie in the BBC's short-lived soap...
- Brian Pillbeam (series 1) - Anita Graham - Tina Pillbeam (series 1 and 2)
- John Warner - The Rev. Austin Doyle (series 1, 3 to 5; 7 to 9)
- Allan CuthbertsonAllan CuthbertsonAllan Cuthbertson was a naturalised Anglo-Australian actor.-Early life:Born Allan Darling Cuthbertson in Perth, Western Australia, son of Ernest and Isobel Ferguson Cuthbertson, he performed on stage and radio from an early age.During World War II, he served as a Flight Lieutenant with the RAAF...
- Tarquin Spry (series 3 to 6) - Joan BenhamJoan BenhamJoan Benham was an English actress best known for her portrayal of Lady Prudence Fairfax in the ITV period drama series Upstairs, Downstairs...
- Melinda Spry (series 3) - Diana KingDiana King (actress)Diana King was an English television actress who had a career on British television from 1939 to 1986. She was sometimes credited as Diane King, and was born in Buckinghamshire....
- Melinda Spry (series 5 to 6) - Roger Martin - Alan Medford (series 2, 3, 5 and 9)
- Patsy SmartPatsy SmartPatsy Smart was an English actress who is best remembered for her performance as Miss Roberts in the 1970s ITV television drama Upstairs, Downstairs....
- Miss Lavinia Dingle (series 7 and 8)
Plot
The series starts as middle-class couple Terry and June Medford prepare to move into 71, Popular Avenue in PurleyPurley, London
Purley is a place in the London Borough of Croydon, England. It is a suburban development situated 11.7 miles south of Charing Cross.The name derives from "pirlea", which means 'Peartree lea'. Purley has a population of about 72,000....
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey 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...
. They are in their late 40s, and have a daughter Wendy, who is married to Roger; both are rarely seen. Terry's nephew, Alan Medford, pays occasional visits when he always causes some form of trouble. Terry is headstrong, and determined, although his plans and schemes normally end in disaster. June meanwhile is patient of her husband, but frequently doubtful about his ideas.
Terry works for "Playsafe Fire Extinguishers and Appliances", and his boss is Malcolm Harris. Malcolm frequently has affairs, and he and his wife Beattie, a friend of June, frequently argue. The owner of Terry's company is Sir Dennis Hodge, a grumpy man who rules the company with a rod of iron (played by Reginald Marsh
Reginald Marsh (actor)
Reginald Marsh was an English actor who is best remembered for starring in many British sitcoms from the 1970s onwards.-Early life and career:...
who played a similar character in The Good Life). His personal secretary of over 20 years is Miss Nora Fennell, whose fondness for Sir Dennis is not returned.
In the first two series, their neighbours are Brian and Tina Pillbeam. From the third to sixth series, the Medfords' neighbours are Tarquin and Melinda Spry. Terry and Tarquin are frequently competing against each other.
Cars
In the first series,Terry drives a dark navy blue Mk2 Ford GranadaFord Granada
Ford Motor Company used the Ford Granada for unrelated vehicles sold in different markets:* The European Ford Granada was built and marketed in Europe from 1972 to 1994.* The American Ford Granada was built and marketed in North America from 1975 to 1982...
. At the start of the second series Terry receives a new company car, a metallic Tara Green Austin Princess (a Series 2 1700HL model, with fake registration NMO 49W). This Princess was not used in the following series as the next model Terry uses is an older Series 1 Brooklands Green 2200HL, but still with the fake and now incorrect registration. In the 1984 season Terry keeps his "Wedge" theme with the updated Neutilus Blue Austin Ambassador
Austin Ambassador
The Austin Ambassador was a medium-to-large hatchback car model introduced by British Leyland in 1982. The vehicle was a heavily updated version of the Princess, an ageing model that had lacked a hatchback...
. In the 1986 season, however, Terry goes back to Ford
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
and drives a metallic red Ford Sierra
Ford Sierra
The Ford Sierra is a large family car that was built by Ford Europe from 1982 until 1993. It was designed by Uwe Bahnsen, Robert Lutz and Patrick le Quément. The code used during development was "Project Toni"....
. In the last season he switches to a briefly seen Mk3 Ford Granada
Ford Granada
Ford Motor Company used the Ford Granada for unrelated vehicles sold in different markets:* The European Ford Granada was built and marketed in Europe from 1972 to 1994.* The American Ford Granada was built and marketed in North America from 1975 to 1982...
.
Episodes
Terry and June first aired on 24 October 1979. It ran for a total of 65 episodes, with nine series and four Christmas Specials. The last episode aired on 31 August 1987.Criticism
The show was generally regarded by critics as the epitome of the bland middle-class sitcom, of the kind which had almost disappeared from the schedules by the new millennium. Despite this the show attracted large viewing figures, typically attracting significantly larger audiences than the alternative comedyAlternative comedy
Alternative comedy is a term that originated in the 1980s for a style of comedy that makes a conscious break with the mainstream comedic style of an era, and typically avoids relying on a standardised structure of a sequence of jokes with punch lines. Patton Oswalt defines it as "comedy where the...
programmes with which it was contemporaneous, some of which frequently lampooned the show. In 2004, it came 73rd in Britain's Best Sitcom
Britain's Best Sitcom
Britain's Best Sitcom was a poll conducted in 2004 by the BBC, to identify the United Kingdom's best situation comedy. Viewers were asked to vote for their favourite by phone, text message and on the web. The top ten went forward to a final round of voting...
, jointly with Happy Ever After.
DVD releases
All nine series and four Christmas Specials, have been released on DVD in Region 2.| DVD Title | Disc No. | Year | Number of episodes | DVD release | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region 2 DVD region code DVD region codes are a digital-rights management technique designed to allow film distributors to control aspects of a release, including content, release date, and price, according to the region... |
|||||||
| Series 1 | 1 | 1979 | 6 | 15 August 2005 | |||
| Series 2 | 1 | 1980 | 7 | 30 January 2006 | |||
| Series 3 | 1 | 1981 | 7 | 17 April 2006 | |||
| Series 4 | 1 | 1982 | 6 | 19 June 2006 | |||
| Series 5 | 1 | 1982 | 7 | 28 August 2006 | |||
| Series 6 | 1 | 1983 | 6 | 16 April 2007 | |||
| Series 7 | 1 | 1983 | 7 | 13 August 2007 | |||
| Series 8 Volume 1 | 1 | 1985 | 6 | 19 May 2008 | |||
| Series 8 Volume 2 | 1 | 1985 | 7 | 18 August 2008 | |||
| Series 9 | 1 | 1987 | 7 | 4 May 2009 | |||