Yanks Go Home
Encyclopedia
Yanks Go Home is a British sitcom
about U.S. Army Air Forcemen stationed in Lancashire, England in the Second World War
. It was produced and directed by Eric Prytherch for Granada Television
and broadcast on ITV
between 1976 and 1977. The series ran for 2 series and 13 episodes in total before its cancellation.
stationed in a small northern town in Lancashire, England during the Second World War
and their sometimes tense relationship with the local men, most often over the attentions of the young women in the town. The early interactions and friction between British civilians and the U.S. military during WWII, best summed up the popular wartime slogan of American servicemen "over paid, over sexed, and over here", was intentionally played up for humorous effect in the series.
months before. With the immensely popular BBC
sitcom Dad's Army
in its final year, ITV
created the series in an attempt to win over some of its audience. The show received considerable publicity from the network and appeared on the cover of TV Times
.
The show failed to meet the network's expectations however, mostly due to the concept already having been touched upon in Dad's Army (such as in the episode My British Buddy
), but also because of the lack of a regular writing staff. Nearly each episode was written by a different writer which created noticeable inconsistencies as the series progressed. The studio-based setting
and canned laughter also lessened the feel in comparison with Dad's Army. The show was canceled a year later, the final episode airing on September 19, 1977, and was never brought back for a third.
One of the breakout stars of the show was Freddie Earlle, whose character Corporal Pasquale was favorably compared to Sgt. Bilko. The series also featured Stuart Damon
of The Champions
, who also wrote one episode.
British sitcom
A British sitcom tends, as it does in most other countries, to be based on a family, workplace or other institution, where the same group of contrasting characters is brought together in each episode. Unlike American sitcoms, where twenty or more episodes in a season is the norm, British sitcoms...
about U.S. Army Air Forcemen stationed in Lancashire, England in the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. It was produced and directed by Eric Prytherch for Granada Television
Granada Television
Granada Television is the ITV contractor for North West England. Based in Manchester since its inception, it is the only surviving original ITA franchisee from 1954 and is ITV's most successful....
and broadcast on ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
between 1976 and 1977. The series ran for 2 series and 13 episodes in total before its cancellation.
Plot
The series focused on a group of U.S. Army Air Force pilotsAviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
stationed in a small northern town in Lancashire, England during the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and their sometimes tense relationship with the local men, most often over the attentions of the young women in the town. The early interactions and friction between British civilians and the U.S. military during WWII, best summed up the popular wartime slogan of American servicemen "over paid, over sexed, and over here", was intentionally played up for humorous effect in the series.
Characters
- Pheobe Sankey (Meg JohnsonMeg JohnsonMeg Johnson is an English actress who currently plays the role of Pearl Ladderbanks in ITV's popular soap opera Emmerdale. Prior to joining Emmedale, Johnson was a part of the now-axed UK soap Brookside, playing Brigid McKenna for three years...
) - - Sgt. Gus Polaski (Bruce BoaBruce BoaBruce Boa was a Canadian actor, who found success playing the token North American in British films and television....
) - - Cpl. Vince Rossi (Stuart DamonStuart DamonStuart Damon is an American actor. He is known for thirty years of portraying the character Dr. Alan Quartermaine on the American soap opera General Hospital, for which he won an Emmy Award in 1999....
) - - Doreen Sankey (Catherine NeilsonCatherine NeilsonCatherine Neilson is a British stage, television, and film actress, who was active from the late 1970s through the mid 1990s.-Career:...
) - - Harry Duckworth (David RossDavid Ross (actor)David Ross is an English actor who has worked in theatre, cinema, and television.His best-known roles include playing the first appearance of Kryten and the voice of the Talkie Toaster on the science fiction comedy series Red Dwarf, Elgin on the BBC sitcom The Green Green Grass, and as Mr...
) - - Bert Pickup (Harry Markham) -
- Cpl. Pasquale (Freddie Earlle) -
- Col. Ralph Kruger (Alan MacNaughtonAlan MacNaughtanAlan MacNaughtan was a Scottish actor, born in Bearsden, Dunbartonshire, Scotland. An experienced Old Vic, West End and Broadway actor, he became active in television and certain films between 1954 and 1999....
) - - Col. Irving (Lionel MurtonLionel MurtonWilliam Lionel Murton was a British-Canadian character actor. He most often played Americans/Canadians in numerous films and television series, from the late 1940s...
) - - Pfc. Burford Puckett (Richard Oldfield) -
- Leonard Chambers (Norman BirdNorman BirdNorman Bird was a British character actor. Often sporting a moustache and an air of worried resignation, he seemed to specialise in downtrodden roles...
) - - Pvt. Floyd Tutt (Jay BenedictJay BenedictJay Benedict is an American actor, best known in the United Kingdom for his role as Captain John Kieffer in Foyle's War .He has lived and worked in Europe since the 1960s...
) -
Series 1
| # | Title | Writers | | Original airdate | | Series No. |
|---|
Series 2
| # | Title | Writers | | Original airdate | | Series No. |
|---|
Reception
Upon the premiere of the first episode, originally aired on November 22, 1976, the show's title "Yanks Go Home" raised some mild controversy as the United States had celebrated its bicentennialUnited States Bicentennial
The United States Bicentennial was a series of celebrations and observances during the mid-1970s that paid tribute to the historical events leading up to the creation of the United States as an independent republic...
months before. With the immensely popular BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
sitcom 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...
in its final year, ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
created the series in an attempt to win over some of its audience. The show received considerable publicity from the network and appeared on the cover of TV Times
TV Times
TVTimes is a television listings magazine published in the United Kingdom by IPC Media, a subsidiary of Time Warner. It is known for its access to television actors and their programmes. In 2006 it was refreshed for a more modern look, increasing its emphasis on big star interviews and soaps...
.
The show failed to meet the network's expectations however, mostly due to the concept already having been touched upon in Dad's Army (such as in the episode My British Buddy
My British Buddy
My British Buddy is the second episode of the sixth series of the British television sitcom Dad's Army that was originally transmitted on BBC 1 on Wednesday 7 November 1973.-Synopsis:...
), but also because of the lack of a regular writing staff. Nearly each episode was written by a different writer which created noticeable inconsistencies as the series progressed. The studio-based setting
Television studio
A television studio is an installation in which a video productions take place, either for the recording of live television to video tape, or for the acquisition of raw footage for post-production. The design of a studio is similar to, and derived from, movie studios, with a few amendments for the...
and canned laughter also lessened the feel in comparison with Dad's Army. The show was canceled a year later, the final episode airing on September 19, 1977, and was never brought back for a third.
One of the breakout stars of the show was Freddie Earlle, whose character Corporal Pasquale was favorably compared to Sgt. Bilko. The series also featured Stuart Damon
Stuart Damon
Stuart Damon is an American actor. He is known for thirty years of portraying the character Dr. Alan Quartermaine on the American soap opera General Hospital, for which he won an Emmy Award in 1999....
of The Champions
The Champions
The Champions is a British espionage/science fiction/occult detective fiction adventure series consisting of 30 episodes broadcast on the UK network ITV during 1968–1969, produced by Lew Grade's ITC Entertainment production company...
, who also wrote one episode.