Please, Sir!

'Please, Sir!' was a very popular British sitcom, broadcast by London Weekend Television from 1968 to 1972. Created by the gifted comedy writing duo of John Esmonde and Bob Larbey, the show featured John Alderton as stressed young teacher Bernard Hedges trying to cope in a tough London comprehensive.

A marvellous cast included Deryck Guyler as jobsworth caretaker Norman Potter, Joan Sanderson as formidable teacher Doris Ewell, and Richard Davies as the philosophical Welsh teacher Mr. Price. The students were played by actors obviously older than school age, including Peter Cleall as the rebellious, wisecracking Eric Duffy, Peter Denyer as the not too bright, but lovable, Dennis Dunstable, David Barry as wannabe tough guy cum mummy's boy Frankie Abbott, Penny Spencer/Carol Hawkins as sexpot Sharon Eversleigh, Liz Gebhardt as lovelorn (she was in love with Hedges) Maureen Bullock, and Malcolm McFee as the smooth Peter Craven.

The series had a spin-off film, and the school the series was set in, Fenn Street, became a spin-off series, 'The Fenn Street Gang', which ran for 21 episodes from 1971 to 1973. 'Please, Sir!' itself ran for 57 episodes, and in all there were four series and two specials. The episodes in the first series ran for 45 minutes, the episodes in the other series for half an hour. The first episode was screened on November 8th, 1968, the last on February 13th, 1972.

Rest of cast (actor/actress listed first): Noel Howlett - Mr. Morris Cromwell; Erik Chitty - Mr. Smith; Lindsay Campbell - Mr. Sibley; Jill Kerman - Penny Wheeler/Hedges; Glynn Edwards - Gregory Dix; Richard Warwick - David Ffitchett-Brown; Vivienne Martin - Miss Petting; Charles Bolton - Gobber; Barry McCarthy - Terry Stringer; Billy Hamon - Des; Drina Pavlovic - Celia; Rosemary Faith - Daisy.

- Paul Rance/booksmusicfilmstv.com.