Bless Me, Father

Last updated

Bless Me, Father
Bless Me Father.jpg
Title screen of Series 1
Genre Comedy
Written byPeter de Rosa
Directed byDavid Askey
Starring Arthur Lowe
Daniel Abineri
Gabrielle Daye
Patrick McAlinney
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series3
No. of episodes21
Production
Running time30 minutes
Production company London Weekend Television
Release
Original network ITV
Original release24 September 1978 (1978-09-24) 
16 August 1981 (1981-08-16)

Bless Me, Father is a British sitcom starring Arthur Lowe, Daniel Abineri, Gabrielle Daye, Patrick McAlinney, David Ryall, and Sheila Keith. It was aired on ITV from 1978 until 1981 and described the adventures of an Irish Catholic priest, Father Charles Duddleswell (Lowe) and his young curate (Abineri) in the fictional parish of St. Jude's in suburban London. Twenty-one episodes, written by Peter De Rosa (who had previously been a novice curate), were aired. De Rosa wrote the books on which the series was based using the pseudonym of Neil Boyd which was also the name of the young curate character; Boyd also served as the narrator in the series of novels upon which the series was based. It was made for the ITV network by London Weekend Television.

Contents

The series was set in 1950 and 1951 and marked a departure from the middle-class "bank manager" roles associated with Lowe such as that in Dad's Army . The other regular characters included Mrs Pring (Daye), the housekeeper, the hard-drinking Dr Daley (McAlinney), the non-religious neighbour Billy Buzzle (Ryall), and abbess Reverend Mother Stephen (Keith).

Yes I enjoyed that very much. I enjoyed that because it was such a change from playing these bumbling old Englishmen, but... I would have liked to do more of that but for some reason or other we didn't and I don't know quite why. For one thing I know young Abineri, the boy who played my curate, he went to Australia, more or less on a permanent basis. He married a girl out there and we've lost him to the clergy but... I don't think that was a sufficient reason in itself, I mean there must've been some other politics behind it, because one can always get another curate [for the series]... however Lionel Jeffries has done something similar as recently so...

Arthur Lowe on the series, interviewed on Pebble Mill at One on 14 April 1982, the day before his death.

Cast

Guest appearances on the series include Derek Francis, Phoebe Nicholls, Daniel Gerroll, Peter Bowles, Clive Swift, Rynagh O'Grady, Michael Troughton, Geoffrey Palmer and Peter Copley.

Episodes

The series was repeated from March 2020 on Fox Classics. [1]

Series 1

No.
overall
No. in
series
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
11"Baptism of Fire"David AskeyPeter de Rosa24 September 1978 (1978-09-24)
22"The Bells of St. Jude's"David AskeyPeter de Rosa1 October 1978 (1978-10-01)
33"The Parish Bazaar"David AskeyPeter de Rosa8 October 1978 (1978-10-08)
44"The Doomsday Chair"David AskeyPeter de Rosa15 October 1978 (1978-10-15)
55"Father & Mother"David AskeyPeter de Rosa22 October 1978 (1978-10-22)
66"The Tennis Match"David AskeyPeter de Rosa29 October 1978 (1978-10-29)
77"The Seal of Confession"David AskeyPeter de Rosa5 November 1978 (1978-11-05)

Series 2

No.
overall
No. in
series
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
81"Blessings from Heaven"David AskeyPeter de Rosa11 November 1979 (1979-11-11)
92"Father Neil's First Miracle"David AskeyPeter de Rosa18 November 1979 (1979-11-18)
103"Fatal Lady"David AskeyPeter de Rosa25 November 1979 (1979-11-25)
114"The Heart of a Curate"David AskeyPeter de Rosa9 December 1979 (1979-12-09)
125"All at Sea"David AskeyPeter de Rosa16 December 1979 (1979-12-16)
136"The Season of Goodwill"David AskeyPeter de Rosa23 December 1979 (1979-12-23)
147"A Back to Front Wedding"David AskeyPeter de Rosa6 January 1980 (1980-01-06)

Series 3

No.
overall
No. in
series
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
151"Things Are Not What They Seem"David AskeyPeter de Rosa5 July 1981 (1981-07-05)
162"Women"David AskeyPeter de Rosa12 July 1981 (1981-07-12)
173"Beddings and Weddings"David AskeyPeter de Rosa19 July 1981 (1981-07-19)
184"Fire & Brimstone"David AskeyPeter de Rosa26 July 1981 (1981-07-26)
195"A Legend Comes to Stay"David AskeyPeter de Rosa2 August 1981 (1981-08-02)
206"Porgy & Bess"David AskeyPeter de Rosa9 August 1981 (1981-08-09)
217"A Mixed-Up Marriage"David AskeyPeter de Rosa16 August 1981 (1981-08-16)

Home media

The complete series of Bless Me, Father has been released on DVD in region 1, region 2 and region 4. In the United States and Canada, "The Complete Collection" was released on 26 April 2005 from Acorn Media. In the United Kingdom, distribution company Network DVD released the complete series on 6 August 2007. In Australia, the complete series was released on 11 March 2015 via distribution company Reel DVD. [2]

Book series

Peter De Rosa, formerly an ordained Catholic priest and lecturer, left the priesthood in 1970 and later became a full-time author. Under the pen-name Neil Boyd he wrote the Bless Me, Father novels from which the TV series was adapted. [3]

Boyd, Neil (1977). Bless Me, Father. London: Robert Hale.
Boyd, Neil (1978). A Father Before Christmas. London: Michael Joseph.
Boyd, Neil (1979). Father in a Fix. London: Michael Joseph.
Boyd, Neil (1980). Father Under Fire. London: Michael Joseph.
Boyd, Neil (1981). Bless Me Again, Father. London: Michael Joseph.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nick Drake</span> English singer-songwriter (1948–1974)

Nicholas Rodney Drake was an English singer-songwriter known for his acoustic guitar-based songs. He did not find a wide audience during his lifetime, but posthumously his work gradually achieved wider notice and recognition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arthur Lowe</span> English actor

Arthur Lowe was an English actor. His acting career spanned 37 years, including starring roles in numerous theatre and television productions. He played Captain Mainwaring in the British sitcom Dad's Army from 1968 until 1977, was nominated for seven BAFTAs and became one of the most recognised faces on UK television.

<i>Survivors</i> (1975 TV series) 1975-1977 television series

Survivors is a British post-apocalyptic fiction drama television series created by Terry Nation and produced by Terence Dudley at the BBC, that broadcast from 1975 to 1977. It concerns the plight of a group of people who have survived an apocalyptic plague pandemic, which was accidentally released by a Chinese scientist and quickly spread across the world via air travel. Referred to as "The Death", the plague kills approximately 4,999 out of every 5,000 human beings on the planet within a matter of weeks of being released.

<i>Bless the Child</i> 2000 film

Bless the Child is a 2000 supernatural horror film directed by Chuck Russell and starring Kim Basinger, Jimmy Smits, Angela Bettis, Rufus Sewell, Christina Ricci, and Holliston Coleman. It follows a woman who discovers that her niece, whom she has adopted, is being sought by a Satanic cult seeking to use her supernatural abilities. It is based on the 1993 novel of the same name by Cathy Cash Spellman.

<i>Juliet Bravo</i> Television series

Juliet Bravo is a British television police procedural drama series, first broadcast on 30 August 1980, that ran for six series and a total of 88 episodes on BBC1. The theme of the series concerned a female police inspector who took over control of a police station in the fictional town of Hartley in Lancashire. The lead role of Inspector Jean Darblay was played by Stephanie Turner in series 1 to 3, but in series 4 to 6 she was replaced by Anna Carteret for the role of Inspector Kate Longton. Carteret remained with the series until its demise in 1985.

<i>Headquarters</i> (The Monkees album) 1967 studio album by the Monkees

Headquarters is the third album by the Monkees, released in May 1967 after the first season of their television series had concluded. It was the first album on which the group members made substantial songwriting and instrumental contributions, rather than relying on session musicians and professional songwriters. After a struggle for creative autonomy with their record label, the group had been allowed, to a degree, to record by themselves. Headquarters became the group's third consecutive No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart and was certified double platinum in the United States with sales of more than two million copies within the first two months of release. It also peaked at No. 2 on the UK charts. It is included in the 2006 book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

<i>The Dain Curse</i> 1929 novel by Dashiell Hammett

The Dain Curse is a novel by American writer Dashiell Hammett, published in 1929. Before its publication in book form, it was serialized in Black Mask magazine in 1928 and 1929.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheila Keith</span> British actress (1920–2004)

Sheila Keith was a British character actress, active in theatre, films and TV. She was born to Scottish parents in London while they were visiting the city and brought up in Aberdeen, Scotland. Longing to act, she trained at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in London.

Bad Boy Johnny and the Prophets of Doom is a rock stage musical first performed in Australia in 1989. It is a satire on religion and rock and roll.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Ryall</span> English actor (1935-2014)

David John Ryall was an English stage, film and television character actor. He had leading roles in Lytton's Diary and Goodnight Sweetheart, as well as memorable roles in Dennis Potter's The Singing Detective and Andrew Davies's adaptation of To Play the King. He also portrayed Billy Buzzle in the ITV sitcom Bless Me, Father and Frank in the BBC sitcom Outnumbered.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrick McAlinney</span>

Patrick Andrew McAlinney was an Irish character actor who starred in many British dramas and sitcoms. His most memorable roles included a brother on the hit sitcom Oh, Brother!, which starred Derek Nimmo, Mr. O'Reilly in The Tomorrow People and Dr. Daley in Bless Me, Father.

Daniel Abineri is an English songwriter, actor, director, narrator and playwright known for writing the book, music and lyrics for the controversial rock musical Bad Boy Johnny and the Prophets of Doom. The 1994 London production made national news when it caused grave offence to the Roman Catholic Church and was closed down after just nine performances.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liza Pulman</span> British singer and actress (born 1969)

Liza Kate Pulman is a British singer and actress. She is an acclaimed solo singer and comedienne and one third of the satirical comedy trio Fascinating Aïda. As a member of the group, she received Drama Desk Award nominations in 2005 and 2010. Pulman has an extensive career that encompasses music, theatre, comedy, writing and presenting.

<i>West 11</i> 1963 British film

West 11 is a 1963 British crime film directed by Michael Winner and starring Alfred Lynch, Kathleen Breck, Eric Portman, Diana Dors, and Kathleen Harrison. It is based on The Furnished Room (1961), Laura Del-Rivo's debut novel, which was adapted for the screen by Willis Hall and Keith Waterhouse. Set in west London, the title is taken from the postcode W11, and it was filmed on location in Notting Hill. In 2021 it was digitally restored and released on DVD.

The Rat Catchers is a 1960s British television drama series made by Rediffusion and broadcast on ITV. The series was not networked, playing on different days of the week in London from other regions. It is about a top secret British Intelligence Unit. It receives orders from the Prime Minister and, without questioning, proceeds to battle enemy spies, saboteurs, and others to protect the security of Great Britain and the Western Alliance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gabrielle Daye</span> English actress

Gabrielle Daye was an English stage, film and television actress, notable for her TV role as Mrs. Pring on Bless Me, Father. Other television appearances include Coronation Street, The War of Darkie Pilbeam (1968), Persuasion (1971), Survivors, Dear Enemy (1981), Juliet Bravo, Ever Decreasing Circles, Bleak House (1985) and A Very British Coup (1988). She also appeared in the feature films 10 Rillington Place (1971), Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971), Don't Just Lie There, Say Something! (1974), Cry Wolf (1980) and No Surrender (1985).

<i>Flambards</i> (TV series) British TV series or programme

Flambards is a television series of 13 episodes which was broadcast in the United Kingdom in 1979 on ITV and in the United States in 1980. The series was based on the three Flambards novels of English author K. M. Peyton.

<i>The Village</i> (2013 TV series) British TV series or programme

The Village is a BBC television series written by Peter Moffat. The drama is set in a Derbyshire village in the early 20th century. The first series of what Moffat hoped would become a 42-hour televised drama following an extended family through the 20th century, was broadcast in spring 2013 and covered the years 1914 to 1920. A second series was broadcast in autumn 2014, and continued the story into the 1920s. The programme did not return after the second series.

<i>Cotton Eyed Joe</i> (album) 2007 live album by Karen Dalton

Cotton Eyed Joe is a live album by American musician Karen Dalton recorded in October 1962, but not released until 2007, as a set of two CDs and a DVD.

References

  1. https://www.foxtel.com.au/tv-guide/Bless-Me-Father/111046398 Website requires Foxtel app.
  2. "Bless Me Father Series 1 3 on DVD". dvdorchard.com.au. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  3. "Authors: Peter De Rosa". Andrew Nurnberg Associates. Archived from the original on 2 March 2016. Retrieved 29 February 2016.