Odd Man Out (British TV series)

Odd Man Out
Genre	Sitcom
Created by	Vince Powell
Starring	John Inman Josephine Tewson Peter Butterworth Avril Angers Vivienne Johnson
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of series	1
No. of episodes	7
Production
Running time	30 minutes
Production company	Thames Television
Original release
Network	ITV
Release	27 October (1977-10-27) – 8 December 1977 (1977-12-08)

Odd Man Out is a British sitcom starring John Inman that aired for seven episodes on ITV from 27 October to 8 December 1977. It was made by Thames Television and written by Vince Powell. ^{[1] [2]}

Synopsis

Neville Sutcliffe (John Inman), the owner of a Blackpool fish-and-chip shop, inherits his father's rock factory in Littlehampton. The series revolves around his adventures, which include learning to drive a car, going to Paris and swimming The Channel. ^[2]

Cast and characters

• Neville Sutcliffe (John Inman), the camp, simpering, illegitimate son of Herbert Sutcliffe, who left Neville and his half-sister Dorothy half of his factory and house. He sells his Blackpool fish-and-chip shop to his friend Bobby so that he and Dorothy can pay the bank the £30,000 that their father owed.
• Dorothy Sutcliffe (Josephine Tewson), the flustering, legitimate daughter of Herbert Sutcliffe and his wife. She doesn't take to Neville immediately, but later sees through the exterior and accepts him into the family.
• Ma (Avril Angers), the sweet, simple-natured Ma has worked for Herbert for many years. She is distinguished by her white turban and hair curler. It is thought that she and Herbert had an affair.
• Wilf (Peter Butterworth), the quiet, friendly man in charge at Littlehampton Rock Factory. He had worked there for almost twenty years when Herbert died, and is now the rock-puller. He lodges with Dorothy and Neville.
• Marilyn (Vivienne Johnson), the sex-obsessed Marilyn spends her time at Littlehampton using her knees to bend candy bananas. She speaks with a distinct Western accent. She is very flirtatious, especially towards Neville, whom she calls 'Mr. Neville'. Johnson played the role of young Mr. Grace's nurse in Are You Being Served? .
• Cleo (Glenna Forster-Jones), the only black member of the staff, is not from Jamaica, Trinidad or Barbados, but from Cockfosters, much to Neville's surprise. She is against people who judge others by their colour. Cleo is a kind person with a sense of humour.
• Percy (Jan Harding), the simple, quiet member of Littlehampton Rock Works. He pours the rock out into the pit where it is made.
• Auntie Cissie (Betty Alberge), Bobby's aunt, who helps him in the chip shop. She keeps wandering off and hanging up while on the telephone.

Episodes

#	Title	Director	Original air date
1	"A Chip Off the Old Block" [3]	Anthony Parker [3]	27 October 1977 (1977-10-27) [3]
2	"Money, Money, Money" [4]	Anthony Parker [4]	3 November 1977 (1977-11-03) [4]
3	"Sink or Swim" [5]	Anthony Parker [5]	10 November 1977 (1977-11-10) [5]
4	"Shall We Dance?" [6]	Anthony Parker [6]	17 November 1977 (1977-11-17) [6]
5	"Who's A Pretty Baby?" [7]	Anthony Parker [7]	24 November 1977 (1977-11-24) [7]
6	"Clunk Click" [8]	Anthony Parker [8]	1 December 1977 (1977-12-01) [8]
7	"Ooh La La" [9]	Anthony Parker [9]	8 December 1977 (1977-12-08) [9]

Reception

The series, which had been intended as a solo vehicle for John Inman, who at the time had become popular as the co-star of the highly successful sitcom Are You Being Served? , was met with poor reception and was cancelled after one series. The Daily Telegraph ranked it #3 on their list of the ten worst British sitcoms ever made, ^[10] and the Radio Times Guide to TV Comedy ranked it #16 on their list of the twenty worst British sitcoms ever produced. ^[11]

Home media releases

The complete series of Odd Man Out was first released by Network Distributing in the UK (DVD Region 2) on 4 February 2013. ^[12] The series was later released in Australia (DVD Region 4) by Via Vision Entertainment on 6 March 2024. ^[13]

References

1. Barker, Dennis (9 March 2007). "Obituary: John Inman". The Guardian . Retrieved 8 July 2009.
2. "Obituary: John Inman". BBC. 8 March 2007. Retrieved 8 July 2009.
3. "A Chip Off the Old Block". Internet Movie Database . Retrieved 4 September 2010.
4. "Money, Money, Money". Internet Movie Database . Retrieved 4 September 2010.
5. "Sink or Swim". Internet Movie Database . Retrieved 4 September 2010.
6. "Shall We Dance?". Internet Movie Database . Retrieved 4 September 2010.
7. "Who's a Pretty Baby?". Internet Movie Database . Retrieved 4 September 2010.
8. "Clunk Click". Internet Movie Database . Retrieved 4 September 2010.
9. "Ooh La La". Internet Movie Database . Retrieved 4 September 2010.
10. Lawrence, Ben (2 September 2016). "Molly Sugden in space: the 10 worst British sitcoms ever made". The Telegraph. ISSN   0307-1235 . Retrieved 25 November 2025.
11. Wainwright, Martin (30 September 2003). "Bilko named best ever comedy". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
12. "Odd Man Out - The Complete Series DVD". British Comedy Guide . Archived from the original on 23 December 2017. Retrieved 16 November 2025.
13. "Odd Man Out: The Complete Series". Via Vision Entertainment. Retrieved 16 November 2025.

External links

• Odd Man Out at IMDb
• Odd Man Out at British Comedy Guide