Root Into Europe

Last updated

Root Into Europe
Created by William Donaldson
Written by William Donaldson
Mark Chapman
Directed byMark Chapman
Starring George Cole
Pat Heywood
No. of series1
No. of episodes5
Production
ProducersMark Chapman
Justin Judd
Running time60mins
Production companyAspect Film & TV for Central Independent Television
Release
Original network ITV
Original release17 May (1992-05-17) 
14 June 1992 (1992-06-14)

Root Into Europe is an ITV comedy-drama based on the character from William Donaldson's popular book The Henry Root Letters . Five episodes written by Donaldson and Mark Chapman and produced by Aspect Film & TV for Central Independent Television, were first broadcast in May and June 1992. The series starred George Cole as Henry Root, and Pat Heywood as his wife, Muriel.

Henry Root, a fish dealer who disapproves of the impending European Union, declares himself England's 'European regulator' in a letter to the British Prime Minister, then John Major. He takes his wife Muriel (Pat Heywood) on a tour of Europe to represent English values to mainland Europe. His adventures are captured on a camcorder by his wife to be sent to the BBC upon his return for a future documentary, which one expects will never be made. The episodes bring him to France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Belgium and The Netherlands.


Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim Healy (actor)</span> British actor

Timothy Malcolm Healy is an English actor. He played Dennis Patterson in the comedy-drama series Auf Wiedersehen, Pet (1983–2004), Les/Lesley Conroy in the sitcom Benidorm (2009–2018), and Gastric in the comedy series Still Open All Hours (2014–2019).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Cole (actor)</span> English actor

George Edward Cole, OBE was an English actor whose career spanned 75 years. He was best known for playing Arthur Daley in the long-running ITV comedy-drama show Minder and Flash Harry in the early St Trinian's films.

This article covers various hoax letter writers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pat Morita</span> American actor (1932–2005)

Noriyuki "Pat" Morita was an American actor and comedian. He was best known for his roles as Matsuo "Arnold" Takahashi on Happy Days, Mr. Miyagi in The Karate Kid film series, Captain Sam Pak on the comedy series M*A*S*H, Ah Chew in Sanford and Son, Mike Woo in The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo, and The Emperor of China in Mulan and Mulan II. He was the series lead actor in the television program Mr. T and Tina and in Ohara, a police-themed drama. The two shows made history for being among the few TV shows with an Asian-American series lead.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen Root</span> American actor (born 1951)

Stephen Root is an American actor. He has starred as Jimmy James on the NBC sitcom NewsRadio (1995–1999), as Milton Waddams in the film Office Space (1999), and voiced Bill Dauterive and Buck Strickland on the animated series King of the Hill (1997–2010).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Donaldson</span> British satirist, writer, playboy (1935–2005)

Charles William Donaldson was a British satirist, writer, playboy and, under the pseudonym of Henry Root, author of The Henry Root Letters.

<i>If You See God, Tell Him</i> British TV series or programme

If You See God, Tell Him is a black comedy television sitcom starring Richard Briers, Adrian Edmondson, and Imelda Staunton. Written by Andrew Marshall and David Renwick, it was first broadcast on BBC1 in 1993. It comprised four episodes, each 45 minutes long, and was broadcast only once, apart from the first episode, which was repeated on BBC Four on 3 December 2007 as part of "David Renwick Night". The title is a reference to 'if you see Sid, tell him', the slogan used for the sale of shares in British Gas plc.

<i>Too Close for Comfort</i> American television sitcom (1980–1987)

Too Close for Comfort is an American sitcom television series that aired on ABC from November 11, 1980, to May 5, 1983, and in first-run syndication from April 7, 1984, to February 7, 1987. Its name was changed to The Ted Knight Show when the show was retooled in 1986 for what would turn out to be its final season, due to Ted Knight's death. The original concept of the series was based on the 1980s British sitcom Keep It in the Family. Knight plays work-at-home cartoonist Henry Rush, who is married to Muriel, and their two adult daughters, Jackie and Sara, live in the downstairs apartment of their San Francisco two-flat. An episode involving the daughters moving across the bay to Oakland and the family complaining about crime, undrinkable water, and constant sound of police sirens saw the episode being briefly protested by Oakland politicians. The family moves to Marin County for the show's final season, where Henry Rush becomes a co-owner of the local weekly newspaper.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Claire Gordon</span> British film actress, comedian (1941–2015)

Claire Gordon was an English film actress and comedian known for leading and cameo roles in many British films from the late 1950s to the mid-1980s, and for working with most of the television comedy stars of that time. She was best known for her leading roles in the cult films Konga and Beat Girl, Gordon was the subject of singer Scott Walker's song "Archangel".

<i>First of the Summer Wine</i> British TV series or programme

First of the Summer Wine is a British sitcom written by Roy Clarke that aired on BBC1. The pilot originally aired on 3 January 1988, and the first series of episodes followed from 4 September 1988. The show ran for two series of six episodes each, with the final episode airing on 8 October 1989. The pilot episode was produced and directed by Gareth Gwenlan. Both series of episodes were produced and directed by Mike Stephens. The show has never been repeated by the BBC but has occasionally been repeated on Gold. The show was broadcast in Australia on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation network in the early 1990s.

Patricia Heywood is a Scottish character actress who has appeared in stage productions, films and television. She is married to Oliver Neville, the former principal of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen Mangan</span> English film and stage actor (born 1968)

Stephen James Mangan is an English actor, comedian, presenter and writer. He has played Guy Secretan in Green Wing, Dan Moody in I'm Alan Partridge, Seán Lincoln in Episodes, Bigwig in Watership Down, Postman Pat in Postman Pat: The Movie, Richard Pitt in Hang Ups, Andrew in Bliss (2018), and Nathan Stern in The Split (2018–2022).

Raymond George Alfred Cooney, OBE is an English playwright, actor, and director.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elliott Tittensor</span> English actor

Elliott John Tittensor is an English actor, best known for playing the role of Carl Gallagher in the Channel 4 comedy-drama series Shameless (2004–2013).

<i>Casanova 73</i> British TV series or programme

Casanova '73 is a British sitcom broadcast on BBC1 in September and October 1973. Written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson, the series starred Leslie Phillips as wealthy womaniser Henry Newhouse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Jones (actor)</span> English actor

Peter Geoffrey Francis Jones was an English actor, screenwriter and broadcaster.

<i>Wuthering Heights</i> (1978 TV serial) British TV adaptation of the novel "Wuthering Heights" by Emily Brontë

Wuthering Heights is a 1978 British film adaptation of Emily Brontë's 1847 novel Wuthering Heights, starring Ken Hutchison, Kay Adshead, Pat Heywood, and John Duttine, originally broadcast on BBC Two as a 5-part mini-series, beginning 24 September 1978. Location filming took place on the Yorkshire Moors. This BBC version is regarded as being the one most faithful to the original novel because it does not end with Cathy's death but continues into the next generation, with Heathcliff seeking revenge against those he felt had wronged him.

Diane Morgan is an English actress, comedian, television presenter, and writer. She is best known for playing Philomena Cunk on the review programme Charlie Brooker's Weekly Wipe (2013–2020) and in the mockumentary series Cunk on Britain (2018) and Cunk on Earth (2022). She played Kath in the Netflix dark comedy series After Life (2019–2022). Since 2016, Morgan has played Liz on the BBC Two sitcom Motherland. She also wrote and starred in the BBC Two comedy series Mandy (2019–present).

<i>Blandings</i> (radio series)

The Blandings radio series is a series of radio dramas based on the Blandings Castle stories by British comic writer P. G. Wodehouse. The stories were dramatised by Wodehouse biographer Richard Usborne. The series ran between 1985 and 1992 on BBC Radio 4.

<i>Ghosts</i> (2019 British TV series) British television series

Ghosts is a British sitcom first broadcast on BBC One in April 2019. The series follows a collection of ghosts from different historical periods haunting a country house while sharing the house with its new living occupants. The series is written and performed by many of the cast members of Horrible Histories and Yonderland. The series also airs on Max in the US and CBC Gem in Canada.