The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole (TV series)

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The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole
GenreComedy/Drama
Written by Sue Townsend
Trevor Waite
Oscar Webb
Directed by Peter Sasdy
Starring Gian Sammarco
Stephen Moore
Lulu
Theme music composer Ian Dury & Chaz Jankel
Opening themeProfoundly In Love With Pandora
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes6
Production
Producer Peter Sasdy
Running time50/26 minutes
Production company Thames Television
Original release
Network ITV
Release5 January (1987-01-05) 
9 February 1987 (1987-02-09)

The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole is a British television series based on the book of the same name written by Sue Townsend. It aired from 5 January to 9 February 1987 and starred Gian Sammarco, as the title character Adrian Mole, Stephen Moore as Adrian's father George Mole and Lulu as Adrian's mother Pauline Mole.

Contents

Characters

Mole family

Other characters

There were one-off appearances from several other actors, including Tony Haygarth as Bernard Porke, the ill-mannered proprietor of the Rio Grande boarding house in Skegness, where the Moles stayed during a holiday; David Ryall as Mr Reginald Gudgeon, the well-meaning but inept manager of the local benefits office, Patrick Barlow as Mitchell Malone, the excitable local radio disc jockey and Lucy Benjamin as Sharon Bott.

Episodes

#EpisodeWriterDirectorOriginal airdate
1Episode One: Falklands WarPatrick BarlowPeter Sasdy5 January 1987
1982: the Falklands conflict rages. Bert's swapped medieval squalour for a new bungalow, both Doreen and Pauline have alarming news to George, and Adrian's mission to demystify the female form ends badly.
2Episode Two: Skating RinkPatrick BarlowPeter Sasdy12 January 1987
Adrian learns that 50p and a bag of grapes can't buy you love - but an aptitude for domestic chores just might. George has an unwelcome letter from the Inland Revenue, and it seems the Moles will be holidaying in Skegness... again
3Episode Three: SkegnessPatrick BarlowPeter Sasdy19 January 1987
George leaves the family home, and Adrian and his mum face straitened circumstances. With her Giro cheque three weeks late, Pauline takes an extreme course of action...
4Episode Four: Mum Gives BirthPatrick BarlowPeter Sasdy26 January 1987
George leaves the family home, and Adrian and his mum face straitened circumstances. With her Giro cheque three weeks late, Pauline takes an extreme course or action...
5Episode Five: ReconciliationPatrick BarlowPeter Sasdy2 February 1987
The Mole family spends New Year's Eve together, with a morose Bert in attendance. Nigel can't decide whether to be heterosexual, bisexual or gay, while an attempted reconciliation between Pauline and George doomed to failure.
6Episode Six: Church in HullPatrick BarlowPeter Sasdy9 February 1987
Having been suspended for a week Adrian's considered worth of Barry Kent's gang. Spending his evenings loitering outside a Chinese takeaway, he thinks he might be tasting real life at last; but is it a double life? And if he were to run away... would anyone notice?

References