Up the Garden Path (radio and TV series)

Last updated

Up the Garden Path
Genre Sitcom
Written bySue Limb
Directed byDavid Askey
Starring Imelda Staunton
Mike Grady
Tessa Peake-Jones
Tom Mannion
Nicholas Le Prevost
Susan Kyd
René Zagger
David Robb
Neil McCaul
Adrienne O'Sullivan
Siobhan Hayes
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series
  • 3 (radio)
  • 3 (television)
No. of episodes
  • 20 (radio)
  • 18 (television)
Production
ProducerHumphrey Barclay
Running time25 mins
Production companiesHumphrey Barclay Productions
Granada Television
Original release
Network BBC Radio 4
Release7 November 1987 (1987-11-07) 
22 December 1993 (1993-12-22)
Network ITV
Release2 May 1990 (1990-05-02) 
1 July 1993 (1993-07-01)

Up the Garden Path is a 1984 novel by Sue Limb, which was adapted into a radio series by BBC Radio 4, and later into a television sitcom by Granada TV for ITV. Both the radio and television series comprised three seasons, with the radio series originally broadcast in 1987, 1988, and 1993, and the television seasons broadcast in 1990, 1991, and 1993.

Contents

The television series has been repeated on the United Kingdom digital channel ITV3. The radio series is regularly repeated on BBC Radio 4 Extra.

Cast

Episodes

Radio

Series 1 (1987)

The first series was broadcast Saturdays at 11.00 pm

Series 2 (1988)

The second series was broadcast Saturdays at 11.00 pm

Series 3 (1993)

The third series was broadcast Wednesdays at 12.25 am

Television

SeriesEpisodesOriginally released
First releasedLast released
1 62 May 1990 (1990-05-02)6 June 1990 (1990-06-06)
2 629 May 1991 (1991-05-29)3 July 1991 (1991-07-03)
3 627 May 1993 (1993-05-27)1 July 1993 (1993-07-01)
Series 1 (1990)
No.
overall
No. in
series
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
11"Episode 1"David Askey Sue Limb 2 May 1990 (1990-05-02)
22"Episode 2"David AskeySue Limb9 May 1990 (1990-05-09)
33"Episode 3"David AskeySue Limb16 May 1990 (1990-05-16)
44"Episode 4"David AskeySue Limb23 May 1990 (1990-05-23)
55"Episode 5"David AskeySue Limb30 May 1990 (1990-05-30)
66"Episode 6"David AskeySue Limb6 June 1990 (1990-06-06)
Series 2 (1991)
No.
overall
No. in
series
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
71"Episode 1"David Askey Sue Limb 29 May 1991 (1991-05-29)
82"Episode 2"David AskeySue Limb5 June 1991 (1991-06-05)
93"Episode 3"David AskeySue Limb12 June 1991 (1991-06-12)
104"Episode 4"David AskeySue Limb19 June 1991 (1991-06-19)
115"Episode 5"David AskeySue Limb26 June 1991 (1991-06-26)
126"Episode 6"David AskeySue Limb3 July 1991 (1991-07-03)
Series 3 (1993)
No.
overall
No. in
series
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
131"Episode 1"David Askey Sue Limb 27 May 1993 (1993-05-27)
142"Episode 2"David AskeySue Limb3 June 1993 (1993-06-03)
153"Episode 3"David AskeySue Limb10 June 1993 (1993-06-10)
164"Episode 4"David AskeySue Limb17 June 1993 (1993-06-17)
175"Episode 5"David AskeySue Limb24 June 1993 (1993-06-24)
186"Episode 6"David AskeySue Limb1 July 1993 (1993-07-01)

Reception

Critical reception was mixed. Writing in the Daily Mirror , television editor Tony Pratt called the first series 'one of the best [sitcoms] ITV has produced for ages. It's lively, adult and funny'. [21]

However, The Guardian felt 'sorry for Imelda Staunton...who deserves a better script' [22] with Hugh Hebert labelling the series 'dire' and referring to the character of Izzy as a 'caricature witless teacher who was God's promo for Baker MacGregor Re-Education Inc.' [23]

References

  1. "Up the Garden Path Sat 7th Nov 1987, 23:00 on BBC Radio 4 FM". BBC Genome Project . 7 November 1987. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  2. "Up the Garden Path Sat 14th Nov 1987, 23:00 on BBC Radio 4 FM". BBC Genome Project . 14 November 1987. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  3. "Up the Garden Path Sat 21st Nov 1987, 23:00 on BBC Radio 4 FM". BBC Genome Project . 21 November 1987. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  4. "Up the Garden Path: 4: Into the Lion's Den Sat 28th Nov 1987, 23:00 on BBC Radio 4 FM". BBC Genome Project . 28 November 1987. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  5. "Up the Garden Path: 5: The Menage Sat 5th Dec 1987, 23:00 on BBC Radio 4 FM". BBC Genome Project . 5 December 1987. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  6. "Up the Garden Path Sat 12th Dec 1987, 23:00 on BBC Radio 4 FM". BBC Genome Project . 12 December 1987. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  7. "Up the Garden Path Sat 15th Oct 1988, 23:00 on BBC Radio 4 FM". BBC Genome Project . 15 October 1988. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  8. "Up the Garden Path Sat 22nd Oct 1988, 23:00 on BBC Radio 4 FM". BBC Genome Project . 22 October 1988. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  9. "Up the Garden Path Sat 29th Oct 1988, 23:00 on BBC Radio 4 FM". BBC Genome Project . 29 October 1988. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  10. "Up the Garden Path Sat 5th Nov 1988, 23:00 on BBC Radio 4 FM". BBC Genome Project . 5 November 1988. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  11. "Up the Garden Path Sat 12th Nov 1988, 23:00 on BBC Radio 4 FM". BBC Genome Project . 12 November 1988. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  12. "Up the Garden Path Sat 19th Nov 1988, 23:00 on BBC Radio 4 FM". BBC Genome Project . 19 November 1988. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  13. "Up the Garden Path Sat 26th Nov 1988, 23:00 on BBC Radio 4 FM". BBC Genome Project . 26 November 1988. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  14. "Up the Garden Path Sat 3rd Dec 1988, 23:00 on BBC Radio 4 FM". BBC Genome Project . 3 December 1988. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  15. "Up the Garden Path: 1 Wed 17th Nov 1993, 12:25 on BBC Radio 4 FM". BBC Genome Project . 17 November 1993. Archived from the original on 20 October 2014. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  16. "Up the Garden Path Wed 24th Nov 1993, 12:25 on BBC Radio 4 FM". BBC Genome Project . 24 November 1993. Archived from the original on 20 October 2014. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  17. "Up the Garden Path Wed 1st Dec 1993, 12:25 on BBC Radio 4 FM". BBC Genome Project . December 1993. Archived from the original on 20 October 2014. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  18. "Up the Garden Path Wed 8th Dec 1993, 12:25 on BBC Radio 4 FM". BBC Genome Project . 8 December 1993. Archived from the original on 20 October 2014. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  19. "Up the Garden Path Wed 15th Dec 1993, 12:25 on BBC Radio 4 FM". BBC Genome Project . 15 December 1993. Archived from the original on 20 October 2014. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  20. "Up the Garden Path: 6: A Dick in Shining Armour Wed 22nd Dec 1993, 12:25 on BBC Radio 4 FM". BBC Genome Project . 22 December 1993. Archived from the original on 20 October 2014. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  21. "Mirror TV". ukpressonline.co.uk. 16 May 1990. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
  22. 'A Case of Dad Housekeeping', The Guardian, 10 May 1990, p26
  23. Hebert, Hugh, 'The Loyal and the Unloved', The Guardian, 2 August 1990, p28