The Clairvoyant is a British television sitcom written by Roy Clarke, the creator of Last of the Summer Wine. Airing on BBC2, the series starred Roy Kinnear, Sandra Dickinson, Carmel Cryan, Glynis Brooks, Hugh Lloyd and Shaun Curry. Beginning with a pilot in 1984, five more episodes were broadcast in 1986.
| The Clairvoyant | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Written by | Roy Clarke |
| Directed by | Alan J. W. Bell |
| Starring |
|
| Opening theme | "Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)" |
| Ending theme | "Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)" |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 6 (1 pilot) |
| Production | |
| Producer | Alan J. W. Bell |
| Editor | Ian Williams |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC2 |
| Release | 27 November 1984 – 19 June 1986 |
Premise edit
Roy Kinnear stars as Arnold Bristow, a dodgy used car salesman who is knocked down by a car. Regaining consciousness, Arnold believes that he has psychic powers, and decides to change his lifestyle by being more honest and moral in his business dealings, although this leads to near bankruptcy.[1][2]
Cast edit
- Roy Kinnear as Arnold Bristow
- Sandra Dickinson as Lily Wang
- Carmel Cryan as Carmen
- Glynis Brooks as Dawn
- Hugh Lloyd as Burma
- Shaun Curry as Newton
Production edit
The series began with a pilot episode that aired on 27 November 1984, as the first episode of a four-week run of pilot episodes broadcast by BBC2.[1][3] This was followed by five more episodes, broadcast from 15 May to 19 June 1986.[1] The series' opening and closing theme was "Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)", which was sung by Sandra Dickinson and arranged by Ronnie Hazlehurst.
Episodes edit
Pilot (1984) edit
| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Produced & Directed by | Written by | Original air date [4] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Pilot" | Alan J. W. Bell | Roy Clarke | 27 November 1984 |
Series 1 (1986) edit
| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Produced & Directed by | Written by | Original air date [4] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1 | "Episode 1" | Alan J. W. Bell | Roy Clarke | 15 May 1986 |
| 3 | 2 | "Episode 2" | Alan J. W. Bell | Roy Clarke | 22 May 1986 |
| 4 | 3 | "Episode 3" | Alan J. W. Bell | Roy Clarke | 29 May 1986 |
| 5 | 4 | "Episode 4" | Alan J. W. Bell | Roy Clarke | 12 June 1986 |
| 6 | 5 | "Episode 5" | Alan J. W. Bell | Roy Clarke | 19 June 1986 |
Reception edit
Of the series, in his Radio Times Guide to TV Comedy, Mark Lewisohn wrote: "A fairly odd idea, this, and not one that ran as smoothly as most of Roy Clarke's work. Kinnear was faultless as the confused Arnold and the support cast fared well enough, but the idea seemed flawed and the supposed psychic phenomenon too vague to hold much interest."[1] In a 2018 review of the series, it was noted that: "Although the show only lasted one series, its six episodes quickly created something of a cult following in the UK."[5]
References edit
- ^ a b c d Lewisohn, Mark (2003). Radio Times Guide to TV Comedy (2nd ed.). London: BBC Worldwide. p. 159. ISBN 0563487550.
- ^ "The Clairvoyant - BBC2 Sitcom". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
- ^ James, Alastair (29 June 2020). "The Clairvoyant (BBC Two Sitcom, Roy Kinnear, Sandra Dickinson)". Memorable TV. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
- ^ a b "The Clairvoyant (Episodes)". Phill.co.uk. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
- ^ Agnew, David (24 January 2018). "Retro Review: British '80s Sitcom "The Clairvoyant"". The Hollywood News. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
External links edit
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