In the small British town of Chisleton, small-time criminal mastermind “Scunner” Campbell (Iain Cuthbertson) has stolen a new invention – a magic ray machine – from Inventor Black (Bill Shine) and his granddaughter, Edison (Holly English initially and then Samantha Duffy), that he hopes will give him superpowers. Just as soon as he makes it work that is.
However, a botched firing makes the ray go astray and it hits frail old Scottish Granny Smith (Gudrun Ure) – who is watching her grandson Willie (Iam Towell and then Michael Graham) play football – instead. Suddenly, the Granny gains super strength and speed to become the local superhero, Super Gran.
Now – mounted on her Flycycle or travelling in her Skimmer – Super Gran protects her town from the forces of evil.
Although The Scunner Campbell – and his henchmen, The Muscles (Alan Snell and Brian Lewis) and Tub (Lee Marshall initially and then Jason Carrielies) – are not exactly a major challenge.
Guest stars on the show included George Best, Spike Milligan, Bernard Cribbins, Barbara Windsor, Roy Kinnear, Patrick Troughton, Gary Glitter (as a successful piano-playing singer called Newcastle Brown who comes home to pursue his passion for pigeon racing), darts champ Eric Bristow and Charles Hawtrey (in his final television appearance).
Produced by Tyne Tees television, two series of 13 episodes and a Christmas special aired between 1985 and 19987. The series was filmed in locations around North East England, including Tynemouth, Whitley Bay, South Shields, Seaton Sluice and Beamish Museum.
An empty shop in Front Street, Tynemouth, was used for no less than eight different locations, appearing as an RAF recruiting office, a cake shop, a cobbler’s shop, a job centre, a dress shop, bank manager’s office, a gents outfitter and a clock and antique shop.
Super Gran’s Flycycle was created from an old butcher’s delivery bike by production designer Ashley Wilkinson.
Scenes of Super Gran pedalling through the sky were achieved on location by suspending the Flycycle from a giant Simon crane, which swung in a circle to give the impression of flying, with actress Gudrun Ure suspended 30 feet above the ground.
The Skimmer, built on the base of a stripped-down Volkswagen car, could neither fly nor skim across the sea.
Those ingenious effects were achieved with a 3ft-long scale model of the Skimmer hanging by a nylon thread from a Simon crane with a props man in a cradle on the end of it, operating the “machine” against a backdrop of tall buildings and the sea, creating the impression of flying.
The theme song for the series was performed by Billy Connolly.
Super Gran
Gudrun Ure
Roderick “The Scunner” Campbell
Iain Cuthbertson
Inventor Black
Bill Shine
Edison
Holly English (1)
Samantha Duffy (2)
Willard (Willie Dalgliesh Keegan Smith)
Iam Towell (1)
Michael Graham (2)
Tub
Lee Marshall (2)
Jason Carrielies (1)
The Muscles
Alan Snell
Brian Lewis
Super Gran’s Flycycle was created from an old butcher’s delivery bike by production designer Ashley Wilkinson.
