This Australian sitcom was produced by ATV-0 Melbourne and written by John-Michael “Hollywood” Howson and Godfrey Philipp (the same team who created The Magic Circle Club).
The 30-minute episodes were set in a suburban Melbourne boarding house where the tenants included English con-man Hugh T. Worthington (Ernie Bourne) who passed himself off as a Major, and layabout Australian, Ocker Ramsay (Colin McEwan) who spent his time loafing about drinking beer and reading comics.
Ocker’s late mother had been a very good friend of the landlady, a kind-hearted widow called Myrtle McNugg (Margaret Reid), and before she died Mrs McNugg promised she would look after the boy at her house in Railway Crescent – which Ocker took full advantage of by living rent-free and drawing unemployment benefits.
Sue Israel played Miss Farthingale, a daffy, eccentric spinster who dabbled in mysticism. George Whaley played the highly-strung Simpkins, another lodger in the house who worked in a boutique and found the idiosyncrasies of the other boarders upsetting to his sensitive nature and nerves.
Episodes highlighted the clash of personalities between “cultured” Englishman Worthington and the recalcitrant Ocker – although they often teamed up together for dubious get-rich-quick schemes. The series was recorded before a live studio audience.
The show was eventually relegated to a late-night slot and was cancelled after 16 episodes.
Major Hugh T. Worthington
Ernie Bourne Ocker Ramsay
Colin McEwan Mrs Myrtle McNugg
Margaret Reid Miss Farthingale
Su Israel Simpkins
George Whaley
Episodes
The Boarder | The Treasure Hunt | The Soup Kitchen | The Inheritance | The Neice | The Party | The Marriage Bureau | The Protest Meeting | The Girlfriend | The Singer | The Youth Club | The Exile | The Crisis | The Cold | The Visit | The End
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Ocker’s late mother had been a very good friend of the landlady, a kind-hearted widow called Myrtle McNugg (Margaret Reid), and before she died Mrs McNugg promised she would look after the boy at her house in Railway Crescent – which Ocker took full advantage of by living rent-free and drawing unemployment benefits.
