Lance at Large

1 9 6 4 (UK)
6 x 25 minute episodes

Alan Day (Lance Percival) was an ordinary chap who started out on everyday activities and became involved with other people’s lives and predicaments. He had no defined background and the show depended from week to week on what the people he encountered were like.

Ranging far from the studio and making use of film, this brief BBC series was based on the proposition that whatever you set out to do – whether it is playing golf, driving to the seaside or just going for a walk – an unexpected contact with a stranger can easily turn your plans topsy-turvy.

Guests included Millicent Martin, Suzy Kendall, Bernard Bresslaw, Hugh Paddick, Fred Emney, Arthur Mullard and Eric Barker.

The series – which aired on BBC1 on Thursday evenings – was the work of two young writers, David Nobbs and Peter Tinniswood, who met when they were reporters on the Sheffield Star. They collaborated on material for That Was The Week That Was, including some of the most memorable Lance Percival segments.

Lance Percival passed away in 2015 following a long illness. He was 81.

Alan Day
Lance Percival