Premiering on 7 May 1966, this short BBC2 series comprised three half-hour episodes of absurd comedy written by N F Simpson (author of One Way Pendulum and A Resounding Tinkle), the first of which was entitled “The Father by Adoption of one of the former Marquis of Rangoon’s Natural Granddaughters”.
Producer Stuart Allen (at the time a Production Assistant undertaking the BBC’s producers’ course) had cajoled his friends, husband and wife Pauline Devaney and Edwin Apps, into taking part in his production course exercise, for which he had chosen a play by N F Simpson.
Frank Muir saw the production and was so impressed that he persuaded Simpson himself to see it. Simpson was delighted, and Muir commissioned him to write three plays for BBC Light Entertainment, produced – of course – by Stuart Allen.
In addition to Pauline Devaney and Edwin Apps as eccentric suburban couple Middie and Bro Paradock, Three Rousing Tinkles featured Bryan Pringle as the mysterious Mr Heckmondwick who, uninvited, moved into their spare room when Bro and Middie were out shopping.
Their friends Martha (Avis Bunnage), Humphrey (Geoffrey Hivvert), Lucy (Rosemary Martin), John (Terence Brady) and especially Laurence (John Ringham) appeared many times at the locked front door of the Paradcok house seeking admittance to watch television.
The series was followed in 1967 by Four Tall Tinkles, a four-part BBC2 comedy with Devaney and Apps reprising their roles as the Paradocks.
Middie Paradock
Pauline Devaney Bro Paradock
Edwin Apps Albert
Michael Robbins Mr Heckmondwick
Bryan Pringle Martha
Avis Bunnage Humphrey
Geoffrey Hibbert Lucy
Rosemary Martin John
Terence Brady Laurence Grimsby
John Ringham
Episodes
The Father by Adoption of One of the Former Marquis of Rangoon’s Natural Grand-daughters | If Those Are Mr Heckmondwick’s Own Personal Pipes, They’ve Been Lagged Once Already | The Best I Can Do for You by Way of a Gate-leg Table Is a Hundred-weight of Coal
