Gordon Peters Show, The

1 9 7 3 (UK)
5 x 30 minute episodes

This short Wednesday evening comedy series from the BBC gave former warm-up comedian and pantomime veteran Gordon Peters a big break with his own show as the result of a successful appearance on Comedy Playhouse in a standalone episode called “The Birthday”.

In the first episode of the series – “The Prize” – Gordon (a 39-year-old bachelor) won a honeymoon in Spain as a prize in a cornflakes packet competition and set off on the holiday – with a nun.

In “The Candidate”, the bewildered, bothered, and bespectacled Gordon was sent to Coventry by his 500 striking workmates because he cycled in to work each day, dodging the picket lines who attacked him. They did not know he was going to the office to make up their strike pay packets.

When the truth was finally revealed, he became very popular and was asked to run for shop steward against a woman of the most advanced kind.

Although panned by British TV critics (some were positively vitriolic), the BBC stuck by Peters, and subsequent episodes had a flu-ridden Gordon becoming a hospital visitor, much to the horror of the patients and staff at the local hospital, and John Junkin talking a despondent Gordon out of a threat to jump off the roof of a hotel after being made redundant.

Barbara Mitchell co-starred as the tantalising Mrs M in all five episodes.

Guest stars included Gorden Kaye, Melvyn Hayes, Frank Thornton, Victor Maddern, Anthony Booth, Bill Pertwee, Tony Selby, and Henry McGee.

The series was cancelled after one season. Barbara Mitchell died of breast cancer on 9 December 1977, aged 48. Gordon Peters died on 15 June 2022, aged 95.

Gordon
Gordon Peters
Mrs M
Barbara Mitchell

Episodes

The Prize | The Candidate | The Visitor | The Redundant | The Generation Gap

Video