1 9 7 2 (UK)
6 x 30 minute episodes
Best known for his work with Benny Hill, In For A Penny was the first starring role for Bob Todd, one of TV comedy’s most frequently seen sidemen. Sadly, it was one of the worst series ever made.
The title says it all – Todd played the role of Dan the lavatory man and the series was flushed with toilet humour and WC jokes. In common with a number of other early 1970s ITV comedies, there were also plenty of off-colour jokes, with Ali, a Pakistani (played by Armenian actor Kevork Malikyan), being the butt of most.
The large Victorian-style public convenience in question was situated in the basement of the local Town Hall, and Dan had worked there for 25 years.
He was fastidious at his job – the toilets were spotless – but he enjoyed a love/hate relationship with the series’ three regulars: Ali, a shifty character known as “Sergeant” (Jack Woolgar), and Councillor Bundy (Ivor Salter).
In For A Penny really was bog-standard fare.
Dan
Bob Todd
Sergeant
Jack Woolgar
Ali
Kevork Malikyan
Councillor Bundy
Ivor Salter
