This situation comedy series from Yorkshire Television was set at an independent television company called Pentagon – the newest and smallest company on the network.
The series showed what happens when a newspaper baron with a large number of shares in the company appoints an ex-army grocer as Head of Variety, who proceeds to run his department along military lines.
Written by Ken Hoare and Mike Sharland, Turnbull’s Finest Half-Hour featured Michael Bates as Major Turnbull (Royal Engineers, Ret’d), Blake Butler, Liz Fraser (wife of the series’ director and producer Bill Hitchcock), Jonathan Lynn, Roddy Maude-Roxby, Leonard Trolley, and Raymond Huntley as the “where there’s muck there’s brass” newspaper baron, Sir Zachary Stein.
The six-part series debuted on Friday 10 November 1972.
Major Clifford Turnbull (Royal Engineers, Ret’d)
Michael Bates Bernard Pratt
Blake Butler Faye Bush
Liz Fraser Charlie
Alan Helm Roddy Cheever-Jones
Jonathan Lynn Rex Rivoli
Roddy Maude-Roxby Jellico Withers
Leonard Trolley Sir Zachary Stein
Raymond Huntley
