Secret Diary of Adrian Mole (Aged 13¾), The

1 9 8 5 – 1 9 8 7 (UK)

Poor Adrian has a lot on his plate.

His parents are perpetually on the verge of divorce, and when he volunteers to help the aged at the Sunshine Home (it gets him out of maths on Mondays) he gets stuck with Bert Baxter (Bill Fraser), a revolting 89-year-old man who treats him like a skivvy.

Adrian thinks he’s an intellectual but still can’t manage to do very well at school, and the girl he likes is going out with his best friend Nigel (a spoilt brat). The only person who seems to be on his side is his mad old grandma (Beryl Reid, fresh out of Mooncat and Co).

Adrian is a bit “wet” and writes poetry. He measures his success by the tone of the rejection letters he receives from the BBC and manages to see every situation in the deepest sense, which he faithfully records in his secret diary – his parents’ split, his trials with his teenage skin and his love for his decidedly upper-middle-class, teen feminist soulmate, Pandora (Lindsey Stagg), were all graphically recorded by the goodhearted schoolboy.

Gian Sammarco played the title role, and Julie Walters played Pauline Mole, Adrian’s vodka-swilling, chain-smoking, loud-mouthed mother.

Stephen Moore played Adrian’s dad, George – the eternal optimist in the family. He hopes he’ll be getting another job, hopes he’ll get more money from the Social Security when his redundancy runs out and hopes that his relationship with Pauline will improve. 

The story continued in 1987, in a six-part sequel, The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole.

Adrian Mole
Gian Sammarco
Pauline Mole
Julie Walters
Grandma (May) Mole 
Beryl Reid
George Mole
Stephen Moore 
Bert Baxter
Bill Fraser 
Queenie Baxter
Doris Hare 
Pandora Braithwaite
Lindsey Stagg 
Tania Braithwaite
Louise Jameson 
Ivan Braithwaite
Robin Herford 
Mr Lucas
Paul Greenwood
Nigel Partridge
Steven Mackintosh 
Barry Kent
Chris Gascoyne 
Mr Scruton
Freddie Jones
Ms Fossington-Gore
Mary Maddox