Small World

1 9 8 8 (UK)
6 x 60 minute episodes

Barry (later Finbar) Lynch starred as Persse McGarrigle, a naive young postgraduate student who embarks on a globetrotting romantic pursuit of his elusive contemporary Angela, set against a background of eccentric academics and farcical conferences, not to mention identical twins starring in “adult” films.

Though it was ostensibly a drama, Granada astutely lobbied for Small World to go out in the Sunday night slot more normally associated with unconventional comedy shows like Hot Metal and Spitting Image.

In fact, it ended up being aired alongside episodes of peculiar American Spitting Image rip-off DC Follies.

The move paid off and word-of-mouth recommendations resulted in dramatically climbing viewing figures by the end of the run.

Small World boasted extensive location filming and a heavyweight cast that included Sheila Gish, Stephen Moore, Rachel Kempson, Charles Gray, Frederick Jaeger, Peter Cellier and most impressively John Ratzenberger, better known as Cliff Clavin in Cheers.

Persse McGarrigle
Barry (Finbar) Lynch
Morris Zapp
John Ratzenberger
Philip Swallow
Stephen Moore
Miss Maiden
Rachel Kempson
Hilary Swallow
Sarah Badel
Lily 
Leonie Mellinger
Fulvia Morgana
Sheila Gish
Jacques Textel
Anthony Newlands
Michel Tardieu
Marc de Jonge
Rudyard Parkinson
Charles Gray
Professor McCreedy
John Rogan
Albert 
David Milton-Jones
Cheryl Summerbee
Julie Peasgood
Seigfried von Turpitz
Frederick Jaeger
Ronald Frobisher
Malcolm Storry
Felix Skinner
Peter Cellier