Leonard Rossiter starred (in his last role) as Norman Tripper – the hapless and shouty manager of the Supafare supermarket in North London.
His crew of dysfunctional staff included senile security guard Alf Battle (Gordon Gostelow), sex-mad canteen supervisor Hilda Rimmer (Pat Ashton), union leader Hardie (Philip Bird), the incompetent Higgins (Andrew Paul, later famous as PC Dave Quinnan in The Bill), lazy checkout girls Marlene (Charon Bourke) and Dottie (Vicky Licorish), nervous trainee manager Mr Christian (Paul Clarkson) and back-chatting secretary Sylvia (Liz Crowther).
The show came to a natural end with Rossiter’s death (of a heart attack, aged 57) but was brought back two years later with Bruce Forsyth as the dictatorial Cecil Slinger in the manager role, under the new title Slinger’s Day.
Without so much as an “I’m in charge” or a “Nice to see you”, Brucie took on an unenviable task – in the first place, he was following the much-missed Rossiter, and in the second place, TV situation comedy was new to Bruce.
But he accepted the challenge, despite also hosting his own Friday night game show, Play Your Cards Right.
Norman Tripper Leonard Rossiter
Sylvia
Liz Crowther
Hilda Rimmer
Pat Ashton
Alf Battle
Gordon Gostelow
Mr Christian
Paul Clarkson Cecil Slinger
Bruce Forsyth Hardie
Philip Bird Fred
David Kelly Miss Foster
Suzanne Church Shirley
Jacqueline De Peza Dottie
Vicky Licorish Marlene
Charon Bourke Higgins
Andrew Paul Colin Wilkins
Charlie Hawkins
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