Captain Butler

1 9 9 7 (UK)
6 x 25 minute episodes

This short-lived Friday night sitcom from Channel 4 had Red Dwarf star Craig Charles in the title role.

Drunken and cowardly Captain Butler led a mismatched crew of less-than-competent would-be pirates, including Bosun (Shaun Curry), a bloodthirsty sea dog with many years at sea and a bad attitude; the hyper-logical Cliff (Roger Griffiths), a missionary-educated ex-slave and chieftain of his village in Africa; and Asian cook Adeel (Sanjeev Bhaskar), the mother hen of the group whose constant worrying turned to out-and-out fear at the drop of a hat.

The latest recruit to the merry band was young and naive Lord Roger of Crumsby (Lewis Rae), who was convinced that Butler was the greatest pirate ever to sail the seven seas.

Over six 25-minute episodes, they faced Blackbeard (Peter Geeves), Admiral Nelson (Robert Llewellyn), a mermaid, a five-year-old girl, a dead albatross, a Spanish pacifist and execution.

The anachronistic sitcom was clearly made on a shoestring budget, and no attempt was made to disguise the fact that it was all shot in the studio. It disappeared without a trace after six episodes.

Captain Butler
Craig Charles
Cliff
Roger Griffiths
Bosun
Shaun Curry
Adeel
Sanjeev Bhaskar
Roger 
Lewis Rae
Blackbeard
Peter Geeves
Admiral Nelson
Robert Llewellyn
Hardy
Ian Tolmie
Don Gonzales
Arturo Venegas
Tracey
Elizabeth Anson
Lucy
Francesca Brown
Old Man
Vincent Wong
Bungo
Shend
‘Marbles’ Perkiss
Peter Waddington
Judge
Michael Godley
Translator
Nigel Anthony
Jailer
Stewart Harwood
Executioner
Michael Fenton Stevens

Episodes

Death Is Just Another Word | Kiss Me Harder | Desert Island Dick | The Tale of the Ancient Mariner | Kidnapped | Jailhouse Crock

Video