1 9 9 5 – 1 9 9 7 (New Zealand)
31 x 30 minute episodes
This gentle comedy from Kiwi comedy duo David McPhail and Jon Gadsby centred on a bumbling trio of mates in the (fictional) small town of Nettleton in New Zealand: Intellectual Derek (McPhail), rough-diamond Barry (Gadsby), and tradesman Ray (Peter Rowley).
The show’s narration was presented as a letter written to “Blanchy”, a (never-seen) friend living in the relative sophistication of Christchurch.
Typical episode storylines involved the trio drinking beer at a seedy local pub while devising hair-brained schemes, such as trying to blast a stubborn tree stump out of the ground with unapproved explosives.
Uniquely for New Zealand television comedy at the time, the series rejected standard studio setups and filmed extensively on location to capture an authentic, beautiful rural backdrop.
In 2008, the award-winning episode ‘Stir Crazy’ was adapted for a theatre tour.
Derek
David McPhail Barry
Jon Gadsby Ray
Peter Rowley Dulcie
Anne McPhail Glenys
Madeleine Lynch Jane
Jennifer Ward-Lealand
Episodes
The Sweet Smell of Success | A Serious Undertaking | A Dinner Downunder | Unofficial Channels | A Bit of Beef | Among My Souvenirs | Art Attack || Shield Fever | Cementing a Friendship | Razing the Funds | Stag Party | Love Makes the World Go Wrong | China Syndrome | Nuptial Mess | The One That Got Away | Bale Out | Stir Crazy | Misery on the Bounty || Vow and Declare | Stocks and Shares | Local Body Language | All That Glitters | A Chip Off the Old Block | Past Imperfect | Catch of the Day | A Thing of Beauty | The Wailing Wall | Nettleton Blues | Garage Sale of the Century | Moving Right Along | An Arresting Experience
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Typical episode storylines involved the trio drinking beer at a seedy local pub while devising hair-brained schemes, such as trying to blast a stubborn tree stump out of the ground with unapproved explosives.
Uniquely for New Zealand television comedy at the time, the series rejected standard studio setups and filmed extensively on location to capture an authentic, beautiful rural backdrop.
