RaspberryLucozade I am fairly certain that most readers are already familiar with 'Steptoe & Son' so I wont bother going into great detail about it. I will, however, say that it is one the finest sitcoms ever made, brilliantly performed with such realism and panache by its two leads - Harry H. Corbett and Wilfrid Brambell.Sprouting from a 'Comedy Playhouse' edition entitled 'The Offer', it was created and written by Ray Galton & Alan Simpson, whose previous comedy work included 'Hancock's Half Hour' and 'Citizen James'. 'Steptoe & Son' was nothing like either of those. It was more a comedy serial rather than a sitcom. The love/hate relationship between rag and bone man Albert and his downtrodden son Harold added a touch of drama and pathos to the show.It has also been well documented that Corbett and Brambell both despised each other in real life over the course of the show's run, a fact which, while unfortunate, adds greatly to the realism of the actors portrayal of their characters.Aside from great acting from the show's main players, Galton and Simpson's wonderfully crafted scripts helped make 'Steptoe & Son' the classic it was. Among my favourite episodes were 'Upstairs, Downstairs, Upstairs, Downstairs' ( Harold has to look after a bedridden Albert ), 'Oh, What A Beautiful Mourning' ( Harold and Albert attend the funeral of a tight fisted relative ), 'Loathe Story' ( the harrowing history behind Harold's childhood is revealed ), 'The Desperate Hours' ( two escaped criminals seek refuge in the Steptoe household ) and, the best of all, 'Divided We Stand' in which Harold and Albert try to lead their own lives whilst living under the same roof.There was quite an impressive array of guest stars too which included Mollie Sugden, Joanna Lumley, Leonard Rossiter, J.G Devlin, Yootha Joyce and Patricia Routledge. Two feature films were subsequently made - 'Steptoe & Son' ( 1972 ) and 'Steptoe & Son Ride Again' ( 1973 ).'Steptoe & Son' like many British shows was sold off to the States where it was remade as 'Sanford & Son' ( starring Redd Foxx and Demond Wilson ), however the original remains the best.

naseby Fine writing, longevity, situations and the two actors at the helm made this the finest British sitcom ever and I'm not bothered what anyone says. Firstly, in THIS age where political correctness is rife, this scorned it in its own fashion, as perhaps many 'sixties/'seventies sitcoms did. The old boy, Albert Steptoe,(Wilfred Bramble) filthy in both senses of the word, tries to dominate and keep his son, Harold (Harry H. Corbett)down, when all he wants to is aspire above the 'Rag and bone' business of 'Steptoe and Son' .Naturally the pair have a love/hate relationship and this worked very well on screen. Harold at one time wanting to 'fill the old man in' and at other times protecting him.Obviously at their best when they're at each other's throats, at times they had other actors 'invade' the situations and you were guaranteed a great laugh. The favourite episode being where Harold divides the house in two (Including the TV) just to get away, somewhat from Albert.Favourite lines? The above episode (Divided We Stand) had the two arguing over an alternate night using the TV set, through the partitions Harold had set up (The TV was on Albert's side of the room). On arguing the toss over this, Harold said he had the law of contract on his side, to which Albert replies: 'I have the KNOBS (Controls) on MY side!'And my other favourite line in 'So to Bed' where Harold buys a new WATER bed as the other had bedbugs in it, from Albert: 'At least you won't have any trouble with bed bugs with that - it'll drown the little bleeders'! Sadly, this and other 'seventies classics have gone bye the bye. This series should have had more comments than just eight - it's indicative, however they may be repeats if shown on the TV, of how the BBC has failed to provide this great comedy to further generations (The same befell Laurel and Hardy, Morecambe and Wise etc). The series gained about 20 million viewers even in those days and when an election was due in the 1960's, Harold Wilson wanted the polls to open when it'd finished on that night, so no-one would keep away from the polling stations to vote - that's the power the series had!Another one given to me as a DVD box set. The two films were very good too, though I think the second one 'Steptoe and Son Ride Again' had the definite edge! Well done, Mr Galton and Mr Simpson!

Big Movie Fan Steptoe and Son is probably the best British comedy ever. Featuring late stars, Wilfred Brambell and Harry H Corbett, this was an excellent show which never failed to amuse me and was true to life.The show featured pensioner Albert Steptoe and his son Harold Steptoe (a pair of rag and bone men). They bickered, the fought, they sulked and generally got on each other's nerves. But underneath, there was a mutual love. This show kind of reminded me of my own life. Even though I love my own dad, I did spend quite a few years of my life arguing with him even when I left home at 18. We were two different people with different outlooks on life and this led to some battles at times. This show was the same. Albert and Harold could not have been more different. Harold was fed up with his dad's filthy habits and moaning; Albert was always playing on Harold's emotions with phrases such as, "I'm an old man Harold. Need looking after." Also funny was the fact that Albert always ruined any prospective relationship that Harold was going to engage in. But they loved each other deep down and that was the fun of it.Truly the greatest British comedy ever.

vaughan.birbeck Although Steptoe and Son ran on British TV for twelve years it is one of those rare (maybe unique) examples of an idea which continued to develop and evolve rather than slide into stale repetition.In its early years the series emphasised broad comedy. One well-remembered episode features Albert eating a meal while sitting in his bath, earning a rebuke from his son which became a national catchphrase: "You dirty old man!"As time went by the characters became established and the writing began to emphasise the mutual dependency of two basically lonely men (Harold the batchelor and Albert the widower). Harold dreams of a better quality of life away from his father and constantly makes attempts to achieve something in his own right. His attempts are thwarted by his own lack of social standing and his father's scheming: if Harold joins a local theatre group, Albert joins too and becomes the star of the show.Albert, for his part, fears losing his son and being abandoned in his old age. He will use any means (especially moral blackmail) to keep Harold at his side. More importantly he is far more realistic than Harold and sees that his attempts at social ambition are doomed.In one of the most moving episodes an old girlfriend of Harold's reappears after many years. They still feel the same way about each other and plan to marry. Finally Harold can break away from the old man. Naturally Albert has other ideas, but at the climax of the show it is the girl who ends the relationship, telling Harold he is already married.The performances of Wilfrid Brambell and Harry H Corbett never faltered through the show's run. Galton and Simpson produced scripts of wit and insight and they performed with great skill and subtlety. This is a show where you laugh while recognising the truth and basic sadness of the situation in which the characters live.