1981 British TV series or programme
| Take a Letter, Mr. Jones | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Created by | Chesney and Wolfe |
| Starring | John Inman Rula Lenska Miriam Margolyes Gina Maher Joan Blackham Christine Ozanne Claudine Bowyer Allan Mitchell |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 6 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company | Southern Television |
| Original release | |
| Network | ITV |
| Release | 5 September (1981-09-05) – 10 October 1981 (1981-10-10) |
Take a Letter, Mr. Jones is a British sitcom starring John Inman and Rula Lenska that aired for a single series of six episodes produced by Southern Television for the ITV network from 5 September to 10 October 1981. It was created by Ronald Chesney and Ronald Wolfe.
Plot
Graham Jones (John Inman) works as a personal secretary to female executive Joan Warner (Rula Lenska), within a London-based multinational corporation called 8-Star. Although he ably assists her in their busy office, Graham often helps Joan with her equally hectic domestic arrangements as she is a single mother to seven-year-old daughter, Lucy. Miriam Margolyes plays Joan's excitable Italian housekeeper, Maria. The programme featured the Barclays House in Poole.
Context and afterlife
John Inman starred in Take a Letter, Mr. Jones between seasons of the BBC sitcom Are You Being Served? Take a Letter, Mr. Jones was never a ratings success (only running for six episodes), but in recent years it has been resurrected by many American PBS stations, where Are You Being Served? is also a hit. A UK repeat of the series was shown on Film24 in 2010, and on Talking Pictures TV in 2024.
A US VHS set of the series was released by Questar in 1995. A UK DVD of the series was released in 2009 by Simply Home Entertainment. UK channel Talking Pictures TV reshowed the series in 2015, 2018 and January 2024.
Episode list
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Interview" | Bryan Izzard | Chesney and Wolfe | 5 September 1981 (1981-09-05) |
| 2 | "The Protector" | Bryan Izzard | Chesney and Wolfe | 12 September 1981 (1981-09-12) |
| 3 | "The Holiday" | Bryan Izzard | Chesney and Wolfe | 19 September 1981 (1981-09-19) |
| 4 | "The Japanese Contract" | Bryan Izzard | Chesney and Wolfe | 26 September 1981 (1981-09-26) |
| 5 | "The Trade Fair" | Bryan Izzard | Chesney and Wolfe | 3 October 1981 (1981-10-03) |
| 6 | "Business Before Pleasure" | Bryan Izzard | Chesney and Wolfe | 10 October 1981 (1981-10-10) |
References
- "Sony Crime Channel". film24.com. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
- "Talking Pictures TV". talkingpicturestv.co.uk. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
- ^ "The Interview". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 28 August 2010.
- ^ "The Protector". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 28 August 2010.
- ^ "The Holiday". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 28 August 2010.
- ^ "The Japanese Contract". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 28 August 2010.
- ^ "The Trade Fair". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 28 August 2010.
- ^ "Business Before Pleasure". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 28 August 2010.
External links
| Works by Ronald Chesney and Ronald Wolfe | |
|---|---|
| TV series | |
| Film versions | |
- 1981 British television series debuts
- 1981 British television series endings
- 1980s British sitcoms
- 1980s British workplace comedy television series
- ITV sitcoms
- Television shows produced by Southern Television
- British English-language television shows
- Television shows set in the United Kingdom
- British workplace comedy television series