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RAGS TO RICHES/NBC/1987-88
**(Douglas Seale) John Clapper, an aging but very hip English butler who worked
for Nick Foley, a self-made millionaire living in Bel Air, California. Clapper
became a guardian and friend to a group of five orphans that Nick adopted.
RELIC HUNTER/SYN/1999-2002
*(Christien Anholt) Nigel Bailey, a brainy twenty-something British teaching
assistant raised in upper-middle class England, who now worked at Trinity
College on the East Coast in the United States. He often accompanies an Indiana
Jones type historian named Sydney Fox on her many globetrotting adventures. In
the field, however, Nigel is often hopelessly out of his element and puts
himself--and sometimes Sydney--in danger.
THE RETURN OF THE SAINT/CBS/SYN/1978
*(Ian Ogilvy) Simon Templar, suave, independently wealthy playboy who travelled
the Continent in search of adventure. Roger Moore originally starred as Simon
Templar in the earlier British syndicated series THE SAINT/SYN/NBC/1963-68.
RICHARD THE LION HEART/SYN/1962-63
*(Dermot Walsh) King Richard, the 12th century English king who ruled Britain
and later traveled to the Crusades. Filmed in England.
THE ROGUES/NBC/1964-65
*(Gig Young, David Niven) Tony and Alec Fleming, two British descendants of a
famous family of scoundrels who were well adept at con-games and jewelry thefts.
Gladys Cooper starred as Aunt Margaret St. Clair, the coordinator of all the
family heists.
THE ROWAN AND MARTIN SHOW/NBC/1968-73
*(Judy Carne/costar) Judy Carne, British comedienne who performed in comic
skits, and blackouts; .danced in a tiny bikini with graffiti painted all over
her body; and got pelted with buckets of water when she said the phrase "Sock it
to me!" She was born in Northamptonshire, England on April 27, 1939. Her real
name was Joyce Botterill.
RUMPOLE OF THE BAILEY/SYN/1977-92
*(Leo McKern) Horace Rumpole, sloppy, overweight irreverent criminal defense
lawyer (a Barrister) who defended a variety of low-class clients in the local
London Bailey (British court) with the motto "Never Plead Guilty." Other cast
included Peggy Thorpe Bates and Marion Mathie as Rumpole's wife, Hilda, aka "She
Who Must Be Obeyed." (Hilda Rumpole was originally Hilda Wystan, the daughter of
C. H. Wystan, the head of Rumpole's chambers when he first began practicing);
Peter Boyles as Guthrie Featherstone; Moray Watson as George; Julian Curry as
Claude Erskine-Brown; Bill Fraser as Judge Bullingham; Patricia Hodge as
Phyllida Trent Erskine-Brown, aka "Portia"; Peter Blythe as Samuel Ballard; and
Samantha Bond as Liz Probert.
SABER OF LONDON/NBC/1957-60
*(Donald Gray, a.k.a. "Eldred Tidbury") Mark Saber, a one-armed former chief
Inspector of Scotland Yard turned private detective. The original Mark Saber
(Tom Conway), a dapper police detective with a British accent, worked for a
large American city homicide squad on MARK SABER/ABC/1951-54. When the character
was resurrected, on a series variously called THE VISE, SABER OF LONDON and
DETECTIVE'S DIARY run on ABC & NBC from 1955-60, our English copper was suddenly
transformed into a one-armed private detective based in London who chased crooks
throughout the streets of Europe. Donald Gray (who died in 1978) lost his left
arm during the invasion of Normandy. He was proficient in Judo and reportedly
once caused a riot in a BBC studio when he blew a kiss to his female fans
THE SAINT/NBC/1967-69/CBS/1978
*Roger Moore) Simon Templar, independently wealthy English playboy adventurer
who traveled Britain and the Continent in search of intrigue. Ivor Dean played
Claud Eustace Teal, the chief inspector of Scotland Yard. In the revival series
THE RETURN OF THE SAINT/CBS/1979-80 Ian Ogilvy continued the global exploits of
Simon Templar. And still another update THE SAINT/SYN/1989-90 starred Simon
Dutton, in the role of Simon Templar. David Ryall played Inspector Claude
Eustace Teal, the Saint's nemesis.
SAINT ELSEWHERE/NBC/1982-88
**(Christine Pickles) Helen Rosenthal, a veteran nurse employed at St. Eligius
Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. Nurse Rosenthal had emigrated to America from
her native England in the 1960's.
SAVED BY THE BELL/DIS/NBC/1988-93
*(Hayley Mills) Miss Carrie Bliss, an British-accented eighth grade teacher at
JFK High School in Indiana who gave advice to students facing adolescent
problems. The Miss Bliss character was derived first from a NBC pilot (7/11/87)
then from a 1988 Disney Channel series "Good Morning, Miss Bliss" which
eventually evolved into SAVED BY THE BELL.
THE SCARECROW OF ROMNEY MARSH/NBC/1964
*(Patrick McGoohan) Dr. Syn, a British minister who donned the shaggy costume of
a scarecrow to battle the cruelty of the Crown along the southern coast of
England. According to the program's rousing theme song "Scarecrow, Scarecrow,
The soldiers of the King feared his name, Scarecrow." This multi-part story was
part of THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF DISNEY.
THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL/SYN/1956
*(Marius Goring) Sir Percy Blakeney, English nobleman pretending to be a
brainless fop, donned the guise of the mysterious "Scarlet Pimpernel" on the
syndicated adventure to battle the injustice of the French Revolution. The
Scarlet Pimpernel took his name from the small, red, star-shaped flower that
bloomed in the English countryside. In the British movie version of The Scarlet
Pimpernel (1934), actor Leslie Howard played Lord Blakeney who recited a small
poem that described this dashing hero. It read: "They seek him here. They seek
him there. Those Frenchies seek him everywhere. Is he from Heaven? Or is he from
Hell? That damn'd elusive Pimpernel." The phrase "curs'd elusive Pimpernel" was
used for the 1950s TV series. This classic tale later resurfaced in two made-for
television movies including the 1982 remake starring Anthony Andrews and the
1999 A&E production starring Richard E. Grant. The Scarlet Pimpernel character
is based on the 1905 novel The Scarlet Pimpernel written by English writer,
Baroness Orczy.
SCOTLAND YARD/ABC/1957-58
*(Edgar Lustgarten) Police anthology hosted by Edgar Lustgarten with dramas
based on actual files from the world famous Scotland Yard. Russel Napier
portrayed Inspector Duggan. Filmed in England.
SECRET AGENT/SYN/CBS/1965-66
*(Patrick McGoohan) John Drake, a British espionage agent working on a variety
of covert operations across the European theatre and the Free World. John Drake
was originally introduced in the series DANGER MAN/SYN/CBS/1961 produced in
England by ATV.
THE SECRET DIARY OF DESMOND PFEIFFER/UPN/1998-99
*(Chi McBride) Desmond Pfeiffer, an exiled black Englishman who becomes the
trusted aide and confidant of president Abraham Lincoln during the chaos of the
Civil War. The historical sitcom drew many negative reviews because of its
light-hearted approach to such serious subjects as slavery.
SHERLOCK HOLMES (THE ADVENTURES OF)/GRA/PBS/1984-89
*(Jeremy Brett) Sherlock Holmes, the British criminologist who lived at 221B
Baker Street in London, England. Holmes is a genius criminologist. He previously
lived on Montague Street near the British Museum. Holmes moved to Baker Street
in 1801. There were 17 steps to their second story flat (first door up). Mrs.
Hudson was the housekeeper. Holmes shares his abode with retired army physician
Dr. John Watson (played by David Burke), his friend and unofficial biographer
who chronicles Holmes' investigations. Other cast included Rosalie Williams as
Mrs. Hudson, their housekeeper; Eric Porter as Professor Moriarity, Holmes'
nemesis; Charles Gray as Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock's older brother; and Colin
Jeavons as Inspector Lestrade. Jeremy Brett's continued his role as Sherlock
Holmes in the additional series THE RETURN OF SHERLOCK HOLMES/GRA/1986-88; and
THE CASEBOOK OF SHERLOCK HOLMES/ GRA/1991. An earlier TV version of this British
sleuth appeared on SHERLOCK HOLMES/SYN/1954-55. It starred Ronald Howard as
Sherlock Holmes; Howard Marion Crawford as Dr. John H. Watson; and Archie Duncan
as Inspector Lestrade. Other adaptation included SHERLOCK HOLMES/BBC/1951 with
Alan Wheatley as Holmes' and two other BBC-TV series including a 1965 version
with Douglas Wilmer in the title role; and Peter Cushing in a 1968 adaptation.
THE SINGLE GUY/NBC/1995-98
**(Olivia D'Abo) Marie, an attractive English woman who moves into a Manhattan
apartment building after a messy divorce. She worked as a voice-over artist at a
recording studio and hung out at a Manhattan bagel shop with a group of
twentysomething's that included novelist Jonathan Silverman a.k.a. "The Single
Guy."
SIR LANCELOT (THE ADVENTURES OF)/NBC/ABC/1956-58
*(William Russell) Sir Lancelot du Lac, a French-born knight serving at the side
of King Arthur and Round Table in the 12th century days of England. Other cast
included Jane Huston as Queen Guinevere, Lancelot's paramour (She and Lancelot
were like the Adam and Eve of the medieval world responsible for the downfall of
Camelot); Cyril Smith as Merlin the Wizard; Ronald Leigh-Hunt as King Arthur;
Robert Scroggins as Squire Brian; Andrew Crawford as Sir Gwayne; and Brian Worth
as Sir Kay.
SISTER KATE/NBC/1989-90
*(Stephanie Beacham) Sister Katherine "Kate" Lambert, Catholic nun with a
British accent who supervised the big-city orphanage called Redemption House.
The children called Kate "Sister Mary Rambo" because she didn't take any of
their shenanigans. Kate was reluctantly transferred to the orphanage from an
archeological dig. She would rather be "sifting through the bones of ancient
skeletons" than being in charge of a bunch of children but she took the
assignment with grace and kept the mischievous kids in tow.
SOLDIER OF FORTUNE, INC./(a.k.a. SOF - Special Ops Force)SYN/1997-99
*(Mark Sheppard/costar) Christopher "C.J." Yates, a former SAS Sergeant
specializing in demolition and "working without a net" - (scaling, repelling,
etc.), He was born in England (English on his father's side and Irish on his
mother's). C.J. served in Belfast, the Middle East and Northern Africa. His
brother Danny was in the Royal Marines and died in prison at the hands of the
Lybians.
SMILEY'S PEOPLE/BBC/1982
*(Alec Guinness) George Smiley, former British spy for the group known as the
Circus. Called out of retirement of investigate the murder of Russian émigré
General Vladimir, Smiley reveals clues that lead to the highest offices of the
Russian Secret Service and to Smiley's life-long nemesis Karla (played by
Patrick Stewart). This six-episode drama is based on the novel by John Le Carre
and is the sequel to his earlier book Tinker Tailor, Soldier, Spy.
STAR COPS/SYN/1991
*(David Calder/costar) Nathan Spring, Commander of a British law enforcement
team stationed on near a moon colony in the twenty-first century as part of an
E. S. L. (European Space Liaison) police force called Star Cops. Headquartered
at Moonbase One, the team's members include Erick Ray Evans as Inspector David
Thoreaux; Trevor Cooper as Inspector Colin Davis and Linda Newton as Inspector
Pal Kenzey, the only Australian police inspector on the team. Americans on a
nearby U.S. space station call the Star Cops "Brits"; the Brits in turn call
them "Yanks."
SUDDENLY SUSAN/NBC/1996-99
**(Eric Idle) Ian Maxtone-Graham, an eccentric Englishman and former publishing
whiz-kid who buys the San Francisco based magazine "The Gate" and becomes
Susan's (Brooke Shields) new boss during the fall of the 1999 season. Ian is
constantly snotty to the staff whom he refers to as "you Yanks." Eric Idle is
perhaps best known for his work as part of the ensemble cast of the classic,
award-winning British sketch comedy series, "Monty Python's Flying Circus" and
the many feature films and specials created by that troupe, including "Monty
Python's Life of Brian," "Monty Python's The Meaning of Life," "Monty Python and
The Holy Grail" and "Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl." Idle was born in
South Shields, Durham, England.
TALES OF THE 77TH BENGAL LANCERS/NBC/1956-57
*(Warren Stevens, Patrick Whyte/costars) Lt. William Storm and Colonel Standish,
two British Cavalry officers stationed in India during the late 19th century.
Philip Carey played Lt. Michael Rhodes, a Canadian officer.
TALK TO ME/ABC/2000
**(Max Baker) Marshall, endearingly clever British sounds-effects guy working at
radio station WSJB in New York City for the "Janey Munro" talk show. He once
said the advantage of being a "Brit" in America was being called the "European
dude with the cute accent."
TARZAN/NBC/1966-68
*(Ron Ely) Tarzan, a white man of British ancestry who lived in the jungles of
Africa. The Tarzan character is based on the classic jungle adventure Tarzan of
the Apes (1914) written by American author Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875-1950), the
television adaptation TARZAN/NBC/1966-68 told the story of Englishman, Lord
Greystoke, who was orphaned in the jungles of Africa after his parents were
killed. He was consequently raised by apes who named him Tarzan (meaning "White
Skin" in ape language). Rescued as an adult, he returned to England where he was
educated in the finest finishing schools. However, the lure of the jungle
brought him home to the dark continent where he lived with his pet chimpanzee,
Cheetah. Ron Ely who played the TV Tarzan was the 14th such actor to play the
"King of the Jungle." Earlier Tarzan's included silent film star Elmo Lincoln
(the first film Tarzan), Jimmy Durante, in a comic take-off; and Gordon Scott
and Denny Miller who played Tarzan in a series of 1950s and 1960s film
adaptations. The most memorable performance was given by former Olympic swimmer,
Johnny Weissmuller, whose supposed screen delivery of "Me Tarzan, you Jane" has
become a piece of Americana. Weissmuller premiered in Tarzan, the Ape Man (1932)
and finally hung up his loin cloth in his 12th film Tarzan and the Mermaids
(1948). An animated cartoon TARZAN, LORD OF THE JUNGLE/CBS/1976 contained many
stories about Tarzan's attempt to save the ecological balances of the Jungle.
The Tarzan cartoons became a part of THE BATMAN-TARZAN ADVENTURE
HOUR/CBS/1977-78 and later on TARZAN AND THE SUPER 7/CBS/1978-79; and
TARZAN/LONE RANGER/ZORRO ADVENTURE HOUR/CBS/1981-82. In the fall of 1991, a new
TV syndicated version called TARZAN starred Wolf Larsen as Tarzan, a
vine-swinging righter-of-wrongs who prevented ecological terrorists from
destroying his jungle. In this adaptation Tarzan's friend, Jane Porter (Lydie
Denier) was a French environmental scientist running an African wildlife
institute. Still another reincarnation TARZAN: THE EPIC ADVENTURES/SYN/1996-97
starred Joe Lara as John Clayton (a.k.a. Tarzan) with Aaron Seville as Themba,
Tarzan's faithful friend. Disney's THE LEGEND OF TARZAN offered an animated
retelling of the classic jungle character on UPN in 2001. TRIVIA NOTE: Tarzan
was born 11/22/1888. The first Tarzan story appeared in the October, 1912 issue
of All Story Magazine. The first Tarzan movie, Tarzan of the Apes (1917)
starring Elmo Lincoln was shot at the Atchafalaya River delta near Morgan City,
Louisiana. A tourist attraction at 725 Myrtle Street now commemorates the spot.
[Opening narration from Tarzan: The Epic Adventures] "Tarzan! Orphaned at birth
in darkest Africa. Raised by the great apes. He grew up in the primitive world
of the jungle until fate brought him face to face with his past. Taking his
rightful place as Earl of Greystoke, Tarzan soon became disenchanted with
civilization. He returned home to Africa. Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle!"
THEN CAME YOU/ABC/2000
**(Desmond Askew) Ed, a loathsome Limey bellhop working in a Chicago hotel. Ed
offers advice to Aiden Wheeler, a 22-year-old room service waiter who fell in
love with one of the Hotel guests, a 33-year old book editor. Ed lives
precariously through Aiden's sexual escapades with an older woman.
THIS IS TOM JONES/ABC/1969-71
*(Tom Jones) Tom Jones, a Welsh singer/entertainer hosted this weekly musical
variety which alternated between Hollywood and London. Each week Tom ended his
show with the Welsh saying "Gwyn eich byd a dymunaf i chwi lawenydd bob amser"
Translation: "May you always be well and be happy".
THROB/SYN/1986-87
**(Janet Leeves) Prudence Anne Bartlett, aka "Blue," a sexy, promiscuous redhead
with a Cockney accent who was the talent handler for a small New York City rock
n' roll recording company called Throb Records. Janet Leeves is originally from
London.
TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY/BBC/1979
*(Alec Guinness) George Smiley, ex-British spy for the intelligence agency know
as The Circus. Called out of retirement Smiley is asked to help former boss
a.k.a. Control (played by Alexander Knox) ferret out a double agent. The
seven-part drama is based on the novel of the same name by John Le Carre. See
also - SMILEY'S PEOPLE.
THE TRACY ULLMAN SHOW/FOX/1987
*(Tracy Ullman) Tracy Ullman, the multi-talented actress, singer, comedienne the
who hosted this hip half-hour variety series Tracy Ullman first hit the Pop
recording charts in 1985 with the hit song "They Don't Know". Her show was one
of the vanguard programs to debut on the new fourth network, the Fox
Broadcasting Company. Some of her characters included Janie Pillsworth,
35-year-old tough Manhattan magazine editor, originally from Britain; The Queen
of England (Her Royal Highness) who insults everyone because she can; and
Rayleen Gibson, a coarse 35-year-old Australian stuntwoman, married to a little
person (Mitch);
UPSTAIRS, DOWNSTAIRS/LWT/1970-75
*(Jean Marsh) Rose, one of a group of English house servants working for the
Bellamy family from the years 1903 through the depression. The series was a
contrasting study of Edwardian life and its class structure dramatized through
the upstairs lives of the aristocratic Bellamy family and the downstairs lives
of their servants. The 55 episode series were shown as part of Masterpiece
Theatre on the PBS Network. Upstairs residents were David Langton as Lord
Richard Bellamy; Rachel Gurney as Lady Marjorie and Simon Williams as their son,
James Bellamy. Downstairs staff included Gordon Jackson as Scottish butler,
Angus Hudson; and Angela Baddeley as house cook, Kate Bridges.
THE VICAR OF DIBLEY/BBC/1994-2000
*(Dawn French) Reverend Geraldine Granger, clergywoman assigned to the rural
English town of Dibley. Other cast included Gary Waldhorn as David Horton; James
Fleet as Hugo Horton; Emma Chambers as Alice Tinker; Liz Smith as Letitia
Crapley; John Bluthal as Frank Pickle; Trevor Peacock as Jim Trott ;and Roger
Lloyd-Pack as Owen Navitt, The series was filmed in Turville, Buckinghamshire.
THE VIRGINIAN/THE MEN FROM SHILOH/NBC/1962-71
*(Stewart Granger) Colonel Alan MacKenzie, a retired English Colonel. He is the
fourth owner of the Shiloh Ranch located in Medicine Bow Wyoming in the 1890s.
WAITING FOR GOD/BBC/1990-94
*(Stephanie Cole/costar) Diana, a pessimistic, former photojournalist living in
the Bayview Retirement Home about thirty miles outside Brighton, England.
According to Diana, she "hasn't t been cheerful since 1975 and then I had
typhoid." She never had children because she couldn't bear to see one of them
die as so many boys had died during World War II. Her accomplice in crime is a
spaced-out accountant named Tom (Graham Crowden) who lives in an imaginary world
where he cavorts with Hollywood movie stars. The job of corralling these sassy
senior citizens fell to the facility's director, Harvey Bains (Daniel Hill) and
his assistant who valiantly tried to keep Tom and Diana in tow but generally
failed miserably in that regard. The series was broadcast nationally on PBS
stations.
THE WRIGHT VERDICTS/CBS/1995
*(Tom Conti) Charles Wright, a British barrister who works as a criminal defense
attorney in New York City.
YES, MINISTER (YES, PRIME MINISTER)/BBC/1980-88
*(Paul Eddington) Jim Hacker, newly appointed reform-minded British Parliament
cabinet minister who tries to run his ministry while his veteran staff of
bureaucratically entrenched civil servants try to manipulate him. Other cast
included Nigel Hawthorne as Sir Humphrey Appleby ; Derek Fowlds as Bernard
Wooley; with Diana Hoddinott as Annie Hacker; John Nettleton as Arnold as
recurring characters. The series changed title to YES, PRIME MINISTER when Jim
Hacker was promoted to Prime Minister in the final eight episodes.
YOU AGAIN?/NBC/1986-87
**(Elizabeth Bennett) Enid Tompkins, a sarcastic British housekeeper hired by a
supermarket executive when his wife decided to leave him. Tompkins starred
simultaneously in the British series HOME TO ROOST/SYN/1989 which was the basis
for this American spin-off.
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