November 2018 marked the 50th Anniversary of the London Weekend Television comedy, Please Sir. The movie adaptation was made in 1971, and this was possibly one of the few occasions from the period of remaking British television sitcoms for cinema, that the vibe of the original series was captured so beautifully, and even enhanced.

Although it was played broadly for laughs, there was some not-too-subtle social commentary, and an ongoing theme celebrating friendship and inclusion. In this clip from the movie spin-off, the unruly but good-hearted Fenn Street Secondary Modern class of 5C, come to the defence of Dennis, played by Peter Denyer.

In his memoir, for which Peter Cleall wrote the foreword, David Barry (Frankie Abbott) recalled chatting with Peter Cleall (Eric Duffy) and not paying attention as the scene was being set up. When director Mart Stuart called action, they weren’t sure if it was a rehearsal or a take; Peter mistakenly assumed it was a take, and shoved the jam into the face of a totally shocked Richard Everett (Malcolm), who was expecting a dry run, and who then had to be cleaned up and dressed again, and the scene re-set. The frequently volatile director was surprisingly forgiving.

Many cast members are sadly no longer with us, including (from the students) Liz Gebhardt (Maureen) Malcolm McFee (Peter) and Peter Denyer (Dennis).

Enjoy and thanks for watching.


#PleaseSir #ClassicTV #LondonWeekend #BritishComedy #clips #PeterCleall #PeterDenyer #JohnAlderton

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