Change of pilot

[SgtPepper]

Over Christmas, for the first time since they were broadcast, I watched a few episodes of the David Jason comedies A Sharp Intake of Breath and Lucky Feller. In both cases the pilot episode had major parts played by different actors. In A Sharp Intake of Breath the part of the wife is played by Patricia Brake instead of Jacqueline Clarke. In Lucky Feller the part of the mother and the randy brother are both played by different actors. I wondered why this might happen. Maybe the original actor wasn't available for recording or one or either parties decided they weren't right for the part?
I remember a few years ago watching the pilot of Love Thy Neighbour and Mrs Booth being played by someone else.
I wondered how many other examples there might be of such a change, which might lead to an actor either kicking themselves or feeling like they dodged a bullet. :-)

[John Williams]

In the pilot of Toast of London, Jane Plough was played by Fiona Mollison, replaced in the series by Doon Mackichan.

Spooner in Spooner's Patch was played by Ian Bannen and Frank Carson in the pilots before Ronald Fraser took over. He was then replaced by Donald Churchill.

[Juswuh]

I've cited this before, but one we'll never see: the pilot for Adam Adamant Lives had a different Georgina Jones.

In its original form, the pilot episode of The Twilight Zone wasn't narrated by Rod Serling.

[Nick Cooper 625]

The Black Adder is a well known example, although of course the pilot was never transmitted.

Artro Morris was Shirley's Dad in Comedy Special: Citizen Smith, replaced by Peter Vaughan and later Tony Steedman in the series.

More recently Campus and People Just Do Nothing had their pilots remade with some cast changes. The Sherlock pilot not only had Sergeant Sally Donovan played by Zawe Ashton, but she was also protrayed as a uniformed officer, rather than a detective.

Obviously there will be various reasons why this might happen, some "good," "some "bad."

[Ian Wegg]

The part of buffet manageress May Skinner in Oh, Doctor Beeching! was apparently written for Sherrie Hewson who played it in the pilot. However she was signed to Coronation Street the following year so Julia Deakin took over for the series.

[Nick Cooper 625]

Zawe Ashton's recasting is a little puzzling, as there's nothing wrong with her performance in the Sherlock pilot. It may be that the reshoot clashed with other work, although it would be despressing to think that lost out for the sake of St Trinian's 2: The Legend of Fritton's Gold....

[Brock]

In the mid-1980s BBC sitcom The New Statesman (not to be confused with the later YTV sitcom of the same name), Colin Blakely played the lead role in the pilot rather than Windsor Davies.

And a different genre, but the pilot of Shooting Stars had Jonathan Ross and Danny Baker as team captains (though Ulrika Jonsson appeared as a guest). The teams were called the "Starbirds" and the "Helicopters".

[stanbutler]

The pilot to In Loving Memory was made by Thames in 1969 with Christopher Beeny in the same role but Ivy was played by Marjorie Rhodes and Edward Chapman was Jeremiah. They didn't make a series and when Yorkshire picked it up in 1979 Thora Hird was Ivy and Freddie Jones was Jeremiah in the first episode. I guess ten years and a change of production company aided the cast change.

[ian b]

The pilot to In Loving Memory was made by Thames in 1969 with Christopher Beeny in the same role but Ivy was played by Marjorie Rhodes and Edward Chapman was Jeremiah. They didn't make a series and when Yorkshire picked it up in 1979 Thora Hird was Ivy and Freddie Jones was Jeremiah in the first episode. I guess ten years and a change of production company aided the cast change.

Um, whatever IMDb says Beeny wasn't in the Thames pilot. Harold Goodwin played the equivalent role.

As the TV Times has it, 4th November 1969...


The scene: Oldshaw, Lancs., 1929 - a time when the horse and cart still outnumbered the two-ton truck, when the tramcar clanged its way down cobbled streets and the gas mantle reigned supreme.
When Jeremiah Unsworth (Undertaker and Monumental Mason - Established 1881) was asked to handle Oldshaw's biggest, most important funeral since Alderman Jackson* fell into the canal - and that was the beginning of the greatest chapter of accidents in the history of undertaking.

Ivy Unsworth...........Marjorie Rhodes
Harold Henshaw.......Harold Goodwin
Jeremiah Unsworth...Edward Chapman
Miss Jenkinson..........Rose Power

designer; Sylva Nadolny

producer; Ronnie Baxter


*it was Alderman Carter in the first episode of the Yorkshire series

[David Boothroyd]

In the Comedy Playhouse version of 'Til Death Us Do Part', it was Gretchen Franklin playing Else, not Dandy Nichols. (And of course the family name was Ramsey not Garnett.)

[Mark]

Sheila Brennan played Nurse Gladys in the "7 Of 1" pilot of "Open All Hours".

Arthur English played Wally in the Thames pilot of "Romany Jones" before LWT took over and Arthur Mullard played the part.

Daphne Heard and David Lodge in the pilot of "Oh No It's Selwyn Frogitt".

Only Graham Haberfield and John Barret survived into the series of "The Dustbinmen" from the original play.

A complete change of cast from the Thames pilot of "Singles", when Yorkshire made the series.

[Simon Coward]

Peter Bowles as Toby Meres in A Magnum for Schneider, before Anthony Valentine took over in Callan.

Gabrielle Drake, Richard O'Callaghan and Christian Roberts played Charlotte, Frankie and Peter in Charlotte Moves... and Tambourines Play, but in the series which followed - entitled Sat'day While Sunday - the roles were taken by Sarah-Jane Gwillim, Malcolm McDowell and Tim[othy] Dalton.

In the series Codename, Clifford Evans played Sir Iain Dalzell, Anthony Valentine was Philip West, Alexandra Bastedo played Diana Dalzell and
Brian Peck played Culliford. In the one-off which inspired it, Codename: Portcullis, Evans was in the same role, although his character was called Sir Iain Carfax while Jennifer Daniel played Diana Carfax. Peter Jeffrey played Philip - this time surnamed Philip Skelton - and John White played Culliford.

[brigham]

In the Comedy Playhouse version of 'Til Death Us Do Part', it was Gretchen Franklin playing Else, not Dandy Nichols. (And of course the family name was Ramsey not Garnett.)

Was the name changed to avoid confusion with the footballer Alf Ramsey?

[Brian F]

Also the comedy series "Barbara" Had Caroline Milmoe playing Linda (Benson0 in the pilot (1995) and Elizabeth Carling playing Linda (now Pond) in the 4 series that followed (from 1999).

[stanbutler]

The pilot to In Loving Memory was made by Thames in 1969 with Christopher Beeny in the same role but Ivy was played by Marjorie Rhodes and Edward Chapman was Jeremiah. They didn't make a series and when Yorkshire picked it up in 1979 Thora Hird was Ivy and Freddie Jones was Jeremiah in the first episode. I guess ten years and a change of production company aided the cast change.

Um, whatever IMDb says Beeny wasn't in the Thames pilot. Harold Goodwin played the equivalent role.

As the TV Times has it, 4th November 1969...


The scene: Oldshaw, Lancs., 1929 - a time when the horse and cart still outnumbered the two-ton truck, when the tramcar clanged its way down cobbled streets and the gas mantle reigned supreme.
When Jeremiah Unsworth (Undertaker and Monumental Mason - Established 1881) was asked to handle Oldshaw's biggest, most important funeral since Alderman Jackson* fell into the canal - and that was the beginning of the greatest chapter of accidents in the history of undertaking.

Ivy Unsworth...........Marjorie Rhodes
Harold Henshaw.......Harold Goodwin
Jeremiah Unsworth...Edward Chapman
Miss Jenkinson..........Rose Power

designer; Sylva Nadolny

producer; Ronnie Baxter


*it was Alderman Carter in the first episode of the Yorkshire series

So it was! :)

[wittoner]

Freddie Frinton starred in a Comedy Playhouse called "Family of Fred" in 1968 which was commissioned for a series. After Freddie died suddenly the series went ahead as "Thicker than water" with Jimmy Jewell playing the part.

[Mark]

That's reminded me of another Sit-Com, "My Old Man", Ronnie Barker in the "7 Of 1" pilot, and Clive Dunn in the Yorkshire series that followed.