Bless Me, Father
| Bless Me, Father | |
|---|---|
 Title screen of Series 1 | |
| Genre | Comedy |
| Written by | Peter de Rosa |
| Directed by | David Askey |
| Starring |
Arthur Lowe Daniel Abineri Gabrielle Daye Patrick McAlinney |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 21 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company(s) | London Weekend Television |
| Release | |
| Original network | ITV |
| Picture format | 4:3 (576i) |
| Original release | 24 September 1978 – 16 August 1981 |
Bless Me, Father is a British situation comedy starring Arthur Lowe, Daniel Abineri, Gabrielle Daye, Patrick McAlinney, David Ryall, and Sheila Keith. It was aired on ITV from 1978 until 1981 and described the adventures of an Irish Catholic priest, Father Charles Duddleswell (Lowe) and his young curate (Abineri) in the fictional parish of St. Jude's in suburban London. Twenty-one episodes, written by Peter De Rosa (who had previously been a novice curate), were aired. De Rosa wrote the books on which the series was based using the pseudonym of Neil Boyd which was also the name of the young curate character; Boyd also served as the narrator in the series of novels upon which the series was based. It was made for the ITV network by London Weekend Television.
The series was set in 1950 and 1951 and marked a departure from the middle class "bank manager" roles associated with Lowe such as that in Dad's Army. The other regular characters included Mrs Pring (Daye), the housekeeper, the hard-drinking Dr Daley (McAlinney), the non-religious neighbour Billy Buzzle (Ryall), and abbess Reverend Mother Stephen (Keith).
Cast
- Arthur Lowe as Father Charles Clement Duddleswell
- Daniel Abineri as Father Neil Boyd
- Gabrielle Daye as Mrs. Pring
- Patrick McAlinney as Dr. Daley
- David Ryall as Billy Buzzle
- Sheila Keith as Mother Stephen
Guest appearances on the series include Derek Francis, Phoebe Nicholls, Daniel Gerroll, Peter Bowles, Clive Swift, Rynagh O'Grady, Michael Troughton, Geoffrey Palmer and Peter Copley.
Episodes
Series 1 (1978)
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Baptism of Fire" | David Askey | Peter de Rosa | 24 September 1978 |
| 2 | "The Bells of St. Jude's" | David Askey | Peter de Rosa | 1 October 1978 |
| 3 | "The Parish Bazaar" | David Askey | Peter de Rosa | 8 October 1978 |
| 4 | "The Doomsday Chair" | David Askey | Peter de Rosa | 15 October 1978 |
| 5 | "Father & Mother" | David Askey | Peter de Rosa | 22 October 1978 |
| 6 | "The Tennis Match" | David Askey | Peter de Rosa | 29 October 1978 |
| 7 | "The Seal of Confession" | David Askey | Peter de Rosa | 5 November 1978 |
Series 2
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | "Blessings from Heaven" | David Askey | Peter de Rosa | 11 November 1979 |
| 9 | "Father Neil's First Miracle" | David Askey | Peter de Rosa | 18 November 1979 |
| 10 | "Fatal Lady" | David Askey | Peter de Rosa | 25 November 1979 |
| 11 | "The Heart of a Curate" | David Askey | Peter de Rosa | 9 December 1979 |
| 12 | "All at Sea" | David Askey | Peter de Rosa | 16 December 1979 |
| 13 | "The Season of Goodwill" | David Askey | Peter de Rosa | 23 December 1979 |
| 14 | "A Back to Front Wedding" | David Askey | Peter de Rosa | 6 January 1980 |
Series 3
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | "Things Are Not What They Seem" | David Askey | Peter de Rosa | 5 July 1981 |
| 16 | "Women" | David Askey | Peter de Rosa | 12 July 1981 |
| 17 | "Beddings and Weddings" | David Askey | Peter de Rosa | 19 July 1981 |
| 18 | "Fire & Brimstone" | David Askey | Peter de Rosa | 26 July 1981 |
| 19 | "A Legend Comes to Stay" | David Askey | Peter de Rosa | 2 August 1981 |
| 20 | "Porgy & Bess" | David Askey | Peter de Rosa | 9 August 1981 |
| 21 | "A Mixed-Up Marriage" | David Askey | Peter de Rosa | 16 August 1981 |
Home media
The complete series of Bless Me, Father has been released on DVD in region 1, region 2 and region 4. In the United States and Canada, "The Complete Collection" was released on 26 April 2005 from Acorn Media. In the United Kingdom, distribution company Network released the complete series on 6 August 2007. In Australia, the complete series was released on 11 March 2015 via distribution company Reel DVD.[1]
Book series
Peter De Rosa, formerly an ordained Catholic priest and lecturer, left the priesthood in 1970 and later became a full-time author. Under the pen-name Neil Boyd he wrote the Bless Me, Father books from which the TV series was adapted.[2]
Boyd, Neil (1977). Bless Me, Father. London: Robert Hale.
Boyd, Neil (1978). A Father Before Christmas. London: Michael Joseph.
Boyd, Neil (1979). Father in a Fix. London: Michael Joseph.
Boyd, Neil (1980). Father Under Fire. London: Michael Joseph.
Boyd, Neil (1981). Bless Me Again, Father. London: Michael Joseph.
References
- ↑ "Bless Me Father Series 1 3 on DVD". dvdorchard.com.au. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
- ↑ "Authors: Peter De Rosa". Andrew Nurnberg Associates. Retrieved 2016-02-29.
External links
- Bless Me, Father at the Internet Movie Database
- Bless Me, Father at the British Comedy Guide
- Bless Me, Father at epguides.com