Review I Didn't Know You Cared (1975)

michaellevenson

Member: Rank 8
A real acquired taste this, a very British comedy, set in Northern England, in Rugby League country, following the dysfunctional Brandon family
Special praise for Robin Bailey playing Uncle Mort, a permanently morose embittered OAP , and Stephen Rea as Carter, the workshy grandson. Here the two of them with John Comer playing the father Les, in typically misogynistic mood discuss how inconvenient of Carter's mother to give birth to him during an FA Cup soccer Saturday afternoon.
 

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
I Didn't Know You Cared


I Didn't Know You Cared
Genre
Sitcom
Created by Peter Tinniswood
Starring
Country of origin United Kingdom
Original language(s) English
No. of series 4
No. of episodes 27
Production
Producer(s)
Bernard Thompson
Running time 30 minutes
Production company(s) BBC
Release
Original network
BBC1
Original release 27 August 1975 – 26 June 1979

I Didn't Know You Cared is a British television comedy set in a working-class household in South Yorkshire in the 1970s, written by Peter Tinniswood loosely based upon his books A Touch of Daniel, I Didn't Know You Cared and Except You're a Bird. It was broadcast by the BBC in four series (seven episodes each in series 1, 3 and 4 and six in series 2) from 1975 to 1979.

The main characters are: Carter Brandon (played by Stephen Rea and, in series 3 and 4, Keith Drinkel); his uncle, Uncle Mort (Robin Bailey); his mother, Annie (Liz Smith); his father, Les (John Comer); his girlfriend (later wife), Pat Partington (Anita Carey and, in series 3 and 4, Liz Goulding); and his other uncle, Uncle Staveley (Bert Palmer and, in series 4, Leslie Sarony). Auntie Lil (Gretchen Franklin), appears in the first two series. Other recurring characters, mostly from Carter's workplace, are: Linda Preston (Deirdre Costello); Mrs Partington, Pat's mother (Vanda Godsell); Sid Skelhorn (Ray Dunbobbin and, in series 3 and 4, Bobby Pattinson); and Louis St. John (Paul Barber).

The novels narrate the story of which Carter's thoughts are an integral part. A recurring theme in the books is conversation between Carter and baby Daniel (Uncle Mort's son). One feature of the books is a line at the top of each page which summarizes the developments on that page. The TV series adhere more closely to the conventions of situation comedy, and present generally light-hearted versions of the stories from the books.

In the TV series, Uncle Staveley (remembered for his catchphrase, "I heard that! Pardon?") always appears with the ashes of Corporal Parkinson—one of his comrades from World War I—in a box around his neck.

Peter Tinniswood wrote six further series for BBC Radio 4 featuring members of the Brandon family between 1987 and 1996; two six-episode series each of Uncle Mort's North Country, Uncle Mort's South Country, and Uncle Mort's Celtic Fringe. In these series, Stephen Thorne played Uncle Mort, with Peter Skellern as Carter Brandon (Sam Kelly replaced Skellern in South Country)
 

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
In the TV series, Uncle Staveley (remembered for his catchphrase, "I heard that! Pardon?")

Now that I do remember. His catchphrase.

That's all that I have retained of it over the years.

The rest of the series is a blank, but this reminder and these clips suggest that it seems to be something of a forgotten gem!
 
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