Dear Mother...Love Albert

Dear Mother...Love Albert later retitled Albert! was a British sitcom broadcast between September 1969 and June 1972. It was created by and starred Rodney Bewes. Bewes co-wrote and produced the series with Derrick Goodwin. The show regularly appeared in the TV ratings top ten throughout its three-year run.

The theme song was sung by Bewes, co-written by Mike Hugg. Hugg had also encouraged Bewes to sing the theme to his previous sitcom The Likely Lads, but Bewes recalls "I think I drank a bottle of port in the end, but I couldn't get it".

There were 26 episodes, including the three Christmas specials, all three broadcast as part of All Star Comedy Carnival. The fourth and final series was broadcast as a sequel entitled Albert!, which ran for a further series of seven episodes. Series 1 was produced by Thames Television, while the subsequent series 2-4 were produced by Yorkshire Television.

Plot

Albert Courtney (Rodney Bewes) leaves his home in the North of England to live in London. He writes home to his mother, grossly exaggerating the events that have happened to him. Albert finds work in a confectionery company, moves into a flat he shares with two young ladies and becomes engaged to Doreen Bissel (Liz Gebhardt), however during the fourth and final series Albert later loses his job and Doreen (now played by Cheryl Hall) later dumps him, however he still continues his attempts at survival in London.

Regular Cast

• Rodney Bewes - Albert Courtnay
• Garfield Morgan - A C Strain
• Sheila White - Vivian McKewan (series 1 & 2)
• Geraldine Newman - Mrs McKewan (series 1 & 2)
• Liz Gebhardt - Doreen Bissel (series 3)
• Mary Land - Frankie (series 3)
• Luan Peters - Lesley (series 3)
• Amelia Bayntun - Ada Bissel (series 3)
• Cheryl Hall - Doreen Bissel (series 4)

Episode guide

Series 1 (1969)

• The Interview (missing)
• Merely A Formality (missing)
• In the Field (missing)
• Knight of the Road (missing)
• The Good Samaritan (missing)
• A Commercial Break (missing)

All Star Comedy Carnival -Christmas Special, Broadcast 25 December 1969 (missing, see Wiping)

Series 2 (1970)

• Love Is A Many Splendoured Thing
• All The World's A Stage
• Hearts And Flowers
• The Deligate
• I'm Going To Be A Father
• Major Ab Adversis
• All Mod Cons

All Star Comedy Carnival -Christmas Special, Broadcast 25 December 1970 (missing)

Series 3 (1971)

• A Ring On Her Finger
• The Compulsive Gambler
• Raquel
• De Profundis
• Hold Up, It's A Hand Up
• Lost Weekend

All Star Comedy Carnival- Christmas Special, Broadcast 25 December 1971 (missing)

Series 4 (1972)

• Hair!
• A Ghost Story
• Trouble At T'Mill
• Blood Brothers
• Hot-Pot
• If He'd Meant Us To Fly
• Brave New World

DVD release

A 3-Disc set containing series 2-4 made by Yorkshire Television and broadcast 1970-72 was released by Network on 14 June 2010. The third series (1971) is in black and white. The DVD notes state that no colour version of this series ever existed; the series was filmed in black and white because of the ITV Colour Strike.

External links

• Dear Mother...Love Albert at BBC Online
• Dear Mother...Love Albert at British Comedy Guide
• Dear Mother...Love Albert at Nostalgia Central
• Dear Mother...Love Albert at lostshows.com
• All Star Comedy Carnival at BBC Online