Long before London Weekend Television sitcoms about bus drivers and teachers were to become etched into the UK nation's conscience, was this gentle comedy about domestic bliss. Presumably intended for the winter schedule of 1968? but ended up being shown in the summer and all over the place, plugging holes in LWT's industrial dispute ridden schedule. Paul Daneman and Nyree Dawn Porter really sparked as the wedded couple clashing over over everyday problems of for example of getting the car fixed. Also what worked well for this particular type of comedy was the old 45 minute format. However by the second series both Nyree and 15 minutes of the programme had gone, and the show had been eclipsed by Reg Varney and a large green bus.
2 Reviews
Words fail me
Rabical-9123 October 2018
Warning: Spoilers
'Never A Cross Word' is notable today for two things. Firstly, it was the first sitcom broadcast from the newly launched London Weekend Television. Secondly, it was the sitcom that gave actor John Alderton a foot in the door.
Paul Daneman, of 'Not In Front Of The Children' fame, plays head of the house Ronald Baldock. He is married to the lovely Deidre, a dizzy blonde who means well but messes everything up. In the first episode, she crashes her husband's car due to her lousy driving. In order to help pay for the repairs she takes in a lodger, a young nerdy Welsh student, who was played by Alderton.
It was his guest role here that earned Alderton the starring role in which he became most famous for, as Bernard Hedges in John Esmonde and Bob Larbey's 'Please Sir'.
Nyree Dawn Porter played Deidre in the first series but was replaced in series two by Barbara Murray. I have only seen one episode, which in this case was the first episode ( the rest of the first series having been wiped ). Despite one or two laughs much of the show leaves a lot to be desired. The second series exists complete but has never been made commercially available. The first episode was made available as a special feature on the series two DVD release of 'Please Sir'.
The first series also broke new ground in that episodes were broadcast at 45 minutes in length but series two was reduced to the standard 30 minute length. This series however was squashed in the ratings by the arrival of the much funnier 'On The Buses'
Paul Daneman, of 'Not In Front Of The Children' fame, plays head of the house Ronald Baldock. He is married to the lovely Deidre, a dizzy blonde who means well but messes everything up. In the first episode, she crashes her husband's car due to her lousy driving. In order to help pay for the repairs she takes in a lodger, a young nerdy Welsh student, who was played by Alderton.
It was his guest role here that earned Alderton the starring role in which he became most famous for, as Bernard Hedges in John Esmonde and Bob Larbey's 'Please Sir'.
Nyree Dawn Porter played Deidre in the first series but was replaced in series two by Barbara Murray. I have only seen one episode, which in this case was the first episode ( the rest of the first series having been wiped ). Despite one or two laughs much of the show leaves a lot to be desired. The second series exists complete but has never been made commercially available. The first episode was made available as a special feature on the series two DVD release of 'Please Sir'.
The first series also broke new ground in that episodes were broadcast at 45 minutes in length but series two was reduced to the standard 30 minute length. This series however was squashed in the ratings by the arrival of the much funnier 'On The Buses'
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