"The Riff Raff Element" (1993) TV series

Director:

Jeremy Ancock

Writer:

Debbie Horsfield (writer)

Release Date:

2 April 1993 (UK)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

Down-on-their luck, upper-class family rent out a wing of their stately home to a lower-class family.

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Jayne Ashbourne	...	Carmen
Dicken Ashworth	...	Nelson
Stewart Bewley	...	Oliver Tundish
Kate Binchy	...	Dearbhla
Susan Brown	...	Maggie Belcher
Brenda Bruce	...	Granny Grogan
George Costigan	...	Vincent
Nicholas Farrell	...	Boyd Tundish
Pippa Guard	...	Phoenix
Lionel Guyett	...	Father Casper
Richard Hope	...	Mortimer Tundish
Celia Imrie	...	Joanna Tundish
Cal Macaninch	...	Declan
Trevor Peacock	...	Acky Belcher
Ronald Pickup	...	Roger Tundish
Stewart Pile	...	Oliver Tundish
Mossie Smith	...	Petula Belcher
Greg Wise	...	Alister
Ashley Wright	...	Nathan Tundish

Runtime:

50 min (12 episodes)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Why can't I buy this?

This series was representative of some of the best that the BBC offered in the mid-1990s. Ronald Pickup is fantastic in his role as the titular head of the family, and a great comic foil for the rest of the cast. Celia Imrie has gone on to other things (hurrah for Acorn Antiques!), and some of the unsung heroes of British telly were all involved.

So why have I never seen this repeated on TV, or for sale on video/DVD? I have only my own (very warm) memories of the programme, and would love to re-live those memories - I just hope that it hasn't fallen victim to the BBC's unexplained policy of simply deleting some programmes from its records.

BBC - Let me pay you to buy it...!!