Long overdue holiday camp frolics...

"Thankfully at long last those nice people at Playback have seen fit to issue this classic comedy, all episodes of series 1 & 2 contained in this boxed set where first broadcast in 1981. The strength of all the Perry-Croft series is in the casting, and their real tour de force with HI DE HI! is the catalyst of Simon Cadell's beautifully observed Jeffrey Fairbrother, around whom the rest of the eccentric staff at Maplin's Holiday Camp weave their spell. By far my favourite characters though are the sour ballroom dancers Yvonne and Barry, looking down their noses at the dreadful vulgar activities run for the campers, they are a joy on every entrance. Other stand out performances include Gladys Pugh as the man hungry chief Yellowcoat Gladys Pugh and Su Pollard's infectious chalet maid Peggy Ollerenshaw.

In fact this is the first time that Jimmy Perry and David Croft had attempted to write strong comedy roles for women, their previous series together had been predominately male orientated due to their military settings. Highlights on these discs include "The Partridge Season" where the Punch and Judy man gets blind drunk and barracades himself in his chalet, "Day of Reckoning" containing the classic sequence where a pantomime horse is seen riding a real horse over the sand-dunes, "Peggy's Big Chance" stolen by Su Pollard's tearful performance and "A Night Not To Remember" where Mr. Fairbrother has his drinks laced by some rugby players and ends up drunk in his chalet with Gladys Pugh, but next morning Gladys isn't saying what actually happened... Each episode is a masterclass of ensemble playing, faithfully recreating the late 50's when holiday camps were all the rage. HI DE HI! won a BAFTA award and it's easy to see why here. This is broad comedy at it's finest, with expert characterisation provided by the legendary team of Perry & Croft."

Review by Rob Cope.
 

Age: A kiss-me-quick institution of 22 years.

Appearance: Comedy capers in a '50s holiday camp.

Why Was It Good?: The writing of Jimmy Perry and David Croft, the men behind Dad's Army. Though it wasn't quite a classic, the many innuendoes and catchphrases of the Yellowcoats made it aninstant hit with millions of viewers.

How Did It Begin?: Co-writer Jimmy Perry had been a Butlins Redcoat many years before so he knew the world of holiday camps was well worth lampooning. But real life holiday camp owners were not so pleased, especially as the BBC1 comedy played on the old-fashioned cheap and cheerful knockabout image they were so desperate to bury.

But there was no stopping the show - it ran for 70 episodes over nine years until 1989, with audiences of over 16m.

What Was It About?: Set at Maplins Holiday Camp at Crimpton-On-Sea in the '50s and '60s, it promoted the joys of chalet life. The main stars were Ruth Madoc as snobby Welsh Yellowcoat Gladys Pugh; Su Pollard as dopey chalet maid Peggy; Paul Shane as spivvy comic Ted Bovis; and Simon Cadell as entertainments boss Jeffrey Fairbrother.

The real joke was it underplayed how bad holiday camps really were.

Who Else Was In It?: Barry Howard and Diane Holland were snooty ballroom dancers Barry & Yvonne. Barry once worked at a real camp where plastic blossom was put onto the trees. Jeffrey Holland was budding comic Spike; Leslie Dwyer was child-hating kid's entertainer Mr Partridge, while Felix Bowness donned jockey silks as Fred Quilley who looked after thecamp horses.

What Were The Best Bits?: Gladys Pugh (Ruth Madoc), was the voice of Radio Maplins, who would wake up campers every morning over the tannoy.

Was She Irritating?: Just a tad.There were no lie-ins for the proles. Gladys would boom out the day's events with the greeting "Hi-De-Hi!", followed by a weary reply of "Ho-De-Ho!" from the campers. A romance with Jeffrey Fairbrother failed but she married Clive Dempster in the finale pisode.

Why Did It End?: You can't laugh at glamorous granny competitions and knobbly knees contests forever. It was 'Hi-De-Hi!' time it finished.

What Happened To The Cast?: Many of them returned in other guises in David Croft and Jimmy Perry's Upstairs, Downstairs spoof You Rang, M'Lord? and the railway comedy Oh, Doctor Beeching!

Could It Be Revived?: It is regularly shown on UK Gold and a new set of videos has just gone on sale.

Distinguishing Features: Yellow blazers, camp humour in more ways than one, silly games for holidaymakers.

Do Say: "Archetypal British comedy which puts most of today's sitcoms to shame".

Do Not Say: "Smutty end-of-the-pier humour which has no place on TV now. It was worse than chalet bed bugs or awful holiday camp food".

Not To Be Confused With:Holidays From Hell; Colditz; ex-Hollywood madame Heidi Fleiss; Camp David.

Su Online's 'Hi-De-Hi!' Scrapbook.
 

This 3 disc dvd boxset release features the pilot episode and every episode from Series One & Two of Hi-De-Hi!

EPISODE TITLES: 

Pilot Episode - Hey Diddle, Diddle 
1. Desire In The Mickey Mouse Grotto, 
2. The Beauty Queen Affair, 
3. The Partridge Season, 
4. The Day Of Reckoning, 
5. Charity Begins At Home, 
6. No Dogs Allowed, 
7. If Wet - In The Ballroom, 
8. Peggy's Big Chance, 
9. Lift Up Your Minds, 
10. On With The Motley, 
11. A Night Not To Remember, 
12. Sausages Or Limelight. 

Starring Paul Shane ; Ruth Madoc ; Simon Cadell; Jeffrey Holland ; Su Pollard. Certificate PG. Fullscreen 4:3. Running time approximately 6 hours 48 minutes. 
 

As previously mentioned, UK Gold viwers are currently enjoying daily reruns of Hi-De-Hi!. The channel is now showing episodes from series seven and eight.

Terrestrial BBC1 and 2 are now also reshowing early episodes of Hi-De-Hi! too. Today as a Bank Holiday treat BBC1 repeated the second episode 'The Beauty Queen Affair' at 1.50pm. BBC2 have episode three - 'The Partridge Season', from series one, scheduled for next Saturday (31st August) at 5.05pm.

Su Online's 'Hi-De-Hi!' Episode Guide
 

The show opens on Wednesday 25th September at the Theatre Royal in Lincoln and continues touring England and Wales until the end of November.

A show not to be missed, with a score
featuring several musical classics
including "The Hard Knock Life",
"Easy Street", "You're Never Fully Dressed Without A Smile" and of
course "Tomorrow". The show was
first seen in 1977 and went on to
become a Broadway and West End smash. 

Click the pic of Su, as Miss Hannigan, for further info and tour dates/times.

The 'Annie' Gallery.

Throughout the remainder of August and into September,the channel are broadcasting classic episodes from series' six, seven and eight.

Singing in the Drain: Sitcom about two flatmates who have nothing in common apart from their outrageous attitude to life and their taste in men. Linda finally realises her ambition to become a model, while Tom secures an audition for a West End musical. Starring: Kathy Burke, James Dreyfus, Brian Bovell, Beth Goddard, Su Pollard, Jonathan Harvey.

UK Gold : Wednesday 28th August - 10.55pm
UK Gold Plus1 : Wednesday 28th August -  11.55pm
 

Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs opens on Saturday 14th December and runs until Sunday 26th January 2003 with performances mostly twice daily (no performances on Christmas Day or Mondays). Ticket prices are 
£14.50 - Front stalls and front circle
£11.50  -  Rear stalls and rear circle
£8.00  -  Upper circle
 
 

Generous concessions are available.  Ask at the box office
Box office 01522 534570 / 525555
Theatre Royal,  Clasketgate,  Lincoln  LN2 1JJ
www.theatreroyallincoln.com 

As the panto draws nearer Su Online will launch a dedicated Snow White section.
 

Su and Gloria have been friends for many years and enjoyed a great chat about Su's extremely busy 2002.

Su is also mentioned in this week's 'Heat' magazine, the entertainment bible. Su is featured in their "Spotted" section.

"Su Pollard walking down Shaftesbury Avenue and being waved at by a group of men who were old enough to know better".

As if!!!

Actual performance dates are being finalised as this is typed and will be included on Su Online as soon as possible.

To our knowledge this is the first time in her long panto career that Su has played the villain. Must be something in Miss Pollard's HRT making her turn thoroughly wicked later this year.
 

This from the Sunday Times:

Following its West End success, this lavish and slick production of a timeless and ever popular musical stars the irrepressible Su Pollard as the mean Miss Hannigan, Mark Wynter (Sweet Charity, Phantom of the Opera) as the kindly billionaire Daddy Warbucks and Louise English (Eastenders) as Grace Farrell. 

Set against a Manhattan skyline in the era of the Great Depression, Annie The Musical follows the rags to riches story of an eleven year old orphan without a friend in the world, except her faithful dog, Sandy. Annie's only hope is to escape the orphanage where the tyrannical Miss Hannigan makes life a misery and with the arrival of Daddy Warbucks her dreams finally can come true.

Packed with show stopping songs, this is a heartwarming, feel good show for all the family to enjoy. 

'This is one of the most enchanting musicals I've ever seen'.

And that's not all. This from the Everyman Theatre in Gloucestershire

The family musical comes to Gloucestershire telling the rags to riches tale of little orphan Annie - full of songs everyone loves.

The story is set in New York during the depression where Annie lives in a miserable orphanage governed by the mean tempered matron Miss Hannigan. Then local billionaire Oliver Warbucks comes into Annie's life and things begin to look up.

This musical, having enjoyed great success on Broadway and the West End, is a magical piece of theatre that will have audiences tapping their feet and singing along. Classic songs include Tomorrow, A Hard Knock Life and You're Never Fully Dressed Without A Smile.

This show is destined to sell out so don't be a dumb dog - book now!

Su Online's dedicated Annie section.
 

Su will be the Wicked Queen in Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs in Lincoln throughout December and early January.

Su is one of the biggest panto stars in the country, so if you haven't seen her be as wicked as wicked can be in this most British of theatrical traditions then keep a day in your diary free in December and visit Lincoln this Christmas for a festive treat. 

Definitely not to be missed!

Further information will be added to Su Online as soon as it becomes available

Unfortunately Su will now not be appearing in The Vagina Monologues. Rehearsals for Annie, which Su stars in from September to November this year, have clashed with Su's proposed four week appearance.
 

Further info as it becomes available.

Hi-De-Hi! : UK Gold
Daily @ 5.25am

Penny Crayon : CBeebies
Sunday 21st July
8.20am / 12.20pm / 4.20pm

Thursday 25th July
8.20am / 12.20pm / 4.20pm

Further Su : TV updates soon.

Look out too for the comprehensive Su : TV section - coming to Su Online in the very near future!
 

The set consists of the entire first two series of the classic comedy. It is hoped that, if this release sells well, there will be further sets made available.

The Hi-De-Hi! gang is in for a big surprise at the start of the new holiday season when Jeffrey Fairbrother (Simon Cadell) becomes head of entertainment at Maplin's Holiday Camp. Gladys Pugh (Ruth Madoc) can¹t take her eyes off him, and wannabe Yellowcoat, Peggy (Su Pollard), looks like she might get her dream job. But what's in store for the campers? This release features every episode from Series One and Two of Hi-De-Hi!. 

Episode titles: 'Desire In The Mickey Mouse Grotto', 'The Beauty Queen Affair', 'The Partridge Season', 'The Day Of Reckoning', 'Charity Begins At Home', 'No Dogs Allowed', 'If Wet - In The Ballroom', 'Peggy's Big Chance', 'Lift Up Your Minds', 'On With The Motley', 'A Night Not To Remember' and 'Sausages Or Limelight'.