Its hard to remember a time when David Jason was not a major television star, but that time was the early-to-mid '70's. Having notched up supporting roles in 'Hark At Barker', the 'Doctor' series, and 'Porridge', many reckoned he was a star waiting to happen. All he needed was the right vehicle.
'The Top Secret Life Of Edgar Briggs' in 1974 was a very funny show which cast our man as an incompetent secret agent. It was not networked by I.T.V., and got dropped after only one season.
Two years later, producer Humphrey Barclay hired Terence Frisby, author of the play/film 'There's A Girl In My Soup' to pen a new series for Jason. The result was 'Lucky Feller'.
Jason was cast as 'Bernard Mepstead', nicknamed 'Shorty' for obvious reasons, an accident-prone loser ( not unlike 'Granville' in 'Open All Hours' ), who runs a small-time plumbing and all-purpose repair business with his brother, the noticeably better looking Randolph, in south-east London. Both live at home with their mother. Shorty is hopeless at chatting up girls, unlike Randolph, who rather like 'Jack' in 'On The Buses', has a reputation as a lady killer.
In the first episode, Shorty meets the lovely Kathleen Peake on a train, and is smitten by her. There is a hilarious scene where he struggles to eat a tough-as-old-boots sandwich in her presence. Subsequently, Kath meets his family, and becomes besotted with Randolph. The rest of the series focuses on Shorty's attempts to woo her, while she chases his brother.
There was a fair amount of visual comedy on display. The opening titles featured Shorty at the wheel of a three-wheeled car which endlessly circles a roundabout ( the theme tune was done in the style of '20's jazz ). One memorable episode took place in a launderette. The washing machines went wrong, flooding the premises with soap suds.
Glynn Edwards played Kath's crude Dad. Meeting Shorty for the first time, he asked him: "Are you a virgin?". Pat Heywood was good as 'Mrs.Mepstead', who thought Shorty was an idiot and treated him accordingly. Cheryl Hall, later to play 'Shirley' in 'Citizen Smith', played the lovely 'Kath'. Prunella Scales guested in two episodes.
Towards the end of the run, Kath suspected that she was pregnant, and when Randolph refused to marry her, agreed to wed Shorty. However, on discovering she was not in that condition after all, jilted him at the altar. The final shot in the last episode was of Mr.Peake's fist making contact with Shorty's jaw.
Most critics were distinctly unimpressed by 'Feller'. Margaret Forwood of 'The Sun' wrote: "Its so full of pathos I can hardly bear to watch it.". This was unfair. The pathos was mixed with comedy in roughly equal proportions.
As had been the case with 'Edgar Briggs', I.T.V. did not network the show. I myself saw it on 6.30 on Friday evenings, a slot normally reserved for U.S. imports and programmes of local interest. It too failed to find an audience.
Jason's next I.T.V. show would be the networked 'A Sharp Intake Of Breath', which got to No.1 in the ratings. One wonders whether 'Lucky Feller' and 'Edgar Briggs' would not have done as much had they been accorded similar treatment.
A decade later, with Jason a big star thanks to not only 'Breath' but 'Only Fools & Horses', I.T.V. were interested in repeating 'Lucky Feller', but Jason, smarting from the show's failure, refused to permit it to be revived. It finally surfaced on D.V.D. in September 2014. While not a classic, it remains an enjoyable, amusing show, and a good vehicle for Jason's talents.
'The Top Secret Life Of Edgar Briggs' in 1974 was a very funny show which cast our man as an incompetent secret agent. It was not networked by I.T.V., and got dropped after only one season.
Two years later, producer Humphrey Barclay hired Terence Frisby, author of the play/film 'There's A Girl In My Soup' to pen a new series for Jason. The result was 'Lucky Feller'.
Jason was cast as 'Bernard Mepstead', nicknamed 'Shorty' for obvious reasons, an accident-prone loser ( not unlike 'Granville' in 'Open All Hours' ), who runs a small-time plumbing and all-purpose repair business with his brother, the noticeably better looking Randolph, in south-east London. Both live at home with their mother. Shorty is hopeless at chatting up girls, unlike Randolph, who rather like 'Jack' in 'On The Buses', has a reputation as a lady killer.
In the first episode, Shorty meets the lovely Kathleen Peake on a train, and is smitten by her. There is a hilarious scene where he struggles to eat a tough-as-old-boots sandwich in her presence. Subsequently, Kath meets his family, and becomes besotted with Randolph. The rest of the series focuses on Shorty's attempts to woo her, while she chases his brother.
There was a fair amount of visual comedy on display. The opening titles featured Shorty at the wheel of a three-wheeled car which endlessly circles a roundabout ( the theme tune was done in the style of '20's jazz ). One memorable episode took place in a launderette. The washing machines went wrong, flooding the premises with soap suds.
Glynn Edwards played Kath's crude Dad. Meeting Shorty for the first time, he asked him: "Are you a virgin?". Pat Heywood was good as 'Mrs.Mepstead', who thought Shorty was an idiot and treated him accordingly. Cheryl Hall, later to play 'Shirley' in 'Citizen Smith', played the lovely 'Kath'. Prunella Scales guested in two episodes.
Towards the end of the run, Kath suspected that she was pregnant, and when Randolph refused to marry her, agreed to wed Shorty. However, on discovering she was not in that condition after all, jilted him at the altar. The final shot in the last episode was of Mr.Peake's fist making contact with Shorty's jaw.
Most critics were distinctly unimpressed by 'Feller'. Margaret Forwood of 'The Sun' wrote: "Its so full of pathos I can hardly bear to watch it.". This was unfair. The pathos was mixed with comedy in roughly equal proportions.
As had been the case with 'Edgar Briggs', I.T.V. did not network the show. I myself saw it on 6.30 on Friday evenings, a slot normally reserved for U.S. imports and programmes of local interest. It too failed to find an audience.
Jason's next I.T.V. show would be the networked 'A Sharp Intake Of Breath', which got to No.1 in the ratings. One wonders whether 'Lucky Feller' and 'Edgar Briggs' would not have done as much had they been accorded similar treatment.
A decade later, with Jason a big star thanks to not only 'Breath' but 'Only Fools & Horses', I.T.V. were interested in repeating 'Lucky Feller', but Jason, smarting from the show's failure, refused to permit it to be revived. It finally surfaced on D.V.D. in September 2014. While not a classic, it remains an enjoyable, amusing show, and a good vehicle for Jason's talents.