A British Classic: Father, Dear Father (1968)

When England's Thames Television brokered a deal with 2 American television stations, including WOR in New York, in the late 70's, they selected a number of shows to air here, including The Benny Hill Show, which was later chopped down to a half-hour for syndication here, and The Sweeney, one of their premier crime dramas.

One sitcom, Father, Dear Father, had been out of production for a spell when it arrived here. Patrick Cargill was the titular parent, divorced and caring for his two teenage daughters while maintaining a cordial relationship with his ex-wife, who has since remarried.

Despite the fact that Father ran for five years in England, the series was not picked up for an extended run by WOR. In fact, The Benny Hill Show was the lone survivor of the program exchange to continue here in the US.

Following is a sample clip:



Series creators and writers Johnnie Mortimer & Brian Cooke also created Man About The House, which was translated in the US into Three's Company. As memory serves, Man was also part of the Thames on 9 package in New York, and that ultimately led to Three's Company, though I can't be sure that's the way it went.

Father, Dear Father merits a B.