Before the Fringe
Before the Fringe was a BBC television series which ran for two series on BBC2 in 1967.[1]
The first series ran for eight episodes between 30 January and 20 March 1967.[2][3] The second series of six episodes ran between 18 September and 23 October 1967.[4][5]
Alan Melville was the guiding light behind this series which attempted to showcase on television some of the best aspects of pre-Before the Fringe revue.[3] Before the 1960s Cambridge Footlights graduates took it by storm, the medium had been a much more gentler, broader affair.
These two series of sketches were made up by performers who had been veterans of such shows. They included:
- Alan Melville (all programmes)
- Joan Sims (seven programmes)
- Ronnie Barker (six programmes)
- Dora Bryan (five programmes)
- Beryl Reid (four programmes)
- Douglas Byng (four programmes)
- Hermione Baddeley (four programmes)
- Hugh Paddick (three programmes)
- Dilys Laye (three programmes)
- Hermione Gingold (two programmes)
- Cicely Courtneidge (two programmes)
- Betty Marsden (two programmes)
- Eunice Gayson (two programmes)[6]
Various guest stars were featured, including Robert Dorning, Stanley Holloway, Thora Hird, Brenda Bruce, Wilfrid Brambell, Dame Edith Evans, Bud Flanagan, Peter Jones, Patrick Cargill and Barbara Windsor.
Bibliography[edit]
Mark Lewisohn, Radio Times Guide To TV Comedy, 2005 (ISBN 0563487550)
References[edit]
- ^ Guide, British Comedy. "Before The Fringe - BBC2 Sketch Show". British Comedy Guide.
- ^ "Broadcast - BBC Programme Index". genome.ch.bbc.co.uk.
- ^ a b "Before the Fringe[20/03/67] (1967)". BFI. Archived from the original on 22 January 2021.
- ^ "Broadcast - BBC Programme Index". genome.ch.bbc.co.uk.
- ^ "Broadcast - BBC Programme Index". genome.ch.bbc.co.uk.
- ^ "Before the Fringe[30/01/67] (1967)". BFI. Archived from the original on 11 August 2021.