Love Thy Neighbour

For other uses, see Love Thy Neighbour (disambiguation).

Love Thy Neighbour
Format	Sitcom
Created by	Vince Powell & Harry Driver
Starring	Jack Smethurst Rudolph Walker Nina Baden-Semper Kate Williams
Country of origin	United Kingdom
No. of series	7
No. of episodes	56
Production
Running time	25 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel	Thames Television
Original run	13 April 1972 – 22 January 1976

Love Thy Neighbour was a popular British sitcom, which was aired from 13 April 1972, until 22 January 1976, spanning seven series. The sitcom was produced by Thames Television and broadcast by ITV. The main cast included Jack Smethurst, Rudolph Walker, Nina Baden-Semper and Kate Williams. In 1973, the series was adapted into a film of the same name, with a sequel series set in Australia.

The series was created and largely written by Vince Powell and Harry Driver, and was based around a suburban white working class couple who found themselves living next door to a black couple, and the white couple's attempts to come to terms with this. Love Thy Neighbour was hugely popular in the 1970s. During that era, Britain struggled to come to terms with its recently-arrived population of black immigrants, and Love Thy Neighbour exemplified this struggle. It aroused great controversy for many of the same reasons as the earlier Till Death Us Do Part.

The views of the white male character (Eddie Booth, played by Smethurst) were presented in such a way as to make him appear stupid and bigoted, and were contrasted with the more tolerant attitude of his wife. His use of terms such as nig-nog to refer to his black neighbour attracted considerable criticism from viewers.^{[citation needed]}

The male black character was, in contrast educated and sophisticated, although stubborn and also capable of racism using the terms Honky, Snowflake, Paleface or Big White Chief to describe his white neighbour (often in response to being called "nig-nog" or "Sambo"). The series has since been repeated on satellite television stations in the UK, however, each episode begins with a warning about content at the start of each show. Repeats of the show are also shown in Australia on the Seven Network Digital channel. The theme song "Love Thy "Neighbour" was composed by Roger Webb and sung by Stuart Gillies.

Characters

• Eddie Booth (Jack Smethurst) is a white socialist. His world is turned on its head when Bill and Barbie Reynolds move in next door. He is even more annoyed when Bill gets a job at the same factory as him, and refers to him as a "nig-nog", "Sambo", "choc-ice" or "King Kong". He also has a tendency to call Chinese, Pakistanis or Indians names like "Fu Manchu", "Gunga Din" and "Ali Baba". He is a very devoted supporter of Manchester United Football Club. His catchphrases include "Bloody Nora!", "Knickers!", "The subject is closed", "you bloody nig-nog!" and "Get knotted!"

• Joan Booth (Kate Williams) is Eddie's wife. She does not share her bigoted husband's opinion of their black neighbours, and is good friends with Barbie. Her catchphrases include "Don't be ridiculous!" and "Don't talk rubbish!". Played by Gwendolyn Watts in the Pilot Episode.

• Bill Reynolds (Rudolph Walker) is a West Indian and a Conservative. Whenever Eddie tries to outdo him, Bill usually ends up having the last laugh. He occasionally refers to Eddie as a "white honky" and "snowflake", and doesn't like catching Eddie staring at his wife. He also has a very high-pitched laugh. His catchphrases include "Hey, honky!", "Cobblers!" and "You talking to me, snowflake?".

• Barbie Reynolds (Nina Baden-Semper) is Bill's wife and gets along very well with her next door neighbour, Joan Booth. Eddie is sometimes fascinated by her, especially in the pilot episode when she bent over while wearing hot pants.

• Jacko Robinson (Keith Marsh) is an elderly white man and socialist who works with Bill and Eddie. His catchphrase is "I'll have a half", in reference to a half pint of beer.

• Arthur Thomas (Tommy Godfrey) is another of Eddie and Bill's co-workers at the factory, and is often seen in the local pub playing cards and talking about trade union issues. Arthur, like Joan, is also more tolerant of Bill than Eddie is.

Criticism

Love Thy Neighbour has been criticised for its politically incorrect handling of issues of race, although its writers have claimed that each episode included both anti-white and anti-black sentiment. It is often used as shorthand for television before the era of political correctness. Although both characters were bigoted and intolerant, Bill usually had the last laugh and rarely got his comeuppance.

References in popular culture

Bill Bryson, in his book Notes From A Small Island about his travels around the UK in the 1970s, says he once found himself watching something on TV that appeared to be "My Neighbour Is A Darkie". The show was spoofed on The Day Today as "Them Next Door", with the white neighbours deliberately mishearing everything their Indian-British neighbour said and in some way physically hurting them as a result. Stand-up comedian Stephen K Amos regularly refers to Love Thy Neighbour in his routines, focusing particularly on how it changed white people's perceptions of him and his family.

During the film version of Man About the House, Smethurst and Walker appeared as themselves, sitting in the Thames Television bar. The assumption was that they were taking a break from recording the TV series. When George Roper saw them, he had a flash of recognition and said, "Hey, that's the nig-nog!" Smethurst rebuked him, "Don't talk to my friend like that."

Episodes

0. "The Pilot" (Unbroadcast Pilot Episode)

1. "New Neighbours" (Broadcast: 13 April 1972)
2. "Limbo Dancing" (Broadcast: 20 April 1972)
3. "The Petition" (Broadcast: 27 April 1972)
4. "Factory Dispute" (Broadcast: 4 May 1972)
5. "The Seven Year Itch" (Broadcast: 11 May 1972)
6. "Refused A Drink" (Broadcast: 18 May 1972)
7. "Sex Appeal" (Broadcast: 25 May 1972)
8. "The Housewarming Party" (Broadcast: 11 September 1972)
9. "Voodoo" (Broadcast: 18 September 1972)
10. "Clarky Leaves" (Broadcast: 25 September 1972)
11. "The Bedroom Suite" (Broadcast: 2 October 1972)
12. "The T.U.C Conference '72" (Broadcast: 9 October 1972)
13. "Religious Fervour" (Broadcast: 16 October 1972)
14. "All Star Comedy Carnival" (Broadcast: 25 December 1972)
15. "The G.P.O" (Broadcast: 19 March 1973)
16. "The Car" (Broadcast: 26 March 1973)
17. "Eddie Returns From Holiday" (Broadcast: 2 April 1973)
18. "Lion And The Lamb" (Broadcast: 9 April 1973)
19. "The Lift" (Broadcast: 16 April 1973)
20. "Barbie Becomes Pregnant" (Broadcast: 30 April 1973)
21. "Hines' Sight" (Broadcast: 12 December 1973)
22. "Friendly" (Broadcast: 19 December 1973)
23. "Working On New Year's Eve" (Broadcast: 31 December 1973)
24. "Eddie's Mother In Law" (Broadcast: 7 January 1974)
25. "The Ante-Natal Clinic" (Broadcast: 14 January 1974)
26. "Two Weeks To Babies" (Broadcast: 21 January 1974)
27. "To The Hospital" (Broadcast: 28 January 1974)
28. "The Big Day" (Broadcast: 4 February 1974)
29. "The Mediterranean" (Broadcast: 11 February 1974)
30. "Bananas" (Broadcast: 18 February 1974)
31. "Teething Problems" (Broadcast: 25 February 1974)
32. "Cat's Away" (Broadcast: 4 March 1974)
33. "Ghosts" (Broadcast: 11 March 1974)
34. "Eddie's Birthday" (Broadcast: 18 March 1974)
35. "April Fools" (Broadcast: 25 March 1974)
36. "Reggie" (Broadcast: 2 January 1975)
37. "Jacko's Wedding" (Broadcast: 9 January 1975)
38. "Duel At Dawn" (Broadcast: 16 January 1975)
39. "The Darts' Final" (Broadcast: 23 January 1975)
40. "Royal Blood" (Broadcast: 30 January 1975)
41. "Club Concert" (Broadcast: 6 February 1975)
42. "The Nannies" (Broadcast: 13 February 1975)
43. "Famous Crimes" (Broadcast: 17 April 1975)
44. "The Lady And The Tramp" (Broadcast: 24 April 1975)
45. "Protection Of The Law" (Broadcast: 1 May 1975)
46. "The Opinion Poll" (Broadcast: 8 May 1975)
47. "Manchester... United" (Broadcast: 15 May 1975)
48. "The T.U.C Conference '76" (Broadcast: 22 May 1975)
49. "The Coach Trip" (Broadcast: 29 May 1975)
50. "The Local By-Election" (Broadcast: 11 December 1975)
51. "Eddie Becomes A Father Again" (Broadcast: 18 December 1975)
52. "Christmas Spirit" (Broadcast: 25 December 1975)
53. "The Couch Outing To Bournemouth" (Broadcast: 1 January 1976)
54. "For Sale" (Broadcast: 8 January 1976)
55. "Power Cut" (Broadcast: 15 January 1976)
56. "The Lodger" (Broadcast: 22 January 1976)

DVD Releases

The DVD releases of Love Thy Neighbour are somewhat muddled. Series 1-3 were originally released by Pegasus Entertainment, and Series 4-8 were released by FremantleMedia. The movie has also been released by FremantleMedia. The following is each DVD release as available:

Pegasus

• Unbroadcast Pilot Episode - Series 1
• Episodes 1-7 - Series 1
• Episodes 8-13 - Series 2
• Episodes 15-18 - Series 2
• Episodes 19-20 - Series 3
• Episode 21 - Love Thy Neighbour: The Movie
• Episodes 22-29 - Series 3

Fremantle

• Unbroadcast Pilot Episode - Series 1
• Episodes 1-7 - Series 1
• Episodes 8-13 - Series 2
• Episodes 14-19 - Series 3
• Episodes 20-28 - Series 4
• Episodes 30-36 - Series 5
• Episodes 37-43 - Series 6
• Episodes 44-50 - Series 7
• Episodes 51-53 - Series 8
• Episodes 55-56 - Series 8

"All Star Comedy Carnival", has never been released for reasons unknown(though it's can be seen on you tube). Episode 30, "April Fools", was deemed too offensive for inclusion and has also never been released. Episode 53, "The Couch Outing To Bournemouth", has never been released due to contractual issues with the music used.

See also

• List of films based on British sitcoms

External links

• Race and Sitcom
• Love Thy Neighbour at the Internet Movie Database (TV series)
• Love Thy Neighbour in Australia at the Internet Movie Database
• Love Thy Neighbour at the Internet Movie Database (film)