List of Steptoe and Son episodes
This is an episode list of the British sitcom Steptoe and Son. All episodes were originally shown on what is now known as BBC One, although the station was simply called BBC Television until April 1964 when BBC2 began broadcasting (between the third and fourth series'). Dates shown are original air dates on said channel. Series 1-4 were produced in black and white with Series 5-8 being produced in colour. However not all of these currently survive in colour.
Pilot (1962)
| Ep. | Title | Directed by: | Written by: | Airdate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | "The Offer (pilot)" | Bernard Thompson | Alan Simpson, Ray Galton | 4 January 1962 | |
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Harold's been offered a job elsewhere, so he begins to pack up his belongings and leave his dad for good. (Episode of Comedy Playhouse.) | |||||
Series 1 (1962)
| Ep. | Title | Directed by: | Written by: | Airdate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1–1 | "The Bird" | Bernard Thompson | David Croft, Jeremy Lloyd | 14 June 1962 | |
|
Harold is going out every night, so Albert suspects that he must being seeing a girl Determined to put a stop to the romance, he gets Harold to invite the girl back to the house for dinner. Meanwhile Albert puts the clocks forward so when she fails to show up at the right time,Harold thinks she has stood him up. | |||||
| 1–2 | "The Piano" | Bernard Thompson | David Croft, Jeremy Lloyd | 21st June 1962 | |
|
Harold is offered a piano, providing he moves it himself. He gets Albert to help, only to find out that it is on the top floor of a block of flats. | |||||
| 1–3 | "The Economist" | Bernard Thompson | David Croft, Jeremy Lloyd | 28th June 1962 | |
|
Harold tries to teach Albert about the economics of running a business. He then ends up buying 400 sets of false teeth hoping to make a killing. When they don't sell, He takes their last £10.00 and tries again, this time bringing home 400 World War 2 gas masks. | |||||
| 1–4 | "The Diploma" | Bernard Thompson | David Croft, Jeremy Lloyd | 5 July 1962 | |
|
Harold decides to get out of the rag and bone trade, and get a diploma in T V repair, only for Albert to prove that he knows more about it than Harold. | |||||
| 1–5 | "The Holiday" | Bernard Thompson | David Croft, Jeremy Lloyd | 12 July 1962 | |
|
For the first time Harold plans to go on holiday abroad instead of Bognor with his dad Albert fakes a heart attack to stop him going and the doctor advises Harold to take him to Bognor | |||||
Series 2 (1963)
| Episode # | Title | Recorded | First broadcast | Notes |
| 7. (2-1) | "Wallah-Wallah Catsmeat" | (20/12/62) | (03/01/63) | Hercules, the Steptoes's horse, is sick so the local rag and bone men pitch in to help. |
| 8. (2-2) | "The Bath" | (13/12/62) | (10/01/63) | Albert decides to have a bath while Harold's latest companion is due to come round for pre-bingo cocktails. Features Yootha Joyce. |
| 9. (2-3) | "The Stepmother" | (03/01/63) | (17/01/63) | Albert plans to re-marry, but Harold will do everything in his power to prevent it. |
| 10. (2-4) | "Sixty-Five Today" | (10/01/63) | (24/01/63) | Albert's 65th birthday comes as a joke to Harold, who pretends to forget in order to wind him up. |
| 11. (2-5) | "A Musical Evening" | (17/01/63) | (31/01/63) | Harold has picked up some old gramophone records, which he's keen to add to his classical music collection. |
| 12. (2-6) | "Full House" | (24/01/63) | (07/02/63) | Harold plans an evening of cards with a group of friends. |
| 13. (2-7) | "Is That Your Horse Outside?" | (04/02/63) | (14/02/63) | Harold falls for a rich married woman (Patricia Haines) and thinks it's love. |
Series 3 (1964)
| Episode # | Title | Recorded | First broadcast | Notes |
| 14. (3-1) | "Homes Fit for Heroes" | (12/12/63) | (07/01/64) | Harold plans to go on a sailing trip around the world. |
| 15. (3-2) | "The Wooden Overcoats" | (19/12/63) | (14/01/64) | Harold comes home with a cartful of coffins, much to Albert's horror. |
| 16. (3-3) | "The Lead Man Cometh" | (02/01/64) | (21/01/64) | The business is doing badly and the Steptoes are having to break into their savings to keep their heads above water. Featuring Leonard Rossiter. |
| 17. (3-4) | "Steptoe à la Cart" | (09/01/64) | (28/01/64) | Harold meets a French au pair girl only to find out he has more in common with her than he realises. |
| 18. (3-5) | "Sunday for Seven Days" | (16/01/64) | (04/02/64) | Albert and Harold are getting ready for an evening at the pictures. |
| 19. (3-6) | "The Bond That Binds Us" | (23/01/64) | (11/02/64) | Albert has a windfall on the Premium Bonds. Featuring June Whitfield. |
| 20. (3-7) | "The Lodger" | (30/01/64) | (18/02/64) | Harold has his nose deep in George Bernard Shaw's political theory, while Albert works out how to pay the ever-mounting pile of bills. |
Royal Variety Performance (1964)
| Title | Recorded | First broadcast | Notes |
| Royal Variety Performance | (08/11/64) | (08/11/64)[1] |
Series 4 (1965)
| Episode # | Title | Recorded | First broadcast | Notes |
| 21. (4-1) | "And Afterwards At..." | (12/09/65) | (04/10/65) | Harold's getting married...! |
| 22. (4-2) | "Crossed Swords" | (19/09/65) | (11/10/65) | The Steptoes take a porcelain vase to a West End antiques expert's shop. Featuring Derek Nimmo. Was one of 16 stories adapted into an episode of Sanford and Son. |
| 23. (4-3) | "Those Magnificent Men and Their Heating Machines" | (26/09/65) | (18/10/65) | Harold installs central heating in the house |
| 24. (4-4) | "The Siege of Steptoe Street" | (03/10/65) | (25/10/65) | Harold notices that the fishmonger and the butcher are providing luxurious delicacies that he's never eaten. |
| 25. (4-5) | "A Box in Town" | (10/10/65) | (01/11/65) | Harold moves into an attic bed-sit flat. Features Yootha Joyce. |
| 26. (4-6) | "My Old Man's a Tory" | (17/10/65) | (08/11/65) | Harold and Albert clash over their opposing political views. Exists as b/w shibaden VT recording. |
| 27. (4-7) | "Pilgrim's Progress" | (24/10/65) | (15/11/65) | Albert feels nostalgic for World War I, Harold reluctantly agrees and so the pair make a return to No Man's Land. Featuring Frank Thornton. |
Series 5 (1970)
Produced in colour, however all currently only exist in black and white.
| Episode # | Title | Recorded | First broadcast | Notes |
| 28. (5-1) | "A Death in the Family" | (15/02/70) | (06/03/70) | Hercules the Horse succumbs to a heart attack at the grand old age of 39. |
| 29. (5-2) | "A Winter's Tale" | (22/02/70) | (13/03/70) | Albert and Harold once again clash over the destination for their annual holiday. First reel of a b/w telerecording found in 2008. Colour version may be possible. |
| 30. (5-3) | "Any Old Iron?" | (08/03/70) | (20/03/70) | Harold makes a new friend out of sophisticated antique dealer Timothy Stanhope (Richard Hurndall). |
| 31. (5-4) | "Steptoe and Son — and Son!" | (15/03/70) | (27/03/70) | Harold is set to be the father of an illegitimate son. |
| 32. (5-5) | "The Colour Problem" | (22/03/70) | (03/04/70) | Albert wants a colour television set... |
| 33. (5-6) | "T.B. or Not T.B.?" | (05/04/70) | (10/04/70) | Albert is wrongly thought to have tuberculosis. |
| 34. (5-7) | "Men of Property" | (29/03/70) | (17/04/70) | Harold and Albert find out that they don't actually own their house. |
Series 6 (1970)
Produced in colour, however, unless otherwise indicated, currently only exist in black and white.
| Episode # | Title | Recorded | First broadcast | Notes |
| 35. (6-1) | "Robbery with Violence" | (18/10/70) | (02/11/70) | After accidentally knocking over Harold's porcelain collection, Albert pretends they have been robbed to cover it up. |
| 36. (6-2) | "Come Dancing" | (25/10/70) | (09/11/70) | Harold has a lady friend who enjoys dancing, but Harold himself cannot dance, so Albert teaches Harold the steps that he needs. Survives in colour. |
| 37. (6-3) | "Two's Company" | (01/11/70) | (16/11/70) | Albert reveals to Harold that he has asked a woman (Jean Kent) to marry him. When Albert brings her to the house, Harold realises that the very same woman was an old flame of his. |
| 38. (6-4) | "Tea for Two" | (08/11/70) | (23/11/70) | Harold and Albert's support for rival parties in the Shepherd's Bush by-election has drawn battle lines between them. |
| 39. (6-5) | "Without Prejudice" | (15/11/70) | (30/11/70) | Harold is desperate to move from Oil Drum Lane after a noisy new motorway flyover causes irritation. However, the residents of the street that the Steptoes plan on moving to object to the possible lowering of standards of the residents, not to mention the lowering of property prices... |
| 40. (6-6) | "Pot Black" | (22/11/70) | (07/12/70) | Harold buys a snooker table, but after paternal resistance encounters a more fundamental obstacle. |
| 41. (6-7) | "The Three Feathers" | (29/11/70) | (14/12/70) | Albert gets stuck in a painful yoga position, while Harold reveals a new commode he has just picked up for a bargain price. |
| 42. (6-8) | "Cuckoo in the Nest" | (06/12/70) | (21/12/70) | Albert's long lost Australian son turns up from out of the blue and causes Harold to be very jealous. Survives in colour. |
Series 7 (1972)
Produced in colour. This is the first series to survive completely in colour.
| Episode # | Title | Recorded | First broadcast | Notes |
| 43. (7-1) | "Men of Letters" | (13/02/72) | (21/02/72) | Harold and Albert fight for the chance of writing an article for the parish magazine. |
| 44. (7-2) | "A Star Is Born" | (20/02/72) | (28/02/72) | Harold joins an amateur dramatic society for their latest play, Guilt: The White Man's Burden. Guest stars Margaret Nolan of Carry On films fame and Trevor Bannister who went on to fame as Mr Lucas in 'Are You Being Served'. |
| 45. (7-3) | "Oh, What a Beautiful Mourning" | (27/02/72) | (06/03/72) | Albert's eldest brother, George, has died, and the thought of another Steptoe funeral depresses Harold. |
| 46. (7-4) | "Live Now, P.A.Y.E. Later" | (05/02/72) | (13/03/72) | Harold discovers that Albert has "forgotten" to inform the tax department that his wife has died and has been cashing her pension. They need to get their story straight before the taxman visits. |
| 47. (7-5) | "Loathe Story" | (13/03/72) | (20/03/72) | After he tries to murder Albert in his sleep, Harold visits a psychiatrist to get to the root of his antagonism towards his father. |
| 48. (7-6) | "Divided We Stand" | (19/03/72) | (27/03/72) | Harold puts partitions in the house to get away from Albert |
| 49. (7-7) | "The Desperate Hours" | (26/03/72) | (03/04/72) | Harold and Albert struggle to keep warm in the freezing house, until they get some unexpected visitors. Guest starring J. G. Devlin and Leonard Rossiter. |
Films 1972-3
| Title | Recorded | First Released | Notes |
| Steptoe and Son | April 1972 | Harold marries a stripper, Zita, who subsequently leaves him. | |
| Steptoe and Son Ride Again | July 1973 | Intending on buying a horse, Harold is tricked into buying a greyhound instead. To pay off their debts, Albert fakes his own death to collect on his life insurance. |
Christmas Special (1973)
| Episode # | Title | Recorded | First broadcast | Notes |
| 50. | The Party | (03/12/73) | (24/12/73) | Harold books a Christmas holiday in Majorca. |
Series 8 (1974)
| Episode # | Title | Recorded | First broadcast | Notes |
| 51. (8-1) | "Back in Fashion" | (31/08/74) | (04/09/74) | A photographer wishes to use the Steptoe's yard as a set for a fashion shoot. |
| 52. (8-2) | "And So to Bed" | (07/09/74) | (11/09/74) | Planning to bring his new girlfriend home, Harold invests in a waterbed. |
| 53. (8-3) | "Porn Yesterday" | (14/09/74) | (18/09/74) | Harold discovers Albert's 'dirty' past. |
| 54. (8-4) | "The Seven Steptoerai" | (21/09/74) | (25/09/74) | The Steptoes' are menaced by Frankie Barrow (Henry Woolf), a local villain who is running a protection racket. |
| 55. (8-5) | "Upstairs, Downstairs, Upstairs, Downstairs" | (28/09/74) | (03/10/74) | Albert is suffering (or so he says) from a bad back and is bedridden, so Harold has to take care of him on doctor's orders. |
| 56. (8-6) | "Seance in a Wet Rag and Bone Yard" | (05/10/74) | (10/10/74) | Clairvoyant Madame Fontana (Patricia Routledge) at Albert's request holds a seance at the Steptoes. |
Christmas Special (1974)
| Episode # | Title | Recorded | First broadcast | Notes |
| 57. | A Perfect Christmas | (26/10/74) | (26/12/74) | Final episode. Harold's last attempt to get away abroad for his Christmas Holiday. |
Programmes made about Steptoe and Son
When Steptoe Met Son (documentary, 2002)
| Title | Recorded | First broadcast | Notes |
| When Steptoe Met Son | (20/08/02) | Documentary about the personal lives of Harry H Corbett & Wilfrid Brambell. |
The Curse of Steptoe (play, 2008)
| Title | Recorded | First broadcast | Notes |
| The Curse of Steptoe | (19/03/08) | Play about the relationship between Wilfrid Brambell and Harry H Corbett. |
Steptoe and son in Murder at Oil Drum Lane
| Title | Notes |
| Steptoe and Son in Murder at Oil Drum Lane | Play that brings the Steptoe saga to an end. |
Christmas Night with the Stars
Christmas Night with the Stars was screened annually on Christmas night when the top stars of the BBC appeared in short versions, typically five to ten minutes; Steptoe & Son appeared twice in 1962 and 1967.
However the 1962 Christmas segment no longer exists. Only the 1967 Christmas segment remains and still exists on film in the archives.
| No # | Title | Recorded | First broadcast | Notes |
| . (0-1) | 1962 Untitled Sketch | (23/12/62) | (25/12/62) | lost |
| . (0-2) | 1967 Untitled Sketch | (23/12/67) | (25/12/67) |
References
- ^ "BBC - Programme Catalogue - THE ROYAL VARIETY PERFORMANCE - 1964". Retrieved 2007-11-19.
