As the drive to release every single TV show ever on DVD reaches its latter days, TV Cream is delighted to announce that, on March 1st, Revelation Films release series one of 1980s Channel 4 sitcom, CHANCE IN A MILLION.
And – what are the odds (less than one in a million, actually)? – we have three free copies to give away to readers who fancy reacquainting themselves with frizzy-haired fracas-inducing oddball Tom Chance (Simon Callow in a rare non-Dickens related role) plus winsome sidekick Alison (Brenda Blethyn).
All you have to do is mail us on competition@tvcreamtest.co.uk with your favourite example of a TV show which has derived its title from its oh-so-conveniently named leading character (a la CHANCE IN A MILLION or FAWLTY TOWERS). Closing date, February 22. The three entrants which tickle us most will then be contacted for their postal details…
And, sorry, TV Cream cannot return your nude photographs of Shirley Williams.
TV Cream
February 26, 2010 at 10:59 am
So we have winners for our Chance competition. Phillip Schofield-wise, in no particular order step forward…
– Neal Rafferty! He says: “Has to be The Brittas Empire, surely? Not that the world might not be full of people monikered Brittas, but none of them live down my way.” But actually secures his win by going on to muse: “‘Allo ‘Allo missed a trick by not being called Rene, Aim Fire.”
– Paul Jones! “For the most inane sitcom title on this theme, how about Three Times Daley starring Don ‘Get Smart’ Adams about a grandad, father and son living in the same house, all called ‘Daley’.Mistaken identity hilarity must have ensued every week.”
– Matt Crivelli! “My particular favourite TV show which derived its title from its oh-so-conveniently named leading character is Not On Your Nellie, which starred Hylda Baker as Nellie the pub landlady. I like this because the title has absolutely nothing to do with the content of the programme, but is merely a pun crow barred in for mild comic effect.”
Sad to say, no-one nominated Close and True, Rosemary and Thyme… or Gary Wilmot’s Lucky Jim.
Chris Hughes
February 26, 2010 at 5:05 pm
Tch, Lucky Gym, surely? Because Gary played the manager of a gym! With Leslie Ash as the aerobics instructor. “She’s not such a dumb belle!” quoth TV Times. Possibly.
David Smith
March 2, 2010 at 2:17 pm
No mention in dispatches for Laura and Disorder, then? Which was doubly contrived in that, alongside the shoehorning-in of the character name, it also had to change the original expression to make any semblance of sense in context…
Was going to enter that one but I thought loads of other people would!