Stars: Harry H. Corbett, Wilfrid Brambell

Director: Duncan Wood

Summary: The comic genius of two of Britain's most extraordinary scriptwriters and the talents of two comedy actors come together to produce this wildly popular British television series. This volume contains the original one-off The Offer, as well as The Bird, The Piano, The Economist, The DIploma and The Holiday from the very first series.

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Fresh from their success with Tony Hancock, writers Ray Galton and Alan Simpson originally planned Steptoe and Sonas a one-off for the BBC's Comedy Playhouse. It was quickly turned into a series, originally broadcast in 1962, and the six episodes here (including the Comedy Playhouse "pilot") contain all the classic ingredients that were to keep the show on British TV screens until 1974. Harry H. Corbett and Wilfrid Brambell are the father and son rag and bone men, constantly bickering, constantly at each other's throats. Corbett's Harold harbours ridiculous bourgeois aspirations, hoping to impress the "birds" with asparagus soup or his wine cellar, which has been painstakingly collected by draining the dregs of empty bottles. But all his efforts at social improvement are in vain, thanks to the mean-spirited efforts of his father Albert, who glories in his son's contemptuous "dirty old man" tag, and who is content with life exactly as it is in the cast-off paradise of their ramshackle junk-filled boneyard.

The show was groundbreaking at the time, depicting working-class people in light comedy instead of serious social drama as was the norm. It also differed significantly from Hancock's Half Hourand other sitcoms, which featured comedians effectively playing themselves: Brambell and Corbett were real actors whose marvellous chemistry helped ensure the show's longevity. In our modern throwaway culture, Steptoe and Sonprovides a window into a bygone era, when men with horses and carts routinely patrolled the streets recycling junk, without the need for government incentives or environmental pressure.

On the DVD:Steptoe and Son, Series 1has six episodes on one disc. The black and white picture shows its age quite badly, and the mono sound is equally fuzzy in places. There are no extras, which is a shame, as Galton and Simpson could surely have provided an illuminating commentary track. --Mark Walker

Aspect Ratio:	4:3
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Year:	1962
Release Date:	September 13, 2004
Runtime:	180 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	B B C D V D 1367
Keywords:	Comedy, Son, General, Series, Steptoe, Tv
Genre:	Comedy