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*Don't Tell Father*
Don't Tell Father
Genre	Sitcom
Written by	Roy Clarke
Directed by	Harold Snoad
Starring	Tony Britton; Susan Hampshire; Caroline Quentin; Richard Ashton; Philip Fox;
Theme music composer	Nick Ingman
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of series	1
No. of episodes	6
Production
Producer	Harold Snoad
Editor	Andy Quested
Camera setup	Multi-camera
Running time	30 minutes
Production company	BBC
Original release
Network	BBC1
Release	26 April –; 31 May 1992

Don't Tell Father is a British television sitcom written by Roy Clarke that was first broadcast on BBC1 from 26 April to 31 May 1992.^[1]^[2] The series starred Tony Britton, Susan Hampshire, Caroline Quentin, Richard Ashton and Philip Fox.

Premise

The series follows a self-regarding veteran actor, Vivian Bancroft, who dominates the lives of his fifth wife, Natasha, and four grown-up children: Kate, Garth, Spirit and Congreve. Vivian is particularly outraged by his eldest daughter, Kate's, engagement to Marvin Whipple, a driving instructor.^[1]^[2]

Cast

Main

Tony Britton as Vivian Bancroft
Susan Hampshire as Natasha Bancroft
Caroline Quentin as Kate Bancroft
Richard Ashton as Garth Bancroft
Philip Fox as Marvin Whipple

Recurring

Hilda Braid as Mrs Dawson (3 episodes)
Liz Daniels as Alemka (3 episodes)
Anna Dawson as Stella Whipple (3 episodes)
Jack Smethurst as Ron Whipple (3 episodes)
Jo-Anne Sale as Spirit Bancroft (2 episodes)

Episodes

No.	Title	Produced & Directed by	Written by	Original air date ^[3]
1	"Vivian & Marvin"	Harold Snoad	Roy Clarke	26 April 1992 (1992-04-26)
Vivian discovers that his eldest daughter, Kate, votes Conservative. He and his fifth wife, Natasha, plan to marry her off to a left-wing aristocrat, but Kate, unbeknownst to them, is engaged to Marvin Whipple, a driving instructor. Vivian is to be interviewed by a camera crew later that day. He decides to host a lunch party, inviting all his four children. Kate decides to invite a reluctant Marvin, much to Vivian's displeasure.
2	"The Film Studio"	Harold Snoad	Roy Clarke	3 May 1992 (1992-05-03)
3	"Marvin's Parents"	Harold Snoad	Roy Clarke	10 May 1992 (1992-05-10)
4	"Vivian's Shower"	Harold Snoad	Roy Clarke	17 May 1992 (1992-05-17)
5	"Sacked"	Harold Snoad	Roy Clarke	24 May 1992 (1992-05-24)
6	"Car Trouble"	Harold Snoad	Roy Clarke	31 May 1992 (1992-05-31)

Reception

Of the series, in his Radio Times Guide to TV Comedy, Mark Lewisohn wrote: "Tony Britton hammed it up for all he was worth as the awful Vivian, and Caroline Quentin proved particularly adept at delivering Roy Clarke's witty dialogue, but the piece as a whole lacked the magic ingredient which made so many of the writer's ideas long-running series."^[2]

References

^ ^a ^b Leafe p.302
^ ^a ^b ^c Lewisohn, Mark (2003). Radio Times Guide to TV Comedy (2nd ed.). London: BBC Worldwide. pp. 234–235. ISBN 0563487550.
^ "Don't Tell Father (Episodes)". Phill.co.uk. Retrieved 27 December 2023.