Pardon the Expression
Pardon The Expression! is an ITV sitcom made by Granada Television, that was first broadcast from Wednesday 2 June 1965 to Monday 27 June 1966. The sitcom was one of four spin-offs from the highly popular soap opera Coronation Street. Pardon the Expression itself had a spin-off: Turn Out the Lights broadcast in 1967. There was not another spin-off until the 1980s with The Brothers McGregor, which reused two characters who appeared in a single episode.
Leonard Swindley, played by Arthur Lowe was the central character. Formerly the manager of the fashion retail store "Gamma Garments" in Coronation Street, in this series he is the deputy manager of the department store Dobson and Hawks. His boss in the series was Ernest Parbold played by Paul Dawkins who was replaced by Wally Hunt played by Robert Dorning in series 2. Other regulars were Betty Driver as canteen lady, Mrs Edgeley and Joy Stewart as Miss Sinclair, the boss's secretary.
Episodes
Series 1 (1965)
- "The First Day"
- "The Headmistress"
- "The Trouble With Ada"
- "Mannequin Parade"
- "The Dance"
- "The Wedding"
- "The Pensioner"
- "The Visitor"
- "Birthday Present"
- "Little Boy Lost"
- "The Old One Two"
- "The Brain Drain"
Series 2 (1966)
- "The Economy Drive"
- "January Sale"
- "The Resignation"
- "Self Defence"
- "The Stocktaking"
- "The Home Help"
- "Big Hotel"
- "The Gaol Birds"
- "A Night To Remember"
- "Whose Baby Are You?"
- "The Take-Over Bid"
- "Between The Covers"
- "Heads Down"
- "A Sheik In The Night"
- "Rustle Of Spring"
- "The Ghost Of Batsworth Castle"
- "The Sailor Home From The Sea"
- "The Dinner Party"
- "Man's Best Friend"
- "Thunderfinger - Part 1"
- "Thunderfinger - Part 2: Swindley Strikes Back"
- "The Switched-On Scene"
- "The Cup That Cheers"
- "On Health Farm Sommet Stirs"
DVD release
DVD | Release date |
The Complete Series 1 | 7 May 2009 |
The Complete Series 2 | 3 August 2009 |
The Complete Series 1 to 2 Box Set | 12 December 2011 |