Citizen Smith

Citizen Smith

1977 - United Kingdom

John Sullivan's television scriptwriting debut concerned the exploits of would-be Marxist, Wolfie Smith, and the activities of his four-man revolutionary party, the Tooting Popular Front. 

Robert Lindsay was cast as the Afghan-coat wearing Che Guevara of London, SW17, after coming to the attention of Sullivan in the National Service sitcom, Get Some In (1975-78), in which he played cockney wide-boy, Jakey Smith. Wolfie was based in part on the Jakey character (even to the extent of having the same surname) and partly on a loud-mouthed drunk that the writer had encountered in a London pub (The Nelson Arms), many years before. Making up Wolfie's band of merry revolutionaries was his Buddhist sidekick, the weedy vegetarian pacifist, Ken, the nervous father of nine, Tucker, and the team's hard man, Speed. Although totally committed to his cause, Wolfie was bogged down by the everyday tedium's of life; lack of money, his own reluctance to work, the misfortunes of his favourite football team (Fulham), a girlfriend Shirley (played by Lindsay's then real-life wife, Cheryl Hall), and her conservative parents Mr and Mrs Johnson (the latter of whom constantly referred to him as Foxie), who eventually became his landlords. 

The urban guerrilla and his less-than-committed comrades also had to contend with local Mr Big, Harry Fleming, who was the owner of Wolfie's favourite watering hole, The Vigilante. Welsh gangster Ronnie Lynch, one of several changes that the cast went through during the series run, replaced Fenning in the last series. Peter Vaughan vacated his role of Charlie Johnson to be replaced by Tony Steadman (a third actor, Artro Morris had played the character in the pilot) and Cheryl Hall's character did not appear at all in the fourth series. But by that time it had become abundantly clear to Wolfie that his ideals of world liberation would never come to fruition, and his dream of lining his enemies up against a wall for "one last fag, then bop, bop, bop" would never be realised. 

Published on December 4th, 2018. Written by Laurence Marcus for Television Heaven.

Read Next...

The Fosters

Originally billed as a 'sparkling new comedy series' about life in a typical south London black family, The Fosters was anything but typical, new or original.

Also tagged Situation Comedy

Butterflies TV series

Gently thoughtful, amusing and well observed eighties situation comedy series for the BBC about a seemingly ordinary, contented, middle class suburban housewife who suddenly find herself plunged into the middle of a disorienting, emotionally tumultuous, mid-life crisis.

Also tagged Situation Comedy

Misleading Cases

Roy Dotrice played the part of the doddering but astute eternal litigant Albert Haddock, who would enter the courtroom to debate a variety of moral issues with pleas that referred back to forgotten or outdated laws.

Also tagged British Comedy

CHiPS

CHiPs an acronym for California Highway Patrol, featured cops on bikes as they patrolled the highways and byways around the vast Los Angeles freeway system.

Also released in 1977

The Professionals

Anarchy, acts of terror, crimes against the public. To combat it I've got special men - experts from the army, the police, from every service. These are The Professionals."

Also released in 1977

Allo Allo

Created by TV comedy legends Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft, who were responsible for some of the longest running sitcoms on British television, 'Allo 'Allo! was a wartime comedy created as a parody of Secret Army.

Also tagged British Comedy

And Mother Makes Three

Almost a direct follow on from the BBC's hugely popular Not In Front Of The Children starring Wendy Craig who was in an almost constant state of domestic discord...

Also tagged Situation Comedy

The Incredible Hulk TV series

After a scientist is exposed to gamma rays his body changes into a super-human rampaging 'monster'.

Also released in 1977

I'm Alan Partridge

An inept broadcaster whose inflated sense of celebrity drives him to treachery and shameless self-promotion.

Also tagged British Comedy