Educated Evans

Educated Evans

1957 - United Kingdom

Based on an Edgar Wallace created character this 1957/8 sitcom starred Charlie Chester (Cheerful Charlie your Chin-up Boy Chester) as the popular Cockney racing tipster 'Educated' Evans, who ducked and dived through the back streets and public houses of London all the while trying to stay one step ahead of the law, especially from Detective-Sergeant Miller (Jack Melford), who was not averse to a bet or two himself. 

Evans had first appeared on the big screen in a now missing 1936 movie of the same name starring one of British music hall's best remembered stars; Max Miller. Chester and Miller were very similar in style, they were physically alike, dressed the same way and even had similar signing off songs. The similarity was too close for comfort as far as Miller was concerned and he turned up at one of Chester's performances with his solicitor to take notes. However, after a long standing period of ill-feeling the two comedians made it up and even appeared together in a shared top of the bill. 

In the original movie Evans (Miller) is asked by a nouveau riche couple to train a racehorse they have bought in the hope it will help them win the acceptance of high society. Evans doesn't own a stable, so the horse has to live with him and his two lodgers in an urban mews. Despite its less than ideal training environment, the horse turns out to have a natural talent. The TV series ran for two seasons. Patricia Hayes co-starred.

Published on December 9th, 2018. Written by Laurence Marcus for Television Heaven.

Read Next...

The Adventures of Tugboat Annie

Anglo-Canadian sitcom about Annie Brennan, the fog-horn voiced captain of the Narcissus, a tugboat based in a harbour on the Pacific North West of America.

Also released in 1957

Casey Jones

Popular Western series for kids that was made along similar lines to The Lone Ranger, The Cisco Kid and other successfully syndicated US shows of the late 1950's.

Also released in 1957

Have Gun Will Travel

US Western series which chronicled the exploits of the college educated, West Point trained, black clad lone solider of fortune known simply as 'Paladin'

Also released in 1957

The Adventures of Long John Silver

Australian series filmed in colour but only available to the UK viewing public of 1957 in black and white, The Adventures of Long John Silver was based very loosely on Robert Louis Stevenson's 1883 novel Treasure Island.

Also released in 1957

Charlie Chester

Debuting in 1952 Pot Luck is notable as the first ever British audience participation series.

Also tagged Charlie Chester

The Charlie Chester Show

Charlie Chester's most successful television series ran for 11 years on BBC television from 1949, but ended just as perhaps TV's first golden age was about to start.

Also tagged Charlie Chester

Educating Archie

As strange as it may seem now, Archie Andrews was a ventriloquists dummy that first hit the big time on Radio!

Also tagged Charlie Chester

The Gay Cavalier

Swashbuckling adventure as yet another historical rogue is turned into a hero for 1950s British television.

Also released in 1957