85 Pardon My Genie

First  watched : 1972

I  knew   there  was  something  I  watched  early  on  that  had  Roy  Barraclough  in  the  cast  and  this  was  it.  He  played  a  fussy  ironmonger  Mr  Cobbledick  whose  put-upon  assistant  Hal  Adden   ( Ellis  Jones  )  discovers  a  genie  ( Hugh  Paddick  in  the  first  series, Arthur  White  in  the  second )   in  an  old  watering  can  and  seeks  his  help  in  various  comic  situations.  I  thought  it  was  quite  funny  at  the  time ; perhaps  it  wouldn't  seem  so  now.

The  series  was  written  by  Bob  Block  who  went  on  to  the  more  celebrated  Rentaghost . Star  Ellis  Jones  acted  regularly  on  TV  up  to  the  end  of  the  eighties  then  moved  into  directing  and  training  young  actors. He  is  currently  a  lecturer  in  theatre  studies  at  New  York  University.