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Stage Adaptations of Sitcoms

The Liver Birds

Winter Gardens, Blackpool
1974
Starring Polly James, Mollie Sugden, Sheila Fay, Rachel Davies

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Hand flyer for the stage show.

Like many of these stage adaptations going all the way back to the first one,  The Army Game, in 1959, this one was mounted at Blackpool, which had a yen for such TV sitcom adaptations. This one for The Liver Birds was at the Winter Gardens, Blackpool from 28th June till 28th September 1974.

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The titular Birds in question went trough various cast changes over the years. It started out as a Comedy Playhouse pilot, the first episode of Series 8 of Comedy Playhouse on 14th April 1969. There and the subsequent four episode Series 1 of the Liver Birds were Polly James (Beryl Hennessey) and Pauline Collins (Dawn). Sadly neither the pilot nor the first series survives, only the opening credits and a brief scene from one episode. The first series was brought to an early end after just 4 episodes as Polly James was struggling with a hectic schedule, having to rehearse and record these episodes in the day then work every evening in the theatre doing a stage play, Anne of Green Gables, which got too much for her. By the time Polly was free of the stage commitment Pauline Collins was busy with Upstairs, Downstairs so a new flatmate was brought in to replace Pauline, and that was Nerys Hughes (Sandra Hutchinson), who would star in all future TV series of The Liver Birds (the producers hired Nerys Hughes as for some reason they thought she was Liverpudlian, but she's actually Welsh)! Coming onboard with Nerys Hughes from Series 2 was Mollie Sugden as Sandra's snooty mother Mrs Hutchinson. Despite running for a total of 10 series overall, Series 2-4 with Polly and Nerys is generally regarded as peak classic Liver Birds.

 

At the end of Series 4 of The Liver Birds on 4th April 1974 Polly's Beryl married her boyfriend Robert (Jonathan Lynn) and as plans were made for this Blackpool stage show it was thought it would be the end of The Liver Birds as the two girls sharing a flat set up wouldn't work with husbands. But the BBC had made no decision yet as to whether it would be back or not.

 

Polly James stars in the stage show as Beryl, her last involvement with The Liver Birds until 1996 (more on that in a bit) but as the Blackpool summer season was being planned Nerys Hughes announced she was pregnant and expecting her child at the end of May with husband Patrick Turley (their son Benjamin Edward would actually be born a little late on 8th June) so Sandra had to be recast. They initially announced Dilys Watling as taking over for the stage show but ultimately they went with 25 year old local Blackpool actress Rachel Davies to play Nerys' same character, Sandra, with Mollie Sugden joining Polly James to continue her TV role as Sandra's mother Mrs Hutchinson. Coming onboard for the stage play to play Sandra's dad was Mollie Sugden's real life husband William Moore. Ivan Beavan had played Mr Hutchinson alongside Mollie on TV for Series 2-4 but William Moore would take over the role on TV later for Series 8 in 1977. Beryl's mother Mrs Hennessey was played by Sheila Fay, who had also played the role on TV for Series 2-4.

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The stage play was co-written by TV writer Carla Lane with the TV series' experienced script editor, John Chapman (frequent writer of Happy Ever After/Terry & June). It was presented by Bernard Delfont and Richard M. Mills. Delfont had a history of these sitcom adaptations since he presented the first one, The Army Game, in 1959, and the second one, The Rag Trade, in 1962, and many others afterwards, Plot-wise, given the limitations of the stage and scenery changes, like most of these things it was presented on the one set of the girls flat like many a bedroom farce. Beryl has to cope with her over-amorous boy Robert (later played by Jonathan Lynn on TV in Series 5 following the characters' introduction in this play but by Michael Mundell in this prior stage play) who turns up unexpectedly whilst Sandra's boyfriend Paul is also around (played in the TV series by John Nettles between Series 3 and 7 but by Chet Townsend in this play). In the middle of boyfriend issues and misunderstandings the girls also have to cope with visits from their parents, a vicar (Tom Browne) there to discuss a family christening with the obvious misunderstandings over that plus deal with a visit from neighbour Mr Duval (Frank Marlborough) who pops round to borrow a cup of soapflakes and ends up leaving with more (or less) than he bargained for,

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Although put on in Blackpool the rehearsals for the stage play were held in a dingy youth club in Kennington, London. The play went on to do very well at Blackpool though. This stage play was almost the postscript to the series, but whilst audiences wondered if it'd be the last they'd see of the Liver Birds when the play finished in September, with Beryl already married off on TV, the BBC decided to keep it going by bringing in a new flatmate for Nerys Hughes' Sandra in a Series 5 late in 1975 after Nerys had spent the year with the newborn baby. They cast Elizabeth Estensen as the kooky Carol Boswell. She brought with her a whole new family of Boswells including mother Mrs Boswell (Eileen Kennally at first for Series 5-7, replaced by Carmel McSharry from Series 8 plus brother Lucien Boswell played by Michael Angelis. When Carla Lane later created Bread in the 80s with the Boswell family she said in interviews that they would be related Boswells.

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At the end of Series 9 in 1978 it was decided to bring The Liver Birds to a close but that wouldn't be the end of it. In the early to mid 90s there was a trend, mostly by the BBC, for reviving 70s sitcoms, including a few former ITV ones, with surviving original casts where possible; the Doctor series was brought back, Maureen Lipman's Agony, The Legacy of Reggie Perrin etc. The Liver Birds was one of these series brought back. The new tenth series lasted one series of 7 episodes in 1996 and brought back the classic pairing of Polly James as Beryl and Nerys Hughes as Sandra. Older but not wiser and both having divorced, they move back in together. But it took some odd liberties with their families to bring back the popular Boswells. Mollie Sugden returned as Sandra's mother Mrs Hutchinson but although Sheila Fay, who had played Beryl's mother Mrs Hennessey, was still around, they instead brought back Carmel McSharry, who'd been Carol's mother Mrs Boswell in the late 70s, back now as Mrs Hennessey, bringing with her Michael Angelis, who'd been Carol's brother Lucien Boswell now as Beryl's brother Lucien Hennessey! It's OK but like the other revivals it only lasted the one series.

The above programme for this show can be purchased from my eBay. Click on the link, right...

©2025 by Karl Williams.

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