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For the Love of Ada is anITV sitcom that ran for 27 episodes between 1970 and 1971.[1][2] It tells the story of a romance betweenpensioners.[1] Created by the writing duo ofVince Powell andHarry Driver, the popular sitcom starredIrene Handl as the widow Ada andWilfred Pickles as her love interest, the gravedigger Walter.[2][1]
| For the Love of Ada | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Vince Powell & Harry Driver |
| Starring | Irene Handl Wilfred Pickles Barbara Mitchell Jack Smethurst |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 27 |
| Production | |
| Producer | Thames Television |
| Running time | 25 minutes per episode (30 mins with adverts) |
| Original release | |
| Network | ITV |
| Release | 20 April 1970 (1970-04-20) – 26 December 1971 (1971-12-26) |
One of the notable points about this series was there were no opening titles or closing credits, in the real sense of the word. Instead, both were superimposed on the screen as the 'live' action and script played out on the screen.
Outline
editThe sitcom starsIrene Handl as Ada Cresswell, aCockney widow, a pensioner who is prone tomalapropisms. She lives with her daughter Ruth Pollitt (Barbara Mitchell) and son-in-law Leslie (Jack Smethurst). Ada starts a relationship with Walter Bingley (Wilfred Pickles), the gravedigger who buried her husband, after meeting him at the cemetery while laying flowers on her husband's grave. Walter is aYorkshireman; his relationship with Ada slowly changes from one of companionship to one of romance. They get engaged, and later marry, after which they move in together at his cemetery lodge abode.
Cast
editMain
edit- Irene Handl as Ada Cresswell (later Bingley)
- Wilfred Pickles as Walter Bingley
- Barbara Mitchell as Ruth Pollitt (née Cresswell)
- Jack Smethurst as Leslie Pollitt
Recurring
edit- Robert Keegan as Jack Pollitt, Leslie's father
- Mollie Sugden as Nellie Pollitt, Leslie's mother
- Malcolm Rogers as the Vicar
- Cecily Hullett as Freda Skinner
- Gabrielle Daye as Mrs Armitage
- Charles Lamb as Arthur Parsons
- Anna Turner as Maggie Bingley
- Patsy Rowlands as Pauline Whitehead
- Meadows White as Fred Carter
- Bert Palmer as Fred Bingley
- Ann Way as Florrie Bingley
- Ann Beach as Alice Bingley
- Gerard Hely as Albert Bingley
- Daphne Heard as the nosey neighbour
Transmission dates
editSeries One
(6 x 25 mins) 20 Apr-25 May 1970 – Mon mostly 9.30pm
Series Two
(7 x 25 mins) 14 Sep-26 Oct 1970 – Mon 9.30pm
Short special
Part of the All-Star Comedy Carnival 25 Dec 1970 – Fri 6pm
Series Three
(7 x 25 mins) 15 Mar-3 May 1971 – Mon 8.30pm
Series Four
(6 x 25 mins) 26 Aug-30 Sep 1971 – Thu 9pm
Christmas special
(38 mins) Boxing Day (27 Dec 1971) – Sun 6.45pm
Not seen on British TV for over 20 years, the complete series began airing onUK Gold in 1993 and then again in 1997.[3] Then in late 2018 (and again in 2020, 2021 and 2023) onTalking Pictures TV, with certain potentially-offensive words muted out.
Episodes
editDVD titles in brackets.
Series 1 (1970)
edit| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "The Widower" "(Walter Meets Ada)" | 20 April 1970 (1970-04-20) |
| 2 | 2 | "Sunday Tea" "(Walter Comes to Tea)" | 27 April 1970 (1970-04-27) |
| 3 | 3 | "The Permissive Society" "(Walter & Ada Go on a Weekend)" | 4 May 1970 (1970-05-04) |
| 4 | 4 | "The Football Match" "(Leslie Gets Tickets for the Cup)" | 11 May 1970 (1970-05-11) |
| 5 | 5 | "Another Man" "(Ada Tries to Make Walter Jealous)" | 18 May 1970 (1970-05-18) |
| 6 | 6 | "Spring" "(Walter Proposes to Ada)" | 25 May 1970 (1970-05-25) |
Series 2 (1970)
edit| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 1 | "Wedding Plans" "(Episode One)" | 14 September 1970 (1970-09-14) |
| 8 | 2 | "Divorce?" "(Episode Two)" | 21 September 1970 (1970-09-21) |
| 9 | 3 | "Sent to Coventry" "(Episode Three)" | 28 September 1970 (1970-09-28) |
| 10 | 4 | "The Birthday" "(Episode Four)" | 5 October 1970 (1970-10-05) |
| 11 | 5 | "The Grave" "(Episode Five)" | 12 October 1970 (1970-10-12) |
| 12 | 6 | "The Elopement" "(Episode Six)" | 19 October 1970 (1970-10-19) |
| 13 | 7 | "The Wedding" "(Episode Seven)" | 26 October 1970 (1970-10-26) |
Series 3 (1971)
edit| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 1 | "After the Honeymoon" "(The Honeymooners Return)" | 15 March 1971 (1971-03-15) |
| 15 | 2 | "The Parents" "(A Sentimental Journey)" | 22 March 1971 (1971-03-22) |
| 16 | 3 | "Housekeeping" "(Ada Holds the Purse Strings)" | 29 March 1971 (1971-03-29) |
| 17 | 4 | "The Eviction" "(The Eviction Order)" | 5 April 1971 (1971-04-05) |
| 18 | 5 | "A Lunchtime Drink" "(The Sunday Lunchtime Drink)" | 12 April 1971 (1971-04-12) |
| 19 | 6 | "The Royalist" "(The Queen's Birthday)" | 19 April 1971 (1971-04-19) |
| 20 | 7 | "The Mortgage" "(Should Ada and Walter Move?)" | 26 April 1971 (1971-04-26) |
Series 4 (1971)
edit| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | 1 | "The Baby" "(Ada and Walter are Haunted)" | 26 August 1971 (1971-08-26) |
| 22 | 2 | "Bowling" "(Walter Makes a Bet)" | 2 September 1971 (1971-09-02) |
| 23 | 3 | "Birth" "(The Arrival of the Grandchild)" | 9 September 1971 (1971-09-09) |
| 24 | 4 | "The Admirer" "(Ada Has An Admirer)" | 16 September 1971 (1971-09-16) |
| 25 | 5 | "Insominia" "(A Baby in the House)" | 23 September 1971 (1971-09-23) |
| 26 | 6 | "The Christening" | 30 September 1971 (1971-09-30) |
Christmas Special (1971)
edit| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 27 | 1 | "Christmas with Ada" | 27 December 1971 (1971-12-27) |
Film version
editA film version, based on the series, was released in 1972. It was directed by Ronnie Baxter and featured the same principal cast, along with an appearance byArthur English as a colleague of Walter. The plot revolves around a surprise party being planned for Ada and Walter's first wedding anniversary.
American version
editFor the Love of Ada spawned an American remake calledA Touch of Grace that premiered onABC in January 1973. This version starredShirley Booth andJ. Pat O'Malley as Grace Simpson and Herbert Morrison, who like their English counterparts fall in love. The American version faced very tough competition fromAll In The Family and drew low ratings, resulting in its cancellation in April 1973 after 13 episodes, but ABC ran reruns of the show in prime time until June 1973.
See also
editDVD release
editAll four series ofFor the Love of Ada were released between 2009 and 2012.
| DVD | Release date |
|---|---|
| The Complete Series 1 | 12 October 2009 |
| The Complete Series 2 | 4 July 2011 |
| The Complete Series 3 | 17 October 2011 |
| The Complete Series 4 | 16 January 2012 |
| The Complete Series 1 to 4 Box Set | 19 March 2018 |
References
edit- ^abc"A fine romance unfolds in gentle comedy For the Love of Ada: What I've Been Watching Sue Wilkinson on the 1970s working-class sitcom".Lancashire Evening Post. 9 August 2024. Retrieved23 November 2024 – viaProQuest.
- ^abHayward, Anthony (18 July 2009)."VINCE POWELL".The Independent. Retrieved23 November 2024 – viaProQuest.
- ^"The Television and Radio Database".The Television and Radio Database. Retrieved1 May 2025.