Up the Garden Path

Up the Garden Path is a 1984 novel by Sue Limb, which was adapted into a radio series by BBC Radio 4, and later into a television sitcom by Granada TV for ITV. Both the radio and television series comprised three seasons, with the radio series originally broadcast in 1987, 1988, and 1993, and the television seasons broadcast in 1990, 1991, and 1993.

Up the Garden Path
GenreSitcom
Written bySue Limb
Directed byDavid Askey
StarringImelda Staunton
Mike Grady
Tessa Peake-Jones
Tom Mannion
Nicholas Le Prevost
Susan Kyd
René Zagger
David Robb
Neil McCaul
Adrienne O'Sullivan
Siobhan Hayes
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series
  • 3 (radio)
  • 3 (television)
No. of episodes
  • 20 (radio)
  • 18 (television)
Production
ProducerHumphrey Barclay
Running time25 mins
Production companiesHumphrey Barclay Productions
Granada Television
Release
Original networkITV
Original release2 May 1990 (1990-05-02) –
1 July 1993 (1993-07-01)

The television series has been repeated on the United Kingdom digital channel ITV3. The radio series is regularly repeated on BBC Radio 4 Extra.

Cast
  • Isabelle 'Izzy' Comyn (Imelda Staunton)
  • Dick Barnes (Mike Grady)
  • Maria Shadwell (Tessa Peake-Jones, television; Marty Cruickshank, radio)
  • Gwyn Jenkins (Tom Mannion, television; Sion Probert and Dafydd Hywel, radio)
  • Michael Tristram (Nicholas Le Prevost)
  • Louise Tristram (Susan Kyd, television; Phyllida Nash, radio)
  • Roger 'Razors' Razebrook (René Zagger)
  • Charles Armstrong (David Robb) appeared in Series 2
  • Bill Bailey (Neil McCaul) appeared in Series 2, 3
  • Linda (Adrienne O'Sullivan) appeared in Series 3
  • 5C pupil (Siobhan Hayes) appeared in Series 2, 3
  • Vincent (Kevin Treasure) appeared in Series 2, 3

Episodes

Radio
Series 1 (1987)
  • Episode 1: "New Year, Old Problems"
  • Episode 2: "Tangled Webs"
  • Episode 3: "Punch Ups and Put Downs"
  • Episode 4: "Into the Lion's Den"
  • Episode 5: "The Menage"
  • Episode 6: "Over and Out"
Series 2 (1988)
  • Episode 1: "Arrivals and Departures"
  • Episode 2: "Hot Water"
  • Episode 3: "A Soft-Hearted Little Thing"
  • Episode 4: "The View from the Bridge"
  • Episode 5: "On the Side of the Angels"
  • Episode 6: "You Shall Go to the Ball"
  • Episode 7: "The More the Merrier"
  • Episode 8: "Love's Labours"
Series 3 (1993)
  • Episode 1: "New Men"
  • Episode 2: "Gooseberries and Fools"
  • Episode 3: "Over-Drawn, Over-Sexed and Over-Optimistic"
  • Episode 4: "Talking It on the Chin"
  • Episode 5: "Up the Stick and Sick as a Parrot"
  • Episode 6: "A Dick in Shining Armour"

Television
SeriesEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
162 May 1990 (1990-05-02)6 June 1990 (1990-06-06)
2629 May 1991 (1991-05-29)3 July 1991 (1991-07-03)
3627 May 1993 (1993-05-27)1 July 1993 (1993-07-01)
Series 1 (1990)
No.
overall		No. in
series		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
11"Episode 1"David AskeySue Limb2 May 1990 (1990-05-02)
22"Episode 2"David AskeySue Limb9 May 1990 (1990-05-09)
33"Episode 3"David AskeySue Limb16 May 1990 (1990-05-16)
44"Episode 4"David AskeySue Limb23 May 1990 (1990-05-23)
55"Episode 5"David AskeySue Limb30 May 1990 (1990-05-30)
66"Episode 6"David AskeySue Limb6 June 1990 (1990-06-06)
Series 2 (1991)
No.
overall		No. in
series		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
71"Episode 1"David AskeySue Limb29 May 1991 (1991-05-29)
82"Episode 2"David AskeySue Limb5 June 1991 (1991-06-05)
93"Episode 3"David AskeySue Limb12 June 1991 (1991-06-12)
104"Episode 4"David AskeySue Limb19 June 1991 (1991-06-19)
115"Episode 5"David AskeySue Limb26 June 1991 (1991-06-26)
126"Episode 6"David AskeySue Limb3 July 1991 (1991-07-03)
Series 3 (1993)
No.
overall		No. in
series		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
131"Episode 1"David AskeySue Limb27 May 1993 (1993-05-27)
142"Episode 2"David AskeySue Limb3 June 1993 (1993-06-03)
153"Episode 3"David AskeySue Limb10 June 1993 (1993-06-10)
164"Episode 4"David AskeySue Limb17 June 1993 (1993-06-17)
175"Episode 5"David AskeySue Limb24 June 1993 (1993-06-24)
186"Episode 6"David AskeySue Limb1 July 1993 (1993-07-01)

Reception

Critical reception was mixed. Writing in The Daily Mirror, television editor Tony Pratt called the first series 'one of the best [sitcoms] ITV has produced for ages. It's lively, adult and funny'.[1]

However, The Guardian felt 'sorry for Imelda Staunton...who deserves a better script'[2] with Hugh Hebert labelling the series 'dire' and referring to the character of Izzy as a 'caricature witless teacher who was God's promo for Baker MacGregor Re-Education Inc.'[3]

References
  1. "Mirror TV". ukpressonline.co.uk. 16 May 1990. Retrieved 10 August 2013.
  2. 'A Case of Dad Housekeeping', The Guardian, 10 May 1990, p26
  3. Hebert, Hugh, 'The Loyal and the Unloved', The Guardian, 2 August 1990, p28


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