The Fishing Party - BBC Play For Today [1972]

First shown in BBC One's renowned Play for Today series in 1972, Peter Terson s sparkling comedy of class and manners stars Brian Glover, Ray Morto and Douglas Livingstone. Derbyshire miners Art (Glover), Ern (Mort) and Abe (Livingstone) head north to Whitby for a boys-only escape and a spot of sea fishing. Checking into a shabby B&B run by haughty landlady Audrey (Jane Freeman) and her henpecked hubby, the trio are bamboozled into paying a high price for their rooms. They board their chartered boat piloted by a taciturn ex-fisherman, who stares grimly ahead while offering stern warnings about mixing chips and brown ale on a swelling sea. But the boys are half-cut before they've left the harbour, and as they reach the cod grounds they're decidedly off-colour. With his unshakable poise, fervour for self-improvement and back-of-the-sauce-bottle learning, Art is the well-meaning group leader who anchors the action as they head for deep water.