Scusami genio

Not seen since the 1970s, for anyone who watched 'Pardon My Genie' it remains a memorable comedy programme . What can be said other than it was totally daft, was very silly and hysterically funny. Aimed at children, but adults enjoyed it as well.

The plot is from the traditional genie story which dates back to Aladdin himself. That is, man finds old lamp, rubs it and out pops a genie who grants wishes. In this case its present day England and the man is an assistant in a hardware shop.

The cast were just great and even though the genie was changed in series two, it made no difference as each actor made it their own. Of all the countless comedy roles Roy Barraclough has played,for PMG viewers its 'Mr Cobbledick' (the hardware shop owner) he will be remembered for. Joe Dunlop seemed to be continually cast as a daft policeman in the 1970s and he reprises that roll to great effect here. On the strength of 'Hal Adden' Ellis Jones should have gone to greater roles, but perhaps becoming a theatre director and then director of acting at RADA he is ensuring future generations have 'pardon my genies' to entertain them?.

Pardon My Genie was obviously inspired by I dream of Jeannie, the better known comedy of the 1960s, but was unique in its own right. What has the passing of time done to the programme? perhaps we will never (or want to) know?

Fondly remembered children's farce about a young man (Hal Adden, geddit?) finds himself in charge of an incompetent genie who doesn't understand the modern world or modern slang, and who therefore every week landed Hal in absurd trouble, usually with his boss Mr Cobbledick. Roy Barraclough excels as pompous Mr Cobbledick, who perpetually finds himself in inexplicable positions, and so over the course of two series goes ever so slightly mad. Good performances from the rest, and scripts that are more often hit than miss.

The two series are different in quality, thanks to the different actors playing the genie. The first series was blessed with Hugh Paddick, who brought his particular line of camp genius to the fray with brilliant results. Presumably unavailable for the second series and a fiendishly hard act to follow, he was replaced by Arthur White, a less subtle farceur who nevertheless wrung plenty of laughs from the genie's indomitable enthusiasm and optimism in the face of all setbacks. White also managed one of the high points of the series, a fantastic impression of Mr Cobbledick in 'Commercial Success', when - for reasons too complicated to go into - the latter has to be made unrecognisable.