The Culture Vultures

The Culture Vultures is a British sitcom that aired on BBC1 in 1970. The series starred Leslie Phillips as a university lecturer and three episodes were co-written by Tim Brooke-Taylor. The entire series was wiped and is no longer thought to exist.

The Culture Vultures
GenreSitcom
Written byColin Mares
Tim Brooke-Taylor
David Climie
StarringLeslie Phillips
Jonathan Cecil
Peter Sallis
Sally Faulkner
Country of originUnited Kingdom
No. of series1
No. of episodes5
Production
Producer(s)Graeme Muir
Running time30 minutes
Release
Original networkBBC1
Original release24 April –
22 May 1970

Background

The Culture Vultures was originally going to be piloted in Comedy Playhouse, but it was decided it was good enough to go straight to a series.[1] After the second episode, the lead Leslie Phillips collapsed with an internal haemorrhage.[2] He recovered enough to return to the series.[1] His next sitcom lead would be Casanova '73.

Cast

Plot

Dr Michael Cunningham is a senior lecturer in anthropology at the University of Hampshire. A gambler and womaniser, his quest for an easy life is frequently interrupted by his friends and colleagues. His casual attitude leads to clashes with his seniors.[2] He enjoys the campus nightlife and is always looking for an opportunity to travel.[1]

Episodes

The series aired on Fridays at 7.55pm.[2] In line with the BBC's archival policy of the time, all five episodes were wiped and none are thought to survive.[3]

#TitleOriginal airdate
1"Episode One"24 April 1970 (1970-04-24)
Dr Cunningham is in trouble with the Vice-Chancellor after an indiscreet television interview and he fights to keep his job.
2"Rake's Progress"1 May 1970 (1970-05-01)
One of Cunningham's colleagues says he has invented a foolproof system of predicting the roulette wheel.
3"Double, Double, Toil and Trouble"8 May 1970 (1970-05-08)
An efficiency expert looks into the running of the University and threatens Cunningham's trip to the West Indies.
4"Practical Demonstrations"15 May 1970 (1970-05-15)
Dr Cunningham has to look after a visiting American professor and discovers he could get a round the world the trip investigating student unrest.
5"Spring Fever"22 May 1970 (1970-05-22)
Cunningham overlooks management selection tests and is forced to use some apparatus for a different purpose.
gollark: ???
gollark: Testbot, take ☭.
gollark: Testbot, take the idea of bees.
gollark: Testbot, take the idea of bees.
gollark: Now I must decide on a programming language to implement my ??? in.

References
General
  • "The Culture Vultures - Episode Guide". British Comedy Guide. 2013. Retrieved 8 December 2013.
Specific
  1. "The Culture Vultures". British Comedy Guide. 2013. Retrieved 8 December 2013.
  2. Lewishohn, Mark (2003). Radio Times Guide to TV Comedy. London: BBC Worldwide. ISBN 0-563-48755-0.
  3. "LostShows.com". LostShows.com. 2013. Retrieved 8 December 2013.
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