British Comedy Guide
British Comedy Guide
The Vital Spark. Image shows from L to R: Para Handy (Roddy McMillan), Dan McPhail (John Grieve), Dougie (Walter Carr), Sunny Jim (Alex McAvoy). Copyright: BBC
The Vital Spark

The Vital Spark

  • TV sitcom
  • BBC One
  • 1965 - 1974
  • 21 episodes (3 series)

Captain Para Handy steers his famous puffer, the Vital Spark, up and down the Clyde, together with his motley crew. Stars Roddy McMillan, John Grieve, Walter Carr and Alex McAvoy.

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See also

Comedy Playhouse

Comedy Playhouse

The first and most celebrated of all pilot and comedy trial seasons, Comedy Playhouse was originally devised to find new programmes for Ray Galton and Alan Simpson following the end of Hancock's Half Hour.

Para Handy - Master Mariner. Para Handy (Duncan MaCrae). Copyright: BBC TV

Para Handy - Master Mariner

1950s adaptation of the famous tales charting the trials and tribulations of a working life on the sea.

The Tales Of Para Handy. Para Handy (Gregor Fisher). Copyright: BBC TV

The Tales Of Para Handy

1990s adaptation of the famous tales. This time, the stories were set in the 1930s.

The Maggie. Image shows from L to R: The Skipper (Captain Peter MacTaggart) (Alex Mackenzie), The Engineman (McGregor) (Abe Barker), The Mate (Hamish) (James Copeland). Copyright: STUDIOCANAL / Ealing Studios Film

The Maggie

Ealing comedy depicting a clash of cultures between a hard-nosed American businessman and a crafty Scottish sea captain.

Mess Mates. Image shows left to right: 'Dapper' Drake (Ronald Hines), 'Croaker' Jones (Sam Kydd), 'Tug' Nelson (Victor Maddern), 'Blarney' Finnigan (Dermot Kelly), Captain Biskett (Archie Duncan) TV

Mess Mates

Sitcom focusing on the captain of a run-down boat and the crew who constantly run rings around him.

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