The second episode of 'Doctor In The House' was the first of many written by Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie. Garden, like Graham Chapman, was a qualified doctor in real life, and thus was able to draw on his own experiences.
It was rare in 1969 to see a sitcom in which the cast was predominantly young, hence George Layton's description of 'House' as 'the 'Friends' of its day'. Barry Evans and Robin Nedwell made a good double act. Ditto Geoffrey Davies and George Layton. Simon Cuff and Martin Shaw made their debuts here and, to be honest, did the show no favours. Shaw had the good sense to realise this and got out after one series, while Cuff left after two. The students came across for the most part as a bunch of drunken hooligans, constantly playing childish pranks such as stealing mascots and putting chamber pots on statues, thus incurring the wrath of The Dean and Professor Loftus.
The issue of sex rears its ugly head for the first time. After settling down to life at St. Swithins, Upton goes to the Common Room where he is so appalled at the ungallant behaviour displayed towards a pretty nurse called Alice that he rounds angrily on his fellow students: "You silly bastards!" ( strong language for that time ). He takes Alice to his room to dry her dress ( Evans threw beer over it ). But the others have put whips, bras and Briddock's rude pictures where they can easily be seen to make Alice think Upton is into B.D.S.M.
Realising the students are only next door, Alice and Upton pretend to have sex. The voyeurs cannot believe what they are hearing...
Lovely Julia Foster makes her only appearance in the 'Doctor' series as 'Alice'. Her other television roles include 'Moll Flanders' ( 1976 ), and the short-lived 1977 comedy thriller 'Wilde Alliance' ( a show I liked a lot at the time ) in which she played Amy Wilde, wife of successful novelist Rupert ( John Stride ).
Funniest moment - the students, shocked by the sound of Upton cracking a whip, fall off the table on which they had been standing!
It was rare in 1969 to see a sitcom in which the cast was predominantly young, hence George Layton's description of 'House' as 'the 'Friends' of its day'. Barry Evans and Robin Nedwell made a good double act. Ditto Geoffrey Davies and George Layton. Simon Cuff and Martin Shaw made their debuts here and, to be honest, did the show no favours. Shaw had the good sense to realise this and got out after one series, while Cuff left after two. The students came across for the most part as a bunch of drunken hooligans, constantly playing childish pranks such as stealing mascots and putting chamber pots on statues, thus incurring the wrath of The Dean and Professor Loftus.
The issue of sex rears its ugly head for the first time. After settling down to life at St. Swithins, Upton goes to the Common Room where he is so appalled at the ungallant behaviour displayed towards a pretty nurse called Alice that he rounds angrily on his fellow students: "You silly bastards!" ( strong language for that time ). He takes Alice to his room to dry her dress ( Evans threw beer over it ). But the others have put whips, bras and Briddock's rude pictures where they can easily be seen to make Alice think Upton is into B.D.S.M.
Realising the students are only next door, Alice and Upton pretend to have sex. The voyeurs cannot believe what they are hearing...
Lovely Julia Foster makes her only appearance in the 'Doctor' series as 'Alice'. Her other television roles include 'Moll Flanders' ( 1976 ), and the short-lived 1977 comedy thriller 'Wilde Alliance' ( a show I liked a lot at the time ) in which she played Amy Wilde, wife of successful novelist Rupert ( John Stride ).
Funniest moment - the students, shocked by the sound of Upton cracking a whip, fall off the table on which they had been standing!