Steptoe and Son

Image: Harry H. Corbett as Harold, Hercules the horse and Wilfrid Brambell as Albert.

The first series of Steptoe and Son began on 7 June 1962, with a repeat of the pilot. The Offer first aired as an episode of Comedy Playhouse, but the reaction was so favourable that writers Alan Simpson and Ray Galton quickly produced a full series. The simple set up featured a father and son relationship, and played out in the same cluttered junkyard set every week. Its mixture of coarse comedy and pathos gave it universal appeal and ensured its success.

Steptoe and Son were rag-and-bone men. Wilfrid Brambell was Albert, the devious father and archetypal dirty old man. Harry H Corbett played his son Harold, who longed to escape his surroundings, but was forever frustrated by his father. The writers were inspired to create the characters after overhearing some junk dealers talking in a Shepherds Bush café. The theme tune, 'Old Ned', was written by Ron Grainer.

Steptoe and Son ran until 1965, was revived in 1970 and lasted until 1974. The public appetite for the show was such that it spawned two feature films and a radio version, and was remade in America. Brambell played the old man, but he outlived Corbett by three years, dying in 1985. The influence of Steptoe can be seen in every comic senior citizen who refuses to grow old gracefully.