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Dear Ladies
Genre	Sitcom
Written by	Gyles Brandreth Patrick Fyffe George Logan
Directed by	Mike Stephens
Starring	Patrick Fyffe George Logan
Composer	John Golland
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of series	3
No. of episodes	20
Production
Producer	Peter Ridsdale Scott
Running time	30 minutes
Production company	BBC
Original release
Network	BBC Two
Release	15 March 1983 (1983-03-15) – 16 December 1984 (1984-12-16)

Dear Ladies is a British comedy television series which aired on the BBC in 21 episodes between 1983 and 1984. It featured the comic characters Hinge and Bracket, played by George Logan and Patrick Fyffe.

The comedy is set in and around the house the ladies shared in the fictional village of Stackton Tressel in Suffolk and gives viewers "A glimpse behind the scenes of village life in Stackton Tressel."

Premise

Dr Evadne Hinge and Dame Hilda Bracket are a pair of elderly spinsters who live in the fictional English village of Stackton Tressel. They share a large house named Utopia Ltd, owned by Dame Hilda, the east wing of which is occupied by Evadne. Each episode is based around their musical activities at home and in the village community.

Production

Hinge and Bracket were conceived by George Logan and Patrick Fyffe as a pair of old ladies who had spent their lives performing classical music. Their comic female impersonation act had grown in popularity in the 1970s, and after appearing on BBC Radio, a Hinge and Bracket situation comedy was developed. The scripts were written by George Logan and Patrick Fyffe, who played the starring roles, in collaboration with the writer and broadcaster Gyles Brandreth. Brandreth described Hinge and Bracket as "a drag act with a difference. They offered character and comedy instead of glamour and sex appeal."

Exterior scenes in Stackton Tressel village were filmed on location in the Cheshire towns of Knutsford, Great Budworth and Nantwich.

Incidental music is by John Golland. A special episode was broadcast after the 1984 series, the "Dear Ladies Masterclass", in which Hinge and Bracket are invited to deliver a music masterclass at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. The episode features students of the college, who perform under the tutelage of the two Ladies.

Cast

Dear Ladies cast members included:

• George Logan — Dr Evadne Hinge
• Patrick Fyffe — Dame Hilda Bracket
• Richard Aylen — Courtney Pines
• Geoffrey Banks — Rev. Donald Smollit
• Frances Cox — Miss Grace Pullet (Librarian)
• Terry Gilligan — various roles
• Hope Johnstone — Party Organiser
• Madeleine Newbury — Joan Shanks
• Paula Tilbrook — Party Organiser
• Rosalie Williams — Dodie Bantock

Episode list

References

Citations

1. Pringle p.112
2. BBC Genome Project BBC2 listings 15 March 1983
3. Tennant 2022, p. 173.
4. Brandreth, Gyles (16 September 2021). Odd Boy Out: The 'hilarious, eye-popping, unforgettable' Sunday Times bestseller 2021. Penguin UK. p. 69. ISBN 978-0-241-48373-2. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
5. "Hinge & Bracket: a Celebration". www.hingeandbracketofficial.co.uk. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
6. Guide, British Comedy. "Dear Ladies Dear Ladies Masterclass". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
7. "Dear Ladies Episodes". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 9 March 2022.

Sources

• David Pringle. Imaginary People: A Who's who of Fictional Characters from the Eighteenth Century to the Present Day. Scolar Press, 1996.
• Tennant, Janet (15 August 2022). It's a Drag: Cross-Dressing in Performance. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-4930-5906-5. Retrieved 3 April 2023.

External links

• "BBC Programme Index: Dear Ladies". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
• Dear Ladies at IMDb

• BBC television comedy
• 1983 British television series debuts
• 1984 British television series endings
• 1980s British comedy television series
• British English-language television shows
• Hinge and Bracket
• Television shows set in Suffolk
• Television shows filmed in England
• Drag (entertainment) television shows
• BBC television sitcoms