1981 British TV series or programme
| It Takes a Worried Man | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Created by | Peter Tilbury |
| Directed by | Alan Tarrant |
| Starring | Peter Tilbury |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| No. of series | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 19 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company | Thames Television |
| Original release | |
| Network | ITV (series 1–2) Channel 4 (series 3) |
| Release | 27 October 1981 (1981-10-27) – 20 November 1983 (1983-11-20) |
It Takes a Worried Man is a British TV sitcom. It was made by Thames Television and ran for three series, broadcast from October 1981 to November 1983. The first two series were broadcast on the ITV network, and the third and final series on Channel 4. Most episodes were written by the star, Peter Tilbury, who played office worker Philip Roath. The title comes from a line in the folk song Worried Man Blues. The series was based on the writings about the male menopause by novelist Philip Roth, for which Tilbury also named the main character after. He also took inspiration from his own life towards the character of Roath.
Premise
Philip Roath is a middle-aged and divorced office worker who is highly intelligent, but suffering a midlife crisis, and completely bored with his job. He is never seen doing any actual work, just conversing with his colleagues about his boredom and frustrations with life. His boss suspects that Philip does little work, but is powerless to prove it or to do anything about it. Philip is also seen in psychoanalysis sessions with his analyst, Simon, who has worse emotional issues than Philip does.
Cast list
- Peter Tilbury – Philip Roath
- Sue Holderness – Liz (Series 2-3)
- Diana Payan – Ruth
- Andrew Tourell – Napley
- Nicholas Le Prevost – Simon
- Christopher Benjamin – The Old Man (Philip's Boss)
- Angela Down – Lillian (Series 1)
Episodes
Series 1 (1981)
| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Endangered Species" | 27 October 1981 (1981-10-27) |
| 2 | 2 | "As You Like It" | 3 November 1981 (1981-11-03) |
| 3 | 3 | "New Leaf" | 10 November 1981 (1981-11-10) |
| 4 | 4 | "Mixed Feelings" | 17 November 1981 (1981-11-17) |
| 5 | 5 | "Frankly Speaking" | 24 November 1981 (1981-11-24) |
| 6 | 6 | "Soul Mates" | 1 December 1981 (1981-12-01) |
Series 2 (1983)
| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 1 | "Aren't Our Policemen Wonderful?" | 13 January 1983 (1983-01-13) |
| 8 | 2 | "At First the Infant" | 20 January 1983 (1983-01-20) |
| 9 | 3 | "Night and Day" | 27 January 1983 (1983-01-27) |
| 10 | 4 | "Listening In" | 3 February 1983 (1983-02-03) |
| 11 | 5 | "Personnel" | 10 February 1983 (1983-02-10) |
| 12 | 6 | "Pros and Cons" | 17 February 1983 (1983-02-17) |
| 13 | 7 | "Scenes From Country Life" | 24 February 1983 (1983-02-24) |
Series 3 (1983)
| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 1 | "Seasonally Adjusted" | 16 October 1983 (1983-10-16) |
| 15 | 2 | "Naughty But Nice" | 23 October 1983 (1983-10-23) |
| 16 | 3 | "Getaway" | 30 October 1983 (1983-10-30) |
| 17 | 4 | "Do Me a Favour" | 6 November 1983 (1983-11-06) |
| 18 | 5 | "Annually, Once a Year" | 13 November 1983 (1983-11-13) |
| 19 | 6 | "Three Cheers" | 20 November 1983 (1983-11-20) |
DVD Release
All three series of It Takes a Worried Man have been released individually on DVD by Network. As of 2023, a complete boxset has yet to be released.
| DVD | Release date |
|---|---|
| The Complete Series 1 | 31 October 2011 |
| The Complete Series 2 | 25 February 2013 |
| The Complete Series 3 | 14 October 2013 |
| The Complete Series 1 to 3 Boxset | TBA |
References
- "Worried Man's Blues". woodyguthrie.org. 1 January 1988.
- "Filming Finished on Sykes Comedy". The Stage. 26 February 1981. p. 26.
- Sayer, Stan (27 October 1981). "Double Worry". The Daily Mail. p. 18.
- "It Takes a Worried Man". Network.
- "It Takes A Worried Man - The Complete Series 1 - [ITV] - [Network] - [DVD]". Amazon. 31 October 2011.
- "It Takes a Worried Man - The Complete Series 2 [DVD]". Amazon. 25 February 2013.
- "It Takes a Worried Man - The Complete Series 3 [DVD]". Amazon.