Sid James as a harassed dad trying to understand his teenage children in 1970s suburbia. Bless This House ran on ITV from 1971 to 1976 and was one of the most popular comedies of its day.
The Abbott household
Sid Abbott is a stationery salesman with a simple idea of a good life: a pint, the football and a bit of peace at home. He doesn't get much of any of them. His wife Jean keeps the house running, while their children Mike and Sally bring home the long hair, loud music and new ideas of the early seventies.
The series was written by Vince Powell and Harry Driver for Thames Television. It started on 2 February 1971 and ran for six series and 66 episodes.
Who was in it
- Sid James as Sid Abbott
- Diana Coupland as Jean Abbott
- Robin Stewart as Mike Abbott, the art-school son
- Sally Geeson as Sally Abbott
- Anthony Jackson as Trevor, Sid's next-door neighbour and best mate
- Patsy Rowlands as Betty, Trevor's wife
Sid at his best
Audiences already knew Sid James from the Carry On films and Hancock's Half Hour, and that famous laugh fitted the role perfectly. Bless This House let him play a gentler character: a father who grumbles about the younger generation but loves his family underneath it all.
Much of the comedy came from the generation gap. Sid and Trevor's schemes to escape their wives, and Sid's baffled reactions to his children's latest fads, made the show feel familiar to millions of families watching at home.
A feature film version was released in 1972, with Terry Scott playing the neighbour.
The final episode
The last episode went out in April 1976. Only days later, on 26 April, Sid James collapsed and died on stage at the Sunderland Empire while touring in a comedy. There was no more Bless This House without him.
Did your family watch the Abbotts on a weeknight?