Doctor at the Top (1991) Episode One: Sins of the Father 1/3

This is the first episode of the 1991 series Doctor at the Top which resurrected the long-running 1970s series, Doctor in Charge etc.

Robin Nedwell, Geoffrey Davies, George Layton and Ernest Clark reprise their respective roles of Duncan Waring, Dick Stuart-Clark, Paul Collier and Sir Geoffrey Loftus (formerly Professor Loftus).

To make this work chronologically (if you are into that sort of thing), you have to imagine either that this takes place in a slightly different parallel universe, or that somehow a missing decade has taken place. This is to give Duncan the time to have been married for twenty years, for Dick to have become a good surgeon instead of an inept anaesthetist (with a grown-up daughter to boot), and for Paul to have been married and divorced three times.

Sir Geoffrey's daughter, who was seen in one episode of an earlier series (Doctor in the House), and not mentioned since 1972, has either changed her name from Valerie to Geraldine or has a hitherto unmentioned sister, who also had a fling with Mike Upton (mentioned in passing here, but not seen since 1971). I think, though, that it wasn't a bad idea making Duncan the son-in-law of Loftus, as it provided a plausible reason for Sir Geoffrey to be included in some of the plots in a way that would've been difficult or impossible otherwise.

On the whole, this is probably not as bad as you've heard (and the fourth episode, 'The Kindest Cut' - generally considered the best of the lot - is really rather good).

Perhaps it was a mistake to bring back a show in the 1990s that was so quintessentially 1970s but if you loved the earlier series and have a sentimental streak, you'll probably find it worth watching, even if it could never be the same. The deaths of Ernest Clark in 1994, and of Robin Nedwell at quite a young age (he died in 1999, aged 52) make viewing this now quite poignant at times (to me at least) and give a reason to be grateful that they all got together again before it was too late.

Richard O'Sullivan as Bingham is sorely missed and leaves enormous shoes to be filled. Roger Sloman has a fair crack at it, playing the obnoxious Lionel Snell.

The cast includes the abovenamed as well as Georgina Melville, Jill Benedict and Chloe Annett.

Category:

Comedy

Tags:

• Doctor
• at
• the
• Top

[Hardtofindvideos2]

I loved the original show and have seen the 90's version until now, and it looks a lot better than the Australian made episodes.

[rippingdon]

I didn't see this series first time round, but remember the bad write ups. Looking at it now, (and 'Doctor Down Under') its good - we didn't realize at the time how spoilt for quality we were and how bad TV 'comedy' would become 20 years later...