# Steptoe and Son (1962)

> A cantankerous widower and his restless son, rag-and-bone men in Shepherd's Bush, bicker through their cramped life together as the son dreams of escape.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/3171

## Facts

- Seasons: 8
- Episodes: 55
- Episode runtime: 30 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: comedy
- Created by: Ray Galton, Alan Simpson
- Network: BBC One
- Cast: Harry H. Corbett, Wilfrid Brambell, J.G. Devlin, Joanna Lumley, Leonard Rossiter, Trevor Bannister, Margaret Nolan, Valerie Bell
- TMDB rating: 7.8/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057785/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: none
- Tone: melancholic, sardonic, bickering, affectionate, bleak

## Synopsis

Steptoe and Son (1962-1974) is a British sitcom created by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson for BBC One, running eight seasons and fifty-five half-hour episodes. Wilfrid Brambell plays Albert Steptoe, a crafty old rag-and-bone man, and Harry H. Corbett plays his son Harold, who lives with him in a cluttered yard and home in Shepherd's Bush. Harold wants to better himself, polish his manners and build a life of his own, but every attempt to escape is blocked by his father, who is content with the horse, the cart and the junk they sell. Each episode is a self-contained comic clash in the same squalid domestic space, with arguments over money, romance and respectability escalating into fierce, affectionate spite. The tone is dry, melancholic and sharply observational, a working class London comedy in which the bond between the two men is both a trap and a lifeline. Set in 1960s London, the show sits within the British sitcom tradition and will appeal to viewers who enjoy the bickering of The Honeymooners or the class-conscious humour of Only Fools and Horses and Till Death Us Do Part.

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