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Citizen James

25min

Comedy

Citizen James is a BBC sitcom that ran for three series between 24 November 1960 and 23 November 1962. The show featured comedian and actor Sid James and Sydney Tafler with Bill Kerr and Liz Fraser appearing in early episodes. It was initially written by the comedy writing team of Galton and Simpson, who based the characters very much on the "Sidney Balmoral James" and "Bill Kerr, the dim-witted Australian" roles that they had played in Hancock's Half Hour. The first series was set around 'Charlie's Nosh Bar', a cafe in Soho, and centred around Sid's get-rich-quick schemes. He is helped by "Billy the Kerr" and quite often frustrated by the local bookmaker Albert Welshman. Liz Fraser played Sid's long-suffering girlfriend who has been waiting for seven years for Sid to set the date. Changes were made to the format after the first series. Sid James' character was changed to be something of a people's champion, campaigning for social justice. Bill Kerr and Liz Fraser departed and Sidney Tafler played a different character: Charlie Davenport. The location switched from Soho to Sid and Charlie sharing a house. Later episodes were written by then Morecambe & Wise writers Sid Green and Dick Hills.

Episodes

Cast

Season 1

The Race

1. The Race

25min

24th Nov 1960

Liz warns that she's not going to wait around forever as just a fiancée, Sid sees a chance to make a fortune on the back of a drunken stranger, and a bit of creative nobbling leads to odds of 100/1 for the waiters' race.

The Elixir

2. The Elixir

25min

1st Dec 1960

Bill knocks up the latest batch of miracle medicine to sell on the market, Liz comes to the rescue when the boys are picked up by the police, and a doctor from the hospital phones the station asking for urgent help.

The Money

3. The Money

25min

8th Dec 1960

Liz asks Sid to pay the takings from the club into the bank, Albert's faced with having to find £12000 when a 40/1 outsider crosses the line first, and Bill insists on authenticity while working on the details of a robbery

The Rivals

4. The Rivals

25min

15th Dec 1960

Albert bets that he can get a date with Sid's girl by the end of the week, Liz defends her right to go to the pictures with anyone she chooses, and using a stripper to make her jealous turns out to be an expensive idea.

The Raffle

5. The Raffle

25min

22nd Dec 1960

Bill realises that he's helped himself to the Christmas raffle prize money, Sid panics and organises a bigger second raffle to pay for the first, and an attempt to sell enough tickets to cover it leads to the police station.

The Brand Image

6. The Brand Image

25min

29th Dec 1960

Sid comes up with an idea to make a fortune from homemade cigarettes, Albert offers to invest if a more professional approach is adopted, and an advertising agency pops up to find a famous name to put on the packet.

First air date

24th Nov 1960

Last air date

23rd Nov 1962

Status

Ended

Type

Scripted

Original language

en

Networks