Which Way to the War
Series title card
GenreSitcom[1]
Based onan idea by Roger Mirams
Written byJeremy Lloyd
David Croft
Directed byRoy Gould
StarringWilliam Tapley
Simon Baker Denny
Terry John
Robert Hands
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes1 (pilot)
Production
Executive producerDon Reynolds
ProducerDavid Croft
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time30 minutes[1]
Production companiesYorkshire Television
Reg Grundy Productions
Original release
NetworkITV
Release19 August 1994 (1994-08-19)

Which Way to the War is a British television sitcom pilot that was broadcast on 19 August 1994 on ITV. It starred William Tapley, Simon Baker Denny, Terry John and Robert Hands, and was written by Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft.

Plot

Set in Libya in October 1942, during the Western Desert campaign, a party of British "Desert Rat" soldiers and a party of Australian soldiers are holed up in a remote building, when an ambulance of Italian "nurses" arrive.

Cast

Also featured were Sarah Payne as Mara, Nadia Sawalha as Lucia, Elisabeth Bolognini as Little Anna, Valeria Fabbri as Carla, Amanda Weston as Theresa, Jason Hall as Captain Gregory Swift and Martin Sadler as Able One Charlie.[2]

Background

The series was Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft's final sitcom set during wartime, and was their only sitcom produced by the ITV network.[3] The pilot was written with the intention of developing a full series.[1]

The pilot was based on an idea by Roger Mirams, who was a producer with Reg Grundy Productions.[4] The pilot's director, Roy Gould, had worked for Croft and Lloyd previously at the BBC on programmes Are You Being Served?, Hi-de-Hi!, 'Allo 'Allo! and Oh, Doctor Beeching!.[5]

Reception

The pilot was poorly received, and thus a series was not commissioned.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b c Lewisohn, Mark (2003). Radio Times Guide to TV Comedy. London: BBC Worldwide. p. 816. ISBN 0563487550.
  2. ^ "Which Way to the War cast and crew credits – British Comedy Guide". British Comedy Guide. 2023. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  3. ^ "Which Way to the War? – British Classic Comedy". British Classic Comedy. 28 March 2021. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  4. ^ Grundy, Reg (2010). Reg Grundy. New South Wales: Pier 9 Books. p. 271. ISBN 9781742660349.
  5. ^ "Roy Gould – In Conversation – Beyond the Title". Beyond the Title. 2023. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  6. ^ "David Croft: Pilot – Which way to the War". David Croft Official Website. 2023. Retrieved 23 October 2023.

External links

Television series created by Jeremy Lloyd
Television series created by David Croft
Categories