Simon Dunn

Scriptwriter and Comedian

Bootle Saddles

Yesterday, whilst looking at clippings about ‘Allo ‘Allo, the last line of this review jumped out at me.

I am constantly amazed by all the gaps in my sitcom knowledge. Bootle Saddles is a new one to me. It was written by Ray Mansell & Paul Benn, and aired on BBC Two in the autumn of 1984. It had the unusual broadcast time of 8.30pm.

Full episodes are easy enough to find …

The show was announced among the big autumn line-up like this:

The Stage – Thursday 16 August 1984

It was up against some strong opposition, with Chance In A Million over on Channel 4.

Bristol Evening Post – Monday 10 September 1984

But Bootle Saddles’ first episode was watched by 3.95 million viewers, and Chance was watched by 1.35 million.

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