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The Culture Vultures is a British sitcom that aired on BBC1 in 1970. The series starred Leslie Phillips as a university lecturer and three episodes were co-written by Tim Brooke-Taylor. The entire series was wiped and is no longer thought to exist.
| The Culture Vultures | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Written by | Colin Mares Tim Brooke-Taylor David Climie |
| Starring | Leslie Phillips, Jonathan Cecil, Peter Sallis, Sally Faulkner |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 5 |
| Production | |
| Producer | Graeme Muir |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC1 |
| Release | 24 April – 22 May 1970 |
The Culture Vultures was originally going to be piloted in Comedy Playhouse, but it was decided it was good enough to go straight to a series.[1] After the second episode, the lead Leslie Phillips collapsed with an internal haemorrhage.[2] He recovered enough to return to the series.[1] His next sitcom lead would be Casanova '73.
- Leslie Phillips - Dr Michael Cunningham
- Jonathan Cecil - Dr Ian Meredith
- Peter Sallis - Professor George Hobbes
- Sally Faulkner - Vivienne
Dr Michael Cunningham is a senior lecturer in anthropology at the University of Hampshire. A gambler and womaniser, his quest for an easy life is frequently interrupted by his friends and colleagues. His casual attitude leads to clashes with his seniors.[2] He enjoys the campus nightlife and is always looking for an opportunity to travel.[1]
The series aired on Fridays at 7:55 pm.[2] In line with the BBC's archival policy of the time, all five episodes were wiped and none are thought to survive.[3]
| # | Title | Original airdate | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Indiscreet Interview" | 24 April 1970 | |
|
Dr Cunningham is in trouble with the Vice-Chancellor after an indiscreet television interview and he fights to keep his job. | |||
| 2 | "Rake's Progress" | 1 May 1970 | |
|
One of Cunningham's colleagues says he has invented a foolproof system of predicting the roulette wheel. | |||
| 3 | "Double, Double, Toil and Trouble" | 8 May 1970 | |
|
An efficiency expert looks into the running of the University and threatens Cunningham's trip to the West Indies. | |||
| 4 | "Practical Demonstrations" | 15 May 1970 | |
|
Dr Cunningham has to look after a visiting American professor and discovers he could get a round the world the trip investigating student unrest. | |||
| 5 | "Spring Fever" | 22 May 1970 | |
|
Cunningham overlooks management selection tests and is forced to use some apparatus for a different purpose. | |||
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