Steptoe and Son is a British sitcom written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson about a father and son played by Wilfred Brambell and Harry H. Corbett who deal in selling used items. They live on Oil Drum Lane, a fictional street in Shepherd's Bush, London. Four series were broadcast by the BBC from 1962 to 1965, followed by a second run from 1970 to 1974. Its theme tune, "Old Ned", was composed by Ron Grainer. The series was voted 15th in a 2004 BBC poll to find Britain's Best Sitcom. It was remade in the US as Sanford and Son, in Sweden as Albert & Herbert and in the Netherlands as Stiefbeen en zoon. In 1972 a movie adaptation of the series, Steptoe and Son, was released in cinemas, with a second Steptoe and Son Ride Again in 1973.
The peaks and the valleys. Find the essential episodes — and the ones to skip.
Harold wants to re-decorate but cannot agree on a colour scheme with his father so they agree to put a partition down the living room and have their own space on either side. There is even a coin-operated turnstile put in the hall which each must feed to pass through common ground. Unfortunately when the house catches fire the turnstile severely limits the firemen who do not have change for it.
It's a cold winter day and the Steptoes are reduced to putting pfennigs in the meter. They are visited by two escaped convicts, elderly Frank and the younger Johnny. When Johnny denounces Frank as introducing him to crime and ruining his life, Harold sympathises and says that Albert has always held him back. Frank defends Albert, telling Harold to respect his father. When the two finally leave, having given Harold their last shilling for the meter, Johnny agrees to let Frank go with him, just as Harold has always allowed himself to return to Albert. Steptoe and Son feel sad that their visitors have gone.
Albert has done his back in and the doctor orders bed-rest since it's not serious enough to warrant hospital admission. Harold is run ragged, climbing up and down the stairs to wait on him and carrying him to the toilet. When Albert's back clicks back into place he maintains the illusion of illness, but Harold has noticed beer and sweets have gone missing, lays a trap to expose Albert, and gets his revenge via the dreaded blanket bath.
Tired of being a rag-and-bone man, Harold decides he wants to do something different and enrolls upon a course which will give him a qualification as a television repairs man. Unfortunately Albert seems to know more about the subj...
Each point is an episode, plotted in order. Colored bands mark season boundaries. Look for the rise, the plateau, or the decline.
High votes + high rating = beloved classic. High votes + low rating = notorious stinker. Low votes + high rating = hidden gem.
One point per season. Smooths out the episode-to-episode noise to reveal the bigger arc.
Did each season build or fizzle? Green means the finale outscored the premiere. Red means the opposite. Longer arrows, bigger swings.
How steady is each season? Tightly clustered dots mean reliable quality. Scattered dots mean a wild ride.
Connection lost
