The Valiant Varneys

The Valiant Varneys
Publicity shot. Right: Reg Varney, in suit of arms with visor open. Left: Audrey Nicholson, smiling. The two are looking at each other happily.
Publicity shot for the series. Reg Varney with cast member Audrey Nicholson.
Written byDavid Cumming
Directed byPeter Whitmore
StarringReg Varney
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series2
No. of episodes15
Production
Running time30 minutes
Production companyBBC Television
Original release
Release9 July 1964 (1964-07-09) –
7 May 1965 (1965-05-07)

The Valiant Varneys is a British television children's comedy series produced by the BBC. It ran weekly for two seasons 1964–65, with 13 episodes in total.[1]

The show was broadcast from the BBC Television Theatre in front of a live audience.[2][3]

The TV archive organisation Kaleidoscope lists all episodes as lost.[4]

Synopsis

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In each episode Reg Varney assumed the guise of one his fictional ancestors in a comic exploit, such as "The Incredible Adventures of Sherlock Varney" or "The Incredible Adventures of Dr Henry Varney and Mr Hyde".[2]

A comic strip titled "The Valiant Varneys" was printed in Buster 17 July 1965 – 12 February 1966.[5]

Cast

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Each self-contained story featured a different supporting cast, with several notable actors appearing including Roger Delgado, Jerry Desmonde, Patricia Hayes, Arthur Hewlett, Cherie Lunghi, Bill Shine.[3]

References

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  1. ^ "The Valiant Varneys". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
  2. ^ a b Lewisohn, Mark (2003). Radio Times Guide To Comedy (2nd ed.). BBC Worldwide Ltd. p. 801. ISBN 0563487550.
  3. ^ a b "The Valiant Varneys". BBC Programme Guide. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  4. ^ "The Valiant Varneys". TV Brain. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  5. ^ "The Valiant Varneys". Buster. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
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