View source for All Gas and Gaiters

{{Short description|British TV sitcom (1966–1971)}}
{{EngvarB|date=June 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2014|cs1-dates=y}}
{{Infobox television
 | image = AllGasandGaiters.jpg 
 | caption =
 | genre = Sitcom
 | runtime = 30 minutes
 | creator = {{ubl|[[Pauline Devaney]]|[[Edwin Apps]]}}
 | starring = {{ubl|[[Robertson Hare]]|[[William Mervyn]]|[[Derek Nimmo]]|[[John Barron (actor)|John Barron]]|[[Ernest Clark]]}}
 | country = United Kingdom
 | language = English
 | network = [[BBC One|BBC1]]
 | first_aired = {{start date|1966|5|17|df=y}}
 | last_aired = {{end date|1971|6|17|df=y}}
 | num_series = 5
 | num_episodes = 33 + 1 short
}}
'''''All Gas and Gaiters''''' is a British television ecclesiastical sitcom which aired on [[BBC One|BBC1]] from 1966 to 1971. It was written by [[Pauline Devaney]] and [[Edwin Apps]], a husband-and-wife team who used the pseudonym of John Wraith when writing the pilot. ''All Gas and Gaiters'' was also broadcast on [[BBC Radio]] from 1971 to 1972.

==Cast==
*[[William Mervyn]] – The Rt Revd Dr Cuthbert Hever, [[Doctor of Divinity|DD]], [[Bishop]] of St Ogg's
*[[Robertson Hare]] – The Ven Henry Blunt, the [[archdeacon]]
*[[Derek Nimmo]] – The Revd Mervyn Noote, the [[bishop's chaplain]]
*[[John Barron (actor)|John Barron]] – The Very Revd Lionel Pugh-Critchley, [[Dean (Christianity)|Dean]] of St Ogg's (pilot, series 1, 4 and 5)
*[[Ernest Clark]] – The Very Revd Lionel Pugh-Critchley, Dean of St Ogg's (series 2 and 3, 1968 special)
*[[Ruth Kettlewell]] – Mrs Grace Pugh-Critchley, the Dean's wife (series 1–3, 1968 special)
*[[Joan Sanderson]] – Mrs Grace Pugh-Critchley, the Dean's wife (series 4–5)

==Setting==
{{multiple image
 | align = right
 | total_width = 320

 | image1 = St-Albans-Cathedral-20050123-002.jpg
 | alt1 = red brick tower of St Albans Cathedral
 | caption1 = St Albans Cathedral

 | image2 = Parish church, Chesterfield - geograph.org.uk - 2623486.jpg
 | alt2 = twisted church spire
 | caption2 = St Mary and All Saints, Chesterfield

 | footer = The fictional St Ogg's Cathedral is represented in the opening titles by a [[composite image]] of [[St Albans Cathedral]] topped with the crooked spire of [[Church of St Mary and All Saints, Chesterfield|St Mary and All Saints, Chesterfield]]
}}

''All Gas and Gaiters'', predominantly [[farce|farcical]] in nature, is set in the [[Cathedral close|close]] of the fictional St Ogg's Cathedral and concerns intrigues and rivalries among the clergy in the [[Church of England]]. The bishop is easygoing; his friend the archdeacon is elderly, tippling, and still appreciative of attractive women; and the bishop's chaplain is naïve and accident-prone. Their wish to live a quiet bachelor life is continually threatened by the overbearing [[Dean (Christianity)|dean]], who tries to bring by-the-book rule to the cathedral, and by the dean's strident wife.

The title derives from the comic expression "all is gas and gaiters" (meaning "all is well"), uttered by an eccentric old gentleman clad in small-clothes and grey worsted stockings in [[Charles Dickens]]'s 1839 novel ''[[Nicholas Nickleby]]'', and later used by such writers as [[P. G. Wodehouse]], [[Agatha Christie]], and [[Powell and Pressburger]] (spoken in the film ''[[The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp]]''). The phrase "all gas and gaiters" has had different meanings.{{refn|{{Cite web |date=2007-02-24 |title=World Wide Words: Gas and gaiters |url=http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-gas1.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210812114837/http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-gas1.htm |archive-date=2021-08-12 |access-date=2019-07-15 |website=World Wide Words |language=en-GB}}}} Sometimes it has been used to mean "a satisfactory state of affairs" and sometimes it has had the meaning of "nonsense". The relevance of this phrase to Anglican clergy is that gaiters (worn over shoes) were part of the [[Gaiters#In the Anglican church|traditional dress]] of bishops and archdeacons.

The series initially aroused some controversy because of its portrayal of senior clergy as bungling incompetents, although some clergy enjoyed it. In the opening credits, [[St Albans Cathedral]] was shown as the fictional St Ogg's (but with the Crooked Spire of [[Church of St Mary and All Saints, Chesterfield]] added to the central tower). The background to the opening credits was actually the headmaster's garden of [[St Albans School, Hertfordshire|St Albans School]]. The name "St Ogg's" may have been taken from a fictional village in George Eliot's novel ''[[The Mill on the Floss]]''.{{refn|{{Cite web |last=Saunders |first=Austen |date=2015-10-20 |title=The real places that inspired Eliot |url=https://www.open.edu/openlearn/history-the-arts/culture/literature-and-creative-writing/the-real-places-inspired-eliot#:~:text=Most%20of%20The%20Mill%20on,miles%20down%20the%20river%20Trent. |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210908180255/https://www.open.edu/openlearn/history-the-arts/culture/literature-and-creative-writing/the-real-places-inspired-eliot |archive-date=2021-09-08 |access-date=2022-05-02 |website=[[Open University]] |language=en-GB}}}}

The series was the first of a number of comedies starring [[Derek Nimmo]] in similar bumbling clerical roles – ''[[Oh, Brother!]]'', ''Oh, Father!'' and ''[[Hell's Bells (TV series)|Hell's Bells]]'' – but is regarded as the best, partly because of a strong supporting cast (particularly the experienced ''[[farce]]ur'' [[Robertson Hare]] as the [[archdeacon]]) and partly because it included some elements of gentle satire.{{refn|{{Cite book |last1=Sangster |first1=Jim |url={{GBurl|id=Zl7IwAEACAAJ}} |title=TV Heaven |last2=Condon |first2=Paul |date=2005 |publisher=[[HarperCollins|Collins]] |isbn=978-0-0071-9099-7 |location=[[London]] |oclc=64090326 |ol=7263625M |access-date=2022-05-02}}}}

== Episodes ==
The pilot and first two series were videotaped in [[black-and-white]]. The third series was videotaped in colour, but was originally broadcast in [[monochrome]]. The fourth and fifth series were made and shown in colour.

===Comedy Playhouse Pilot===
The pilot episode was chosen to be the opening episode of the fifth series of ''[[Comedy Playhouse]],'' the BBC's long-running comedy strand that showcased one-off potential sitcom pilots. The pilot episode received favourable reviews from the press and gained more viewers than all the episodes in the preceding series of the show.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Priestner |first=Andy |title=All Gas and Gaiterrs - Viewing Notes |publisher=DD Video |date=November 3, 2003 |pages=10–11}}</ref> The BBC quickly commissioned Devaney and Apps to write six more episodes, which were taped in the studio later that year. Previously thought missing from the archives, the pilot was recovered in 2001 and received its first public screening at the [[British Film Institute|BFI]]'s annual [[Missing Believed Wiped]] event at the [[BFI Southbank|National Film Theatre]] on 20 October 2001.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brown |first=Mark |title=The BBC Treasure Hunt |url=http://obversebooks.co.uk/missingepisodes/bbchunt.htm |website=Missing Episodes}}</ref>{{Episode table |background=#F5DEB3 |overall=5 |series=5 |title=46 |aux2=22 |aux2T=Archival Status |airdate=22 |episodes=
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber   = 1
| EpisodeNumber2  = 1
| Title           = The Bishop Rides Again
| Aux2            = Exists
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1966|5|17|df=y}}
| ShortSummary    = Pilot episode as part of ''Comedy Playhouse''. Previously lost; the episode was found in 2001. Guest star; [[James Beck]].
| LineColor       = #F5DEB3
}}
}}

===Series 1 (1967)===
Initially only one episode '''''The Bishop Gets the Sack''''' was thought to have survived from this series. However in 2001, two episodes were returned to the BBC archive following their Treasure Hunt campaign; when the series' creators Pauline Devaney and Edwin Apps returned film copies of the following episodes '''''The Bishop Rides Again''''' and '''''The Bishop Sees a Ghost''''', since they personally requested copies of two episodes from BBC at the time, when they were trying to sell the series to the US.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Priestner |first=Andy |title=All Gas and Gaiterrs - Viewing Notes |publisher=DD Video |date=November 3, 2003 |pages=15}}</ref>  {{Episode table |background=#F5DEB3 |overall=5 |series=5 |title=46 |aux2=22 |aux2T=Archival Status |airdate=22 |episodes=
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber   = 2
| EpisodeNumber2  = 1
| Title           = The Bishop Gets the Sack
| Aux2            = Exists
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1967|1|31|df=y}}
| ShortSummary    = Guest star: [[John Le Mesurier]].
| LineColor       = #F5DEB3
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber   = 3
| EpisodeNumber2  = 2
| Title           = The Bishop Meets a Bird
| Aux2            = Missing
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1967|2|7|df=y}}
| ShortSummary    = Guest star: [[Barbara Keogh]]. 
| LineColor       = #F5DEB3
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber   = 4
| EpisodeNumber2  = 3
| Title           = The Bishop Writes a Sermon
| Aux2            = Missing
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1967|2|14|df=y}}
| ShortSummary    = Guest star: [[Blake Butler]]. 
| LineColor       = #F5DEB3
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber   = 5
| EpisodeNumber2  = 4
| Title           = The Bishop Sees a Ghost
| Aux2            = Exists
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1967|2|21|df=y}}
| ShortSummary    = Guest starring: [[Joe Gladwin]] and [[Patrick Newell]].<ref>Previously lost; the episode was found in 2001, along with Comedy Playhouse pilot.</ref> 
| LineColor       = #F5DEB3
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber   = 6
| EpisodeNumber2  = 5
| Title           = The Bishop Turns to Crime
| Aux2            = Missing
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1967|2|28|df=y}}
| ShortSummary    = Guest starring: [[Jack Haig (actor)|Jack Haig]] and [[Jerold Wells]].
| LineColor       = #F5DEB3
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber   = 7
| EpisodeNumber2  = 6
| Title           = Only Three Can Play
| Aux2            = Missing
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1967|3|7|df=y}}
| ShortSummary    = Guest star: [[Ursula Howells]].
| LineColor       = #F5DEB3
}}
}}

===Series 2 (1967)===
The role of The Dean was recast in this series with Ernest Clark, who would go on to play the character for the next two series. Due to the BBC's [[Lost television broadcast#Wiping|wiping]] policy at the time, no episodes featuring Clark are known to have survived.{{Episode table |background=#F5DEB3 |overall=5 |series=5 |title=46 |aux2=22 |aux2T=Archival Status |airdate=22 |episodes=
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber   = 8
| EpisodeNumber2  = 1
| Title           = The Dean Goes Primitive
| Aux2            = Missing
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1967|11|24|df=y}}
| ShortSummary    = Guest star: Ingrid Sylvester.
| LineColor       = #F5DEB3
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber   = 9
| EpisodeNumber2  = 2
| Title           = The Bishop Gives a Party
| Aux2            = Missing
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1967|12|1|df=y}}
| ShortSummary    = Guest starring: [[Helen Cherry]] and Nan Munro.
| LineColor       = #F5DEB3
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber   = 10
| EpisodeNumber2  = 3
| Title           = The Bishop Gets a Letter
| Aux2            = Missing
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1967|12|8|df=y}}
| ShortSummary    = Guest star: Clifford Parish.
| LineColor       = #F5DEB3
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber   = 11
| EpisodeNumber2  = 4
| Title           = The Bishop Goes to Town
| Aux2            = Missing
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1967|12|15|df=y}}
| ShortSummary    = Guest star: [[Ballard Berkeley]].
| LineColor       = #F5DEB3
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber   = 12
| EpisodeNumber2  = 5
| Title           = Give a Dog a Bad Name
| Aux2            = Missing
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1967|12|22|df=y}}
| ShortSummary    = Guest star: [[Janina Faye]].
| LineColor       = #F5DEB3
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber   = 13
| EpisodeNumber2  = 6
| Title           = The Bishop Gives a Shove
| Aux2            = Missing
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1967|12|29|df=y}}
| ShortSummary    = Guest star: [[Frank Williams (actor)|Frank Williams]]. 
| LineColor       = #F5DEB3
}}
}}

===Short Insert: Christmas Night With The Stars (1968)===
''[[Christmas Night with the Stars]]'' was a programme screened annually on Christmas night, when the top stars of the BBC appeared in short versions of their programmes, typically five to ten minutes long. ''All Gas and Gaiters'' appeared in a cross-over sketch with the sitcom ''[[Oh, Brother!]]''{{refn|{{Cite web |title=Christmas Night with the Stars |url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/5d0d8515ecf947f39fe2d1d18ce9a7f0 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210908175317/https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/5d0d8515ecf947f39fe2d1d18ce9a7f0 |archive-date=2021-09-08 |access-date=2022-05-02 |website=[[BBC Archives]] |language=en-GB}}}} where Nimmo also played Father Dominic. In this sketch, Nimmo plays both roles as Noote and Dominic respectively.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Series 2 - Christmas Night With The Stars |url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/all_gas_and_gaiters/episodes/2/7/ |website=British Comedy Guide}}</ref> This sketch no longer exists in the BBC's film and videotape archives.{{refn|{{Cite web |title=TV Archive |url=https://www.tvbrain.info/tv-archive?showname=All+Gas+and+Gaiters&type=lostshow |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20220502045213/https://www.tvbrain.info/tv-archive?showname=All+Gas+and+Gaiters&type=lostshow |archive-date=2022-05-02 |access-date=2022-05-02 |website=TV Brain |language=en-GB}}}}{{Episode table |background=#F5DEB3 |overall=5 |series=5 |title=46 |aux2=22 |aux2T=Archival Status |airdate=22 |episodes=
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber   = S
| EpisodeNumber2  = S
| Title           = Special
| Aux2            = Missing<ref>An audio recording exists, but the program itself is missing.</ref>
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1968|12|25|df=y}}
| ShortSummary    = A specially shot insert as part of that year's edition of ''Christmas Night with the Stars''. Guest starring: [[Felix Aylmer]], [[Patrick McAlinney]] and [[Derek Francis]].
| LineColor       = #F5DEB3
}}
}}

===Series 3 (1969)===
From this series onwards, the show was taped in colour, although originally transmitted in black and white, as BBC1 was still transmitting in monochrome at the time. Colour transmissions began later that year, commencing on 15 November 1969.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bingell |first=Jonathan |date=November 22, 2019 |title=It's Fifty Years of Colour TV in the UK |url=https://cstonline.net/its-fifty-years-of-colour-tv-in-the-uk-by-jonathan-bignell/ |website=CTS Online}}</ref>{{Episode table |background=#F5DEB3 |overall=5 |series=5 |title=46 |aux2=22 |aux2T=Archival Status |airdate=22 |episodes=
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber   = 14
| EpisodeNumber2  = 1
| Title           = The Bishop Learns the Facts
| Aux2            = Missing
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1969|1|8|df=y}}
| ShortSummary    = Guest starring: [[Brenda Cowling]] and Stephanie Heesom.
| LineColor       = #F5DEB3
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber   = 15
| EpisodeNumber2  = 2
| Title           = The Bishop Has a Flutter
| Aux2            = Missing
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1969|1|15|df=y}}
| ShortSummary    = Guest starring: Ballard Berkeley, George Betton and [[Ronnie Brody]]. 
| LineColor       = #F5DEB3
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber   = 16
| EpisodeNumber2  = 3
| Title           = The Bishop is Hospitable
| Aux2            = Missing
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1969|1|22|df=y}}
| ShortSummary    = Guest star: Tania Robinson.
| LineColor       = #F5DEB3
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber   = 17
| EpisodeNumber2  = 4
| Title           = The Bishop Pays a Visit
| Aux2            = Missing
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1969|1|29|df=y}}
| ShortSummary    = Guest star: n/a.
| LineColor       = #F5DEB3
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber   = 18
| EpisodeNumber2  = 5
| Title           = The Bishop Takes a Holiday
| Aux2            = Missing
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1969|2|5|df=y}}
| ShortSummary    = Guest starring: [[Frederick Peisley]], [[Marjorie Rhodes]], Peter Blair-Stewart and [[Ann Way]]. 
| LineColor       = #F5DEB3
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber   = 19
| EpisodeNumber2  = 6
| Title           = The Affair at Cookham Lock
| Aux2            = Missing
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1969|2|12|df=y}}
| ShortSummary    = Guest star: Tony Handy.
| LineColor       = #F5DEB3
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber   = 20
| EpisodeNumber2  = 7
| Title           = The Bishop Keeps His Diary
| Aux2            = Missing
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1969|2|19|df=y}}
| ShortSummary    = Guest star: n/a.
| LineColor       = #F5DEB3
}}
}}

===Series 4 (1970)===
The first series to be transmitted in colour, even though it had been produced in colour since Series 3. There were cast changes to the principal roles in this series, John Barron reprised his role as The Dean <ref>{{Cite news |last=West |first=Roy |date=April 15, 1970 |title=Look Ahead with Roy West |pages=2 |work=Liverpool Echo |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000271/19700415/058/0002}}</ref> and the role of his wife Mrs Grace Pugh-Critichley was recast with Joan Sanderson, who would go on to play the character for the remainder of the series' run. {{Episode table |background=#F5DEB3 |overall=5 |series=5 |title=46 |aux2=22 |aux2T=Archival Status |airdate=22 |episodes=
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber   = 21
| EpisodeNumber2  = 1
| Title           = The Bishop Buys a Car
| Aux2            = Missing
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1970|4|15|df=y}}
| ShortSummary    = Guest starring: John Lawrence and Cy Town.
| LineColor       = #F5DEB3
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber   = 22
| EpisodeNumber2  = 2
| Title           = The Bishop Gains a Reputation
| Aux2            = Missing
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1970|4|22|df=y}}
| ShortSummary    = Guest star: [[Anthony Sharp]].
| LineColor       = #F5DEB3
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber   = 23
| EpisodeNumber2  = 3
| Title           = The Bishop Loves His Neighbour
| Aux2            = Exists
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1970|4|29|df=y}}
| ShortSummary    = Guest star: [[Peter West]].
| LineColor       = #F5DEB3
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber   = 24
| EpisodeNumber2  = 4
| Title           = The Bishop Beats the System
| Aux2            = Exists
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1970|5|6|df=y}}
| ShortSummary    = Guest starring: [[Roy Kinnear]] and [[John Quayle (actor)|John Quayle]].
| LineColor       = #F5DEB3
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber   = 25
| EpisodeNumber2  = 5
| Title           = The Bishop Buys a Mug
| Aux2            = Missing
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1970|5|13|df=y}}
| ShortSummary    = Guest star: [[Richard Caldicot]].
| LineColor       = #F5DEB3
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber   = 26
| EpisodeNumber2  = 6
| Title           = When in Rome
| Aux2            = Missing
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1970|5|20|df=y}}
| ShortSummary    = Guest star: n/a.
| LineColor       = #F5DEB3
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber   = 27
| EpisodeNumber2  = 7
| Title           = The Bishop Takes Up Business
| Aux2            = Missing
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1970|5|27|df=y}}
| ShortSummary    = Guest star: Blake Butler.
| LineColor       = #F5DEB3
}}
}}

===Series 5 (1971)===
The final series, was also the only series with all the episodes to exist in their entirety, although the master copies of the original 2" colour VT's for the first two episodes of this series are currently missing and only 16mm black and white [[Kinescope|film recordings]] are known to have survived.''{{refn|{{Cite web |title=Christmas Night with the Stars |url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/5d0d8515ecf947f39fe2d1d18ce9a7f0 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210908175317/https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/5d0d8515ecf947f39fe2d1d18ce9a7f0 |archive-date=2021-09-08 |access-date=2022-05-02 |website=[[BBC Archives]] |language=en-GB}}}}''{{Episode table |background=#F5DEB3 |overall=5 |series=5 |title=46 |aux2=22 |aux2T=Archival Status |airdate=22 |episodes=
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber   = 28
| EpisodeNumber2  = 1
| Title           = The Bishop Warms Up
| Aux2            = Exists
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1971|5|13|df=y}}
| ShortSummary    = Guest starring: [[Norman Chappell]], Frank Williams and Dudley Jones.<ref>This episode exists as a 16mm black-and-white film print, although it was originally taped on 2" Colour VT.</ref>
| LineColor       = #F5DEB3
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber   = 29
| EpisodeNumber2  = 2
| Title           = The Bishop Entertains
| Aux2            = Exists
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1971|5|20|df=y}}
| ShortSummary    = Guest starring: [[Allan Cuthbertson]], Brenda Cowling and [[Betty Huntley-Wright]].<ref>This episode exists as a 16mm black-and-white film print, although it was originally taped on 2" Colour VT.</ref>
| LineColor       = #F5DEB3
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber   = 30
| EpisodeNumber2  = 3
| Title           = The Bishop Gives a Present
| Aux2            = Exists
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1971|5|27|df=y}}
| ShortSummary    = Guest star: n/a.
| LineColor       = #F5DEB3
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber   = 31
| EpisodeNumber2  = 4
| Title           = The Bishop Shows His Loyalty
| Aux2            = Exists
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1971|6|3|df=y}}
| ShortSummary    = Guest star: n/a.
| LineColor       = #F5DEB3
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber   = 32
| EpisodeNumber2  = 5
| Title           = The Bishop Has a Rest
| Aux2            = Exists
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1971|6|10|df=y}}
| ShortSummary    = Guest star: n/a.
| LineColor       = #F5DEB3
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber   = 33
| EpisodeNumber2  = 6
| Title           = The Bishop Loses His Chaplain
| Aux2            = Exists
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1971|6|17|df=y}}
| ShortSummary    = Guest starring: [[Penny Spencer]] and Michael Stainton.
| LineColor       = #F5DEB3
}}
}}

==Radio==
A radio version of ''All Gas and Gaiters'' was broadcast on [[BBC Radio 4]] from 5 January 1971 to 4 December 1972 for 33 episodes.{{refn|{{Cite web |title=All Gas and Gaiters: The Bishop Rides Again |url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/c1153cdd2c924dfd8fcc8f1b7a5c6705 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210908174522/https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/c1153cdd2c924dfd8fcc8f1b7a5c6705 |archive-date=2021-09-08 |access-date=2022-05-02 |website=[[BBC Archives]] |language=en-GB}}}} The radio show used the same cast as the television series with the exception of Derek Nimmo, who left after the first series and was succeeded by [[Jonathan Cecil]].{{refn|{{Cite web |date=2014-06-20 |title=All Gas And Gaiters |url=https://nostalgiacentral.com/television/tv-by-decade/tv-shows-1960s/gas-gaiters/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210908180920/https://nostalgiacentral.com/television/tv-by-decade/tv-shows-1960s/gas-gaiters/ |archive-date=2021-09-08 |access-date=2022-05-02 |website=Nostalgia Central |language=en-GB}}}} Although seven radio episodes were thought to have been wiped, these were later found and all are available through radio enthusiasts. Some episodes were rebroadcast on [[BBC 7]] in October and November 2006, and again a year later and in early 2009. They continued to be broadcast on the station, now renamed [[BBC Radio 4 Extra]], in August 2011 and again in early 2017, 2022 and 2025.

===Radio Episodes===

===Series 1 (1971)===
{{Episode table |background=#B0C4DE |overall=6 |series=6 |title=30 |airdate=20 |episodes=
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 1 | EpisodeNumber2 =  1  | Title = The Bishop Rides Again | OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1971|1|5|df=y}}
| LineColor = B0C4DE }} {{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 2 | EpisodeNumber2 =  2  | Title = The Bishop Writes a Sermon | OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1971|1|12|df=y}}
| LineColor = B0C4DE }} {{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 3 | EpisodeNumber2 =  3  | Title = The Bishop Meets a Bird | OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1971|1|19|df=y}}
| LineColor = B0C4DE }} {{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 4 | EpisodeNumber2 =  4  | Title = The Bishop Turns to Crime | OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1971|1|26|df=y}}
| LineColor = B0C4DE }} {{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 5 | EpisodeNumber2 =  5  | Title = The Bishop Sees a Ghost| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1971|2|2|df=y}}
| LineColor = B0C4DE }} {{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 6 | EpisodeNumber2 =  6  | Title = Only Three Can Play | OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1971|2|9|df=y}}
| LineColor = B0C4DE }} {{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 7 | EpisodeNumber2 =  7  | Title = The Dean Goes Primitive | OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1971|2|16|df=y}}
| LineColor = B0C4DE }} {{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 8 | EpisodeNumber2 =  8  | Title = The Bishop Gets a Letter | OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1971|2|23|df=y}}
| LineColor = B0C4DE }} {{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 9 | EpisodeNumber2 =  9  | Title = The Bishop Gives a Party | OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1971|3|2|df=y}}
| LineColor = B0C4DE }} {{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 10| EpisodeNumber2 =  10  | Title = The Bishop Goes to Town | OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1971|3|9|df=y}}
| LineColor = B0C4DE }} {{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 11 | EpisodeNumber2 =  11  | Title = Give a Dog a Bad Name | OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1971|3|16|df=y}}
| LineColor = B0C4DE }} {{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 12 | EpisodeNumber2 =  12  | Title = The Bishop Gives a Shove | OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1971|3|23|df=y}}
| LineColor = B0C4DE }} {{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 13 | EpisodeNumber2 =  13  | Title = The Bishop Pays a Visit | OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1971|3|30|df=y}}
}}
}}

===Series 2 (1972)===
{{Episode table |background=#B0C4DE |overall=6 |series=6 |title=30 |airdate=20 |episodes=
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 14 | EpisodeNumber2 =  1  | Title = The Bishop Learns the Facts | OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1972|7|24|df=y}}
| LineColor = B0C4DE }} {{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 15 | EpisodeNumber2 =  2  | Title = The Bishop Takes a Holiday | OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1972|7|31|df=y}}
| LineColor = B0C4DE }} {{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 16 | EpisodeNumber2 =  3  | Title = The Bishop Buys a Car | OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1972|8|7|df=y}}
| LineColor = B0C4DE }} {{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 17 | EpisodeNumber2 =  4  | Title = The Bishop Gets the Sack | OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1972|8|14|df=y}}
| LineColor = B0C4DE }} {{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 18 | EpisodeNumber2 =  5  | Title = The Bishop Has a Flutter | OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1972|8|21|df=y}}
| LineColor = B0C4DE }} {{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 19 | EpisodeNumber2 =  6  | Title = The Affair at Cookham Lock | OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1972|8|28|df=y}}
| LineColor = B0C4DE }} {{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 20 | EpisodeNumber2 =  7  | Title = The Bishop Loves His Neighbour | OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1972|9|4|df=y}}
| LineColor = B0C4DE }} {{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 21 | EpisodeNumber2 =  8  | Title = The Bishop Beats the System | OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1972|9|11|df=y}}
| LineColor = B0C4DE }} {{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 22 | EpisodeNumber2 =  9  | Title = The Bishop Entertains | OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1972|9|18|df=y}}
| LineColor = B0C4DE }} {{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 23 | EpisodeNumber2 =  10  | Title = The Bishop Gains a Reputation | OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1972|9|25|df=y}}
| LineColor = B0C4DE }} {{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 24 | EpisodeNumber2 =  11  | Title = The Bishop Buys a Mug | OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1972|10|2|df=y}}
| LineColor = B0C4DE }} {{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 25 | EpisodeNumber2 =  12  | Title = The Bishop Loses His Chaplain | OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1972|10|9|df=y}}
| LineColor = B0C4DE }} {{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 26 | EpisodeNumber2 =  13  | Title = When In Rome | OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1972|10|16|df=y}}
| LineColor = B0C4DE }} {{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 27 | EpisodeNumber2 =  14  | Title = The Bishop Is Hospitable | OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1972|10|23|df=y}}
| LineColor = B0C4DE }} {{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 28 | EpisodeNumber2 =  15  | Title = The Bishop Gives a Present | OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1972|10|30|df=y}}
| LineColor = B0C4DE }} {{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 29 | EpisodeNumber2 =  16  | Title = The Bishop Takes Up Business | OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1972|11|6|df=y}}
| LineColor = B0C4DE }} {{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 30 | EpisodeNumber2 =  17  | Title = The Bishop Keeps His Diary | OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1972|11|13|df=y}}
| LineColor = B0C4DE }} {{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 31 | EpisodeNumber2 =  18  | Title = The Bishop Warms Up | OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1972|11|20|df=y}}
| LineColor = B0C4DE }} {{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 32 | EpisodeNumber2 =  19  | Title = The Bishop Shows His Loyalty | OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1972|11|27|df=y}}
| LineColor = B0C4DE }} {{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 33 | EpisodeNumber2 =  20  | Title = The Bishop Has a Rest | OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1972|12|4|df=y}}
}}
}}

== Archive Status ==
Only 11 television episodes still exist in the archive, the others were wiped as was the standard policy of the BBC in this era.{{refn|{{Cite web |date=2014-10-28 |title=All Gas and Gaiters |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/allgasandgaiters/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220413093159/https://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/allgasandgaiters/ |archive-date=2022-04-13 |access-date=2022-05-02 |website=[[BBC]] |language=en-GB}}}} Film recordings exist for the pilot and two episodes from series 1, and two of the colour episodes from series 5 are preserved as black and white 16mm film recordings only. Only six colour episodes are preserved in their original colour videotape format.<ref>{{Cite web |title=All Gas and Gaiters |url=https://www.tvbrain.info/tv-archive?showname=All+Gas+and+Gaiters&type=lostshow |website=TV Brain}}</ref>

Eight scripts of the lost episodes were published in 2015: "Only Three Can Play", "The Dean Goes Primitive", "The Bishop Goes To Town", "The Bishop Learns the Facts", "The Bishop is Hospitable", "The Bishop Takes a Holiday", "The Affair at Cookham Lock" and "The Bishop Gives a Shove".{{refn|{{Cite book |last1=Devaney |first1=Pauline |url=http://www.durpey-allen.co.uk/crbst_12.html |title=All Gas and Gaiters, the Lost Episodes |last2=Apps |first2=Edwin |date=June 2015 |publisher=Durpey-Allen |isbn=978-1-910317-02-0 |volume=1 |language=en-GB |oclc=993114560 |ol=30527415M |author-link=Pauline Devaney |author-link2=Edwin Apps |access-date=2019-07-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220124043104/http://www.durpey-allen.co.uk/crbst_12.html |archive-date=2022-01-24 |url-status=live}}}}

== Home media ==
All 11 surviving episodes were originally released on VHS and DVD by DD Home Entertainment on 3 November 2003, originally accompanied by a detailed behind-the-scenes booklet, written by Andy Priestner in consultation with the show's writers, Edwin Apps and Pauline Devaney, but later released without.<ref>{{Cite web |title=All Gas And Gaiters DVD |url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/all_gas_and_gaiters/shop/907/all_gas_and_gaiters/ |website=British Comedy Guide}}</ref> Simply Media later gained the rights to the distribution of the series, and it re-released on 24 August 2009.<ref>{{Cite web |title=All Gas and Gaiters DVD |url=https://www.hive.co.uk/Product/All-Gas-and-Gaiters/8617085 |website=Hive}}</ref>

==Influence and legacy==
In April 2016, the radio drama based on the story behind the making of the series, ''All Mouth and Trousers'' by [[Mark Burgess (playwright)|Mark Burgess]], was aired by BBC Radio 4. The production featured [[John Sessions]] as [[Frank Muir]], Nicholas Boulton as Stuart Allen, Gareth Williams as [[William Mervyn]], Trevor Littledale as [[Robertson Hare]], [[Zeb Soanes]] as [[Derek Nimmo]] and [[David Collings]] as [[John Barron (actor)|John Barron]].{{refn|{{Cite web |title=Drama: All Mouth and Trousers |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0787dm6 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170203051441/https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0787dm6 |archive-date=2017-02-03 |access-date=2017-04-03 |website=[[BBC]] |language=en-GB}}}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{BBC Online|comedy/allgasandgaiters|''All Gas And Gaiters''}}
* {{BBC programme}}
* {{British Comedy Guide|sitcom|gas_gaiters}}
* [http://lostshows.com/default.aspx?programme=c07a2f85-b91a-49a1-ba56-52e10172e8b4 ''All Gas and Gaiters''] at lostshows.com
* [http://www.phill.co.uk/comedy/allgas/index.html ''All Gas and Gaiters''] at British TV Comedy
* [https://nostalgiacentral.com/television/tv-by-decade/tv-shows-1960s/gas-gaiters/ ''All Gas and Gaiters''] at Nostalgia Central
* {{IMDb title|0061232}}

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[[Category:1960s British sitcoms]]
[[Category:1966 British television series debuts]]
[[Category:1970s British sitcoms]]
[[Category:1971 British television series endings]]
[[Category:1971 radio programme debuts]]
[[Category:1972 radio programme endings]]
[[Category:BBC Radio comedy programmes]]
[[Category:BBC television sitcoms]]
[[Category:Black-and-white British television shows]]
[[Category:Comedy Playhouse]]
[[Category:British English-language television shows]]
[[Category:Lost BBC episodes]]
[[Category:Religious comedy television series]]