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Lazarus & Dingwall

Mark Arden and Steve Frost, collectively known as The Oblivion Boys had been inching their way into the nation’s comic consciousness for a while in the early Eighties, not only through their brilliant and chaotic “The Wow Show” (with Lee Cornes and Paul Mark Elliott) in Edinburgh and on Radio 4, but also through appearances in Saturday Live and The Young Ones. Their finest hour to date came in a series of Carling lager ads - including the Bouncing Bomb advert which became famous in its own right.

At the same time, writers Kim Fuller and Vicki Pile (later to create “Smack the Pony” and “Green Wing”) had been writing together for some time on various sketch shows including “Pushing Up Daisies" and "Coming Next”. Inspired by the if-it’s-a-joke, film it approach of the Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker Airplane films (and perhaps Police Squad), they created a sitcom set in “The Really Serious Crimes Squad" fronted by two maniacal incompetents called - Lazarus & Dingwall.

The show ran for six episodes on BBC 2 for six weeks in 1991, and the pilot was produced and directed by Geoff Posner.

Lazarus & Dingwall

Pilot/Show 1

"You Expect Us to Believe That?"

First Tx 1/2/91 BBC Two 21.00-21.30 

Starring
LazarusSteve Frost
DingwallMark Arden
ChiefPeter Bland
1st Plainclothes OfficerSimon Godley
2nd Plainclothes OfficerNeil Mullarkey
ClintonJim Findley
Beverley ArmitageRace Davies
FishmongerKenny Ireland
Justin De JongRobert Bathurst
AuberonJonathan Kydd
Alfonso GueyaraVernon Nurse
Fish CustomerJoyce Latham
1st PolicemanGlen Buglass
 
Written byKim Fuller
&Vicki Pile
 
Produced & directed byGeoff Posner

Show 2

"What Happened To The Gerbil?"

First Tx 8/2/91 BBC Two 21.00-21.30 

Starring
LazarusSteve Frost
DingwallMark Arden
Duane BlakeLionel Blair
Beverley ArmitageRace Davies
Gary BatemanJeremy Gittins
Sandy DelgranoKay Stonham
Film DirectorGeoffrey McGivern
Child SuspectEdwin Silvester
Child SolicitorRussell Evans
 
Written byKim Fuller
&Vicki Pile
 
Directed byBob Spiers
 
Produced byGeoff Posner

Show 3

"The Whisper Of A Bat’s Wing"

First Tx 15/2/91 BBC Two 21.00-21.30

Starring
LazarusSteve Frost
DingwallMark Arden
Gary BatemanJeremy Gittins
Beverley ArmitageRace Davies
Stella EwbankJo Rowbottom
Grenville MullardAndrew Charleson
Alistair the JockeySteve Steen
SuspectAndrew Dunford
 
Written byKim Fuller
&Vicki Pile
 
Directed byBob Spiers
 
Produced byGeoff Posner

Show 4

"What The Hell’s Going On?"

First Tx 22/2/91 BBC Two 21.00-21.30

Starring
LazarusSteve Frost
DingwallMark Arden
Beverley ArmitageRace Davies
Gary BatemanJeremy Gittins
Jasper StrudwickPaul Williamson
Duncan MoodyJames Larkin
Alexandra de DeureGlynis Brooks
HippyKevin Williams
Identikit WitnessPamela Beesley
ArabEddie Lamare
 
Written byKim Fuller
&Vicki Pile
 
Directed byBob Spiers
 
Produced byGeoff Posner

Show 5

"This Isn’t Your Lucky Day"

First Tx 1/3/91 BBC Two 21.00-21.30 

Starring
LazarusSteve Frost
DingwallMark Arden
Beverley ArmitageRace Davies
Wanda LonelyLiz Edmiston
ReceptionistClaire Summerskill
WitnessAnna Turner
 
Written byKim Fuller
&Vicki Pile
 
Directed byBob Spiers
 
Produced byGeoff Posner

Show 6

"The Little Red Mark on the Side of the Head"

First Tx 8/3/91 BBC Two 21.00-21.30 

Starring
LazarusSteve Frost
DingwallMark Arden
ChiefPeter Bland
JudgeStanley Unwin
Mr. OGranville Saxton
Christine LennoxCaroline Leddy
SuspectRoger Griffiths
NurseFiona Moyes
 
Written byKim Fuller
&Vicki Pile
 
Directed byBob Spiers
 
Produced byGeoff Posner

Lazarus & Dingwall

Sadly, the show has never been released on video or DVD.

But hey - you can read more about Mark Arden here

and more about Stephen Frost here

and watch the classic Carling Black Label Dambusters advert featuring The Oblivion Boys on YouTube


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