It Ain't Half Hot Mum
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2008-07-10T17:26:48Z
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Merged the three seperate sections listing cast and characters into one
{{ Infobox Television
| show_name = ''It Ain't Half Hot Mum''
| image = [[Image:It Aint Half Hot Mum television comedy.jpg|250px]]
| caption = Title card of Series 1 and Series 2
| format = [[Situation Comedy]]
| camera =
| picture_format =
| runtime = 30 minutes
| creator = [[Jimmy Perry]] & [[David Croft]]
| writer = [[Jimmy Perry]] & [[David Croft]]
| developer =
| producer = David Croft<br>Graeme Muir
| director = David Croft<br>Graeme Muir<br>Bob Spiers<br>Ray Butt<br> Paul Bishop<br> John Kilby
| starring = [[Michael Bates (actor)|Michael Bates]]<br>[[Windsor Davies]]<br>[[Melvyn Hayes]]<br>[[Don Estelle]]<br>[[Donald Hewlett]]<br>[[Michael Knowles (actor)|Michael Knowles]]
| narrated =
| opentheme = Meet the Gang
| endtheme = Land of Hope and Glory
| country = UK
| network = [[BBC]]
| first_aired = 3 January 1974
| last_aired = 3 September 1981
| num_episodes = 56
| website =
| imdb_id = 0081878
| tv_com_id = 19124
}}
'''''It Ain't Half Hot Mum''''' was a [[British sitcom]] about the adventures of a [[Royal Artillery]] [[Concert Party (entertainment)|Concert Party]], broadcast between 1974 and 1981, and written by [[Jimmy Perry]] and [[David Croft]], the creators of ''[[Dad's Army]]''. It was set in [[British India]] and [[Burma]], towards the end of the [[Second World War]].
==Situation==
The first four series of ''It Ain't Half Hot Mum'' were set at the Royal Artillery Depot [[Deolali]], a place where British soldiers stayed before being posted up the jungle. The Royal Artillery Concert Party, consisting of several soldiers who would rather sing, dance and dress up as women than fight, are stationed permanently in Deolali to keep the troops entertained. In the first episode of the fifth series, the concert party are posted up the jungle, and from then on ''It Ain't Half Hot Mum'' is set in Tin Min, [[Burma]] close to the [[front line]].
The scenario of the series is similar to the [[Peter Nichols]] play and film ''[[Privates on Parade]]''. Deolali is pronounced "doolally"; this is widely believed to be a pun on the term for [[insanity]], but it is in fact a real place and actually the source of the term.
Some people have perceived the casting of the European-seeming actor Michael Bates, as the Indian bearer, Rangi Ram, as an example of the crude racial characterization known as [[blackface]]. This may have resulted in the programme being repeated infrequently on British television. In fact the Anglo-Indian Bates was born in India, and spoke Hindi before learning English. Strange as it may seem now, in 1970s Britain he was the only experienced actor available who was both fluent in several Indian languages and familiar with Indian culture. His make up, costume and characterization can be interpreted as comic-realism rather than crude stereotyping.
==Characters==
===Commanding Officers===
*'''[[Lieutenant-Colonel (United Kingdom)|Lieutenant-Colonel]] Charles Reynolds ([[Donald Hewlett]])'''
Colonel Reynolds is the leader of the concert party and enjoys their shows immensely. He thinks army life in India is very hard, while all he does is sit around sipping [[pink gin]] and dining with the elite. He is having an affair with Daphne Waddilove-Evans, whose husband, Major Waddilove-Evans, has left for the [[Punjab (British India)|Punjab]]. He is the stereotypical British Army Officer, very stiff upper lip and prim and proper. Captain Ashwood's utter stupidity does occasionally infuriate him, but he is effectively good-natured and tries to avoid leaving the easy life he has at any cost.
*'''[[Captain (United Kingdom)|Captain]] Jonathan Tarquin Ashwood ([[Michael Knowles (actor)|Michael Knowles]])'''
Captain Ashwood is an even bigger fan of the concert party than Colonel Reynolds, especially when they dress up as girls. He is not very bright, and often unknowingly ruins other people's plans, especially the Sergeant Major's. He occasionally writes skits for the concert party, which they reluctantly accept, as they are, on the whole, absolutely awful. He has absolutely no military bearing in him, which makes it very easy for the Sergeant Major and the others to manipulate him into using his authority to achieve their own ends.
*'''[[Battery Sergeant Major]] Tudor Brynne 'Shut Up' Williams ([[Windsor Davies]])'''
The Sergeant Major is the only real, professional soldier among the concert party and its officers. He is somewhat bigoted in his views, making every effort to bully the Indian camp staff and remind everyone of English supremacy in India. He seems to have only one goal in life, namely to get his soldiers posted up the jungle as fast as he can. He is disgusted by the fact that his soldiers prance about on the stage wearing dresses and make-up all the time, and frequently calls them a "bunch of poofs". He dislikes all members of the concert party equally, but has a particular loathing for Gunner "Lah-De-Dah" Graham, owing to his university education, although Williams will praise Graham for it if it serves his purposes.
===The Concert Party===
*'''[[Bombardier (rank)|Bombardier]] 'Solly' Solomons ([[George Layton]])'''
'Solly' is a Jewish showbizz man who always plays the male leads in the concert party's shows and is also the party's producer. He is a very intelligent individual and often has some sort of devious plot to avoid being posted or getting one over on the Sergeant Major. He left at the end of Series 2 when his National Service was over and he was demobbed back to Britain.
*'''[[Gunner (rank)|Gunner]]/[[Bombardier (rank)|Bombardier]] 'Gloria' Beaumont ([[Melvyn Hayes]])'''
'Gloria' Beaumont is a very effeminate person who cannot handle the violence, heat and mosquitoes of army life in India too well. He considers himself an artiste, and doesn't believe he should be in the Army, often trying to emphasize his show-business angle and ignore the "soldier" parts of his job. He has a passion for showbusiness and always dresses up as famous filmstars during the concert party shows, especially as [[Ginger Rogers]].
*'''[[Gunner (rank)|Gunner]] 'Lofty' Harold Sugden ([[Don Estelle]])'''
'Lofty' is a soldier whose appearance can be summarized by means of quoting the Sergeant Major: "Is it a mushroom? No. Is it a soldier? No. It's Gunner Sugden." Lofty is the tiny, rotund lead singer of the concert party usually seen in an old-fashioned [[pith helmet]], and has an amazing tenor voice which even the Sergeant Major cannot resist when he sings. Unfortunately, he is always picked out by the Sergeant Major as a "volunteer" when there is a particularly nasty or dangerous task to be carried out.
*'''[[Gunner (rank)|Gunner]] 'Parky' Nigel Parkins ([[Christopher Mitchell]])'''
'Parky' is the youngest member of the concert party and has tried everything to become part of them, including being a ventriloquist, comedian, and singer, although he is very clumsy and never does anything right. The Sergeant Major has reason to believe that Parkins is his son, which is why he treats him much better than he treats the others, and keeps telling him he has "a fine pair of shoulders", and becomes very selective about Parkins' achievement - praising him when he does something right and ignoring when Parkins makes huge blunders. An example of such a situation comes when Parkins is appointed as Battery clerk, being as he has no exploitable talent for the concert party, and having misunderstood an order from the Sergeant-Major, proceeds to have the Officer's Mess demolished (Sergeant - Major Williams had told him to "remove the mess by the Officer's lines", referring to a pile of old beds that were to be disgarded). Parkins references the show's title in the first ever episode when he signs off a letter to his mother with the words "I've been in India now two weeks, and it ain't half hot, Mum."
*'''[[Gunner (rank)|Gunner]] '[[Paderewski]]' Jonathan Graham ([[John Clegg]])'''
Gunner Graham is the concert party's pianist. His appearance - bald and bespectacled - marks him out as a stereotypical boffin. He has a university degree in English literature and is very smart, speaking with a very upper class accent, which is why the Sergeant Major always mockingly repeats what he says. Graham often has difficult and ingenious plans to solve the concert party's problems, but these plans never seem to work and often result in his saying "oh well, bang goes that theory". The others (even the Sergeant Major and the Officers) often rely on his intelligence to get them out of awkward situations.
*'''[[Gunner (rank)|Gunner]] 'Atlas' Mackintosh ([[Stuart McGugan]])'''
'Atlas' Mackintosh does the strong man act in the show, which involves tearing telephone directories in half. He is rather short-tempered, especially when Beaumont calls him a "great, big, butch, hairy [[haggis]]". He is very masculine, and is a bit of a contradiction to what Beaumont thinks is right for the concert party. Nevertheless, Mackintosh always tries his best and copes with what is given to him.
*'''[[Gunner (rank)|Gunner]] 'Nobby' Clark ([[Kenneth MacDonald]])'''
'Nobby' Clark does a whistling act in the show, and can do excellent bird impersonation. He is not particularly clever, and often makes nonsense comments or observations about situations they find themselves in.
*'''[[Gunner (rank)|Gunner]] 'Nosher' Evans ([[Mike Kinsey]])'''
'Nosher' Evans does a paper tearing act. He is always eating something (and once stayed on punishment in the Canteen four hours after he was relieved as he was enjoying himself) resulting in him spraying the contents of his mouth all around him when he speaks.
===Natives===
*'''Bearer Rangi Ram ([[Michael Bates (actor)|Michael Bates]])'''
Rangi Ram is the concert party's native [[Porter (carrier)|bearer]], is very proud to be of service to the army. He feels so connected to them that he often talks about "we British". The Sergeant Major shouts at him more than at anyone else, but Rangi is also the one he confides in when he wants to talk about problems. Rangi often provides the audience with an "old Hindu proverb" at the end of the episode, such as "There is an old Hindu proverb which say that house with red lamp over door is not always headquarters of Communist Party". He is a particularly devious individual, who can often manipulate the situation for his own ends (usually money), and although often displays that he considers himself British, will show very divided loyalty when his Indian aspect is under threat - when asked to burn the Indian flag by the Sergeant Major, he refused.
*'''Char Wallah Muhammed ([[Dino Shafeek]])'''
Muhammed the [[char]] [[wallah]] walks around the camp all day, selling tea from his kettle. We can also hear him sing the musical interruptions between the scenes, which are mostly popular American hits, accompanied by a [[sitar]]. At the end of the credits he starts to sing "Land of hope and Glory" only to be interrupted by the Sergeant-major shouting "SHUTUPPP!!!". He became the bearer when Rangi Ram left the series (Michael Bates died after Series 6).
*'''Punkah Wallah Rumzan ([[Babar Bhatti]])'''
Rumzan the [[punkah]] wallah always sits outside the officers' quarters, pulling a string that is attached to a large fan indoors. He comments on everything in Urdu, and always adds a few words in English at the end. Rangi often tells him to "sit up straight while you are punkah-ing" and not to "be such Clever Dickie". He is far more intelligent than the others give him credit, and much of what he observes early on is often borne out in the end, but no-one notices.
*'''Ah Syn, the Chinese cook (Andy Ho)'''
The Chinese Cook he appears in Series 7 after the punka wallah left.
== Series and Episodes ==
{{main|List of It Ain't Half Hot Mum episodes}}
== DVD releases ==
Series 1 to 6 have been released on [[DVD region code]] 2 by the BBC and Cinema Club. The first five seasons have also been released in region 4. The last two seasons remain unreleased in any region.
{| class="wikitable"
! DVD !! Code !! Date of release (R2) || Date of release (R4)
|-
|The Complete Series 1 || CCTV 30213 || [[5th September]] [[2005]] || [[2nd March]] [[2006]]
|-
|The Complete Series 2 || CCTV 30227 || [[10th October]] [[2005]] || [[5th October]] [[2006]]
|-
|The Complete Series 3 || CCTV 30269 || [[13th February]] [[2006]] || [[7th March]] [[2007]]
|-
|The Complete Series 4 || CCTV 30295 || [[1st May]] [[2006]] || [[5th September]] [[2007]]
|-
|The Complete Series 5 || CCTV 30328 || [[31st July]] [[2006]] || [[5th March]] [[2008]]
|-
|The Complete Series 6 || BBCDVD 2645 <ref>Was CCTV 30395</ref> || [[9th June]] [[2008]] || TBA
|-
|The Complete Series 7 || || TBA || TBA
|-
|The Complete Series 8 || || TBA || TBA
|-
|The Series 1 - Series 4 Boxset || CCTV 30532 || [[30th October]] [[2006]] || TBA
|-
|The Series 5 - Series 8 Boxset || || TBA || TBA
|-
|The Complete Boxset (All 8 Series) || || TBA || TBA
|-
|}
== Songs ==
Because ''It Ain't Half Hot'' Mum was a sitcom about a concert party, many old music hall, musical and traditional songs were performed by the actors, including:
*An Apple For The Teacher
*A Pretty Girl Is Like A Melody
*By A Waterfall
*[[Dames]]
*Gentlemen Rankers
*Gilbert The Filbert
*[[Happy Days Are Here Again]]
*I'll Be Seeing You
*[[Love for Sale]]
*Mandalay
*Moonlight Becomes You
*Music Hall Song
*[[On the Good Ship Lollipop]]
*[[Puttin' On the Ritz]]
*[[Rule Britannia]]
*South Of The Border
*Stout-Hearted Men
*The Teddy Bears' Picnic
*The White Cliffs of Dover
*Top Hat
== Urdu Glossary ==
{| style="width:50%; height:75px" border="0"
| '''[[Urdu]]'''
| '''[[English language|English]]'''
|-
| aana
| to come
|-
| achchha
| good, okay
|-
| anna
| Indian coin, one sixteenth of a rupee
|-
| bahot
| many
|-
| chai
| tea
|-
| chapaati
| bread
|-
| charpai
| bed
|-
| chatti
| earthen pot
|-
| chitty
| note
|-
| dhobi
| laundry
|-
| dhoti
| loincloth
|-
| garam
| warm
|-
| idhar
| here
|-
| idhar aa'o!
| come here!
|-
| jaana
| to go
|-
| jaa'o!
| go!
|-
| jaldi
| quickly
|-
| kharaab
| bad
|-
| maloom
| clear
|-
| paagal pani
| alcohol ('mad water')
|-
| pani
| water
|-
| pankhaa
| fan
|-
| pyaalah
| bowl
|-
| rupee
| Indian coin
|-
| salaam
| hello
|-
| thand
| cold
|-
| theek hay
| okay
|-
| wallah
| -man (suffix)
|}
==References==
<div class="references-small">
<references/>
</div>
==External links==
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/articles/i/itainthalfhotmum_1299001653.shtml BBC Comedy Guide]
* [http://www.screenonline.org.uk/tv/id/479586/index.html British Film Institute Screen Online]
* [http://www.sitcom.co.uk/aint_half_hot/ British Sitcom Guide]
* [http://www.phill.co.uk/comedy/hotmum/ Phill.co.uk Comedy Guide]
* [http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ItAintHalfHotMum-1102373 Rottentomatoes.com]
* [http://www.melvynhayes.com Melvyn Hayes Official Website]
* [http://www.hum.com/Members/jeeee/dict.txt Urdu Glossary]
* [http://www.urduword.com Online English - Urdu Dictionary]
* [http://www.ebazm.com/dictionary.htm Online English - Urdu - Hindi Dictionary]
* [http://www.perryandcroft.co.uk - It Ain't Half Hot Mum]
*{{imdb title|id=0081878|title=It Ain't Half Hot Mum}}
{{David Croft}}
[[Category:BBC television sitcoms]]
[[Category:BBC television comedy]]
[[Category:David Croft sitcoms]]
[[Category:Lost BBC episodes]]
[[Category:World War II television comedy series]]
[[Category:1970s British television series]]
[[Category:1980s British television series]]
[[Category:1974 television series debuts]]
[[Category:1981 television series endings]]
[[nl:It Ain't Half Hot Mum]]