Satellite City

Satellite City is a Welsh sitcom which started out originally as a radio show on BBC Radio Wales in 1994 and then evolved into a TV version made by BBC Wales and was first broadcast in 1996.

For other uses, see satellite town.

Satellite City
GenreSitcom
Written by
  • Boyd Clack
  • Jane Clack
Starring
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series3
No. of episodes20 (inc. pilot) (list of episodes)
Production
Running time30–60 minutes
Release
Original networkBBC One Wales
Original release12 December 1995 (1995-12-12) –
3 March 1999 (1999-03-03)

A pilot, eighteen 30-minute episodes and a one-hour special were made in all. The pilot was significantly different from the remainder of the series, portraying Idris as senile and deluded into believing that clothes pegs are talking to him.[1]

In 1999, the series won a BAFTA Cymru Award for Best Light Entertainment.

Synopsis

The setting was an imaginary small town in the South Wales Valleys. The plot centered on the arrival of Randy (Michael Neill), an American visitor, who was taken in by the Price family (but had to share a bed with pensioner Idris, played by Islwyn Morris). Randy soon formed a relationship with local girl Mandy (Shelley Miranda Barrett). The other main characters were Idris's son, Gwynne (played by Boyd Clack, who also co-wrote the series), Gwynne's wife Moira (Ri Richards), barman Dai (Rhodri Hugh), and Mandy's friend Bridget (Einir Sion), replaced in the final series by the character of Donna (Kirsten Clark). In the final episode Randy moved into his own house with Mandy. There are continual references to Idris's ferret Sylvester (his beloved pet), and he eventually discovers that it is, in fact, a girl ferret.

The reason for the title is explained in the first episode: the district had been used for the initial testing of satellite dishes, but when the time came to return the dishes or pay for the service, no one returned them and no one paid. Satellite City thus suggests a run-down area.

Cast

Episodes

Pilot (1995)
TitleOriginal air date
"Pilot"12 December 1995 (1995-12-12)
The talking pegs are giving Idris a hard time, so Randy decides to offer some advice, which doesn't go down too well with Gwyn.

Series 1 (1996)
No.TitleOriginal air date
1"The Lodger"4 October 1996 (1996-10-04)
English Stan the lodger is dead and Dad wants a new replacement, but Gwynne says no, until an American named Randy turns up and saves the day.
2"Beer and Pickled Eggs"11 October 1996 (1996-10-11)
Gwynne borrows an executive toy from work which goes missing at the same time that local bad boy Spike Malarky turns up in the club. Dad eats too many pickled eggs and starts to dream.
3"Does Broccoli Count?"18 October 1996 (1996-10-18)
Randy wants a new bed, but Idris won't budge on the idea. Postman Pat takes Moira to Southerndown for a day out, which makes Gwynne jealous, and Mandy and Randy become a couple.
4"The Other Side"25 October 1996 (1996-10-25)
Dad is suffering from a bad case of boils, and Randy's alternative treatment causes Idris to have a visit from an old friend.
5"The Rough Get Going"1 November 1996 (1996-11-01)
Randy starts looking for a job, so that he can stay in Wales, and Bridget is frightened by a group of dwarfs with machetes.
6"Love and Rugby"8 November 1996 (1996-11-08)
Mandy wants Randy to prove that he loves her, but the men want to watch the international rugby match on the TV.

Series 2 (1997)
No.TitleOriginal air date
7"Hard Sell"10 October 1997 (1997-10-10)
Money is tight and the bills are piling up for the Prices, and matters are made worse when Dad gets conned by an unscrupulous door to door salesman.
8"Cutting the Crusts off His Sandwiches"17 October 1997 (1997-10-17)
Dai has started to act strangely and Randy is turning down Mandy's affections.
9"The Naked Truth"24 October 1997 (1997-10-24)
Mandy decides to take her clothes off in public, but Randy is against the idea. Gwynne tries to prove how intellectually superior he is, but Dad just wants to know if beetroot is nicer than ham.
10"Life Begins at Forty"31 October 1997 (1997-10-31)
Gwynne's mental state becomes even more erratic as his 40th birthday approaches.
11"With a Face Like Mine"7 November 1997 (1997-11-07)
Dad wants to be a grandfather but Gwynne and Moira are not keen on the idea.
12"Bloody Yvonne"14 November 1997 (1997-11-14)
Moira and Gwynne's old friend Yvonne Lewis is coming to visit.

Series 3 (1998–99)
No.TitleOriginal air date
13"Fear and Trembling"25 September 1998 (1998-09-25)
Dai starts to panic when he finds out that the club inspector is on his way.
14"Communications Breakdown"2 October 1998 (1998-10-02)
The Price family struggle to cope with the boredom after the TV set breaks down on a Saturday night.
15"Chronicle of A Death Foretold"9 October 1998 (1998-10-09)
A fortune teller in the Cosmo club warns Gwynne of his impending death.
16"Never Too Old"16 October 1998 (1998-10-16)
Gwynne is convinced that Dad's new lady friend Ellen is after his inheritance – or completely insane.
17"Survival of the Fattest"23 October 1998 (1998-10-23)
Moira decides to get fit, and Dad's bladder is playing him up.
18"13 Terminal Street"30 October 1998 (1998-10-30)
Randy gets a house and wants to leave so Dad has to think fast.
19"From Here to Maternity"3 March 1999 (1999-03-03)
60 minute special – Moira's biological clock has started to tick.

See also

References
  1. "Satellite City – Pilot". tv.com. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
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