The Unforgettable
| The Unforgettable | |
|---|---|
| Narrated by | Daniel Abineri (series 1–3) Martin Glyn Murray (series 4–5) |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 5 |
| No. of episodes | 39 |
| Production | |
| Producer | John Quinn |
| Running time | 30 to 60 minutes |
| Production companies | Watchmaker Productions (series 1) North One Television (series 2–5) |
| Original release | |
| Network | ITV |
| Release | 21 January 2000 – 21 May 2002 |
| Release | 8 August 2010 – 30 May 2012 |
The Unforgettable was a British television obituary-based documentary programme which aired on ITV from 21 January 2000 to 30 May 2012. It gave a biographical view into the lives of some of Britain's best-remembered entertainers and actors.
Each episode focused on the parallel private and professional life-stories of each person, which included interviews with friends, family and co-stars. The series also used previously unaired home recordings and personal photographs.[1]
Series overview
Regular series
| Series | Start date | End date | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21 January 2000 | 7 April 2000 | 6 |
| 2 | 18 September 2000 | 31 December 2000 | 6 |
| 3 | 2 September 2001 | 21 May 2002 | 7 |
| 4 | 8 August 2010 | 23 December 2010 | 8 |
| 5 | 8 November 2011 | 30 May 2012 | 11 |
2015 special
| Entitle | Date | Episodes |
|---|---|---|
| The Sweeney | 4 September 2015 | 1 |
Episodes
To date, five series have been produced, the first three from 21 January 2000 to 21 May 2002. Following an eight-year hiatus, the series returned on 8 August 2010.
The first two series were made by Watchmaker Productions. Series 3 was made by Chrysalis Entertainment, whilst series 4 and 5 are made by North One Television, which are all now part of All3Media.
In total, 38 regular episodes were produced.
The last obituary-based documentary in the series was broadcast on 30 May 2012. However, there was an additional one-off edition on 4 September 2015, focusing on The Sweeney, bringing the number of episodes to 39.
Series 1 (2000)
All 6 episodes are 30 minutes long.
| No. overall | No. in series | Episode title | Transmission |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Hattie Jacques | 21 January 2000 |
| 2 | 2 | Richard Beckinsale | 15 March 2000 |
| 3 | 3 | Larry Grayson | 19 March 2000 |
| 4 | 4 | Diana Dors | 24 March 2000 |
| 5 | 5 | Kenny Everett | 31 March 2000 |
| 6 | 6 | Pat Phoenix | 7 April 2000 |
Series 2 (2000)
All 6 episodes are 30 minutes long.
| No. overall | No. in series | Episode title | Transmission |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 1 | Arthur Lowe | 18 September 2000 |
| 8 | 2 | Leonard Rossiter | 25 September 2000 |
| 9 | 3 | Sid James | 5 December 2000 |
| 10 | 4 | Les Dawson | 11 December 2000 |
| 11 | 5 | Frankie Howerd | 18 December 2000 |
| 12 | 6 | Beryl Reid | 31 December 2000 |
Series 3 (2001-2002)
Editions are 40 minutes long unless stated.
| No. overall | No. in series | Episode title | Transmission |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | 1 | Tommy Cooper | 2 September 2001 |
| 14 | 2 | John Le Mesurier | 9 September 2001 |
| 15 | 3 | Kenneth Williams | 23 September 2001 |
| 16 | 4 | Yootha Joyce | 3 October 2001 (30 mins) |
| 17 | 5 | Eric Morecambe | 2 November 2001 (1 hour) |
| 18 | 6 | Benny Hill | 14 December 2001 |
| 19 | 7 | Joan Sims | 21 May 2002 |
Series 4 (2010)
Episodes 1, 2, 5, 6, 7 and 8 are one hour long unless stated.
| No. overall | No. in series | Episode title | Transmission |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 1 | Bob Monkhouse | 8 August 2010 |
| 21 | 2 | Jeremy Beadle | 15 August 2010 |
| 22 | 3 | Mollie Sugden | 8 September 2010 (30 mins) |
| 23 | 4 | Terry Scott | 22 September 2010 (30 mins) |
| 24 | 5 | Harry Secombe | 20 December 2010 |
| 25 | 6 | Danny La Rue | 21 December 2010 |
| 26 | 7 | Mike Reid | 22 December 2010 |
| 27 | 8 | Spike Milligan | 23 December 2010 |
Series 5 (2011–2012)
All editions are 30 minutes long, unless stated.
| No. overall | No. in series | Episode title | Transmission |
|---|---|---|---|
| 28 | 1 | Norman Wisdom | 8 November 2011 |
| 29 | 2 | Ernie Wise | 26 December 2011 (1 hour) |
| 30 | 3 | John Thaw | 1 January 2012 (1 hour) |
| 31 | 4 | Leslie Crowther | 11 January 2012 |
| 32 | 5 | Rod Hull | 1 February 2012 |
| 33 | 6 | Russell Harty | 21 March 2012 |
| 34 | 7 | Dick Emery | 11 April 2012 |
| 35 | 8 | Hughie Green | 2 May 2012 |
| 36 | 9 | Noele Gordon | 16 May 2012 |
| 37 | 10 | Dudley Moore | 23 May 2012 |
| 38 | 11 | Gordon Jackson | 30 May 2012 |
| 39 | 12 | The Sweeney | 4 September 2015 (1 hour) |
References
- ^ "The Unforgettable... - ITV Factual - British Comedy Guide". Comedy.co.uk. Retrieved 22 December 2015.