The ‘Golden Age’: 1969–1980. Part 1: Racists, Romans, and Randy Busmen

This chapter begins the exploration of the British sitcom spinoff film’s classic/mature stage, aka its ‘Golden Age’. It sketches in the economic context for this genre resurgence where, with UK cinema attendances plummeting, the huge success of television sitcoms proved a ready market to exploit. The chapter provides an industrial reading, focusing on the two bodies that most mined this cinematic seam: Associated London Films (ALF) and Hammer Studios. ALF is shown to begin the revival with Till Death Us Do Part (1969), the commercial success of which launched a new cycle of sitcom spinoffs. ALF furthered its spinoff success with Up Pompeii (1971) and its two sequels, Up the Chastity Belt and Up the Front (both 1972), then a third spinoff venture, Steptoe and Son (1972), again with a sequel, Steptoe and Son Ride Again (1973). This success prompted Hammer Studios’ triumphant return to the genre with On the Buses (1971), a British box-office sensation and Hammer’s most commercially successful film ever. Alongside exploring reasons for the film’s success, and its two sequels, Mutiny on the Buses (1972) and Holiday on the Buses (1973), Hammer’s further ventures into sitcom adaptation are explored. These include commercial disappointments such as Nearest and Dearest (1973), ideologically problematic fare such as Love Thy Neighbour (1973) and safer spinoffs such as Man About the House (1974) and the Hammer-related George and Mildred (1980).