All Along the Watchtower (TV series)

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All Along the Watchtower
Genre Sitcom
Starring Chris Lang
Roger Blake
Felix Bell
Tony Roper
Zoë Eeles
Country of origin United Kingdom
No. of episodes 6
Production
Running time 30 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel BBC One
Original run 28 February – 11 April 1999
External links
IMDb profile

All Along the Watchtower is a British sitcom that aired on BBC One in 1999. About a RAF base in Scotland, it was written by Pete Sinclair and Trevelyan Evans.

Contents

[edit] Cast

  • Chris Lang - Flight Lieutenant Simon Harrison
  • Roger Blake - Wing-Commander Hilary Campbell-Stokes
  • Felix Bell - Airman Tench
  • Tony Roper - Iain Guthrie
  • Zoë Eeles - Eilidh Guthrie
  • Tom Watson - Douggie Maclaggan
  • George Glen - Mrs Mulvey

[edit] Plot

The series focuses on Flight Lieutenant Harrison, a young up-and-coming RAF officer, whose job it is to recommend RAF bases for closure. The latest on the list is Nuclear Command Bunker no. K553/44FS, a massive concrete Cold War facility, which looms over the isolated Scottish fishing village of Auchnacluchnie. However, he finds to his horror that the base, rather than being staffed by 300, actually only has the eccentric, obtuse and war-ready Wing-Commander Campbell-Stokes and his gauche junior Airman Tench. All the other staff have been siphoned off over the years and never been replaced, resulting in RAF Auchnacluchnie receiving the full quota of supplies for its supposed population: leaving Campbell-Stokes and Tench to eat from 50 litre tins of baked bins and make tea from 100,000 bag boxes of tea-bags.

The startling state of affairs is considered just as bad from the local villagers, who consider the base an English establishment foisted upon them, and Harrison decides to file a report recommending its closure. Meanwhile, he becomes smitten with Eilidh, the pub landlord's beautiful daughter, who singlehandedly runs the local school and whose boyfriend, the impressively muscular and unseen Hamish, is working away on an oil rig. Realising that closing the base will impact upon the village's school, which only stays open because Eilidh pretends she cares for the children of the 300 base staff, he falsifies the report. But, much to his horror, he is posted to the base permanently.

[edit] Episodes

Title Airdate Overview
"Back to the Front" 28 February Flt Lt Harrison is forced to decide what to do about the defunct, but still manned, RAF Auchnacluchnie, while Wing-Commander Campbell-Stokes attempts to censor the airbase from civilian postcards.
"Wet Wet Wet" 7 March Airman Tench is in love with the TV weather-girl, but the weather, according to Campbell-Stokes, is top-secret and shouldn't even be talked about, which causes some trouble for the pub's lottery and beer garden. Meanwhile, the school sports day proves to be somewhat of a damp squib.
"Keeping the Peace" 14 March Auchnacluchnie is voted one of the quietest places in the UK, gaining itself '4 ears' in the Michelin Guide. This boon for tourism would be good, if not for the base's new North Korean-made siren.
"One Flew Into The Cuckoo's Nest" 21 March An osprey nest in one of the radar-dishes mechanisms causes consternation and cat-hunting.
"Wish You Weren't Here" 28 March Re-decorating the pub proves to be somewhat more of a chore than it should be.
"The Fallout Zone" 11 April A Russian fighter plane is incoming on RAF Auchnacluchnie, the last line of defence against the total destruction of Great Britain.

[edit] External links