The BBC first broadcast Steptoe and Son on 5 th January 1962. It was written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson and it became an immediate hit, even though Steptoe and Son was written as a one off drama called “The Offer” the BBC instantly knew they had a hit on their hands and Ray and Alan were immediately asked to write a full series. Steptoe and Son features the lives and adventures of two rag and bone men. Albert Steptoe is the father who tires everyway possible to hold his son back. albert was played by Wilfred Brambell a wonderful character actor from Dublin Ireland. Harry H. Corbett played the long suffering son Harold Steptoe. Many of the funniest moments come when Harold Steptoe sees his father Albert Steptoe perform some revolting task to which he invariably responded “You Dirty Old Man”. This turned out to be the only catchphrase that appeared in Steptoe and Son.

 

It is almost 50 years since the first episode of Steptoe and Son was broadcast, many other series have come and gone, however they all recognise the debt TV comedy owes to Albert Steptoe and his son Harold Steptoe played by those wonderful actors Wilfred Brambell and Harry H Corrbett with scripts written by the UK’s greatest scriptwriting team Ray Galton and Alan Simpson. Long live Steptoe and Son

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