"Col'n Carpenter" (1990) TV series 1990-1991

User Rating:

9.4/10   

Directors:

Chris Adshead
Tina Butler

Writers:

Chris Anastassiades (writer)
Rob Caldwell (writer)

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Release Date:

15 February 1990 (Australia)

Genre:

Comedy

Cast

Kim Gyngell

...

Col'n Carpenter (58 episodes, 1990-1991)

Runtime:

25 min (58 episodes)

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Filming Locations:

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Company:

Media Arts

Movie Connections:

Spin off from "The Comedy Company" (1988)

Forgotten classic?

Okay there were probably only about two people including me who watched Col'n Carpenter but it was surprisingly watchable for what it was (a TV sitcom with a budget that amounted to peanuts). It was a spin off of Kym Gyngell's Col'n Carpenter sketches on "The Comedy Company".

The series began with Col'n moving into a suburban house with two other "well-to-do" types. I can't remember if Col'n was unemployed but he was a outwardly simple person who dressed in fairly daggy beige clothing. His main pal/adversary was his housemate (Michael Preeble played by Stig Wemyss according to the credits), who I think was an architect. Preeble was basically a decent person but had a bit of an ego problem, often viewing Col'n as inferior. Unfortunately he left the show during its run, which left Col'n on his own. The focus of the show changed to how various people would react to Col'n and his ways. Carpenter's preferred pronunciation of Col'n was in itself a point of debate.

I watched the show, didn't mind it, have seen Kym Gyngell unfortunately only pop up in a few programs since. Seeing as Col'n Carpenter lasted two seasons according to IMDb I probably wasn't the only one to watch it.