Oh, Doctor Beeching!
| Oh, Doctor Beeching! | |
|---|---|
Titlescreen featuring an LMS Ivatt Class 2 | |
| Created by | |
| Written by |
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| Directed by | Roy Gould |
| Starring |
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| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 20 (including pilot) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | David Croft |
| Producers |
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| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC1 |
| Release | 14 August 1995 – 28 September 1997 |
| Infobox instructions (only shown in preview) | |
Oh, Doctor Beeching! is a British television sitcom written by David Croft and Richard Spendlove, and produced for the BBC. After a pilot for the programme was broadcast on 14 August 1995, full production saw the sitcom running for two series from 8 July 1996 to 28 September 1997.
The series focuses on the staff of the fictional Hatley railway station, whose lives are disrupted by the arrival of a new station master on the same day that news breaks out over proposed plans by Dr Richard Beeching to close many branch lines and their respective stations. Filming of the sitcom included exterior shots taken at Arley railway station on the Severn Valley Railway, and featured many of the same actors who had performed before in Hi-de-Hi! and You Rang, M'Lord?, including Paul Shane, Jeffrey Holland, and Su Pollard.
Oh, Doctor Beeching! was the last sitcom to be written by Croft, who agreed to produce it for the BBC after initially cutting ties with corporation over private disagreements. Despite initial good viewing figures when it began, the sitcom was axed following extensive problems competing with other programming on the BBC, including major news coverage in 1997.