Citizen Smith started life as a Comedy Special on 12 April 1977. The sitcom was written by John Sullivan and starred Robert Lindsay. Lindsay was Wolfie Smith, the leader of the Tooting Popular Front. Wolfie’s ambitions - to overthrow the system and bring freedom to the people of Tooting – never quite came to pass. For many people, Tooting is forever associated with the cry "power to the people" from the opening credits of each episode.
In the pilot we meet Wolfie - in his ubiquitous beret and Che Guevara t-shirt. Through a misunderstanding he becomes engaged to his girlfriend Shirley (Cheryl Hall). This news is met with varying degrees of enthusiasm by her mother (Hilda Braid) and father. Arto Morris played father in the pilot but was replaced by Peter Vaughan for the first series. Wolfie's rubbish revolutionary plans are aided by his friend Ken (Mike Grady).
Citizen Smith ran for four series until 1980. Wolfie was so popular there was a danger Lindsay would be type cast, but his career path - including the drama GBH on television and Shakespeare and the musical Me and My Girl on the stage – has disproved that. Lindsay returned to ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ sitcoms in 2000 in My Family. Sullivan went from strength to strength, creating Only Fools and Horses, Just Good Friends and Dear John, and won an OBE for services to drama before his untimely death in 2011.
April anniversaries
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Radiophonic Workshop founded
1 April 1958 -
The Boat Race first televised
2 April 1927 -
The Family first episode
3 April 1974 -
The Good Life
4 April 1975 -
New radio branding
4 April 1970 -
Newsround
4 April 1972 -
The Money Programme
5 April 1966 -
American Half Hour
6 April 1935 -
PM and The World Tonight
6 April 1970 -
Pogle’s Wood
7 April 1966 -
How Does Your Garden Grow?
9 April 1947 -
First episode of The Two Ronnies
10 April 1971 -
Launch of ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Networking Club
11 April 1994 -
I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue
11 April 1972 -
Blue Peter Royal Safari
11 April 1971 -
Citizen Smith
12 April 1977 -
Animal Magic
13 April 1962 -
Demonstration of VERA Video Recorder on Panorama
14 April 1958 -
After Henry
17 April 1985 -
Hamlet at Elsinore
19 April 1964 -
First night of ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Two
20 April 1964 -
Play School
21 April 1964 -
First episode of Top Gear
22 April 1977 -
Children's Newsreel
23 April 1950 -
The Sky at Night
24 April 1957 -
An Age of Kings
28 April 1960 -
First Episode of Waggoners' Walk
28 April 1969 -
The FA Cup Final is first televised
30 April 1938