Doctor Omega
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Love Thy Neighbour is a British sitcom, which was broadcast from 13 April 1972 until 22 January 1976, spanning seven series and fifty-four episodes. The series was produced by Thames Television for the ITV network.
The principal cast included Jack Smethurst, Rudolph Walker, Nina Baden-Semper and Kate Williams. In 1973, the series was adapted into a film of the same name, and a later sequel series was set in Australia.
Criticism for handling of Race Issues
Since the series first began airing in 1972 Love Thy Neighbour has been criticised for its politically incorrect handling of issues of racism, although its writers have claimed that each episode included both anti-white and anti-black sentiment.[1] It is often used as shorthand for television before the era of political correctness. Although both characters were bigoted and intolerant, Bill usually had the last laugh and rarely got his comeuppance.
Others have noted that Love Thy Neighbour was merely an attempt by ITV to capitalise on the success of Johnny Speight's Till Death Us Do Part, but with inferior writing.[2] Speight's series has been repeated (and spawned a sequel in the 1980s), but repeats of Love Thy Neighbour have not been seen on British television for many years.
American remake
An American version of the show, set in the suburbs of Los Angeles and titled Love Thy Neighbor, ran during the summer of 1973 on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) television network.[3] This toned-down version of the British original ran for one series of twelve episodes.[4]
Other appearance
Smethurst and Walker appeared as relaxing actors having a drink together in the studio bar when George Roper (Brian Murphy) walks in while searching the Thames Television TV studios in the 1974 film Man About the House.
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