I Hate The Clip Shows: Hardwicke House

Featuring the diverse talents of Kevin Allen, Roy Kinnear, Rik Mayall and Ade Edmonson, this school-based sitcom was launched on ITV in a blaze of publicity in 1987, and then hastily unlaunched when the tabloid press decided that they didn't like it very much, and it's never been shown in full to this day. Although little-remembered now, the series still has a strong place in the memories of those who saw the two episodes that were allowed to sneak out before the hypocritical headline-spewers started crying "ban this filth!".

"Hardwicke House" arrived in a blaze of publicity, the first two episodes being shown on consecutive nights the same week, and disappeared in an equally strong blaze of publicity when it was pulled from the schedules, following a torrent of vociferous complaints.

I never actually saw any of Hardwicke House when it was on, but everyone was talking about it in school the next day and there was loads in the papers calling for it to be banned, so I thought 'I've got to watch this next week', and when I saw in the cast list that Rik Mayall and Ade Edmonson were going to be in it I couldn't wait. Then it wasn't on. So this was really a reversal of the usual way it goes, where people complaining about something just end up drawing more attention to it. This time they drew attention to it and got it banned too. - Doctor Claire

Although possibly too strong for its early evening timeslot, the supposed 'shock' elements in "Hardwicke House" that so inflamed people's disgust were actually quite tame in comparison to some other programmes that have gone unnoticed over the years, and in retrospect it's difficult to see what caused people to get so dramatically worked up.

Hardwicke House really was no more than an updated St Trinians film, if a bit randier. But as far as I remember it went out pre-watershed, so it wasn't the shock-horror event it was reported as. Same old story like Brass Eye really - people saw it couldn't recognise it from the descriptions given by people who hadn't seen it. Typical Thatcherite press response to representation of social problem - "schools in trouble"/"I see no ships". - Dave Rolinson

To be honest, I think that it was the bad language (of which there was plenty) and violence (one of the characters was a teacher who electrified the contents of his stockcupboard) that caused problems, rather than any notions of sexuality. To be fair, it was put in the same sort of timeslot as harmless sitcom fare like "Fresh Fields", and the kind of viewer who liked harmless sitcom fare like "Fresh Fields" wasn't necessarily going to be the same kind of viewer who would find Kevin Allen forcing would-be recruits to his gang to eat raw liver amusing. - TJ Worthington

Unlike most 'banned' television shows, "Hardwicke House" has never resurfaced, even though the master tapes of all episodes still exist, and the series has in fact been sold for overseas transmission.

I think a large part of the reason for its continued non-appearance is down to ignorance, basically. People see the word 'banned' being bandied about in relation to the series, and thus automatically assume it to be something that will never be suitable for public consumption, rather than just a series that created a rather pointless fuss over the fact that it was broadcast in far too early a timeslot. - TJ Worthington

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