Sykes and a...


Sykes and a... is a black-and-white Television in [the United Kingdom|British] sitcom starring Eric Sykes and Hattie Jacques that aired on BBC1 from 1960 to 1965. It was written by Eric Sykes, Johnny Speight, John Antrobus and Spike Milligan. Sykes and a... was the first television series to feature both Sykes and Jacques, who later starred in Sykes and a Big, Big Show and Sykes, the latter of which featured the same characters and reused some of the same scripts.

Cast

Eric is an accident-prone childlike man who lives with his twin sister Hattie in a terraced house, 24 Sebastopol Terrace, in East Acton. Both are unmarried. Their busybody neighbour Charles Brown often interferes, until he emigrates to Australia. The local policeman, who makes occasional appearances, is Corky Turnbull.

Episodes

Out of the 59 episodes, 32 have been lost, as well as the 1962 short episode featured in Christmas Night with the Stars.

Series One (1960)

  1. "Sykes and a Telephone"
  2. "Sykes and a Burglary"
  3. "Sykes and a New Car"
  4. "Sykes and an Uncle"
  5. "Sykes and a Lodger"
The entire series is missing from the BBC Archives.

Series Two (1960)

  1. "Sykes and a Movie Camera"
  2. "Sykes and a Library Book"
  3. "Sykes and a Holiday"
  4. "Sykes and an Egg"
  5. "Sykes and a Brave Deed"
  6. "Sykes and a Cheque Book"
Only "Sykes and a Holiday" still exists in the BBC Archives. In 2021 it was confirmed "Sykes and a Movie Camera" existed in the CBC archive in Canada, making it the earliest episode known to exist. The rest of this series is missing.

Series Three (1961)

  1. "Sykes and a Window"
  2. "Sykes and a Salesman"
  3. "Sykes and a Fancy Dress"
  4. "Sykes and a Bath"
  5. "Sykes and a Marriage"
  6. "Sykes and an Ankle"
Episodes 1 and 3 are missing from the BBC Archives. Episode 5 was previously missing from the archives; however it was recovered in 2023 as a result of the 'Film is Fabulous' event.

Series Four (1961)

  1. "Sykes and a Mission"
  2. "Sykes and a Stranger"
  3. "Sykes and a Cat"
  4. "Sykes and a Bandage"
  5. "Sykes and a Suspicion"
  6. "Sykes and a Surprise"
Episodes 1, 4, 5 and 6 are missing from the BBC Archives.

Series Five (1962)

  1. "Sykes and a Gamble"
  2. "Sykes and a Job"
  3. "Sykes and a Boat"
  4. "Sykes and a Journey"
  5. "Sykes and an Elephant"
  6. "Sykes and a Rolls"
  7. "Sykes and a Haunting"
  8. "Sykes and a Dream"
All the episodes of this series still exist in the BBC Archives.

Short Special (1962)

  • "Sykes and his Sister". This edition of Christmas Night with the Stars also included shorts from Steptoe and Son and The Rag Trade.

    Series Six (1963)

  1. "Sykes and a Fog"
  2. "Sykes and a Phobia"
  3. "Sykes and a Camping Trip"
  4. "Sykes and a Picture"
  5. "Sykes and a Mouse"
  6. "Sykes and a Walk"
  7. "Sykes and a Referee"
  8. "Sykes and a Pub"
Episodes 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 and 8 are missing from the BBC Archives.

Series Seven (1964)

  1. "Sykes and a Box"
  2. "Sykes and a Plank". This episode was later adapted into a short film in 1967 and 1979.
  3. "Sykes and a Search"
  4. "Sykes and a Following"
  5. "Sykes and a Menace"
  6. "Sykes and a Log Cabin"
  7. "Sykes and a Band"
Episodes 3, 5 and 7 are missing from the BBC Archives.

Series Eight (1964)

  1. "Sykes and Two Birthdays"
  2. "Sykes and a Hypnotist"
  3. "Sykes and a Protest"
  4. "Sykes and a Bird"
  5. "Sykes and a Cold War"
  6. "Sykes and a Cold"
Episodes 1, 3 and 4 are missing from the BBC Archives.

Series Nine (1965)

  1. "Sykes and a Mountain"
  2. "Sykes and a Deb"
  3. "Sykes and a Business"
  4. "Sykes and a Golfer"
  5. "Sykes and a Big Brother"
  6. "Sykes and a Uniform"
  7. "Sykes and a Nest Egg"
Episodes 1, 2, 3, 5 and 7 are missing from the BBC Archives.