User Reviews

Robin Nedwell's Duncan Waring was promoted to centre stage in this sequel to 'Doctor At Large' following Barry Evans' departure. Waring's absence was explained by being away in America to escape from the amarous advances of Nurse Doreen Willett ( only ever seen once and who was played by Andria Lawrence ).

Nedwell certainly was superior to his predecessor, not that I am taking anything away from Evans, and George Layton and Geoffrey Davies once again appeared as troublesome Paul Collier and Dick Stuart Clark, as did Richard O'Sullivan as Lawrence Bingham and Ernest Clark as 'ogre of St. Swithin's' Professor Geoffrey Loftus. Romance was added by the inclusion of new characters, Mary Parsons ( Helen Fraser ), who later got married to Bingham and Sandra Crompton ( gorgeous Sammie Winnell ) but sadly, along with Waring's parents, played by Victor Platt and Mollie Sugden, they were axed after only a handful of episodes.

'Doctor In Charge' had some fine episodes ( such as 'The Black & White Medical Show', mainly for a memorable guest appearance by the much missed Jimmy Logan ), but like the earlier 'Doctor At Large' I felt missed the target as often as it hit.

'Doctor In Charge' ran for a total of 43 episodes over two seasons. O'Sullivan left LWT to move over to Thames Television for his first leading sitcom role - 'Man About The House' - so that was the end of Bingham. Nedwell and Davies hung around for the sequel, 'Doctor At Sea', which saw Waring and Stuart Clark getting jobs as doctors abroad a cruise ship.

Robsnide, if you are unaware of any poorer episodes, more power to you, I'm glad you enjoy the show so much but as I have had to specify in other reviews, the opinions expressed are of my own. I don't expect yourself or anyone for that matter to agree with all my opinions but I at least expect people to respect them, so please bear that in mind before berating others.

With Barry Evans out of the 'Doctor' series, it hit crisis point. So popular was he that to have recast the role of 'Upton' would have been a mistake. Humphrey Barclay chose instead to bring back the cheeky 'Duncan Waring' - not seen since 'In The House' - played by the late, much-missed Robin Nedwell. His absence was explained by his being in America, studying medicine ( and getting up to naughty business as the episode 'Honey Lamb' would make abundantly clear ).

Upton was said to have joined the Merchant Navy to escape the amorous advances of Nurse Willett, to whom he had drunkenly proposed. He was never seen again and remained virtually forgotten until the opening episode of 'Doctor At The Top' twenty years later.

It didn't take long for Waring to engender the same level of affection as his predecessor. He was more of an extrovert ( only an extrovert would wear those hideous bow-ties! ) and Nedwell was particularly adept at physical comedy.

The early episodes gave him a steady girlfriend in the shape of Nurse Sandra Crumpton, played by Sammie Winmill, of 'The Tomorrow People' fame, but she was dropped after a handful of episodes, along with Duncan's mother and father.

Richard O'Sullivan had proved popular as slimy 'Bingham' and so was granted the honour of appearing in the opening titles along with the others. Inside Duncan's pacing outline Lawrence can be seen reacting in horror as the ambulance he is in collides head-on with another, carrying Dick Stuart-Clark.

'In Charge' became the first 'Doctor' series to earn a two-page strip in the children's comic 'Look-In'. Angus P.Allan's stories were true to the spirit of the original, although the nurse-chasing and boozing were conspicuously absent!

I rate this as the best of the 'Doctor' series, mainly because of the combined team of Nedwell, Davies, Layton, O'Sullivan and Clark and the superb scripts by, amongst others, Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie ( 'The Black & White Medical Show' excepted! ). Sadly, they left after the first series to concentrate on 'The Goodies'. Future 'Grange Hill' and 'Brookside' creator Phil Redmond was one of their replacements.

Two story arcs occurred in the first series - Loftus' quest for a knighthood and Bingham courting and marrying one of Duncan's old flames - the ghastly 'Dr.Mary Parsons' ( Helen Fraser ), who refers to him as 'Bidger-Badger!' and Duncan as 'Dunky'!

Incidentally, a young Tony Robinson ( 'Baldrick' from 'Blackadder' ) appears in the episodes 'Amazing Grace' and 'The Epidemic'.

Funniest episode - 'Honeymoon Special' Watch it and cry laughing!

'Doctor in Charge' saw Barry Evans' Upton depart and be replaced by 'Duncan Waring' from 'Doctor In The House', again played by Robin Nedwell. Other than that, it was business as usual, with the episodes once more being set in St. Swithins hospital. The quality of the episodes is generally first-class. If there any 'poorer episodes', I am unaware of them. A young Tony Robinson ( of 'Blackadder' fame ) appears in two episodes as accident prone 'Reggie Grace'. The unexpected popularity of Richard O'Sullivan's 'Bingham' led to him being giving a wife in the shape of prissy 'Dr. Mary Parsons', played by Helen Fraser. I agree with the general consensus that this is the best of the 'Doctor' series.