The Men From The Ministry

Broadcast Schedule

Series 1

Broadcast on Tuesdays at 8:00pm on the Light Programme. Repeated in a different order on Saturdays at 1:10pm on the Home Service 26.1.63 to 20.4.63. A Christmas special episode was broadcast on 24.12.64 at 7:30pm on the Home Service.

Episode Date Repeat Title
1/1 30.10.6216.02.63The Great Footwear Scandal
1/2 06.11.6209.02.63The Big Rocket *
1/3 13.11.6216.03.63Strictly For The Birds
1/4 20.11.6223.03.63French Cricket
1/5 27.11.6226.01.63The War With The Isle Of Wight
1/6 04.12.6223.02.63Moderately Important Person
1/7 11.12.6209.03.63The Rhubarb Pirates
1/8 18.12.6230.03.63A Matter Of Form
1/9 25.12.6202.02.63The Magic Carpet
1/1001.01.6213.04.63The Spy In The Black Pin-Stripe
1/1108.01.6306.04.63Island In The Sun
1/1215.01.6302.03.63Problem In The Park
1/1322.01.6320.04.63The End Of The Road
SP 24.12.64  A Present For Norman

Series 2

Broadcast on Sundays at 9:00pm on the Light Programme. Repeated the following Tuesdays at 8:00pm on the Light Programme.

Episode Date Repeat Title
2/1 25.07.6527.07.65Pirates Of Lakeview Reservoir
2/2 01.08.6503.08.65Something About A Soldier *
2/3 08.08.6510.08.65The Trouble With Cecil
2/4 15.08.6517.08.65Mahboni Lies Over The Ocean
2/5 22.08.6524.08.65The Man Who Made It Rain
2/6 29.08.6531.08.65Train Of Events
2/7 05.09.6507.09.65A Degrading Business
2/8 12.09.6514.09.65The Butcher Of Glensporran
2/9 19.09.6521.09.65Counter Spies
2/1026.09.6528.09.65A Question Of Dundancy
2/1103.10.6505.10.65A Back-Dated Problem
2/1210.10.6512.10.65The Hole
2/1317.10.6519.10.65The Day The Martians Came

Series 3

Broadcast on Sundays on the Light Programme, at 9:30pm from 11.12.66 to 25.12.66, and at 9:00pm from 1.1.67 to 12.3.67. Repeated in the same order (excluding the Christmas special "The Post Office Pantomime") on Mondays at 7:00pm on the Home Service 3.4.67 to 26.6.67.

Episode Date Repeat Title
3/1 11.12.6603.04.67Rebel In Regents Park
3/2 18.12.6610.04.67A Terrifying Weapon
3/3 25.12.66  The Post Office Pantomime
3/4 01.01.6717.04.67All At Sea
3/5 08.01.6724.04.67Bowler Hats And Sub-Machine Guns
3/6 15.01.6701.05.67On The Run
3/7 22.01.6708.05.67A Gift For Sir Gregory
3/8 29.01.6715.05.67A Whitehall Circus
3/9 05.02.6722.05.67Customs Of The Country
3/1012.02.6729.05.67Getting The Bird
3/1119.02.6705.06.67The Girl In The Case
3/1226.02.6712.06.67The Thing On The Beach
3/1305.03.6719.06.67A Slight Case Of Demolition *
3/1412.03.6726.06.67The Fastest Ship In The World

Series 4

Broadcast on Sundays at 2:31pm on Radio 2. Repeated the following Monday on Radios 1 and 2, at 8:45pm on 19.2.68 and the following Wednesdays on Radio 2 at 7:45pm from 28.2.68 to 15.5.68.

Episode Date Repeat Title
4/1 18.02.6819.02.68The Battle Of The River Thames
4/2 25.02.6828.02.68The Tubby Submarine
4/3 03.03.6806.03.68A Matter Of Breeding
4/4 10.03.6813.03.68The Great Showbiz Fiasco
4/5 17.03.6820.03.68Up The Poll
4/6 24.03.6827.03.68Waterway To Go
4/7 31.03.6803.04.68Dam Nuisance
4/8 07.04.6810.04.68The Fastest Brolly In The West
4/9 14.04.6817.04.68Lamb Takes A Gambol
4/1021.04.6824.04.68Four Men In A Wellington
4/1128.04.6801.04.68Out Of This World
4/1205.05.6808.05.68Muddlers-In-Law
4/1312.05.6815.05.68What Has Four Wheels And Flies ?

Series 5

Broadcast on Tuesdays at 7:00pm on Radio 4. The series was not repeated. The episodes were first broadcast in a different order by the BBC World Service, which had commissioned this series.

Episode Date World S. Title
5/1 25.03.6915.02.69A Rotten System
5/2 01.04.6908.03.69A Brush With An Old Master
5/3 08.04.6915.03.69All Play And No Work
5/4 15.04.6922.03.69A Sticky Business
5/5 22.04.6922.02.69The Home-Brewed Non-Vintage Bomb
5/6 29.04.6901.03.69The Ship That Wagged It's Tail

Series 6

Broadcast Tuesdays at 7:30pm on Radio 4. The series was not repeated. Some episodes were first broadcast by the BBC World Service.

Episode Date World S. Title
6/1 30.06.70  Bye-Bye Mildred *
6/2 07.07.7015.03.70The Bare Necessities *
6/3 14.07.7022.03.70Storm In A Tea-urn
6/4 21.07.7029.03.70The Moving Target
6/5 28.07.70x Oil Well That Ends Well
6/6 04.08.70x The Bigger The Better
6/7 11.08.70x Trouble In The Air
6/8 18.08.70x Miss Chaterley's Lover
6/9 25.08.70x The Pudding From Outer Space
6/1001.09.70  A Little Of What You Fancy
6/1108.09.70  A Bird In The Hand
6/1215.09.70  Bringing The House Down
6/1322.09.70  Fair Exchange
6/1429.09.70  Bill Stickers Is Innocent

Series 7

Broadcast on Thursdays at 12:25pm on Radio 4. The last episode was broadcast two months after the others on a Monday at 6:15pm on Radio 4. The series was not repeated.

Episode Date   Title
7/1 29.07.71 Rolling In It *
7/2 05.08.71 Up Up And Away
7/3 12.08.71 Thoroughly Modern Ministry
7/4 19.08.71 We All Make Mistakes
7/5 26.08.71 A Foolproof Fool
7/6 02.09.71 Rotten To The Corps
7/7 09.09.71 Transatlantic Trouble
7/8 16.09.71 The Finger Of Suspicion
7/9 23.09.71 Just The Ticket
7/1029.11.71 Gone To Pot

Series 8

Broadcast on Tuesdays at 12:25pm on Radio 4. Repeated the following Thursdays at 6:15pm on Radio 4.

Episode Date Repeat Title
8/1 11.07.7213.07.72The Conference Trick *
8/2 18.07.7220.07.72The Night We Crept Into The Crypt
8/3 25.07.7227.07.72How Now, Brown Cow
8/4 01.08.7203.08.72Sorry, Wrong Number
8/5 08.08.7210.08.72The Desk Job
8/6 15.08.7217.08.72Fowl Play
8/7 22.08.7224.08.72Something Of Value
8/8 29.08.7227.08.72Taking Leave Of Their Census

Series 9

Broadcast on Tuesdays at 12:25pm on Radio 4. Repeated the following Thursdays at 6:15pm on Radio 4. Episode 9/5 "A Private Affair" was billed as being the 100th show. It is actually the 96th broadcast. Most likely, there was a difference between the recording and broadcast sequences.

Episode Date Repeat Title
9/1 06.03.7308.03.73That's My Pigeon
9/2 13.03.7315.03.73Don't Let Them Needle You
9/3 20.03.7322.03.73Find The Lady
9/4 27.03.7329.03.73Bridge Under Troubled Water
9/5 03.04.7305.04.73A Private Affair *
9/6 10.04.7312.04.73Food For Thought
9/7 17.04.7319.04.73Getting It Taped
9/8 24.04.7326.04.73Safe And Unsound
9/9 01.05.7303.05.73The Export Caper
9/1008.05.7310.05.73Flushed With Success
9/1115.05.7317.05.73Under The Weather
9/1222.05.7324.05.73Monkey Business
9/1329.05.7331.05.73Cheesed Off

Series 10

Broadcast Mondays at 6:15pm on Radio 4. Repeated the following Wednesdays at 12:27pm on Radio 4.

Episode Date Repeat Title
10/1 17.06.7419.06.74Plane Madness
10/2 24.06.7426.06.74Vipers In The Bosom
10/3 01.07.7403.07.74Great Guns
10/4 08.07.7411.07.74I Want My Mummy
10/5 15.07.7417.07.74One Man's Meat
10/6 22.07.7424.07.74Ballet Nuisance
10/7 29.07.7431.07.74Sky High
10/8 05.08.7407.08.74A Break For Sir Gregory
10/9 12.08.7414.08.74Health And Deficiency
10/1019.08.7421.08.74Big Deal
10/1126.08.7428.08.74They Fry By Night
10/1202.09.7404.09.74In The Picture
10/1309.09.7411.09.74She'll Have To Go

Series 11

Broadcast Mondays at 6:15pm on Radio 4. Repeated in a different order on Sundays at 7:02pm on Radio 4, 5.10.75 to 28.12.75.

Episode Date Repeat Title
11/1 26.05.7505.10.75Nothing But The Vest
11/2 06.06.7512.10.75That's My Baby
11/3 09.06.7519.10.75All That Glitters
11/4 16.06.7514.12.75Torn To Shreds
11/5 23.06.7502.11.75Wool Over Their Eyes
11/6 30.06.7509.11.75This VAT And The Other
11/7 07.07.7516.11.75The Great Trouser Troubles
11/8 14.07.7523.11.75The Cabinet Crisis
11/9 21.07.7530.11.75Chain Reaction
11/1028.07.7507.12.75All Change
11/1104.08.7526.10.75A Merry Dance
11/1211.08.7521.12.75A Sense Of Power
11/1318.08.7528.12.75Postal Disorder

Series 12

Broadcast Mondays at 6:15pm on Radio 4. Repeated the following Tuesdays at 12:27pm on Radio 4.

Episode Date Repeat Title
12/106.07.7608.07.76All Cisterns Go
12/213.07.7615.07.76A Problem Shared
12/320.07.7622.07.76The Whitehall Castaways
12/427.07.7629.07.76Off The Rails
12/503.08.7605.08.76Penny Wise
12/610.08.7612.08.76A Turn For The Nurse
12/717.08.7619.08.76Seal Of Office
12/824.08.7626.08.76Birmingham Is Revolting

Series 13

Broadcast Mondays at 6:30pm on Radio 4. Repeated the following Wednesdays at 12:27pm on Radio 4

Episode Date Repeat Title
13/104.07.7706.07.77Mission Inedible
13/211.07.7713.07.77Horse Play
13/318.07.7720.07.77The Big Big Big Ben Bungle
13/425.07.7727.07.77A Motley Crew
13/501.08.7702.08.77Not On Your Telly
13/608.08.7710.08.77One Way Only
13/715.08.7717.08.77Take Your Pick
13/822.08.7724.08.77Claws

Transcription Service Series

In 1980, the Transcription Service, a branch of the BBC responsible for distributing recordings to other international broadcasters, commissioned Edward Taylor to update the scripts from fourteen early episodes of The Men From The Ministry. Most of the episodes were remade from Series 1 and 2. In the new recordings, Dercyk Guyler took the place of Wilfrid Hyde White. They were not broadcast as a series in the UK, probably only on the BBC World Service. However, the transmission dates have not yet been identified.
 

Episode Title Remade From
14/1 Boots 1/01 The Great Footwear Scandal
14/2 Pardon My French 1/04 French Cricket
14/3 Traffic Diversions 1/13 The End Of The Road
14/4 Watch This Space 1/02 The Big Rocket
14/5 Birds Of A Feather 1/03 Strictly The Birds
14/6 Where There's A Will1/12 Problem in the Park
14/7 The Country Caper 1/07 The Rhubarb Pirates
14/8 Ban The Wotsit 3/02 A Terrifying Weapon
14/9 A Testing Time 2/07 A Degrading Business
14/10Pushing The Vote Out4/05 Up The Poll
14/11Gone To Earth 2/12 The Hole
14/12Computaclanger 2/03 The Trouble With Cecil
14/13A Great Convenience 3/13 A Slight Case Of Demolition
14/14The Christmas Spirit1/09 The Magic Carpet

 
 
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This page was compiled by Gary Schajer, Vancouver, Canada. gary@schajer.com