Occupations on Vintage British TV Quiz

Answer: Rag and Bone Man

'Steptoe and Son' was a show about a father and son rag and bone firm in London. Rag and Bone was the name for dealers who toured the streets in a horse and cart calling out for people to bring out unwanted articles for them to buy or just take away.

These days these characters have virtually disappeared and those that remain tend to use vans, but they did keep the horses long after most traders had gone over to motor transport. Wilfred Brambles played the father Albert, and Harry H. Corbett played the son Harold.

Although the series was very successful the two actors disliked each other very much and the atmosphere in the studio was very tense.

Answer: Butler

Mr. Hudson was the butler in the original series of 'Upstairs Downstairs', a drama about the lives of both the employers who lived upstairs and their servants who were downstairs in a large house in Eaton Square, London. Mr. Hudson was played by the Scottish actor Gordon Jackson who also appeared in the popular movie 'The Great Escape' and the TV series 'The Professionals'.

Answer: Vicar

A small English village are shocked when their new Vicar turns out to be a woman. Played by Dawn French Geraldine is a normal lively woman mad on chocolate and with an normal appreciation of a good looking man. The series started in 1994 after the 1992 decision by The Church of England to allow the ordination of women.

Answer: Book Seller

Bernard Black is a hard drinking bad tempered book seller who hires the mild mannered Manny played by Bill Bailey as his assistant. Black is played by Dylan Moran who also created the show together with Graham Lineham. The shop next door is run by Fran who is played by Tamsin Greig and the storylines are about the adventures of the three of them.

Answer: Garage Owner

The character of Bernie Scripps appears in the police series 'Heartbeat' set in the imaginary country village of Aidensfield in the 1960s. He is the garage owner and mechanic and is kind but weak and often falls for local rascal Claude Greengrass's schemes.

He was played by actor Peter Benson between 1995 his tragic death in 2018. Peter appeared in many other TV series including 'Rumpole of the Bailey', 'Jeeves and Wooster', 'The Bill' and 'Peak Practice'.

Answer: Prime Minister

Jim Hacker was the fictional Prime Minister portrayed in the series 'Yes Prime Minister' by the late great Paul Eddington who was also famous for playing the part of Jerry in 'The Good Life'. The show is mainly about the power struggles between the Prime Minister Jim and the senior civil servant Sir Humphrey Appleby who was played by the also late and great Nigel Hawthorne.

The script was written by Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn and was extremely witty. Former prime minister Margaret Thatcher said that it was her favourite programme.

Answer: Detective Chief Inspector

Helen Mirren played DCI Jane Tennison in the exciting TV police drama 'Prime Suspect'. The first series was aired in 1991 and as well as solving the crime much attention is given to the sexist prejudice which she suffered at the hands of her male colleagues.

Helen began at the National Youth Theatre and in 1964 following her performance as Cleopatra in 'Anthony and Cleopatra' she was invited to join the 'Royal Shakespeare Company'. She won an Academy Award for best actress in the movie 'The Queen' and has been nominated on three other occasions.

Answer: Film and TV Extra

Maggie Jacobs appeared in Ricky Gervais comedy series 'Extras'. She is a kind-hearted girl who is always putting her foot in her mouth. She is beautifully played by Scottish actress Ashley Jensen who was nominated for an Emmy for her performance. Ashley has also appeared in the series 'Ugly Betty'.

Answer: Forensic Scientist

Sam Ryan was a police forensic scientist played by Amanda Burton who was the leading character in the series 'Silent Witness'. It was created by Nigel McCrery, who was formerly a murder squad detective with the British police in Nottingham. In later series Emilia Fox became the main character playing Doctor Nikki Alexander.

Answer: Veterinary Surgeon

Siegfreid Farnon was a character in James Herriot's very popular book 'All Creatures Great and Small' based on his experiences as a Yorkshire vet in 1930s. Seigfried was the owner of the business where James worked. He was played by the distinguished actor Robert Hardy who was probably best known for playing Cornelius Fudge in the 'Harry Potter' movies. He sadly died in 2017.