Les Torrent Results

After coming to prominence on 'Opportunity Knocks' in the late '60's, Les Dawson was given his own show by Yorkshire Television, which combined sketches, stand-up and music and ran well into the '70's. Given that Les' comic persona was that of a misanthrope, it seemed strange to see him in a show with dancing girls, glitzy sets, and The Syd Lawrence Orchestra. 'Sez Les' was initially biased towards international guest stars such as Trini Lopez, with as many as three musical acts on each show. But, as time went on, the producers gave Les more and more to do. Things perked up considerably with the arrival of Roy Barraclough, who would eventually develop with Les the talkative housewives Cissy and Ada. John Cleese, fresh from 'Monty Python's Flying Circus', became a regular for a time, and he and Les made a surprisingly effective comedy team. One of their best sketches was a surreal item set in an office where the staff vie for promotion by constantly trying to assassinate one another. It wouldn't have seemed out of place in 'Python'. Then there was 'Superflop', an incompetent superhero who later became the subject of a comic strip in 'Look-In'. Good fun.