Clochemerle (TV series)

Clochemerle is a 1972 BBC television serial based on the 1934 novel of the same name by Gabriel Chevallier, with Ray Galton and Alan Simpson adapting the text. Filmed on location in France, it starred Roy Dotrice, Wendy Hiller, Cyril Cusack, Kenneth Griffith, Cyd Hayman, Bernard Bresslaw, Hugh Griffith, Micheline Presle, Madeline Smith, Christian Roberts, Nigel Green, Wolfe Morris and Gordon Rollings, with narration by Peter Ustinov.^[1]

Clochemerle
Based on	Clochemerle by Gabriel Chevallier
Written by	Ray Galton Alan Simpson
Directed by	Michael Mills
Narrated by	Peter Ustinov
Composer	Alan Roper
Country of origin	United Kingdom West Germany
No. of series	1
No. of episodes	9
Production
Producer	Michael Mills
Production location	France
Cinematography	James Balfour
Editors	Geoffrey Botterill Christopher Rowlands
Camera setup	Single-camera
Running time	30 minutes
Production companies	British Broadcasting Corporation Bavaria Film
Original release
Network	BBC 2 ARD
Release	18 February (1972-02-18) – 14 April 1972 (1972-04-14)

The show was made as a co-production between Britain's BBC and West Germany's Bavaria Film.

Episodes

No. in series	Title	Original release date
1	"The Magnificent Idea of Barthelemey Piechut, the Mayor"	18 February 1972 (1972-02-18)
2	"The Triumphant Inauguration of a Municipal Amenity"	25 February 1972 (1972-02-25)
3	"The Spirited Protest of Justine Putet"	3 March 1972 (1972-03-03)
4	"The Awful Awakening of Claudius Brodequin"	10 March 1972 (1972-03-10)
5	"The Painful Infliction of Nicholas the Beadle"	17 March 1972 (1972-03-17)
6	"The Scandalous Outcome of a Night of Destruction"	24 March 1972 (1972-03-24)
7	"The Inexorable Power of the Third Republic"	31 March 1972 (1972-03-31)
8	"The Dreaded Arrival of Captain Tardivaux"	7 April 1972 (1972-04-07)
9	"The Glorious Triumph of Barthelemey Piechut"	14 April 1972 (1972-04-14)

Production

The series was shot on location in Colombier-le-Vieux, in the department of Ardèche, south of Lyon. The steam railway there, which appears in the programme, had been restored by enthusiasts the year before shooting.

Home media

It was issued as a two-DVD set by RLJ Entertainment in 2013.^[2]