The Cedar Tree (1976) ATV (ITV)

The Cedar Tree...bargain basement Downton Abbey!

This outrageous show was aired about 3.30pm in the afternoon (during 1976) It was about a toffee nosed family in the 1930’s, totally studio bound and wooden acting a-plenty. I remember this drivel mostly cos my evil Granny came over every weekday in the afternoon and demanded the run of the TV until at least 4.15pm (and then after 5.05pm so she could check in at the Crossroads Motel..that's another story!) So although people remember the 70’s in a dewy eyed nostalgic way, I can tell you there was no end to the shit we had to put up with in the afternoon, Love Boat, Houseparty, Emmerdale Farm (before it got raunchy and was aired at a granny pleasing 3.30pm) and usually some low budget quiz show like Mr & Mrs (which offered prizes of up to $75..EEK!!). Times were hard, and I wasn't....hard enough to deal with my nan that is! But getting back to the subject, The Cedar Tree, was at best a poor relation to Upstairs Downstairs (without the downstairs action!) and at worst the sort of crap you would be forced to watch at your local fleapit theatre when your elderly aunts come over for a free holiday in July! (you know the sort of thing, ‘THE BUTLER TAKES NO SUGAR’ - A murder mystery, by some upper class prick that has been dead since 1950, even though no-one noticed except the queer coke head that revived it instead of leaving it buried, and scraping around for a suitable cast of Z-Listers, 'PAUL NICHOLAS - FROM TVs ‘JUST GOOD FRIENDS’ (to prove the fucker did once have a television career!) Anyhow, got that off my chest! But seriously folks, a typical story line would involve the Poundland lord of the Manor pacing up and down, grumbling about his snotty daughter who had fallen for an American oil man who had all the money but not much class (maybe a big cock though!) and then there was the old bitch, she was like the half dead version of the Dowager Lady Grantham, but she really did look dead, and it’s a pity, coz in her prime she could have out acted any one of the wooden cast. I remember the last episode ever, there was storm and the fucking cedar tree fell down and landed on the house, can’t remember if anyone died, but I died-laughing! ('BBC sound effects album no.64 - Tree’s falling onto big houses’) Don’t let me spoil the plot for you, go out and buy it on DVD or Blu-ray, Ooops sorry tough luck (or good luck) the show isn't available on anything, it was probably buried in the centre of the earth with a bit of luck!
* (Tragically I have since found out that the entire collection IS available on DVD)