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Ready Player One
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This article is about the novel by Ernest Cline. For the film based on the novel, see Ready Player One (film).
Ready Player One
First edition cover
Author
Ernest Cline
Country
United States
Language
English
Genre
LitRPG, Science fiction, dystopian
Publisher
Random House
Publication date
August 16, 2011
Media type
Print (hardcover and paperback), e-book, audiobook
Pages
385
ISBN
978-0307887436
Ready Player One is a 2011 LitRPG science fiction novel, and the debut novel of American author Ernest Cline. The story, set in a dystopian 2040s, follows protagonist Wade Watts on his search for an Easter egg in a worldwide virtual reality game, the discovery of which will lead him to inherit the game creator's fortune. Cline sold the rights to publish the novel in June 2010, in a bidding war to the Crown Publishing Group (a division of Random House).[1] The book was published on August 16, 2011.[2] An audiobook was released the same day; it was narrated by Wil Wheaton, who was mentioned briefly in one of the chapters.[3][4]Ch. 20 In 2012, the book received an Alex Award from the Young Adult Library Services Association division of the American Library Association[5] and won the 2012 Prometheus Award.[6]
A film adaptation, screenwritten by Cline and Zak Penn and directed by Steven Spielberg, was released on March 29, 2018.
Contents
[hide]
1 Synopsis
1.1 Setting
1.2 Plot
2 Characters
3 Reception
4 Spin-offs and sequels
4.1 Short story
4.2 Sequel novel
5 In other media
5.1 Easter egg hunt promotion
5.2 Film adaptation
6 See also
7 Notes
8 References
9 External links
Synopsis[edit]
Setting[edit]
In the 2040s,[7] the world has been gripped by an energy crisis from the depletion of fossil fuels and the consequences of global warming, and overpopulation, causing widespread social problems and economic stagnation. To escape the decline their world is facing, people turn to the OASIS,[a] a virtual reality simulator accessible by players using visors and haptic technology such as gloves. It functions both as an MMORPG and as a virtual society, with its currency being the most stable in the real world. It was created by James Halliday who, when he died, had announced in his will to the public that he had left an Easter egg inside OASIS, and the first person to find it would inherit his entire fortune and the corporation. The story follows the adventures of Wade Watts, starting about five years after the announcement, when he discovers one of the three keys pointing to the treasure.
Plot[edit]
Teenager Wade Watts lives with his aunt in Oklahoma City[8] in the "stacks", a poverty-stricken district constructed of trailer homes piled on top of each other. He spends his spare time as a "gunter" ("egg hunter"), logging on to the OASIS as an avatar under the moniker Parzival, reading Halliday's journal Anorak's Almanac, and researching details of the 1980s pop culture, mainly classic video games and movies, that Halliday loved. One day, he realizes that the first key is located on the same virtual world as his own online high school, in a re-creation of the Dungeons & Dragons module Tomb of Horrors. He meets Art3mis, a famous female gunter and blogger who has been exploring the place, and advances further than she does when he defeats the AI Acererak at the video game Joust. He is awarded the Copper Key, and Parzival appears on the "Scoreboard", attracting the world's attention.
Parzival completes the gate's puzzles by playing through the Dungeons of Daggorath video game and then role-playing Matthew Broderick's character in the film WarGames. Art3mis clears the gate shortly afterwards, as does Wade's friend Aech. Wade’s fame enables him to make a living by endorsing virtual products. It also brings him to the attention of Nolan Sorrento, head of operations at Innovative Online Industries (IOI), a multinational corporation bent on taking control of the OASIS and monetizing it through a well-funded effort to find the Easter Egg. When Wade refuses to join IOI, Sorrento attempts to kill him by blowing up the stacks where Wade lives, disguising the explosion as a meth lab accident.
Wade escapes Oklahoma City and moves to Columbus, Ohio, where he lies low, assuming the pseudonym Bryce Lynch and living in an anonymous apartment designed for hardcore OASIS users. He considers an alliance with Aech, Art3mis, and Daito and Shoto, two Japanese gunters who have also earned the Copper Key. Instead, he and Art3mis begin a wary friendship, but when he asks her out, Art3mis declines. IOI operatives, called Sixers, attempt to assassinate Wade and Art3mis at the birthday party of OASIS co-founder Ogden Morrow. They are stopped by Morrow, who has special privileges and powers within the OASIS. Five months pass. Neither Wade nor anyone else has found the next token, the Jade Key.
When Art3mis finds the Jade Key, Parzival scrambles to planet Archaide, where he plays a perfect game of Pac-Man, receiving only a quarter as a prize. Aech provides a hint leading him to the planet Frobozz where he solves the text adventure game Zork. Sorrento, who had tracked Art3mis and Aech using a premium locator artifact, establishes a base there to farm their company's avatars with keys, and unlocks the second Gate and acquires the Jade Key. Shoto tells Parzival that the Sixers infiltrated Daito's real-life apartment and threw him out of the building, killing him.
Parzival unlocks the Jade Gate, a Voight-Kampff machine in the Blade Runner universe, and completes the arcade game Black Tiger as a character from the first-person shooter perspective. Using his knowledge of Rush, he acquires the Crystal Key, and after playing "Discovery", the third movement from the title track of their album "2112", finds a clue regarding the conditions to unlock the final gate. As he messages Art3mis, Aech, and Shoto with his solution, Sorrento ends their covert attempts to clear the third gate, Castle Anorak, and places a force field around it.
Wade manipulates his assumed identity in order to be arrested and placed in indentured servitude in IOI's tech support department. While inside IOI, he uses black market passwords and security exploits to hack into IOI's intranet: he acquires a wealth of information, including footage of Daito's murder. The information also includes the attempt on his own life, as well as plans to kill Shoto and Art3mis in real life. After escaping the corporation, he shares his information with his friends and publicizes a gathering of avatars to storm the castle. They are interrupted by Ogden Morrow, who offers them a safe haven at his home in Oregon. Wade meets the real-life Aech and Ogden, but not Art3mis and Shoto, who are already hooked into Ogden's immersion pods.
The day of the battle, Wade uses his planted hack to bring down the barricade, and a massive fight among avatars ensues. After Parzival uses the giant robot Leopardon to fight against Sorrento's Mechagodzilla Kiryu, Parzival and friends unlock the gate, at which point the Sixers use an artifact called the Cataclyst to destroy the castle and all avatars over a large area. Parzival survives because having the Pac-Man quarter granted him an extra life. As he enters the Crystal Gate, he announces that if he wins he will share his fortune with his three friends. With Sorrento and his Sixers on his heels, Parzival plays Tempest, role-plays King Arthur and various characters in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and retrieves the Easter egg in Adventure. His victory grants him control of the OASIS, including wiping out his enemies' avatars, resurrecting his friends, and a Big Red Button that would wipe OASIS. Sorrento is arrested for the murder of Daito and for conspiring to kill Wade and the others. Back in Oregon, Wade and Art3mis meet in person and rekindle their relationship with a kiss.
Characters[edit]
Wade Owen Watts a.k.a. Parzival: the viewpoint character, an orphan from the "stacks" surrounding metropolitan Oklahoma City. Wade names his OASIS character Parzival after the Arthurian knight involved in the quest for the holy grail, and dedicates his life to finding James Halliday's Easter egg. He is 18 years old when he finds the Copper Key in the prologue of the book. His username at the virtual high school he attends is Wade3.[b] Wade's character was based on a mix of Cline as well as his geek friends.[9]
James Donovan Halliday a.k.a. Anorak: creator of OASIS. A big fan of 1980s culture, he announces in his will his plans to leave his entire fortune to whoever can find his Easter egg that he had hidden in OASIS. His character was initially inspired by Willy Wonka who Cline described as a "rich eccentric holding a fantastic contest". Cline used the personalities of Howard Hughes and Richard Garriott, and placed Halliday's birth year around the same as his own so that his pop culture interests would coincide with Cline's "and the other middle-aged uber geeks I know".[10][9]
Aech (pronounced like the letter H):Ch. 33 Wade's best friend, fellow gunter, and rival in the quest to find the egg. Aech's specialty is in PvP and first-person shooter games, and is one of the top combatants on OASIS. Although Aech's avatar is an athletic Caucasian heterosexual male,p. 38-39 Aech is played by an African-American lesbian named Helen Harris, who grew up in Atlanta, Georgia and is about the same age as Wade.Ch. 33 Aech is based partly on Cline's friend Harry Knowles as well as himself and other geeks, both men and women.[9]
Art3mis: a famous female gunter and blogger. Wade has a huge cyber-crush on her, which is complicated by their competition in search of the egg.p. 35 She chose her avatar's name from the Greek goddess of the hunt.[c] Like other characters, Cline based Art3mis on himself and other geeks, both men and women.[9] Her real name is Samantha Evelyn Cook from Vancouver, British Columbia and she has a port-wine stain on her face.Ch. 30
Ogden "Og" Morrow: Co-creator of the OASIS and best friend of James Halliday. They founded the video game company Gregarious Games, where he would handle the business operations, and which would later become Gregarious Simulation Systems (GSS), the company that launched OASIS.p. 54-56 His appearance and personality are described as being "a cross between Albert Einstein and Santa Claus." Concerned that people were using it to escape reality, he quits GSS and works on educational software with his wife Kira until her death. His relationship with Halliday deteriorated, and the two men remained estranged until before Halliday's death, when he is entrusted with ensuring that the hunt goes smoothly and without cheating.Ch. 32-33 Ogden lives in Oregon and owns a set of advanced OASIS consoles and immersion rigs, and is able to monitor everyone in the OASIS, even in private chat rooms.Ch. 12, 32-33 He rarely appears in public, and only shows up on the OASIS once a year on his birthday, where he assumes the avatar of the Great and Powerful Og. Ogden's character and relationship with Halliday was inspired by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, with Morrow being more like Jobs as a "charismatic tech leader".[10][11]
Daito: one of the two Japanese gunters who rise to the top of the scoreboard early on in the hunt, working in a team with "brother", Shoto. The pair have a generally tense, but not unfriendly relationship with Aech, and Art3mis, They are closer to Parzival, and work together on quests unrelated to the hunt. They are based on otaku: Japanese geeks who enjoy movies and anime, as well as hikikomori: people who live as recluses inside their family's homes.[9] Daito's real name is revealed to be Toshiro Yoshiaki after he is killed by the IOI.
Shoto: the second and younger of the two Japanese gunters working as a team in their quest for the egg.p. 129 Shoto's real name is Akihide Karatsu.p. 292 Following the death of his partner, Shoto collaborates with Art3mis, Aech and Wade to finish the hunt.
Nolan Sorrento: the head of operations at Innovative Online Industries (IOI), the multinational corporation that serves as an Internet service provider for most of the world, and that plans to take over and monetize the OASIS. Sorrento is head of IOI's Oology division, which is dedicated to searching for Halliday's Easter egg.p. 33 His avatar name is IOI-655321, after his employee number.Ch. 14, 16 IOI employees in the division are nicknamed Sixers, after their six-digit employee numbers that also begin with the number 6.p. 33 Cline said that he named Sorrento after Nolan Bushnell, founder of the video game company Atari, and said, "Not that I think Nolan is a bad guy, or anything. It’s meant as a subtle tribute!"[12]
Reception[edit]
Ready Player One was a New York Times bestseller.[13][14][15] Among those praising the book were Entertainment Weekly, The Boston Globe, The A.V. Club, CNN.com, io9, and Boing Boing. USA Today wrote that the novel "undoubtedly qualifies Cline as the hottest geek on the planet right now."[16] NPR said that the book was "ridiculously fun and large-hearted". Cline "takes a far-out premise and engages the reader instantly" with a "deeply felt narrative [that] makes it almost impossible to stop turning the pages."[17] Janet Maslin of The New York Times wrote that "The book gets off to a witty start" but noted that it lacks at least one dimension, stating that gaming had overwhelmed everything else about this book.[18] Rebecca Serle of HuffPost described the book as "the grown-up's Harry Potter" and that it "has it all – nostalgia, trivia, adventure, romance, heart and, dare I say it, some very fascinating social commentary."[19]
The book has been translated into over 20 languages.[20]
In an interview with Fortune, Cline said that his book had inspired designers at companies such as Oculus VR which recommended the book for their new employees.[21][22] Oculus has also invited Cline several times to sign books and demo hardware.[23]
Spin-offs and sequels[edit]
Short story[edit]
Lacero, a fan-fiction story by Andy Weir, was published in the 2016 edition of Ready Player One. It follows the story of Nolan Sorrento and functions as a precursor to the main novel, and is considered canonical to the Ready Player One fictional universe.[24][25][26]
Sequel novel[edit]
In 2015, in an interview with Den of Geek, screenwriter Zak Penn reported that Cline was working on a sequel to the novel.[27] In December 2017, Cline himself confirmed he is writing a sequel.[28]
In other media[edit]
Easter egg hunt promotion[edit]
Ten months after the first edition release, Cline revealed on his blog that Ready Player One itself contained an elaborately hidden Easter egg. This clue would form the first part of a series of staged video gaming tests, similar to the plot of the novel. Cline also revealed that the competition's grand prize would be a DeLorean.[29] The game Ultimate Collector: Garage Sale by Austin-based developer Portalarium was featured in one part of the contest.[30][31] The final stage of the contest was announced on August 1, 2012, and was to set a world record on one of several classic arcade or Atari 2600 games. This was completed on August 9, 2012 by Craig Queen, who set a new world record in Joust. He was awarded the DeLorean on the TV show X-Play.[32]
Film adaptation[edit]
Main article: Ready Player One (film)
The film rights were purchased by Warner Bros. on the same day Cline finalized his publishing deal with Random House, one year prior to the novel's publication. Dan Farah brought the project into the studio and is producing it with Donald De Line. Cline adapted his novel into a screenplay.[33] Over the years, Eric Eason and Zak Penn assisted Cline with rewrites.[34]
Steven Spielberg signed on to direct in March 2015.[35] Spielberg and Kristie Macosko Krieger of Amblin Partners also joined Deline and Farah as producers. Warner Bros. initially announced a release date of December 15, 2017.[36] On February 9, 2016, the release date was pushed back to March 30, 2018, to avoid competition with Star Wars: The Last Jedi.[37] The movie began production in the spring of 2016 and was filmed in both the United States and the United Kingdom.
On June 9, 2016, Variety stated that Spielberg's regular collaborator John Williams was planning on composing the film's score.[38] However, scheduling conflicts with another Spielberg film, The Post, led to Spielberg signing Alan Silvestri for the score.
The film stars Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, Lena Waithe, Simon Pegg, Hannah John-Kamen and Mark Rylance. It premiered at South by Southwest on March 11, 2018, and was theatrically released by Warner Bros. in the United States on March 29, 2018. It received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise for its visuals and brisk pacing, and noting it an improvement over the book, though criticism for the lack of character development and "achingly regressive" view of pop culture fans.[39][40]
See also[edit]
Simulated reality
Simulated reality in fiction
Notes[edit]
Jump up ^ OASIS is an acronym for Ontologically Anthropocentric Sensory Immersive Simulationp. 48
Jump up ^ In OASIS, the students are required to use their real name when attending school, plus a number for name duplicates. For example, Wade Watts goes by Wade3, and there is another student named Todd13. p. 29-30
Jump up ^ Art3mis chose the leet spelling as her username because the original spelling was already taken.p. 93
^ The terms "Ch.." and "p." are shortened forms for chapter and page, and refer to chapters and pages in the Ready Player One novel in its first American edition.
References[edit]
Jump up ^ [1] Archived November 21, 2010, at the Wayback Machine.
Jump up ^ "Ready Player One by Ernest Cline". Random House Publishers. 2011. Retrieved September 12, 2011.
Jump up ^ McWeeny, Drew (August 16, 2011). "Review: 'Ready Player One' is the geek book event of the year: Ernie Cline's first novel offers nostalgia, the future, and a gamer's dream". HitFix.
Jump up ^ "You want to accept Anorak's Invitation. Trust me. -". wilwheaton.net. August 15, 2011. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
Jump up ^ "YALSA's Alex Awards". American Library Association. 2012. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
Jump up ^ Libertarian Futurist Society. "PROMETHEUS AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED". Retrieved July 13, 2012.
Jump up ^ Newitz, Annalee. "Read the first two chapters of Ernest Cline's new novel, Ready Player One". gizmodo.com. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
Jump up ^ Poppe, Nathan (February 1, 2018). "Why isn't Steven Spielberg's 'Ready Player One' movie set in OKC?". NewsOK. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e Sims, Tony (June 22, 2011). "A Few Minutes With Fanboys Writer Ernest Cline on Ready Player One". Wired.
^ Jump up to: a b "How Lord British Inspired Anorak | Ernie's Blog". Ernestcline.com. October 19, 2011. Retrieved July 7, 2012.
Jump up ^ Bilton, Nick. "One on One: Ernest Cline, Author of 'Ready Player One'". nytimes.com. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
Jump up ^ "The Geek Genius Behind Ready Player One: An Interview With Ernest Cline". warpzoned.com. September 23, 2011. Retrieved March 17, 2017.
Jump up ^ "Best Sellers: Hardcover Fiction: Sunday, September 11th 2011". September 11, 2011. Retrieved March 17, 2017 – via NYTimes.com.
Jump up ^ "Paperback Trade Fiction Books - Best Sellers - July 1, 2012 - The New York Times". nytimes.com. Retrieved March 17, 2017.
Jump up ^ "Paperback Trade Fiction Books - Best Sellers - December 25, 2016 - The New York Times". nytimes.com. Retrieved March 17, 2017.
Jump up ^ "Most Popular E-mail Newsletter". USA Today. August 19, 2011.
Jump up ^ Schaub, Michael (August 22, 2011). "'Player One': A Winning, Geeked-Out Page-Turner". NPR. Retrieved July 7, 2012.
Jump up ^ Maslin, Janet (August 14, 2011). "'Ready Player One' by Ernest Cline – Review". The New York Times.
Jump up ^ Author, Rebecca Serle; Mine, When You Were; Falling, The Edge of; Love, Famous in (August 17, 2011). "'Ready Player One': An Interview with Author Ernest Cline". HuffPost. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
Jump up ^ "Ready Player One". ernestcline.com. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
Jump up ^ "How Ready Player One author Ernest Cline inspired Oculus VR". fortune.com. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
Jump up ^ Brogan, Jacob (July 14, 2015). ""Imagining the Future Is Dangerous"". Retrieved February 14, 2017 – via Slate.
Jump up ^ "Facebook gives its Oculus employees a dystopian sci-fi book to get them excited about building the future". businessinsider.com. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
Jump up ^ "Lacero". galactanet.com. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
Jump up ^ Brock Wilbur (March 28, 2016). "How 'The Martian' Impacted the 'Ready Player One' Movie". INverse.
Jump up ^ Lussier, Germain. "The Author of The Martian Wrote Ready Player One Fan Fiction, and Now It's Canon". gizmodo.com. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
Jump up ^ Sequel citations:
"Ernie Cline Reportedly Writing Ready Player One Sequel". slashfilm.com. January 16, 2015. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
"Ready Player One Is Getting A Sequel". cinemablend.com. January 16, 2015. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
"READY PLAYER ONE Sequel Rumored To Be In The Works - Nerdist". nerdist.com. January 25, 2015. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
Jump up ^ Knight, Jacob (December 12, 2017). "Ernie Cline Penning A Sequel Novel To READY PLAYER ONE". birthmoviesdeath.com. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
Jump up ^ "Three Hidden Keys Open Three Secret Gates | Ernie's Blog". Ernestcline.com. June 5, 2012. Retrieved July 7, 2012.
Jump up ^ "Contest Winners Level Up In The Ready Player One Easter Egg Hunt". Giant Freakin Robot.
Jump up ^ "For Ernest Cline, author of Ready Player One, success is measured in DeLoreans and geeked-out fans". venturebeat.com. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
Jump up ^ "Ready Player —One Author Ernest Cline Gives Away a DeLorean on X-Play". g4tv.com. August 30, 2012. Archived from the original on January 14, 2013. Retrieved September 1, 2012.
Jump up ^ Fleming, Michael (June 18, 2010). "Warner Bros and De Line Pictures Win Book Auction For 'Ready Player One'". Deadline.com. Retrieved March 25, 2015.
Jump up ^ Sneider, Jeff (January 13, 2010). "Eason to rewrite 'Player' script". Variety. Retrieved March 25, 2015.
Jump up ^ Busch, Anita (March 25, 2015). "Steven Spielberg To Direct Sci-Fi Cult Favorite 'Ready Player One'; Back At Warner Bros". Deadline.com. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
Jump up ^ Zumberge, Marianne. "Steven Spielberg's 'Ready Player One' Slated for 2017 Release".
Jump up ^ Lang, Brent (February 9, 2016). "Steven Spielberg's 'Ready Player One' Pushed Back to Avoid 'Star Wars: Episode VIII'". Variety. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
Jump up ^ Burlingame, Jon (June 9, 2016). "AFI Honoree John Williams Looks Back on Six Decades of Iconic Themes". Variety. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
Jump up ^ Jagneaux, David (March 13, 2018). "Ready Player One Movie Review Roundup: Another Spielberg Classic?". UploadVR. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
Jump up ^ Casey, Henry T. (March 14, 2018). "Ready Player One Review Roundup: Pretty, Flawed". Tom’s Guide. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
External links[edit]
Wikiquote has quotations related to: Ready Player One
Ready Player One title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
Official Tumblr
Excerpts from the book from Scribd
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ready_Player_One&oldid=837659925"
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Steptoe and Son
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Steptoe and Son
Corbett (left) and Brambell (right) as Harold and Albert.
Created by
Ray Galton and Alan Simpson
Starring
Harry H. Corbett
Wilfrid Brambell
Country of origin
United Kingdom
Original language(s)
English
No. of series
8
No. of episodes
57 (list of episodes)
Production
Running time
30–45 minutes
Distributor
BBC Worldwide
2entertain
ABC (Australia, home video)
Release
Original network
BBC 1
Picture format
405-line Black-and-white (1962–65)
625-line Black-and-white (1970)
625-line PAL (1970–74)
1080i HDTV (2016)
Audio format
Monaural
Surround sound 5.1(2016)
Original release
Original run:
4 January 1962 (1962-01-04) –
26 December 1974
Special:
15 September 2016
Chronology
Related shows
Steptoe and Son (1972)
Steptoe and Son Ride Again (1973)
When Steptoe Met Son (2002)
The Curse of Steptoe (2008)
Steptoe and Son is a British sitcom written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson about a father-and-son rag-and-bone business. They live at Oil Drum Lane, a fictional street in Shepherd's Bush, London. Four series were broadcast by the BBC from 1962–65, followed by a second run from 1970-74. The theme tune, "Old Ned", was composed by Ron Grainer.[1] The series was voted 15th in a 2004 poll by the BBC to find Britain's Best Sitcom.[2] It was remade in the United States as Sanford and Son, in Sweden as Albert & Herbert and in the Netherlands as Stiefbeen en zoon. In 1972, a film adaptation of the series, Steptoe and Son, was released in cinemas, followed by a sequel Steptoe and Son Ride Again in 1973.
The series focused on the inter-generational conflict of father and son. Albert Steptoe, a "dirty old man", is an elderly rag-and-bone man, set in his grimy and grasping ways. By contrast, his 37-year-old son Harold is filled with social aspirations, not to say pretensions. The show contained elements of drama and tragedy, as Harold was continually prevented from achieving his ambitions. To this end, the show was unusual at the time for casting actors rather than comedians in its lead roles, although both actors were drawn into more comedic roles as a consequence.
In 2000, the show was ranked #44 on the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes compiled by the British Film Institute
Contents
[hide]
1 Background
2 Characters
3 Situation
4 Production
5 Episodes
6 Sketch appearances
7 Adverts
8 Audio
9 Books
10 Other countries
11 Spin-offs
11.1 Steptoe and Son in Murder at Oil Drum Lane
11.2 Films
11.3 When Steptoe Met Son
11.4 The Curse of Steptoe
11.5 Steptoe and Son
11.6 Steptoe and Son by Kneehigh
12 DVD releases
13 See also
14 References
15 External links
Background[edit]
The show had its roots in a 1962 episode of Galton & Simpson's Comedy Playhouse.[3] Galton and Simpson's association with comedian Tony Hancock, for whom they had written Hancock's Half Hour, had ended and they had agreed to a proposal from the BBC to write a series of 10 comedy shows. The fourth in the series, "The Offer", was born both out of writer's block and budgetary constraints.[4] Earlier shows in the series had cost more than expected, so the writers decided to write a two-hander set in one room. The idea of two brothers was considered but father and son worked best. Ronald Fraser was second choice for Harold, which would have produced a totally different character.
Galton and Simpson were not aiming to make a pilot for a series, having worked for seven years with Hancock. However, Tom Sloan, the BBC's head of comedy, told them during rehearsals that "The Offer" was a definite series pilot: he saw that the Steptoe idea had potential, as did the audience of that edition of Comedy Playhouse. Galton and Simpson were reportedly overwhelmed by this reaction, and the first of what became eight series was commissioned, the first four of which were transmitted between 1962 and 1965. The last four series were broadcast between 1970 and 1974, in colour. At the peak of the series' popularity, it received viewing figures of some 28,000,000 viewers per episode. In addition, the early 1970s saw two feature films, two 46-minute Christmas specials. In 2005, the play Steptoe and Son in Murder at Oil Drum Lane, written by Ray Galton and John Antrobus, brought the storyline to a close.
The series was one of the first UK situation comedy programmes to employ actors rather than comedians in the principal roles. Galton and Simpson had decided that they wanted to try to write for performers who "didn't count their laughs".
The series' title music, "Old Ned", won its composer Ron Grainer his second successive Ivor Novello award.[1] The series had no standard set of opening titles but the opening sequences would often feature the Steptoe's horse, Hercules. "Steptoe and Son" is the Steptoes' trading name, but as established in the first episode, the "Son" is not Harold as initially believed, but Albert. The name dates from when he and his mother—Mrs. Steptoe—worked the rounds. The first series has the pair as very rough looking and often dirty and wearing ragged clothes, but they quickly "tidied up" for later series.
Outside filming of the Steptoe's yard took place at a car breakers' yard in Norland Gardens, London W11, then changing to Stable Way, Latimer Road, for the later series.[5] Both sites have subsequently been redeveloped with no evidence now remaining of the iconic entrance gates through which the horse and cart were frequently driven.
Characters[edit]
Main Article: List of Steptoe and Son characters
Situation[edit]
The episodes often revolve around (sometimes violent) disagreements between the two men, Harold's attempts to bed women and momentary interest over things found on his round. As in many of the best examples of British comedy, much of the humour derives from the pathos of the protagonists' situation, especially Harold's continually thwarted (usually by the elder Steptoe) attempts to "better himself" and the unresolvable love/hate relationship that exists between the pair.
Albert almost always comes out on top, and routinely and effortlessly proves himself easily superior to his son whenever they compete, e.g. in their frequent game-playing, such as snooker played into the night and pouring rain in 1970 and the Scrabble and badminton games in the 1972 series. Harold takes them desperately seriously and sees them as symbols of his desire to improve himself, but his efforts come to nothing every time. His father's success is partly down to superior talent but is aided by cynical gamesmanship and undermining of his son's confidence. In addition, Albert habitually has better judgement than his son, who blunders into all sorts of con tricks and blind alleys as a result of his unrealistic, straw-clutching ideas. Occasionally the tables are turned, but overall the old man is the winner, albeit in a graceless fashion.
Harold is infuriated by these persistent frustrations and defeats, even going to the extent in "Divided We Stand" (1972) of partitioning the house in two so that he does not have to share with his selfish, uncultured and negative father. Predictably, his plan ends in failure and ultimately he can see no way out. However, for all the bitterness there is an essential bond between the pair. Deep down, Albert seems to love his son and his behaviour is perhaps a selfish but misguided way of holding on to him so he does not have to face life alone. When the crunch comes, Harold sticks by his father. This protective bond is much in evidence in "The Seven Steptoerai" (1974) when they are menaced by a local gangster running a protection racket. Typically though, it is Albert who gets them ingeniously out of a very hazardous predicament.
The 1974 Christmas special ended the run and seems Harold once again is on the bad end of poor planning, when he books a Christmas holiday abroad, but then finds his passport is out of date. His father must go alone, and Harold, tearfully it seems, waves him off to enjoy a potential good time without him. Harold trudges away, only to jump in a car with a woman to drive off on his own holiday, revealing that he had engineered the whole situation from the beginning. A victory, but only a temporary one, the viewers know that once their holidays end they will return to the familiar status quo once more.
Production[edit]
Both of the main actors used voices considerably different from their own. Brambell, despite being Irish, spoke with a received pronunciation English accent, as did Corbett. Brambell was aged 49 when he accepted the role of Albert, only 13 years older than Corbett. For his portrayal, he acquired a second set of "rotten" dentures to accentuate his character's poor attitude to hygiene.
During its production in the 1960s and 1970s, Steptoe and Son marked itself out as radical compared to most UK sitcoms. This was an age when the predominant sources of laughter in British comedy were farce, coincidence, slapstick and innuendo. However Steptoe and Son brought greater social realism. Its characters were not only working class but demonstrably poor. The earthy language and slang used were in marked contrast to the refined voices heard on most television of the time: e.g., in "Back in Fashion", Harold warns Albert that when the models arrive, "if you feels like a D'Oyly Carte (rhyming slang for 'fart'), you goes outside." Social issues and debates were routinely portrayed, woven into the humour. The programme did not abandon the more traditional sources of comedy but used them in small doses. The characters, and their intense and difficult relationship, displayed deeper qualities of writing and performance than comedy fans were used to.
The pilot episode and the first four series which aired from 1962–1965 was recorded in the BBC Lime Grove Studios in London. When the show returned in 1970 after a four-year hiatus, the programme was made in the BBC Television Centre studios in west London, as from 1970 the show was recorded in colour.[6][7][8][9]
Episodes[edit]
Main article: List of Steptoe and Son episodes
Steptoe and Son is rare among 1960s BBC television programmes in that every episode has survived, despite the mass wiping of BBC archive holdings between 1972 and 1978. However, all the instalments from the first 1970 series and all but two from the second that were originally made in colour only survive in the form of black and white domestic videotape recordings. Copies were made from the master tapes for them by an engineer at the BBC using a Shibaden SV-700 half-inch reel-to-reel b/w video recorder—a forerunner of the video cassette recorder. In 2008, the first reel of a b/w telerecording of the Series 5 episode "A Winter's Tale" (lasting approximately 15 minutes) was returned to the BBC; this is the only telerecording of a colour Steptoe and Son episode known to still exist.[citation needed]
The original 2" Quad videotapes of all the episodes of the original 1962–65 series were wiped in the late-1960s. However, these episodes mostly survive on film transfers of the original videotapes as 16mm black and white telerecordings. The exception being "My Old Man's a Tory" which only exists as an optical transfer made from a domestic 405 line reel to reel videotape obtained from Galton and Simpson.[citation needed]
The BBC has released 10 DVDs of the series—each of the eight series, and two compilations entitled "The Very Best of Steptoe and Son" volumes 1 and 2. Two Christmas specials are also available on DVD, as are two feature films: Steptoe and Son and Steptoe and Son Ride Again. A boxed set of Series 1–8 and the two Christmas specials was released on Region 2 DVD by 2entertain on 29 October 2007.[citation needed]
Also, 52 episodes were remade for BBC Radio, initially on the Light Programme in 1966–67 and later Radio 2 from 1971 to 1976.[citation needed]
A special one-off remake of the "A Winter's Tale" episode aired on BBC Four on 14 September 2016,[10] as part of the BBC's Lost Sitcom season recreating lost episodes of classic sitcoms.[11]
Sketch appearances[edit]
In 1962, Brambell and Corbett appeared as Steptoe and Son in a short sketch written by Galton and Simpson on the BBC's annual Christmas Night with the Stars programme, broadcast on 25 December 1962. There are no known recordings.
In 1963, they appeared on the ITV Royal Variety Performance in a sketch written by Galton and Simpson featuring Steptoe and Son totting outside Buckingham Palace, the telerecording of the live show, broadcast on 10 November 1963, still exists. The audio of the sketch was also released on a 7-inch single.
In 1966, they appeared on the BBC series The Ken Dodd Show in another live on stage sketch written by Galton and Simpson featuring Steptoe and Son on Blackpool beach, with Ken Dodd in the last two minutes as a strange golf professional. A telerecording of the show, broadcast on 24 July 1966, survives.
In 1967, they appeared in character in a short filmed sequence for the BBC's annual Christmas Night with the Stars programme. The black and white film sequence featuring Steptoe and Son, broadcast on 25 December 1967, still exists.
In 1978, they recorded a Radio 2 sketch, referred to by fans as "Scotch on the Rocks", produced especially for a show titled Good Luck Scotland. This was again written by Galton and Simpson and had a basic premise of Albert wishing to go to Argentina to watch the Scottish football team play in the 1978 World Cup as the "Good Luck Scotland" title of the programme referred to Scotland's chances of winning the World Cup that year.
Adverts[edit]
In 1977, Brambell and Corbett appeared in character for two television ads for Ajax cleaning products, recorded during their tour of Australia.[citation needed] In 1981, their final ever appearance together was in a UK advert for Kenco Coffee. This led to what proved to be unfounded rumours of a new series for 1981.[citation needed]
Audio[edit]
A number of LPs and EPs featuring TV soundtracks have been released.
Books[edit]
To tie-in with the original series, two novelisations were written by Gale Pedrick:
—— (1964). Steptoe and Son. Hodder & Stoughton.
—— (1966). Steptoe and Son at the Palace. Hodder & Stoughton.
In 2002 BBC Books published Steptoe and Son by Galton, Simpson and Ross[12] which comprehensively covered the television series, the radio series, films, Royal Variety Shows, commercials and the Sanford & Son spin-off.
Other countries[edit]
United States: In 1965 Joseph E. Levine produced a pilot based on The Offer for the American market with Galton and Simpson. Starring Lee Tracy as Albert and Aldo Ray as Harold, it was unscreened, and did not lead to a series. The pilot was released on DVD in the UK in 2018.[13] The concept was later re-worked as Sanford and Son, a top-rated series that ran for five years (1972–77) on the NBC network.[14]
Sweden; Sten-Åke Cederhök and Tomas von Brömssen starred in Albert & Herbert. The pair lived at Skolgatan 15, an address in a working-class neighbourhood of Haga, Gothenburg.[15][16]
The Netherlands; Stiefbeen en Zoon (re-translation; Stepbone and Son) ran for seventeen episodes. It was awarded the 1964 Golden Televizier Ring.[17]
Portugal; Camilo & Filho Lda., starring famous Portuguese comedian Camilo de Oliveira, with Nuno Melo as his son.[18]
Spin-offs[edit]
Steptoe and Son in Murder at Oil Drum Lane[edit]
Poster advertising the play
Main article: Steptoe and Son in Murder at Oil Drum Lane
In October 2005, Ray Galton and John Antrobus premiered their play, Steptoe and Son in Murder at Oil Drum Lane, at the Theatre Royal, York. It then went on tour across the country. It was set in the present day and related the events leading to Harold killing his father and their eventual meeting 30 years later, Albert then appearing as a ghost. By the end, it is clearly established that this is very much a conclusion to the Steptoe saga.
It was not the first time this idea had been considered. When Wilfrid Brambell left the UK after the third series to pursue an eventually unsuccessful Broadway musical career, Galton and Simpson toyed with the concept of 'killing off' Albert in order to continue the show without having to await Brambell's return. The character would have been replaced with Harold's illegitimate son, Arthur (a part thought to be intended for actor David Hemmings). This idea was detested by Corbett, who thought it ridiculous, although the 2008 drama The Curse of Steptoe depicts Corbett as being delighted with the concept, since assuming the role of father would allow Harold's character some development and growth, which he felt was long overdue.[19]
Films[edit]
In 1972 a film version was released of the show proving highly popular. This first film, also called Steptoe and Son – featuring a young Mike Reid and focusing on Harold getting married but still not being able to get away from his father. Due to popular demand another film, Steptoe and Son Ride Again, was released in 1973 which was also highly popular with fans.
When Steptoe Met Son[edit]
Main article: When Steptoe Met Son
When Steptoe Met Son was a 2002 Channel 4 documentary about the personal lives of Wilfrid Brambell and Harry H. Corbett. It aired on 20 August 2002.
The programme reveals how Brambell and Corbett were highly dissimilar to their on-screen characters. Corbett felt he had a promising career as a serious actor, but was trapped by his role as Harold and forced to keep returning to the series after typecasting limited his choice of work. Brambell, meanwhile, was a homosexual, something that in the 1960s was still frowned upon and, until the Sexual Offences Act 1967, illegal and was thus driven underground. The documentary went on to describe an ill-fated final tour of Australia, during which the already strained relationship between Corbett and Brambell finally broke down for good.[20]
The Curse of Steptoe[edit]
Phil Davis and Jason Isaacs recreating the characters in The Curse of Steptoe
Main article: The Curse of Steptoe
The Curse of Steptoe is a television play which was first broadcast on 19 March 2008 on BBC Four as part of a season of dramas about television personalities. It stars Jason Isaacs as Harry H. Corbett and Phil Davis as Wilfrid Brambell. The drama is based upon the actors' on-and-off-screen relationship during the making of the BBC sitcom Steptoe and Son, and is based on interviews with colleagues, friends and family of the actors, and the Steptoe writers, Ray Galton and Alan Simpson.[21]
The screenplay was written by Brian Fillis, also responsible for the similarly themed 2006 drama Fear of Fanny, which is about television personality Fanny Cradock off-screen. The 66-minute film is directed by Michael Samuels and produced by Ben Bickerton.
Both When Steptoe Met Son and The Curse of Steptoe were considered inaccurate by writers Galton and Simpson[22][23][24] and Corbett's family.[25][26]
Steptoe and Son[edit]
Jack Lane and Michael Simmonds as the iconic duo
In March 2011 the Engine Shed Theatre Company performed three episodes of the iconic series live on stage at the Capitol Theatre, Horsham. Jack Lane played Albert Steptoe and Michael Simmonds played Harold. The three episodes performed by the company were: Men Of Letters, Robbery With Violence and Seance in a Wet Rag and Bone Yard. Engine Shed went on to adapt and perform the two Christmas Specials later that year.
Many of the original TV episodes of Steptoe and Son have now been officially adapted to the stage by the original writers Ray Galton and Alan Simpson, with David Pibworth and are available for production on www.classiccomedyscripts.co.uk
Steptoe and Son by Kneehigh[edit]
Performed in 2012 and 2013 by Kneehigh Theatre, Steptoe and Son was adapted from four of the show's original scripts. The production was designed to highlight the Beckettian nature of Albert and Harold's situation, focusing on themes of over-reliance and being trapped within social class. The production toured the UK and received positive reviews from the Financial Times and three stars from The Guardian's Lynn Gardner.[27]
DVD releases[edit]
The first series with all six episodes was released in 2004 followed by the second series in 2005 and the third, fourth and fifth in 2006. Series 6, 7 and 8 were released in 2007 alongside the Christmas specials.
The two Steptoe films were released in 2006.
The complete boxed set containing all eight series and two Christmas specials was released in October 2007. In October 2011 the boxset was re released with new packaging.
In Australia, Season 1 was released in 2004, Season 2 and Season 3 in 2006, Season 4 and Season 5 in 2007, Season 6 and Season 7 in 2008 and Season 8 in 2009.
DVD Title
Disc No.
Year
Ep. No.
DVD release
Notes
Region 2
Region 4
Complete Series 1 1 1962 6 13 September 2004 10 November 2004 Includes the pilot
Complete Series 2 1 1963 7 8 August 2005 2 March 2006 —
Complete Series 3 1 1964 7 13 February 2006 6 July 2006 —
Complete Series 4 2 1965 7 15 May 2006 7 March 2007 —
Complete Series 5 2 1970 7 24 July 2006 1 August 2007 —
Complete Series 6 2 1970 8 8 January 2007 5 March 2008 —
Complete Series 7 2 1972 7 26 March 2007 7 August 2008 —
Complete Series 8 1 1974 6 14 May 2007 3 March 2009 —
The Christmas Specials 1 1973–74 2 29 October 2007 6 November 2008 Includes the 1973 and 1974 specials
Complete Series 1–8 13 1962–74 57 29 October 2007 1 October 2009 Includes the pilot and the 1973 and 1974 specials
See also[edit]
List of films based on British sitcoms
References[edit]
^ Jump up to: a b "Ron Grainer: Biography". www.rongrainer.org.uk. Retrieved 20 September 2010.
Jump up ^ "Best comedy series". British Film Institute. Retrieved 24 September 2007.
Jump up ^ Stevens, Christopher (30 December 2011). "Steptoe And Son 50th anniversary: How the finest sitcom of them all began". Mail Online. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
Jump up ^ "Steptoe and Son". Archived from the original on 26 June 2013. Retrieved 4 January 2009.
Jump up ^ John Hannington (27 April 2016). "Answers to Correspondents". Daily Mail. London: ANL Ltd: 56.
Jump up ^ "BBC – Lime Grove – History of the BBC". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
Jump up ^ "BBC Television Centre: A nostalgic wander through the sets, studios". independent.co.uk. 24 September 2014. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
Jump up ^ "BBC TV from AP – Lime Grove demolition". bbctv-ap.co.uk. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
Jump up ^ "history of television studios in London". tvstudiohistory.co.uk. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
Jump up ^ "Steptoe and Son, Lost Sitcoms – BBC Four". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
Jump up ^ "Lost Sitcoms". bbc.co.uk.
Jump up ^ Galton, R.; Simpson, A.; Ross, R. (2002). Steptoe and Son. London: BBC Books. ISBN 978-0-563-48833-0.
Jump up ^ [1]
Jump up ^ Gibson, Owen (10 July 2006). "British comedy remakes that aim to bring a smile to the US". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 October 2010.
Jump up ^ "Albert & Herbert". IMDB.
Jump up ^ "Han är Fleksnes och Albert & Herberts pappa". NWT.
Jump up ^ "Stiefbeen en Zoon". IMDB. Retrieved 25 January 2009.
Jump up ^ "Camilo & Filho Lda". IMDB.
Jump up ^ Billington, Michael (23 February 2006). "Steptoe and Son in Murder at Oil Drum Lane". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
Jump up ^ Barrie, David (19 August 2002). "The tortured world of Steptoe and Son". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
Jump up ^ "BBC Four unveils new drama season". BBC Press Office. 28 November 2007. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
Jump up ^ "Scriptwriters reject the 'Curse of Comedy'". The Times. 8 March 2008. Retrieved 7 February 2011. (Subscription required (help)).
Jump up ^ Simon Mayo Programme, BBC Radio 5 Live, 15 January 2009.
Jump up ^ Edge, Simon (26 July 2007). "The shame of Steptoe". The Daily Express. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
Jump up ^ "An important message from the Corbett family". steptoe-and-son.com.
Jump up ^ "Steptoe drama is slammed". The Daily Express. 25 March 2008. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
Jump up ^ "Official Site". kneehigh.co.uk. 30 July 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
External links[edit]
Steptoe and Son on IMDb
Steptoe and Son Appreciation Society
Steptoe and Son Collectors Archive
Steptoe and Son at Laughterlog
Steptoe and Son at BBC Programmes
Steptoe and Son at BBC Online
Steptoe and Son at BFI Screenonline
Steptoe and Son at British Comedy Guide
[show]
v
t
e
Steptoe and Son
Episodes
List of Steptoe and Son episodes
Films
Steptoe and Son (film)
Steptoe and Son Ride Again
Related
Steptoe and Son in Murder at Oil Drum Lane
When Steptoe Met Son
The Curse of Steptoe
Remakes
Sanford and Son
Albert & Herbert
[show]
v
t
e
Galton and Simpson
Ray Galton
Alan Simpson
Sitcoms
Hancock's Half Hour (1954-60)
Citizen James (1960)
Hancock (1961)
Comedy Playhouse
Series 1 (1961-62)
Series 2 (1963)
Steptoe and Son (1962-74)
The Galton and Simpson Comedy (1969)
Clochemerle (1972)
Casanova '73 (1973)
The Galton and Simpson Playhouse (1977)
Paul Merton in Galton and Simpson's... (1996–97)
Films
The Rebel (1961)
The Wrong Arm of the Law (1963)
The Bargee (1964)
The Spy with a Cold Nose (1966)
Loot (1970)
The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins (1971)
Up the Chastity Belt (1971)
Steptoe and Son (1972)
Steptoe and Son Ride Again (1973)
Galton with others
Spooner's Patch (1979-82)
Get Well Soon (1997)
Steptoe and Son in Murder at Oil Drum Lane (2005)
Related articles
Associated London Scripts
Sanford and Son (1972-77)
Fleksnes Fataliteter (1972-2002)
The Last Fleksnes (1974)
Albert & Herbert (1974-82)
Skyll inte på mig! (1978)
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