'Hogg's Back' was an I.T.V. children's comedy series which starred the late Derek Royle ( best remembered these days for playing 'Mr.Leeman' in 'The Kipper & The Corpse' episode of Fawlty Towers' ) as Dr.Hogg, an incompetent country quack brought out of retirement to administer the needs of a quiet country village.
Stammering, twitching and fumbling like a terminal piles sufferer, Hogg caused chaos wherever he went. You definitely wouldn't want him at your bedside with a thermometer. Royle was an acrobat in his younger days, and the ability served him in good stead here.
The scripts were by the late Michael Pertwee, who wrote classic comedy movies such as 'Laughter In Paradise'. 'Hogg's Back' was far from his best work, but I suspect if released on D.V.D. now would outshine many modern comedies for sheer belly laughs.
Jacki Piper, who played Hogg's secretary Pearl, left mid-way through Season 1, to be replaced by Wendy Richard. In Season 2, Pat Coombs joined the cast as Hogg's housekeeper.
Stammering, twitching and fumbling like a terminal piles sufferer, Hogg caused chaos wherever he went. You definitely wouldn't want him at your bedside with a thermometer. Royle was an acrobat in his younger days, and the ability served him in good stead here.
The scripts were by the late Michael Pertwee, who wrote classic comedy movies such as 'Laughter In Paradise'. 'Hogg's Back' was far from his best work, but I suspect if released on D.V.D. now would outshine many modern comedies for sheer belly laughs.
Jacki Piper, who played Hogg's secretary Pearl, left mid-way through Season 1, to be replaced by Wendy Richard. In Season 2, Pat Coombs joined the cast as Hogg's housekeeper.