The TV Pilot Graveyard: Five Never-Seen Offbeat TV Pilots

Prepare for the unexpected, because this episode of the ‘TV Pilot Graveyard’ is dedicated to the truly offbeat. We’re talking about the concepts that defy easy categorisation, the humour that dances on the edge of the surreal, and the pilots that perhaps only a genius (or a madman) could have conceived.

These shows aimed to push boundaries, challenge conventions, and leave audiences wondering, “What just happened?” While some might have been ahead of their time, others simply baffled their way into oblivion. Join me as we explore the delightfully strange, the brilliantly bizarre, and the wonderfully weird pilots that never quite found their footing.

A Tribute to the cast of “Hi-de-Hi!”

Between 1980 and 1988, ‘Hi-de-Hi’ transported audiences back to the 1960s, the twilight of the traditional British holiday camp. Through the gates of Maplin’s, the series celebrated a bygone era of sun-drenched summers, communal dining halls, and seaside entertainment.

In this video, we look back at the immensely talented, much-loved cast members who are no longer with us, honouring the wonderful characters they portrayed and their enduring contribution to the history of British television comedy.

“Love It or Hate It” – Gavin and Stacey

Gavin & Stacey is a British institution, but it’s a show defined by a very strange irony. It’s named after a couple who, let’s be honest, are often the blandest people on screen, serving as the ‘normal’ anchors while the supporting cast runs away with every scene.

And then there’s the elephant in the room: the polarising legacy of its co-creator, James Corden. Whether you love the genius of the writing or struggle to separate the art from the ‘diva’ headlines, there’s no denying the show’s grip on our culture. In this video, we’re going to look at what viewers and critics Loved or Hated about Gavin and Stacey.

Love It or Hate It: ‘Last of the Summer Wine’

To some, ‘Last of the Summer Wine’ is the ultimate television comfort watch, or a philosophical masterpiece. But to others, it was a Sunday night sentence of ‘boredom’ that lasted thirty-seven years.

So, we’re going to look at why the British public fell in love with Compo, Clegg, and Foggy, and why a vocal minority couldn’t wait for the bathtub to finally hit the bottom of the hill. Is it a timeless classic of British character writing, or was it a ‘zombie sitcom’ that stayed at the party far too long? Let’s look at the evidence.

Love it or Hate It: Citizen Khan

In this video we are looking at a tv sitcom about an ordinary family, they’re not quirky like ‘2point4 Children’ or have a 40-year old son still living at home like in ‘Sorry!’ but there is a twist. This is a British Muslim family living in Birmingham with a status seeking father, a long-suffering wife and daughters trying to cope with tradition and modernity. So, let’s see what people loved or hated about ‘Citizen Khan’.

Theft from ‘Last of the Summer Wine’ Filming Location

Fans of ‘Last of the Summer Wine’ might recognise the first image as a location regularly used for filming the series. It is Scaly Gate, viewed from the junction of Intake Lane and Hirst Lane, near Holmfirth.

View of Scaly Gate an area often used as a filming location in 'Last of the Summer Wine', viewed from the junction of Intake Lane and Hirst Lane, near Holmfirth.
View of Scaly Gate, (as seen in season 9 episode 5) viewed from the junction of Intake Lane and Hirst Lane, near Holmfirth.

This is where the trio crashed while riding their three-man bicycle; Ogden Butterglough’s Mini crashed; and, Norman’s gas bar-b-que blew up.

A few years ago the triangular piece of land was bought by a fan of the show, they had the undergrowth tidied and installed a locked gate so they could let fans use the area.

Recent view of the land at Scaly Gate, near Holmfirth.
Land at Scaly Gate, near Holmfirth, before the gate was stolen.

The owner hasn’t visited the spot for a while and on a recent visit discovered the gate had been stolen! It is an isolated area – ideal for filming the show – but it also means that there is no one to see who is coming and going. The theft has been reported to West Yorkshire Police, but being so out of the way and having no idea when the gate was stolen, there seems little the police can do.

Love It or Hate It: The Royle Family

It might be understandable that a sitcom where “nothing happens” would not be considered worth watching and would inevitably be disliked by people who expected the laugh-a-minute chaos of some tv sitcoms.

With that in mind, there seems little hope for this very niche sitcom, hidden away on Monday at 10:00pm on BBC Two. Except that the apparent simplicity of ‘The Royle Family’ belies the genius writing of Caroline Ahern and Craig Cash, and their relate-ably indolent tv watching family.

A Tribute to the cast of “Are You Being Served?”

The BBC Comedy Playhouse episode ‘Are You Being Served?’ was broadcast on 8 September 1972 and a series began in March 1973.

The sitcom, based in an already out-dated department store, was a hit with UK audiences and was popular in English-speaking countries worldwide. In this tribute we bid a proper farewell to the managers, shop assistants and customer of Grace Brother’s department store.

The TV Pilot Graveyard: Did Mr Swallow Make The Best Sitcom You’ve Never Seen? 

In this trip to the ‘TV Pilot Graveyard,’ we’re pulling back the curtain on the chaotic, often absurd, world of media sitcoms.

Whether it’s the urgent deadline of a newspaper office, the ego-driven chaos of a TV studio, the quirky personalities behind the mic at a radio station, or the glamorous (and not-so-glamorous) lives of magazine editors, this subgenre has always promised a behind-the-scenes look at the content we consume. But for every ‘Drop the Dead Donkey’ or ‘The Mary Tyler Moore Show,’ there’s a whole newsroom of rejected pilots. Let’s dig into the stories that almost broke, but instead, just broke down.

The TV Pilot Graveyard: Best Mates Sitcom Pilots

In this instalment of the ‘TV Pilot Graveyard’, we’re celebrating the unbreakable, often dysfunctional, bond of friendship – or at least, the sitcom pilots that tried to.

The ‘best mates’ sitcom is a cornerstone of comedy, built on shared experiences, mutual exasperation, and that one friend who always gets you into trouble. But for every ‘Friends’ or ‘Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps’, there are countless duos, trios, and quartets who never got past their first episode. Join me as we explore the friendships that fizzled out before they even began – and ponder why these comedic friendships hit the cutting room floor.