Dr Who
Dudley was cast as “The Robot” in 2 episodes of Dr Who according to Doctorwhonews.net
This was “The Time Warrior” part 2 & part 3
https://guide.doctorwhonews.net/people.php?code=L&type=cast
This was with Jon Pertwee as the Dr. The Time Warrior is the first serial of the 11th season of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts on BBC1 from 15 December 1973 to 5 January 1974. The serial introduced Elisabeth Sladen as new companion Sarah Jane Smith. It also marked the debut of the Sontaran race. The serial also introduces the name of the Doctor’s home planet, Gallifrey.
Family also believe that he played another part in Dr. WHO as a Cyberman !
Time Of My Life
This was a comedy series with Mark Kingston, Amanda Barrie, Andrew Paul & Avril Angers.
Ken Archer, 49 years old, has been with the same firm for 33 years but has just been told he is to be made redundant. On the same evening his wife tells him that she is leaving him for a man 20 years her junior. His two sons are no help in his time of crisis and, after contemplating suicide, he decides to make the best of it. But Ken’s luck has run out and things get a lot worse as a series of disasters befall him.
Dudley played a dimwitted fisherman in The 1st episode of the 1 series made. It was first broadcast on the 18th March 1980 on BBC.
The producer was Dennis Main Wilson & the music was by Ronnie Hazelhurst from a theme by Noel Coward
L For Lester
Dudley wrote a series of 6 episodes of “L for Lester” for the BBC. The programme followed the misfortunes of a small town driving instructor. It was intended as a new vehicle for Murphy after his previous hit show – George and Mildred – was retired following the sudden death of Yootha Joyce in 1980.. It also had actors Amanda Barrie, Richard Vernon, Hilda Braid, Colin Spaull, Linda Robson& James Cossins. Dudley also acted in the series, as Police Constable Bright
Lester Small is a driving instructor in a quiet West Country town with quite a reputation – for taking on clients that cause havoc and mayhem whenever they are on the road. His most consistent pupil is the hapless Mrs Davies, who usually drives into a perilous situation in each episode where Lester’s car is usually either badly damaged or destroyed in the process (e.g. though a level crossing onto railway tracks, into a river, onto a firing range, and with a leaking petrol tank (on two occasions; the first time after Mrs Davies crashes into a barn, the second when a passing cyclist discards a cigarette).
None of these antics ingratiate Lester to either the local police chief (with whom he has a long standing feud), or with his bank manager – from whom he keeps having to borrow more money to repair or replace the damaged vehicles. All this puts a strain on his long suffering wife (Amanda Barrie) and secretary (Linda Robson).
Extract from an interview with Brian Murphy by Mark McCaighy
In 1982 you switched channels to BBC2 for the sitcom L For Lester. It attracted a healthy regular audience of about five million viewers and was described as an action-comedy, featuring some great motoring stunts, including a Mini driven along a rail track with a train closely behind. How much were you involved in the stunts, and did you find it quite a fun departure from the sitcoms that you had made up to that point?
I met producer Dennis Main Wilson after doing a performance at Stratford East. He told me that he had the perfect script for me by a new writer and that he wanted me to meet him at BBC White City where he would give me the script to read.
When I got there, he handed me the script and said he was going to lock the door until I had read it. I have to admit that, because it was Dennis Main Wilson who had produced and successfully directed Tony Hancock, I was dutifully flattered. So, I read the whole series and loved it – not a sign of George, and very funny with some great stunts, some of which I was allowed to be involved in.
The author, Dudley Long, was a delightful actor and there were some old buddies and excellent actors in the regular roles – I felt extremely lucky. I got on well with the director John Hobbs and when we were transmitted on BBC2 it played to a very respectfully sized audience. Sadly, Dudley – who was quite young – died and we were robbed of a very promising writer and of course, yours truly was back on the market.
The episode where the car ends up on a railway track was filmed on the Severn Valley Railway
One of the driving schools motto’s that the secretary had to read out, when answering the phone was “We may be Small, but we make you feel Big” However, due to Lester Small’s handwriting being poor, she read it out as “We may be Small but we make your feet Big”….
Another scene showed the Police shining a touch on Lester’s tax disc. The moment the church clock struck midnight on the day the disc expired they cried “Book ‘im”…..
Filmed around Glastonbury, Somerset…..