August 27th 1973

“Went to sea-side + 2 Sweden for 3 MINUTES!! Doctor in Charge on Telly”

 As if to prove that I was ahead of my time, please note my “text speak” with the use of “2” for “to”!

I’m not lying when I say we went to Sweden for just 3 MINUTES either. If we ever spent a day with my Morfar (Grandfather) this was something of a regular ‘habit’

He was a man of relatively simple needs.

Food and beer mainly.

So, we would catch one of the ferries that several times each day from Denmark to Sweden. (These ferries ran a more profitable route in the opposite direction, Swedes then eager to get their hands on non-government controlled beer and spirit outlets in Copenhagen, where prices were very cheap and goods easily available)

My folks, my Morfar and I would find a tucked away table in the restaurant where Morfar would usually hold court for the crossing, often ordering an entire crate of beer to sit beside him. We would all over-indulge in great food and booze for a couple of hours until such time as we reached the Swedish port. We were obliged to get off the ship to go through immigration – a roughly 3-minute procedure – before re-boarding for the return journey. Most times my Morfar would have ‘bribed’ one of the waiters in the restaurant to keep the same table free and his beer chilled. So we would over-indulge all over again for the trip back to Copenhagen. (I did mention that mealtimes were … erm … “extended* in Denmark didn’t I?)

On arrival ‘home’ on the Danish side my Morfar would pay the extortionate bill (and it was always extortionate), heavily tip the waiter and then catch a taxi back home to go straight to bed to sleep everything off. We would be left – Mum usually staggering under the effects of the alcohol – to find our way back to Armager and Mormor’s apartment.

Where, tonight, cheesy UK TV comedy “Doctor in Charge” was on TV.

“Doctor on Charge” was the second sequel to the late sixties series “Doctor in the House”, and revolved around the trials and tribulations of a bunch of medical students all practising at the fictional St Swithins Hospital in London.

As with most English comedy series of this time, the situations were usually preposterous with scripts so politically incorrect so as to be embarrassing nowadays. Trivia junkies may care to note however that the original series was written by the team of Graham Chapman and John Cleese (yes, both Monty Pythons) whilst later shows were scripted by people like Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie (“The Goodies”),  Jonathan (“Yes Minister”) Lynn, Phil (“Brookside”) Redmond… even Douglas (“Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy”) Adams!

Naturally most episodes featured attractive women in various stages of undress, if only to provide the “boobs” jokes mandatory for any 70’s sitcom.

I can’t be certain if I was first introduced to her undoubted beauty via “Doctor in Charge”, but I do believe that actress Madeline (Maddy) Smith was a regular on the show.

That’s her on the right.

Stunner.

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