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The Curse of Steptoe

  • TV Movie
  • 2008
  • 1h 7m
IMDb RATING
7.6/10
354
YOUR RATING
The Curse of Steptoe (2008)
BiographyDrama

In the early 1960s aspiring stage actor Harry H. Corbett jumps at the chance to play junk-dealer Harold Steptoe in a television comedy show 'Steptoe and Son'. However, the show's success pro... Read allIn the early 1960s aspiring stage actor Harry H. Corbett jumps at the chance to play junk-dealer Harold Steptoe in a television comedy show 'Steptoe and Son'. However, the show's success proves to be a poisoned chalice for him, type-casting him and thwarting his stage ambitions. ... Read allIn the early 1960s aspiring stage actor Harry H. Corbett jumps at the chance to play junk-dealer Harold Steptoe in a television comedy show 'Steptoe and Son'. However, the show's success proves to be a poisoned chalice for him, type-casting him and thwarting his stage ambitions. Wilfrid Brambell, the actor playing his father, is marginalized in a different way. He is ... Read all

  • Director
    • Michael Samuels
  • Writer
    • Brian Fillis
  • Stars
    • Roger Allam
    • Jason Isaacs
    • Zoë Tapper
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • IMDb RATING
    7.6/10
    354
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Michael Samuels
    • Writer
      • Brian Fillis
    • Stars
      • Roger Allam
      • Jason Isaacs
      • Zoë Tapper
    • 7User reviews
    • 2Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 2 BAFTA Awards
      • 2 wins & 2 nominations total

    Photos50

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    Top cast18

    Edit
    Roger Allam
    Roger Allam
    • Tom Sloan
    Jason Isaacs
    Jason Isaacs
    • Harry H Corbett
    Zoë Tapper
    Zoë Tapper
    • Sheila Steafel
    Clare Higgins
    Clare Higgins
    • Joan Littlewood
    Elspeth Rae
    • Young Blonde Actress
    Burn Gorman
    Burn Gorman
    • Ray Galton
    Rory Kinnear
    Rory Kinnear
    • Alan Simpson
    Phil Davis
    Phil Davis
    • Wilfrid Brambell
    Kenneth Oxtoby
    • Costume Designer
    • (as Ken Oxtoby)
    Ben Parr
    • Wilfrid's Young Blonde Man
    Peter Hamilton Dyer
    • Director
    • (as Peter Hamilton-Dyer)
    Sophie Hunter
    Sophie Hunter
    • Maureen Corbett
    Julian Forsyth
    • Clive Goodwin
    Jamie Lennox
    • Plain Clothes Policeman
    Scott McNess
    • Boy Outside Theatre
    Buddy Wallis
    • Harry's Son
    Aine Carlin
    • Press
    • (uncredited)
    • …
    Aaron King
    • Edward
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Michael Samuels
    • Writer
      • Brian Fillis
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The brother of Harry H. Corbett's second wife, Maureen, complained to the BBC that the timeline portrayed in the film was wildly misleading and gave the impression that i) Maureen's affair with Harry may have led to the break-up of his marriage to Sheila Steafel, which was not the case, and ii) Harry's decision not to make any more episodes of Steptoe and Son (1962) coincided with the birth of his and Maureen's first child, whereas the birth had happened eight years before the end of Steptoe. The BBC upheld these complaints and agreed not to repeat the film unless it was edited to remove these misleading errors.
    • Goofs
      Directly after the 1962 awards ceremony, Corbett does his impersonation of Harold Wilson with reference to his White Heat of Technology speech. Wilson did not become Prime Minister for another two years and the White Heat speech was even later. However, the writer made this 'error' quite deliberately. He took dramatic license. Dates were fudged throughout the piece, so though the award ceremony was in fact held in 1962, the film avoids placing it in time. Harry's party trick was his Harold Wilson impression; that was the most appropriate moment in the piece to give him the chance to do his thing.
    • Quotes

      Alan Simpson: A rag-and-bone man? What an awful premise for a sit-com that would be!

    • Connections
      Featured in Screenwipe: Review of the Year 2008 (2008)

    User reviews7

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    1/10

    I would give this a zero if I could...Appalling revisionism for popular appeal.

    I have just finished reading Susannah Corbett's biography of her father. I have seen The Curse of Steptoe and this abomination of a production forms the basis of the last chapter. Simply, there was no bad blood between Harry H and Wilf B. Yes, they weren't close, and they did have their minor fallings outs, but there was always an immense respect between the two. I find these BBC revisionist biopics very strange and suspicious - trading on much loved memories, with the view of turning them into cheap sensationalism. All a bit gutter press in my view, though most peoples' responses today will undoubtedly be 'whatever - anything goes'. For anyone wishing to read the truth, I wholeheartedly recommend 'The Front Legs of the Cow' by Susannah Corbett.
    • peterjhale
    • Apr 17, 2020
    • Permalink

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 19, 2008 (United Kingdom)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Official site
      • BBC Four (United Kingdom)
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • The Curse of Steptoe and Son
    • Production company
      • British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 7 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.78 : 1

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