# dear ladies quiet sophistication and airy delight ![[dearladies.jpg|300]] genre: surreal sitcom written by: gyles brandreth - patrick fyffe - george logan directed by: mike stephens starring: patrick fyffe - george logan composer: john golland country of origin: united kingdom original language: english no. of series: 3 no. of episodes: 20 production producer: peter ridsdale scott running time: 30 minutes production company: bbc original release network: bbc two release: 15 march 1983 - 16 december 1984 dear ladies is a british comedy television series which aired on the bbc in 21 episodes between 1983 and 1984. it featured the comic characters hinge and bracket played by george logan and patrick fyffe the comedy is set in and around the house the ladies shared in the fictional village of stackton tressel in suffolk and gives viewers "a glimpse behind the scenes of village life in stackton tressel" dr evadne hinge and dame hilda bracket are a pair of elderly spinsters who live in the fictional english village of stackton tressel. they share a large house named utopia ltd owned by dame hilda the east wing of which is occupied by evadne. each episode is based around ir musical activities at home and in the village community ![[gylesbrandreth-waffletv(croppedtosquare).jpg|300]] dear ladies was co-written with gyles brandreth ![[50-churchstreet-greatbudworth02.jpg|300]] locations such as great budworth evoked the genteel world of stackton tressel for dear ladies hinge and bracket were conceived by george logan and patrick fyffe as a pair of old ladies who had spent ir lives performing classical music. ir comic female impersonation act had grown in popularity in the 1970s and after appearing on bbc radio a hinge and bracket situation comedy was developed. the scripts were written by george logan and patrick fyffe who played the starring roles in collaboration with the writer and broadcaster gyles brandreth. brandreth described hinge and bracket as "a drag act with a difference. they offered character and comedy instead of glamour and sex appeal" exterior scenes were filmed on location in the cheshire towns of knutsford great budworth and nantwich incidental music is by john golland. a special episode was broadcast after the 1984 series the "dear ladies masterclass" in which hinge and bracket are invited to deliver a music masterclass at the royal northern college of music in manchester. the episode features students of the college who perform under the tutelage of the two ladies dear ladies cast members included **+** george logan - dr evadne hinge **+** patrick fyffe - dame hilda bracket **+** richard aylen - courtney pines **+** geoffrey banks - rev. donald smollit **+** frances cox - miss grace pullet (librarian) **+** terry gilligan - various roles **+** hope johnstone - party organiser **+** madeleine newbury - joan shanks **+** paula tilbrook - party organiser **+** rosalie williams - dodie bantock **+** david pringle. imaginary people: a who's who of fictional characters from the eighteenth century to the present day. scolar press 1996 **+** tennant janet (15 august 2022.) it's a drag: cross-dressing in performance. rowman & littlefield. 06-5. retrieved 3 april 2023 // republic of bob