Michael Crawford took time out during his West End stage show Billy to appear before the Queen and an invited audience on stage at the London Palladium on 10th November 1975 (a recording of the show was transmitted by ITV on the 16th). In fact, this was "Frank's" last ever appearance before the Some Mothers revival in 1978 as the 1975 Christmas Special (qv) had been recorded some time beforehand.

Crawford appears in the guise of Frank, the incompetent new stage-hand, during three of the links between the acts (totalling about 4½ minutes running time) partnered against host Bruce Forsyth. Spencer enters hanging from a rope by his leg and descends from the rafters to the stage and is helped free by Forsyth ("Get that noose off his ankle - I want to put it round his neck!") He then proceeds to argue with Forsyth over the lighting arrangements for the show - this ends when Forsyth is knocked off of the stage into the orchestra pit leaving Frank to introduce the next act. The next two links see the increasingly irritated Forsyth ordering Frank repeatedly from the stage (Frank: "Don't you point your hired sleeve at me - I've had enough harassments for one day!") Later during the show, Forsyth reports that Frank "has been exterminated".

Crawford also appears later in the show to sing a medley of songs from Billy and joins the rest of the show's cast (including the entire Dad's Army line-up) for the curtain-call at the end.

The material here is well-greeted by the live audience (Crawford gets, by far, the biggest cheer at the end of the show) but is, on the whole, unremarkable. There is also a lingering suspicion that Bruce Forsyth accidentally misses out a number of his feed lines here and there.

Clips:
New stage manager Frank and host Bruce Forsyth argue. (Quality warning! 0.4MB)

White Powder Christmas is the 1978 entry in a set of highly amusing and very unofficial Christmas compilation tapes put together by BBC engineers during the late Seventies and early Eighties. These tapes - not intended for transmission - included specially filmed songs and sketches shot in odd moments during the year together with the best of the year's bloopers rescued from the edit suites. Michael Crawford was at Television Centre shooting the third season of Some Mothers during the time the tape was compiled and was roped in to help out. Crawford appears in-character as Spencer, complete with beret and wearing a striking jumper based on the BBC1 logo ("Hope you like the sweaters - fourteen blind nuns sat up four nights knitting these"). The co-presenter is news-reader Kenneth Kendall, who is variously referred to as Mr Randall, Mr Sendall and Mr Bendall.

The pair provide five off-the-cuff links for the tape (totalling about 2½ minutes running time). Unfortunately a lot of the material consists of in-jokes not understandable by those outside the BBC's Videotape department!

This tape is also the "home" of the out-take described under Motorbike. Additionally, a brief out-take from the links for this tape appears on the following year's Christmas tape, Good King Memorex.

Clips:
One of the links. (0.2M)
The final link. (0.2M)

Crawford reprised his Frank Spencer role for the first time in 20 years as part of the 14th November 1998 edition of Noel's House Party appearing in a skit lasting about 5 minutes.

Half-way through the show, Crawford enters in his familiar mac and beret and proceeds to knock down various props in the mock country house studio set. The entire audience are dressed similarly, as are various mincing Frank Spencer impressionists on the stage. Then follows some brief dialogue with the show's host, Noel Edmonds, where we learn that Jessica is now 21 years old (whether by design or accident, this continuity more or less works compared against the 1978 season). Crawford then quickly discards the Spencer costume (and voice) and sings The Holy City as parts of the set continue to crash about his ears. He finishes with a subtle plug for his new CD.

Crawford reappears at the end of the show to accept an achievement award from a surprise guest. Michele Dotrice enters to make the presentation to the obviously gob-smacked and delighted Michael Crawford.

Clips:
Frank wants to sing a song. (0.5M)

To Be Perfectly Frank (tx: 11/4/77: 1945-2025), written and directed by James Fortune, is a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the programme, with special emphasis on the Learning to Drive 1975 Christmas special and including interviews with the cast and crew. In between detailed looks at the film sequences and stunt work for this episode, a somewhat serious Michael Crawford (interviewed in his dressing-room for the stage show Billy) explains the background to the character and his approach to the work. The programme is interspersed with clips from the Some Mothers episodes, some of which are interestingly presented from their original filmed inserts, devoid of the laughter from the studio audience.

After many lonely years in the archives, this special was eventually revived as part of BBC2's Crash! Bang! Wallop! themed evening on slapstick, although at half its original running time and with some clips changed around (tx: 19/6/99: 2215-2235).

Clips:
(see the Introduction page, and under The Labour Exchange)

Produced by Gabrielle Osrin, The Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em Selection Box (tx: 6/8/97: 2015-2050) was part of a series which each week celebrated a different classic BBC sitcom. The Some Mothers edition features a rag-bag collection of third division star names offering their thoughts on the show, including MEP Glenys Kinnock, husky Scandinavian TV presenter Mariella Frostrup, kids' TV presenter and reformed alcoholic Keith Chegwin, ex-Blue Peter presenter John Leslie, Right Said Fred singer Richard Fairbrass, agony aunt Claire Rayner and actor Jonathon Morris. The remaining three guests had more genuine credentials for being on the show: Christopher Biggins had actually been in two of the original episodes, impressionist Bobby Davro had been "doing" Frank Spencer for many years, and Australian comic Mark Little had been a lifelong fan ever since Some Mothers huge popularity in Australia during the Seventies.

The interviews are interspersed with clips from the original episodes and the end of the show features the interviewees attempting to whistle or sing the Some Mothers theme tune!

Clips:
The contributors attempt to sing the Some Mothers theme. (0.2M)
(see also the Introduction page)