{"id":1988194,"date":"2025-08-30T09:56:55","date_gmt":"2025-08-30T09:56:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=1988194"},"modified":"2025-08-30T09:56:55","modified_gmt":"2025-08-30T09:56:55","slug":"my-mother-the-car-and-the-strangest-television-ever-made","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/my-mother-the-car-and-the-strangest-television-ever-made\/","title":{"rendered":"My Mother the Car and the strangest television ever made"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Recently, whenever life has seemed bleak and grey, I have deployed a method which is sure to bring consolation. I stare mistily into the middle distance and say to myself, \u201csomewhere out there on the ocean wave, right this very minute, series three of <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/tv\/0\/the-good-ship-murder-channel-5-review-shayne-ward\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:The Good Ship Murder;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\"><em>The Good Ship Murder<\/em><\/a> is being filmed\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">For those of you who don\u2019t know, <em>The Good Ship Murder<\/em> is a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/channel-5\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Channel 5;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\">Channel 5<\/a> drama that stars <em>X Factor<\/em> winner and ex-Corrie heart-throb Shayne Ward as Jack Grayling, a retired detective turned cabaret singer who solves the murders that happen on board, or adjacent to, a cruise ship that circles between the ports of the sun-kissed Mediterranean. At the end of each instalment, another case successfully cracked, Jack celebrates by singing a number that somehow reflects the episode\u2019s plot and the characters involved.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>Shayne Ward as sleuth-turned-singer Jack Grayling in The Good Ship Murder &#8211; Channel 5<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">This is all part of Channel 5\u2019s sinister scheme, fairly unique in modern British television, to make the kind of shows that people actually like to watch. Unlike all the other terrestrial broadcasters, who are making swingeing cutbacks in the field, Channel 5 is actually increasing the amount of drama it makes. Could making programmes people enjoy possibly be the magic secret?<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">I sometimes find myself wishing that maybe <em>The Good Ship Murder<\/em> could be a little sharper, a little smarter. But no, it is pitched perfectly, with a firm hand on the tiller. Anything more adroit, or more knowing, would destroy its essential innocence, its precious status as the one ingenue in a sea of wiseacres.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">It\u2019s probably the maddest-sounding show on TV right now. It\u2019s a bit like one of the TV ideas with which <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/films\/2025\/04\/18\/steve-coogan-the-penguin-lessons-alan-partridge\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Alan Partridge;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\">Alan Partridge<\/a> fills up his Dictaphone at the Linton Travel Tavern, like Inner City Sumo or Monkey Tennis. But it\u2019s just the latest in a long line of barmy formats that stretches back decades.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Perhaps the barmiest of the lot was NBC\u2019s sitcom <em>My Mother the Car<\/em>, which ran for one series in 1965. Its jaunty theme song establishes its premise. \u201cEverybody knows in a second life, we all come back sooner or later,\u201d it begins. Do we? This seems a somewhat overconfident metaphysical statement, blithely putting to bed centuries of doctrinal dispute. If continues \u2013 \u201cas anything from a pussycat to a man eating alligator. Well, y\u2019all may think my story is more fiction than it\u2019s fact. But believe it or not, my mother dear decided she\u2019d come back\u2026\u201d Pause. \u201cAs a car!\u201d Yes, the hapless hero is haunted by his sassy mom, whose spirit now inhabits the frame of a 1920s Tin Lizzie, her voice dropping zingers through its radio speaker. Cue gags of the calibre of \u201clook at that old banger\u201d and \u201cher big end\u2019s gone\u201d, punctuated by flirtily dipping headlamps or an angrily honking horn.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"The cast of My Mother The Car, 1965\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"955\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/1XiwCDEpr52qP0SBxBIlmg--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTk1NTtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/the_telegraph_258\/ceab8ed7281e0587ca769046aace48b3\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>The cast of My Mother The Car, 1965 &#8211; NBC Universal<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">This show never made it to the ITV region where I grew up, so when someone mentioned it in passing I flatly refused to believe it existed, until I checked on YouTube. There are an astonishing 30 episodes of this stuff. Even more weirdly, there is no canned laughter track on the early instalments, giving them an awkward and uncertain, indeed nightmarish, tone.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">If something about this sounds oddly familiar to you, it may be because the premise was immortalised by the \u201cLove-Matic Grandpa\u201d segment in \u201c<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/the-simpsons\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:The Simpsons;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\"><em>The Simpsons<\/em><\/a> Spin-Offs Showcase\u201d episode.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><em>My Mother the Car<\/em> was probably an attempt to recreate the successes of <em>Bewitched <\/em>and <em>I Dream of Jeannie<\/em>; adding a spooky element to a domestic situation. More successful in the fray was <em>The Flying Nun <\/em>(featuring a very young Sally Field in a habit), which sells its offer in the title.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Other American strangenesses include spin-off cartoons from big franchises, where science fiction is added for no tangible reason. There was 1981\u2019s <em>The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang<\/em>, in which our friends from Milwaukee travel through time, and <em>Partridge Family 2200 AD<\/em>, in which the songbird siblings, with no explanation whatever, are living in the future. Weirdest of all was <em>The Robonic Stooges<\/em>, which saw the ancient slapstick troupe reincarnated as cyborgs with detachable heads.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"The Fonz and his gang from Happy Days (1974) were the inspiration for an animated sci-fi spin-off a few years later\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"600\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/GFHLLh1N1CewwHBxdjUVzQ--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTYwMDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/the_telegraph_258\/0f524afb3dead40437e8a11a056d14f6\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>The Fonz and his gang from Happy Days (1974) were the inspiration for an animated sci-fi spin-off a few years later &#8211; Bettmann<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">But we Brits shouldn\u2019t look down our noses. In 1969, we produced <em>The Secret Service<\/em>, from the Gerry and Sylvia Anderson stable of <em>Thunderbirds <\/em>renown. This features a country vicar, who is really an agent of Bishop (British Intelligence Secret Headquarters \u2013 Operation Priest), and whose yokel gardener is miniaturised to carry out espionage missions. Disconcertingly, the vicar switches between being a puppet and a real human being, and he is played by that celebrated mangler of the English language Stanley Unwin. It\u2019s one of the oddest things you will ever see.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">But we should not think such madcap misfires are confined to the very distant TV past. Those of us who tuned in to the one series of the BBC\u2019s <em>Bonekickers <\/em>(2008), the story of archaeologists unearthing lost relics \u2013 the True Cross, Excalibur \u2013 by the shedload, will forever be haunted by it. I occasionally have to go back and check that another show from this era, ITV\u2019s <em>The Palace<\/em>, really happened. This was the story of a fictional royal family, with Jane Asher as queen. Sort of like <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/the-crown\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:The Crown;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\"><em>The Crown<\/em><\/a>, except with characters like King Richard IV and Princess Eleanor.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"Garage Sale Mysteries is one of several TV movies that latched on to a trend for mash-ups of popular genres\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"602\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/GOQGjPLg6cFx5ZyiquKmGw--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTYwMjtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/the_telegraph_258\/1af6c9cd53b5730813f75a3857c17991\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>Garage Sale Mysteries is one of several TV movies that latched on to a trend for mash-ups of popular genres &#8211; Everett Collection\/Alamy<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Often, as with <em>The Good Ship Murder<\/em>, popular genres are smashed together. The viewers like crime and cookery? Why not have both at the same time? One of my YouTube obsessions is the trailers for <em>Murder, She Baked<\/em>, the TV movies made by the Hallmark Channel which feature baker-cum-sleuth Hannah Swensen. Titles include A Chocolate Chip Mystery, Pie to Die For, and A Sprinkle of Deceit. The same studio also creates <em>Garage Sale Mysteries <\/em>(bric a brac emporium owner), <em>Fixer Upper Mysteries <\/em>(home renovation expert), and <em>Morning Show Mysteries <\/em>(breakfast TV hosts).<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">It makes one want to stroll into Channel 5 and pitch one\u2019s own genre mash-up \u2013 perhaps a Western makeover show, The Lone Rearranger. Or how about vets in sci-fi \u2013 All Creatures Space and Time? Long live bonkers TV formats, and all who sail in them.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/customer\/subscribe\/01doysa\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \"><b>Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Recently, whenever life has seemed bleak and grey, I have deployed a method which is sure to bring consolation. I stare mistily into the middle distance and say to myself, \u201csomewhere out there on the ocean wave, right this very minute, series three of The Good Ship Murder is being filmed\u201d. For those of you [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1988195,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[358521,316354,358520,358522,358519],"class_list":["post-1988194","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-alan-partridge","tag-channel-5","tag-jack-grayling","tag-my-mother-the-car","tag-shayne-ward"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/My-Mother-the-Car-and-the-strangest-television-ever-made.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1988194","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1988194"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1988194\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1988195"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1988194"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1988194"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1988194"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}