NEWLY RELEASED ARCHIVAL footage of the hugely respected British character actor Morris Perry–who memorably appears as the misanthrope Doctor Richard Fenton in the third series Survivors episode Mad Dog–shows him as a representative of Islington council in London, persuasively making the case for the widespread introduction of parking ‘bollards’ on the borough’s streets.
The segment, shot on location on 16mm film in the Spring or Summer of 1976, was recorded as a news feature for the weeknight BBC early evening current affairs show Nationwide (1969-83).
It became viewable online earlier this week–for the first time since its transmission–as part of the project to release more material from the BBC’s archives onto the corporation’s official BBC Archive YouTube channel.
The installation of ‘bollards’ of various designs across Islington–to prevent drivers from parking their vehicles half-on-the-road and half-on-the-pavement on already busy streets–had proved a controversial local party political issue in the mid-1970s, despite the benefits it brought to pedestrians.
Debates in the Islington press about the development proved sufficient to attract the interest of Nationwide‘s news editors–who contacted the council.
So what’s the connection between a Survivors actor and ‘bollards’ being installed on the streets of London?
In addition to his prolific and varied stage and screen career, Morris Perry was also a political actor. Elected as a Labour councillor in Islington in the 1970s, he was soon a natural fit to chair the borough’s Arts & Recreation Committee.
The limited council records available online also suggest that Perry became chairman of Islington’s Planning Committee for a time. He would, of course, have been entirely unfazed at the idea of representing the council on camera, when the borough was looking for an effective public face.
The short Nationwide feature mixes ‘vox pops’ with local residents with the opinions of two local council officials.
In contrast to the unfocused complaints of the (poorly prepared) opposition councillor, Perry is an articulate and unruffled defender of the bollards’ utility.
While Perry’s natural fluency is instantly recognisable, for fans of his acting career, this news segment is an unexpected context in which to find him.
Within months of this Nationwide appearance, Perry would travel to the Derbyshire Peak District to record the classic Survivors episode Mad Dog, alongside Denis Lill (Charles Vaughan).
BBC Archive. 2025. ‘1976: Nevermind the Bollards’. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRzFrD543Z8.
It’s also clear from the BBC reporter’s snarky tone how impressed he was with being given this particular assignment...
