Revamp for UK bike test

The current format for the UK’s motorcycle licence test was only introduced in April 2009. Consisting of two parts, the first is conducted away from the roads and includes hazard avoidance and emergency stop exercises. The second element is a road riding assessment, which lasts for at least thirty minutes.



However, the system has received a lot of criticism. In particular, the first module has been slated for its content, as well as the number and geographic spread of the locations where it is carried out. Additionally, there have been calls to make the test a single event, rather than being split into two distinct parts that can rarely be taken on the same day.

In response, the government commenced a review back in June 2010, and the Department for Transport has now announced its initial proposals.



The aim is to return to a single, on-road test. This could mean that the hazard manoeuvre is carried out on the public road, provided the assessment still complied with EU standards. Meanwhile, the slow speed exercises (u-turn, slalom and figure of eight) might be delegated to examiners at training centres ahead of the main test.



Wisely, perhaps, the changes aren’t going to be rushed through. With the details still needing a lot of work, the plan is to trial the proposals in the early part of 2011, followed by a public consultation. The target would then be to introduce the new test during late 2011 or early 2012.

ZX-10R recall explained

A couple of weeks ago, Kawasaki announced a ‘technical hold’ notice for its new 2011 Ninja ZX-10R in North America - in other words, a recall.

Under the notice, all bikes already delivered to customers and those at dealers had to be returned to Kawasaki. The cause was said to be unexpected engine behaviour, but an official reason wasn’t disclosed at the time.

Now, though, it seems that Kawasaki engineers have got to the bottom of the problem. A statement from the company reads:

"It had been discovered that when some examples of the new 2011 Ninja ZX-10R were operated at high rpm under unique riding conditions - such as operating on a racetrack - the intake valve springs could surge. Should this rare incidence occur it could cause one or more intake valves to seat improperly, resulting in poor engine performance.



"Having examined the very small number of machines which exhibited this surge phenomenon, the Kawasaki factory engineers have designed and fully tested a countermeasure which solves the problem without affecting any facet of the new engine’s outstanding performance.



"On the limited number of machines produced so far, the camshaft, valve springs and spring retainers for intake valves are being replaced to prevent the valve spring from surging. The same design update is automatically being incorporated into the ongoing production run of the newest and most powerful Ninja yet produced."

The European launch of the bike, which was delayed because of the technical issues, is now expected to be at the end of January 2011. In the UK, the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R will be priced at £11,699, with ABS costing an additional £1,000.

Gold-plated Tata Nano

The Tata Nano and Ferrari 458 Italia don’t have much in common, but an unfortunate characteristic shared by early versions of both was a willingness to burst into flames.



For the Nano, that might partly explain why its sales figures are in freefall. Tata managed to shift 9,000 units in July, but the tiny car found just 509 buyers in November.



In such a situation, most manufacturers would resort to a special edition to help boost interest. And sure enough, it’s a tactic that Tata is using with the Nano, except the result is a little, well, unconventional.

Produced ostensibly to celebrate the 5,000th anniversary of Indian jewellery, the Goldplus Nano will be gold-plated. It’s named after a Titan Industries jewellery brand which, conveniently, is also part of the Tata Group. Might as well keep things in the family…



The design was chosen following a competition, and the Goldplus Nano is expected to be launched in April or May of 2011. Pricing has yet to be confirmed.

The mysterious ways of fashion ... The recognition of a functional classic : The Wellington Boots and the "come back"of "Hunters"

Around Chistmas many European countries were touched by the "mixed"blessings of a White Christmas ... Time to get your "Wellis" out of the closet ... but since a couple of years, the Wellington boots and its most sophisticated version, in quality and form, got a remarkable recognition from "trendy" people ... when the "timeless" meets real functional quality, the problem of style gets a natural affirmation, capable even to resist the erosion of fashion ...





The Duke of Wellington instructed his shoemaker, Hoby of St. James's Street, London, to modify the 18th-century Hessian boot. The resulting new boot was fabricated in soft calfskin leather, had the trim removed and was cut to fit more closely around the leg. The heels were low cut, stacked around an inch (2.5 centimetres), and the boot stopped at mid-calf. It was suitably hard-wearing for battle, yet comfortable for the evening. The boot was dubbed the Wellington and the name has stuck in British English language ever since. The Duke can be seen wearing his namesake boots, which are tasseled, in an 1815 portrait by James Lonsdale.[2]

Wellington's dashing new boots quickly caught on with patriotic British gentlemen eager to emulate their war hero. Considered fashionable and foppish in the best circles and worn by dandies, such as Beau Brummell, they remained the main fashion for men through the 1840s. In the 1850s they were more commonly made in the calf-high version, and in the 1860s they were both superseded by the ankle boot, except for riding. Wellington is one of only two British Prime Ministers to have given his name to an item of clothing, the other being Anthony Eden (his distinctive Homburg hat).[3]

Wellington boots were at first made of leather. However in 1852 Hiram Hutchinson met Charles Goodyear, who had just invented the vulcanization process for natural rubber. While Goodyear decided to manufacture tyres, Hutchinson bought the patent to manufacture footwear and moved to France to establish "A l'Aigle" ("To the Eagle") in 1853, to honour his home country. The company today is simply called "AIGLE", "Eagle"). In a country where 95% of the population were working on fields with wooden clogs as they had been for generations, the introduction of the wholly water-proof Wellington-type rubber boot became an instant success: farmers would be able to come back home with clean, dry feet.

Production of the Wellington boot was dramatically boosted with the advent of World War I and a requirement for footwear suitable for the conditions in Europe's flooded trenches. The North British Rubber Company (now Hunter Boot Ltd) was asked by the War Office to construct a boot suitable for such conditions. The mills ran day and night to produce immense quantities of these trench boots. In total, 1,185,036 pairs were made to meet the British Army's demands.

In World War II, Hunter Boot was again requested to supply vast quantities of Wellington and thigh boots. 80% of production was of war materials - from (rubber) ground sheets to life belts and gas masks. In Holland, the British forces were working in flooded conditions which demanded Wellingtons and thigh boots in vast supplies.

By the end of the war in 1945, the Wellington had become popular among men, women and children for wet weather wear. The boot had developed to become far roomier with a thick sole and rounded toe. Also, with the rationing of that time, labourers began to use them for daily work.
The lower cost and ease of rubber "Wellington" boot manufacture, and being entirely water-proof, lent itself immediately to being the preferred protective shoe to leather in all forms of industry. Increased attention to occupational health and safety requirements led to the steel toe or steel-capped Wellington: a protective (commonly internal) toe capping to protect the foot from crush and puncture injuries. Although traditionally made of steel, the reinforcement may be a composite or a plastic material such as ThermoPlastic Polyurethane (TPU). Such steel-toe Wellingtons are nearly indispensable in an enormous range of industry and are often mandatory wear to meet local occupational health and safety legislation or insurance requirements.



Hunter History
1817 was the year the wellington first made its appearance. At this time men's fashion was going through major changes as gentlemen everywhere discarded their knee breeches in favour of trousers. This however, led to a problem regarding comfortable footwear. The previously popular Hessian boot, worn with breeches, was styled with a curvy turned-down top and heavy metallic braid - totally unsuitable for wearing under trousers.

To this end, Arthur Wellesley, the first Duke of Wellington, instructed his shoemaker, Hoby of St. James Street, London, to modify the 18th century boot. The resulting new boot designed in soft calfskin leather had the trim removed and was cut closer around the leg. It was hard wearing for battle yet comfortable for the evening. The Iron Duke didn't know what he'd started - the boot was dubbed the Wellington and the name has stuck ever since.

These boots quickly caught on with patriotic British gentlemen eager to emulate their war hero. Considered fashionable and foppish in the best circles, they remained the main fashion for men through the 1840's. In the 50's they were more commonly made in the calf high version and in the 60's they were both superseded by the ankle boot, except for riding.

All these boots were made of leather, however in America, where there was more experimentation in shoemaking, producers were beginning to manufacture with rubber. One such entrepreneur, Mr. Henry Lee Norris, came to Scotland in search of a suitable site to produce rubber footwear.



Having acquired a block of buildings in Edinburgh, known as the Castle Silk Mills, the North British Rubber Company was registered as a limited liability company in September 1856.

Mr. Norris then had to find employees skilled in the manufacture of rubber footwear. This was no simple task for such a new industry. The problem was solved by importing labour. Four adventurous individuals from New York set sail on a ship laden with manufacturing machinery bound to become pioneers of the rubber industry in Scotland. They were employed not only to make the boots, but also to instruct others in the process.

Although this company began its life as a manufacturer of rubber boots and shoes, it quickly expanded to produce an extensive range of rubber products. These included tyres, conveyor belts, combs, golf balls, hot water bottles and rubber flooring - to name just a few.

Initially the rubber boot was produced in a limited number but production was dramatically boosted with the advent of World War I. The North British Rubber Company was asked by the War Office to construct a sturdy boot suitable for the conditions in flooded trenches. The mills ran day and night to produce immense quantities of these trench boots. In total, 1,185,036 pairs were made to cope with the Army's demands. This fashionable boot was now a functional necessity.

Again the company made an important contribution during World War II. At the outbreak of war in September 1939, 80% of the entire output consisted of war materials. The list of contributions was extensive, including ground sheets, life belts, bomb covers, gas masks and wellington boots.

Although trench warfare was not a feature of the war, the wellington still played an important role. Those forces assigned the task of clearing Holland of the enemy had to work in terrible flooded conditions. Thus The North British Rubber Company was called upon to supply vast quantities of wellingtons and thigh boots.

By the end of the war the wellington had become popular among men, women and children for wear in wet weather. The boot had developed to become far roomier with a thick sole and rounded toe. Also, with the rationing of that time, labourers began to use them for daily work.

To deal with this success the company extended their manufacturing premises in 1946, acquiring an extensive factory in Dumfriesshire. This factory, known as Heathhall, had been built in 1912 originally to manufacture car and aeronautical engines.

The North British Rubber Company continued to prosper introducing both the Green Hunter and Royal Hunter wellingtons into the market in 1958. Trade reaction was very slow - an order of 36 pairs was regarded as quite an achievement. However, the company persisted in their promotion taking them to county shows.

In 1966, The North British Rubber Company underwent a name change and from that date operated under the name of Uniroyal Limited. In 1978, the golf ball production side of the business was sold off. This was shortly followed by the sale of the tyre factory at Newbridge near Edinburgh to Continental.

In 1986 The Gates Rubber Company Limited of Colorado, Denver bought Uniroyal and the following year the name of the Scottish company was changed to The Gates Rubber Company Ltd. In 1996 Gates was bought by Tomkins PLC of London and then later Hunter became the Hunter Division of Interfloor.

In 2004 the management of the Hunter Division of Interfloor, together with external investors, funded a management buy-out of the company and the company became the Hunter Rubber Co. Ltd.

In 2006 the ownership of the company changed and it now trades as Hunter Boot Limited.

During its long lifespan, the Hunter wellington boot has undergone a major revolution ... From being a solely practical item it has now become an extremely popular fashion brand.

DB9 special editions

Aston Martin has been busy during 2010 creating special editions of its DBS (Carbon Black and UB2010), V8 Vantage (N420) and V12 Vantage (Carbon Black).



Now it’s the turn of the DB9 to receive the ‘let’s see if we can shift a few more units’ treatment.



The DB9 Morning Frost specification is aimed at those wanting a little more luxury. Finished in pearlescent white with a metallic bronze leather interior, other distinguishing features include silver grilles and brake calipers, plus 19" ten-spoke alloy wheels.

By contrast, the DB9 Carbon Black and Quantum Silver editions are intended to be sportier. Named after their body paint colours, both feature Obsidian Black interiors with coarse silver stitching, real glass switchgear and a piano black centre console. They also come with a remapped sports exhaust for a better sound (Aston Martin isn’t claiming any increase over the standard car’s 470 bhp / 350 kW / 477 PS), graphite tailpipes, 19” ten-spoke gloss black alloys and black grilles.

The DB9 Morning Frost, Carbon Black and Quantum Silver will all have Touchtronic II transmission fitted as standard. They are available to order now, although curiously pricing has yet to be revealed.

Speed camera openness

The UK government’s Department for Transport has announced proposals that could see information being published about the country’s numerous speed cameras.



Under the plan, statistics released might include accident rates at camera sites, recorded vehicle speeds and the number of offenders prosecuted or alternatively offered speed awareness courses.

Road Safety Minister, Mike Penning, said, “Public bodies should be accountable and if taxpayers' money is being spent on speed cameras then it is right that information about their effectiveness is available to the public.



“The proposals I have announced today will help show what impact cameras are having on accident and casualty rates and also how the police are dealing with offenders. This is in line with our commitment to improve transparency of government data so that the public are able to make more informed judgements about the work of local and central government.”



At least the government is now referring to them as ‘speed cameras’, instead of the disingenuous ‘safety cameras’.



While this spirit of glasnost is to be welcomed, such data on its own may be pretty much useless. The number of accidents (and injuries sustained) that occurred before a speed camera was installed would have to be known too, otherwise it’s impossible to judge whether the camera is effective or not. Even then, the actual causes of crashes at the site would also have to be disclosed to see how many were actually speed-related.



One important thing that the proposals seem to ignore is what then happens with the results? Will a camera be removed if it can be demonstrated that it plays no role in road safety? Will a particular speed limit be raised to a more appropriate level if it’s found that there are minimal speed-related accidents? If it’s just business as usual, and nothing is done, then publishing the data in the first place seems rather pointless.



The Department for Transport will be consulting with the Highways Agency, police forces and local authorities to decide exactly what will be revealed. It’s intended that data will be made available to the public from April 2011.

Journey becomes a Fiat

Dodge will stop offering its Journey in Europe, choosing instead to market the vehicle as the Fiat Freemont on this side of the Atlantic.

Such a move comes as no surprise. Indeed, when Fiat Group Automobile unveiled its 2010-2014 Business Plan earlier this year, it was made clear that for Dodge ‘outside of the US, only models consistent with the strong American image of the brand, such as the Challenger, Charger and Viper, will be distributed. In addition, some products will be gradually integrated with the Fiat brand in Europe…’



The good news for potential Freemont customers is that Dodge gave the Journey an extensive overhaul for the 2011 model year. Changes included retuning the suspension for improved ride and handling, recalibrating the steering for more feel and increasing the soundproofing for more refinement.

Interior quality - arguably a factor that has prevented recent Chrysler Group products from performing better in Europe - received attention too, and Dodge is now claiming ‘world-class levels of craftsmanship and comfort’ for the Journey. If true, that should help the Freemont succeed in an extremely competitive market sector.



North American buyers can currently specify either a 173 bhp (129 kW / 175 PS) 2.4 litre I4 or 283 bhp (211 kW / 286 PS) 3.6 litre V6 Pentastar engine for their Journey, both of which are petrol-powered. It’s unclear whether these will also make it into the Freemont, but a 168 bhp (125 kW / 170 PS) 2.0 litre diesel engine from Fiat is a certainty. To help extend the Freemont’s appeal, expect all-wheel drive to be offered as an option, as it is for the Journey.



The Freemont, which will be built alongside the Dodge Journey in Toluca, Mexico, replaces the ancient and slow-selling Ulysse MPV. Originally introduced back in 2002, the Ulysse shares its underpinnings with the Lancia Phedra, Citroën C8 and Peugeot 807.



Sales of the Fiat Freemont are due to begin in June 2011, following a debut at next March’s Geneva International Motorshow.



Related posts:

Fiat Freemont unveiled

No UK return for Lancia

A wonderful Christmas present from the BBC ... Upstairs Downstairs Revisited

Upstairs, Downstairs is a British drama television series originally produced by London Weekend Television and revived by the BBC set in a large townhouse in Edwardian, First World War and Inter-War Belgravia in London, that depicted the lives of the servants "downstairs" and their masters "upstairs". It ran on ITV in 68 episodes divided into five series from 1971 to 1975.

Upstairs, Downstairs attempted to portray life in a London townhouse set against the events of the early 20th century. Great events are featured prominently in the episodes but minor or gradual changes are noted as well. It stands as a document of the social and technological changes that occurred between 1903 and 1930. The lives of the servants are integral to the story.



The legendary TV series Upstairs Downstairs is to be brought back to life by the BBC.

Award-winning Heidi Thomas (Cranford, Madame Bovary, Ballet Shoes) is writing two new feature length scripts for transmission on BBC One in 2010.

Set in 1936 in the same iconic house 165 Eaton Place in London's Belgravia, the sumptuous drama is set to delight fans old and new.

Jean Marsh will reprise her role of Rose, the parlourmaid, returning to the house as housekeeper to its new residents, the wealthy and well-connected Holland family.

Heidi Thomas will create a new role for Dame Eileen Atkins.

We rejoin the world of Upstairs Downstairs in the years leading up to the Second World War. Times are changing and servants are no longer cheap and obedient; Rose soon finds she has her work cut out.

Meanwhile, in the wider world, Edward VIII has ascended the throne, fascism is on the rise, and Europe is inching towards catastrophe.

Keeley's Role: Lady Agnes Holland

Other Cast Members:
Eileen Atkins as Lady Maud Holland
Ed Stoppard as Sir Hallam Holland
Claire Foy as Lady Persephone (Persie)
Art Malik as Mr. Amanjit (Lady Maud Holland's secretary)
Jean Marsh as Rose Buck the housekeeper
Anne Reid as Mrs. Thackery the cook
Adrian Scarborough as Pritchard the butler
Ellie Kendrick as Ivy the housemaid
Nico Mirallegro as Johnny the footman

MERRY CHRISTMAS from Palace Het Loo in Holland

Het Loo Palace (Dutch: Paleis Het Loo, meaning "The Woods Palace") is a palace in Apeldoorn, Netherlands. The symmetrical Dutch Baroque building was designed by Jacob Roman and Johan van Swieten and was built between 1684 and 1686 for stadtholder-king William III and Mary II of England. The garden was designed by Claude Desgotz.

The palace was a residence of the House of Orange-Nassau from the 17th century until the death of Queen Wilhelmina in 1962. The building was renovated between 1976 and 1982. Since 1984, the palace is a state museum open for the general public, showing interiors with original furniture, objects and paintings of the House of Orange-Nassau.


Architecture
The Dutch Baroque architecture of Het Loo takes pains to minimize the grand stretch of its construction, so emphatic at Versailles, and present itself as just a fine gentleman's residence. Het Loo is not a palace but, as the title of its engraved portrait (illustration, below) states, a "Lust-hof" (a retreat, or "pleasure house"). Nevertheless, it is situated entre cour et jardin ("between court and garden") as Versailles and its imitators, and even as fine Parisian private houses are. The dry paved and gravelled court, lightly screened from the road by a wrought-iron grill, is domesticated by a traditional plat of box-bordered green, the homey touch of a cross in a circle you'd find in a bougeois garden. The volumes of the palace are rhythmically broken in their massing. They work down symmetrically, expressing the subordinate roles of their use and occupants, and the final outbuildings in Marot's plan extend along the public thoroughfare, like a well-made and delightfully regular street.

Garden
The "Great Garden" lies privately behind. This Dutch Baroque Garden, when miscalled the "Versailles of Holland" serves to show more differences than similarities, still within the Baroque general formula established by André Le Nôtre: perfect symmetry, axial layout with radiating gravel walks, parterres with fountains, basins and statues. The garden as it appears in the engraving (illustration) was designed by Le Nôtre's nephew, Claude Desgotz[1]. In his military and diplomatic career, William of Orange was the European opponent of Louis XIV, the commander of the combined forces countering those of absolute power and Roman Catholicism. André Le Nôtre's main axis at Versailles, continued by the canal, runs up to the horizon. Daniel Marot and Desgotz's Het Loo garden does not dominate the landscape as Louis' German imitators do, though in his idealized plan (engraving, left), Desgotz extends the axis. The main garden, with conservative rectangular beds instead of more elaborately shaped ones, is an enclosed space surrounded by raised walks, as a Renaissance garden might be, tucked into the woods for private enjoyment, the garden not of a king but of a stadhouder. At its far end a shaded crosswalk of trees disguised the central vista. The orange trees set out in wooden boxes and wintered in an Orangery, which were a feature of all gardens, did double duty for the House of Orange-Nassau.

Outside the garden there are a few straight scenic avenues, for following the hunt in a carriage, or purely for the vista afforded by an avenue. Few of the "green rooms" cut into the woodlands in imitation of the cabinets de verdure of Versailles that are shown in the engraving actually got executed at Het Loo.

The patron of the Sun King's garden was Apollo. Peter the Great would opt for Samson, springing the jaws of Sweden's heraldic lion. William opted for Hercules.

In the 18th century, William III’s baroque garden as seen in the engraving was swept away for a landscape park in the English taste.

Restoration of the garden
In 1960 Queen Wilhelmina declared that when she died the palace would go to the State. She did however request that it would be returned to her family if the Dutch were to abolish the monarchy. The palace became property of the Dutch state in 1962, when Wilhelmina died at Het Loo Palace. After a thorough restoration it now houses a national museum and library devoted to the House of Orange-Nassau in Dutch history. Het Loo also now houses the Museum van de Kanselarij der Nederlandse Orden (Museum of the Chancery of the Netherlands Orders of Knighthood), and books and other material concerning decorations and medals form a separate section in the library.

The lost gardens of Het Loo were fully restored starting in 1970, in time to celebrate its tricentennial in 1984. Its new brickwork, trelliswork and ornaments are as raw as they must have been in 1684 and will mellow with time.

Porterhouse Blue

A satirical look at Cambridge life and the struggle between tradition and reform, Porterhouse Blue tells the story of Skullion, the Head Porter of a fictional Cambridge college, Porterhouse.

For the first time in five hundred years, the master of Porterhouse fails to name his successor before dying. He succumbs to a Porterhouse Blue - a stroke brought about by overindulgence in the college's legendary cuisine. Sir Godber Evans is appointed as his successor. Sir Godber, egged on by his zealous wife, Lady Mary, announces sweeping changes to the centuries of college tradition, much to the concern of Skullion and the Fellows, who plan a counter-attack on the proposed contraceptive machines, women students, and canteen.

Meanwhile, the only research graduate student in the college, Lionel Zipser, visits the hard-of-hearing Chaplain and explains his fixation for Mrs Biggs, his middle-aged, large-breasted bedder, through a megaphone, and is therefore overheard by the whole college. Mrs Biggs is not within earshot, but nevertheless senses that something is up from Zipser's awkward behaviour around her every time she comes to clean his room and especially when she teases him sexually, the climax of which is when she asks him to help her take off her bright red PVC raincoat from behind, which prompts him to reach around her and - at least in the TV mini-series - almost touch her large breasts.

While Sir Godber congratulates himself on having defeated the traditionalists, investigative journalist Cornelius Carrington is brought in on the pretext of helping both parties, while secretly having his own agenda.

Meanwhile, having been advised to pick up a foreign student, so as to avoid his predatory lust for Mrs Biggs that could end badly, Zipser visits an array of public houses in search of a condom and later wakes from his stupor in possession of two gross of condoms. He tries many ways to get rid of them and eventually inflates them with gas from the gas fire in his room and floats them up the chimney, not realising that some get stuck in the chimney and the rest float down into the college quadrangle. Fearing for the good name of college, Skullion spends the night bursting the inflated condoms.

At this point it turns out it is Mrs Biggs who is the predator, as she sneaks up to Zipser's room in the middle of the night and wakes him up. To his amazement she undresses and, despite his protests, promptly enters his bed and lies on top of him. Unfortunately, while undressing, she has lit the gas fire, which takes a short while to ignite the inflated condoms stuck in the chimney, causing an explosion that demolishes the Bull Tower and kills her and Zipser in their moment of passion.

When Skullion refuses to open the main gates of college to let the fire engines in and continues to burst the inflated condoms, he is fired. He takes his revenge by giving a shocking revelatory interview on Carrington's live television show. After the new master refuses Skullion's pleas to let him keep his job, Skullion offers shares that a former master left him. Sir Godber flatly refuses, but then has a fatal accident. Skullion, although not entirely to blame, quickly leaves. Two senior academics find the dying Sir Godber who whispers them one word: Skullion. They agree that, in accordance with college tradition, Skullion has been named the new Master of Porterhouse.

When Skullion is visited by the college officials with the good news, he thinks they have found out his involvement with Sir Godber's death and whilst they are telling him about his great fortune, he has a debilitating Porterhouse Blue himself. Nonetheless, he is installed as the Master and the college find that the shares he'd offered to Sir Godber are worth more than the cost of rebuilding the Bull Tower, so Porterhouse's traditions are firmly re-established.



In 1987, Porterhouse Blue was adapted for television by Malcolm Bradbury for Channel 4 in four episodes. It starred David Jason as Skullion, Ian Richardson as Sir Godber Evans, Charles Gray as Sir Cathcart D'Eath, and John Sessions as Zipser. Also appearing were Griff Rhys Jones as Cornelius Carrington, Paula Jacobs as Mrs. Biggs, Paul Rogers as the Dean, John Woodnutt as the Senior Tutor, Lockwood West as the Chaplain, Willoughby Goddard as Professor Siblington, and Harold Innocent as the Bursar.

The title song 'Dives in Omnia' (cod-Latin for 'Wealth in all things') was sung by a cappella group The Flying Pickets. The series won an International Emmy and two BAFTA Awards (including David Jason's for Best Actor).[1] The television adaptation has been released on DVD and VHS.

Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, Sacrist's Gate near Ely Cathedral in Cambridgeshire, Knebworth House and Apethorpe Hall in Northamptonshire were used as locations in the series.