The first US episode is
actually an edited version of the first two original UK
episodes:
some scenes, one character, and many small moments were cut.
Above: a street person in Shrewsbury who is
sure that he
knows George Farquhar, tells Oliver's that he's
an educated man, and asks him, "Do you dream dreams?"
(The original BBC plan was for six parts.)
The last three UK episodes are virtually the same as the last
three American,
though there are small cuts here and there, perhaps to make time
for
the Mystery! Diana Rigg material.
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The Four US Episodes:
1. "Looking for Aristotle"
Oliver (Alan Bates) embarks on an expedition across the United
Kingdom to meet Aristotle, a famous compiler of crossword puzzles.
Sidetracked by Aristotle's mysterious disappearance, Oliver befriends
police detective Diane Priest (Sinead Cusack) and the two begin
to untangle a web of secrecy surrounding ominous rural murders.
2. "Why Did We Eat the Frogs?"
En route to Scotland's Orkney Islands, Oliver and Diane journey
through England and Wales on the trail of shadowy clues and unsavory
characters.
3. "The Farquhar Connection"
Oliver and Diane uncover a well-kept secret after an undercover
visit to a baronial mansion yields high-tech clues that prove
near-fatal. The two continue their trek through Scotland.
4. "Do We Look Like That?"
Oliver and Dianne reach their final destination. Their attempt
to solve the final piece of the puzzle is met with a shocking
revelation from an unlikely source.
The Five UK Episodes:
1. "Looking for Aristotle"
Ends with Diane's arrival at Oliver's hotel at 11 a.m., ...
not for all eternity, but as long as it takes to get to Shrewsbury.
Includes additional scenes with the Vice Chancellor and his wife
Norma.
2. "Land of My Fathers"
Begins with the drive to Shrewsbury, and the stop by the
roadside so that Oliver can demonstrate that he really DID set questions for Mastermind. The Vice
Chancellor turns up again; there's a deleted scene with a street
person (see photo above). The episode ends in the same place
as the US "Looking for Aristotle" -- after Diane meets
Baxter in the graveyard, and Oliver says, "Please, may we
run away?"
3. "Why Did we Eat the Frogs?"
4. "The Farquhar Connection"
5. "Do We Look Like That?"
A Word About the
Music
There are two recurring musical theme songs in the series:
The opening theme music is Dave Brubek's "Take Five."
The closing tune, when Oliver and Diane get on the ferry to Orkney,
and also in the last episode of the series, is an arrangement
of the Skye Boat Song.
Carl Davis is an American working in Britain. His scores include
"The Pickwick Papers" and "Pride and Prejudice."
The World's Second
Funniest Joke*
The following is transcribed from the Alan Plater "Oliver's
Travels" audiobook (read by Alan Bates), which differs in
many minor details from the TV version. In the televised mini-series,
this joke is referred to but never told.
The Horse That Liked to Sit on Eggs
- "ONCE UPON A TIME there was a farmer who had a
horse. His neighbor admired the horse and offered him ten pounds
for it. The farmer accepted the offer.
 However, before they shook hands
on the deal he said to the neighbor, "I should warn you:
this horse has one serious weakness: he likes to sit on eggs.
So whatever you do, keep him away from eggs."
- The neighbor said yes, he would
keep the horse away from eggs. So the deal was struck, the neighbor
paid the money, and took the horse away.
- A week later, the farmer heard
loud cries coming from the river. He went down to the river,
and there was his neighbor, on the horse, in the middle of the
river.
- "He won't move," said
the neighbor. "We've been here all morning."
- "I'm very sorry," said
the farmer. "I should have warned you. I told you that he
likes to sit on eggs, but I forgot to tell you that he also likes
to sit on fish."
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[* The funniest of all has to do with frogs; the third funniest,
with religion, symbolized by a man in a bowler hat, naked in
the forest.]
Finally, this bit of gossip
from a Steve Grant interview
with Alan Plater in the 11 June 97 TimeOut:
"[Plater's] most publicised barney with [the BBC] came
over the making of his semi-autobiographical series, 'Oliver's
Travels', which Plater wrote especially for his old friend and
fellow Hull City fanatic, Tom Courtenay. The decision by the
show's producer to give the part to Alan Bates, and Plater's
subsequent condemnation of both the acting and direction have
led to a rift which is still in force. While Plater will continue
to do adaptations, like the Reginald Hill books or his award-winning
version of Trollope's 'Barchester Chronicles', he will in future
save his original work for elsewhere."
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