The Clairvoyant (TV series)

The Clairvoyant is a British television sitcom written by Roy Clarke, the creator of Last of the Summer Wine. Airing on BBC2, the series starred Roy Kinnear, Sandra Dickinson, Carmel Cryan, Glynis Brooks, Hugh Lloyd and Shaun Curry. Beginning with a pilot in 1984, five more episodes were broadcast in 1986.

Premise
Roy Kinnear stars as Arnold Bristow, a dodgy used car salesman who is knocked down by a car. Regaining consciousness, Arnold believes that he has psychic powers, and decides to change his lifestyle by being more honest and moral in his business dealings, although this leads to near bankruptcy.

Cast

 * Roy Kinnear as Arnold Bristow
 * Sandra Dickinson as Lily Wang
 * Carmel Cryan as Carmen
 * Glynis Brooks as Dawn
 * Hugh Lloyd as Burma
 * Shaun Curry as Newton

Production
The series began with a pilot episode that aired on 27 November 1984, as the first episode of a four-week run of pilot episodes broadcast by BBC2. This was followed by five more episodes, broadcast from 15 May to 19 June 1986. The series' opening and closing theme was "Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)", which was sung by Sandra Dickinson and arranged by Ronnie Hazlehurst.

Reception
Of the series, in his Radio Times Guide to TV Comedy, Mark Lewisohn wrote: "A fairly odd idea, this, and not one that ran as smoothly as most of Roy Clarke's work. Kinnear was faultless as the confused Arnold and the support cast fared well enough, but the idea seemed flawed and the supposed psychic phenomenon too vague to hold much interest." In a 2018 review of the series, it was noted that: "Although the show only lasted one series, its six episodes quickly created something of a cult following in the UK."