1983: Is the "Andy Capp" Man a Thing of the Past? | Scene | Voice of the People | BBC Archive

Schools documentary Scene examines whether the Andy Capp cartoon character - a bone idle, male chauvenist, drunk with a propensity for violence - exists in reality. The programme looks at changing gender roles, the relationships between men and women, and their expectations of each other in the age of political correctness.

We hear from Sheila, a keen snooker player who has been barred from using the tables at the local working men's club, just because she is a woman. Sheila joined a group of women in a picket against the decision, but they were met with a thoroughly Andy Capp-esque response from the male Union delegates. Why are the men at the club against women playing snooker?

We also meet married couple Pauline and Phil. When Philip lost his job, Pauline assumed the role of the family's breadwinner, so Phil stayed at home looking after their eight-month-old twins. How do other men react to Phil when they discover he is a house husband?

Clip taken from Scene: Andy Capp - Fact or Fiction, originally broadcast on BBC One, 24 March, 1983.

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