Sorry, this movie sucks

People are voting emotionally.

In other words,this film is a surreal ride.

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

This one only last for one season (6 episodes) while Mollie Sugden was in hiatus from the long-running ARE YOU BEING SERVED? series. A rather notorious series, it was written and produced by David Croft and Jeremy Lloyd, who also did SERVED. It stars Mollie Sugden (Mrs. Slocombe) as a British housewife accidentally blasted into space in Earth's orbit while touring the latest British space station.With her are a journalist (Ian Lavender), two of the crew (Michael Knowles and Donald Hewlett) and a custodian (Joe Black). A sort of GILLIGAN'S ISLAND meets LOST IN SPACE, the series uses lots of topical jokes (a reference to the Thatcher Memorial in Moscow is quite funny) and lots of sight gags.Done on the cheap, the series is very limited in its set design, but that almost works in its favor. The sight of Sugden flying around in a weightless environment or packed into an orange decontamination suit (How do we get rid of the contamination?) is quite funny. Set in the year 2050, Sugden still looks and dresses like her famous Mrs. Slocombe character (minus the dyed hair) and she is firmly based in her working-class mum persona, despite the technological marvels of the age.The series was a flop and Sugden returned to SERVED and stayed in the Grace Brothers store until the series finished in 1985. Also in the cast is Jennifer Lonsdale who would co-star in Sugden's THAT'S MY BOY series.Knowles and Hewlett had also appeared on SERVED as had Diana King, Raymond Bowers, and Gorden Kaye, who all make guest appearances.The giant techno chicken is hilarious.

By the late '70's, Mollie Sugden was a big comedy star, thanks to 'The Liver Birds' and 'Are You Being Served?'. In 1977, Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft crafted a vehicle for her - 'Come Back Mrs. Noah' ( set in the year 2050 ) - in which she was Gertrude Noah, a housewife who as first prize in a cookery competition is taken around Britain's biggest and newest space craft by T.V reporter Clive Cunliffe ( Ian Lavender ), scientists Carstairs ( Donald Hewlitt ) and Fanshaw ( Michael Knowles ) and dogsbody Garstang ( Joe Black ). Predictably, the ship is blasted into space and the crew try their best to bring the craft back down to earth.Scenes back on earth featured Tim Barrett ( I couldn't stand him ) as head of the British space exploration centre Garfield Hawk and the lovely Ann Michelle as his assistant Scarth Dare. Gordon Kaye prefaced each edition as the newscaster for 'Far & Wide' ( an obvious spoof of 'Nationwide' ).Made by the same team behind 'Are You Being Served?', 'It Ain't Half Hot, Mum' and 'Dad's Army', 'Come Back Mrs. Noah' should have been a born hit. Sadly it was not. Viewers were unamused by the cheap special effects and vulgar jokes. Yes it was crude, vulgar, cheaply made and it was corny even by 1970's standards, but the thing is, I loved it, it was a pure guilty pleasure. Mollie Sugden was as marvellous as ever though Ian Lavender shone too as Cunliffe. Knowles and Hewlitt had a great chemistry together much the same as they did in 'It Ain't Half Hot, Mum'. Joe Black was hilarious as Garstang and in my opinion he did not receive anywhere near as much credit as he deserved. Gordon Kaye also was very funny here as the newsreader.One priceless scene had the crew trying to activate a robotic hen in order to get some eggs for breakfast. The eggs are duly laid, however, a malfunction causes the eggs to retract back into the hen, causing it to explode. Hardly 'Red Dwarf' I know, but miles funnier than the more recent mess that was 'Hyperdrive'.After only six episodes, 'Come Back Mrs. Noah' vanished into the milky way. Sugden's next vehicle was the more successful 'That's My Boy', made by Yorkshire Television. If you by some miracle manage to come across 'Come Back Mrs. Noah', give it a try. Just imagine 'Are You Being Served?' set in a space ship rather than a department store and you should be alright.

I really can't say whether this was the worst BBC comedy of all time or not. I only vaguely remember the plot details and I can't bear to watch a re-run.What I do clearly remember is the zeal with which the BBC promoted it in the run up to its premiere. This was going to be good (despite the clumsy title) - just look at its pedigree, cast etc.Well it wasn't. I vaguely recall the typical wobbly low-budget sets; I certainly remember Molly Sugden declining to use fart-power under zero gravity (almost funny, if it wasn't embarrassing).Despite being a dedicated fan of AYBS?, Dad's Army and IAHHM, i just couldn't take it. I cringed with embarrassment for Molly Sugden and Ina Lavender, trapped in that script! In the end I switched off before the end of the episode; something I never do to a comedy, it just made me feel uncomfortable.

I read an article in 'Dreamwatch' magazine a good few years back which included the lines; "Science fiction and comedy are difficult to mix. For every 'Red Dwarf', there are about ten 'Come Back Mrs.Noahs'. At which point I fell on the floor laughing. "Come Back Mrs.Noah' wasn't intended to be science fiction comedy! I'm sure Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft would be the first to admit that.The premise is this; Mollie Sugden plays 'Mrs.Gertrude Noah', a prize-winning housewife on a tour of a British space station ( ! ). Unfortunately, there's an accident and said station is blasted out of orbit, beginning a course that will take it out of the Solar System. Rescue is, for the moment, impossible. Also on board are two scientists played by Michael Knowles and Donald Hewlett, and Ian Lavender as a news reporter.The humour is crude and coarse; for instance, when in the first episode Mrs.Noah becomes weightless, the ship's computer advises her to propel herself forward by means of expelling natural body gas. Farting, in other words. Instead she takes a bottle of perfume from her handbag and uses that to do the same. If 'Grace Brothers' had been a space station instead of a department store, this is what it would have been. But what do you expect from Lloyd and Croft? There were also a number of scenes back on Earth with Tim Barrett as the harassed head of the British space exploration centre and Ann Michelle as his sexy assistant. Spoof news broadcasts read by Gorden Kaye prefaced each edition. Great comedy? Absolutely not! But its not as half as bad as F.Gwynplaine McIntyre makes out. I think we should be allowed to see it for ourselves so we can make up our own minds. Besides, after the fiasco of 'Hyperdrive', could anything possibly be worse?