''No Problem!'' is a

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...

that ran from 7 January 1983 to 1 June 1985, created by the Black Theatre Co-operative. The show was written by

Farrukh Dhondy Farrukh Dhondy (born 1944) is an British Indians, Indian-born British Parsi writer, playwright, screenwriter and left-wing activist who resides in the United Kingdom. Education Dhondy was born in 1944 in Poona, India, where he attended The Bish ...

and

Mustapha Matura Mustapha Matura (17 December 1939 – 29 October 2019) was a Trinidadian playwright living in London. Characterised by critic Michael Billington as "a pioneering Black playwright who opened the doors for his successors", Matura was the first Br ...

, from the Black Theatre Co-operative and the first episode was produced in September 1982. Twenty-seven episodes were broadcast of the programme, which focused on a family of Jamaican heritage, the Powells, living in a council house in

Willesden Green Willesden () is an area of north-west London, situated 5 miles (8 km) north-west of Charing Cross. It is historically a parish in the county of Middlesex that was incorporated as the Municipal Borough of Willesden in 1933; it has forme ...

, London. It was voted Britain's 100th best sitcom in a poll carried out by the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

Synopsis

''No Problem!'' was the first sitcom to be broadcast on Britain's new

TV station. It was also the first comedy series specifically to address the lifestyle of the British black community. The show's producers made a conscious decision to focus on comedy rather than "race issues", which drew some criticism. Writing for the

BFI The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, d ...

website

Screenonline Screenonline is a website about the history of British film, television and social history as documented by film and television. The project has been developed by the British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and tele ...

, critic Mark Duguid said:

The 1980s saw television moving with the times and beginning to respond, albeit awkwardly, to calls for greater sophistication in black representations. ''No Problem!'' (ITV, 1983–85) drew its cast and creators from the Black Theatre Co-operative, and concerned the teenage and twenty-something Powell kids, left to fend for themselves in a
Willesden Willesden () is an area of north-west London, situated 5 miles (8 km) north-west of Charing Cross. It is historically a parish in the county of Middlesex that was incorporated as the Municipal Borough of Willesden in 1933; it has formed ...
council house after their parents have returned to Jamaica. But the accent was on comedy, not politics, and the show quickly alienated some black activists, who objected to the narrow roles allotted to its female characters, to its casual jokes at the expense of Asians (ironic given its Asian co-writers, Farukh Dhondy and Mustapha Matura), and even to the scenario itself, which, in the words of cultural critic
Paul Gilroy Paul Gilroy (born 16 February 1956) is an English sociologist and cultural studies scholar who is the founding Director of the Sarah Parker Remond Centre for the Study of Race and Racism at University College London (UCL). Gilroy is the 2019 ...
, put "voluntary repatriation at the heart of the situation".

Cast

*Bellamy: Victor Romero Evans *Beast: Malcolm Frederick *Sensimilia:

Judith Jacob Judith Jacob (born 13 December 1961) is a British actress best known for her role as the health visitor Carmel Roberts in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', a role she played from 1986 to 1989.Janet Kay Janet Kay Bogle (born 17 January 1958) is an English actress and vocalist, best known for her 1979 lovers rock hit " Silly Games". Biography Janet Kay Bogle was born in Willesden, North West London. She was discovered singing impromptu at a ...

*Susannah:

Sarah Lam Sarah Lam is a British- Chinese actress known for UK television roles. Career She played Susannah in the sitcom '' No Problem!'', Linda Mo in '' Angels'', Anna Lee in '' Howards' Way'' and Caroline Choi in '' Brookside''. Other TV credits inclu ...

*Terri: Shope Shodeinde *Toshiba: Chris Tummings *Melba:

Angela Wynter Angela Wynter (born 14 July 1957) is a Jamaican-British actress. She is known for her role as Yolande Trueman in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' (2003–2008, 2017, 2023–present). In 2021, she joined the cast of the BBC soap opera ''Doctors ...

*Director/producer:

Micky Dolenz George Michael Dolenz Jr. ( ; born March 8, 1945) is an American musician and actor. He was the drummer and one of two primary vocalists for the pop rock band the Monkees (1966–1970, and reunions until 2021), and a co-star of the TV series ''T ...

The Monkees The Monkees were an American pop rock band formed in Los Angeles in the mid-1960s. The band consisted of Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones (musician), Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith, and Peter Tork. Spurred by the success of ''The Monkees (TV series), Th ...

References

External links

* Guide to Comedy *{{IMDb title, id=0085064
No Problem! – Episode GuideNo Problem – Series 1 – Episode 1 – Part 1
– from Janet Kay's official YouTube channel
No Problem – Series 1 – Episode 1 – Part 2No Problem – Series 1 – Episode 1 – Part 3
Black British sitcoms Channel 4 sitcoms 1983 British television series debuts 1985 British television series endings 1980s British sitcoms British English-language television shows Television series by ITV Studios London Weekend Television shows