    some mothers do 'ave 'em is a bbc television sitcom, written by raymond allen and starring michael crawford and michele dotrice. it was first broadcast in 1973 and ran for three series, ending in 1978. the series follows the accident-prone frank spencer and his tolerant, if accident-prone wife, betty, through frank's various attempts to hold down a job, which frequently end in disaster. the sitcom was filmed in and around the town of bedford in bedfordshire. noted for its stuntwork, performed by michael crawford himself as well as featuring various well-remembered catchphrases, the series was voted #22 in the bbc's poll "britain's best sitcom". ==the character of frank== the wimpish, smiling frank, sporting his trademark beret and trench coat, is married to (apparently normal) betty (michele dotrice) and in later series they have a baby daughter, jessica, which offered scope for even more slapstick humour. frank was a gift for impersonators, and for a time it became a clichÃ© that every half-decent impersonator was doing an impression of him, particularly his main catchphrase, "ooh betty", which is only ever said in one episode: series 2, episode 2. "ooh betty.." is not frank's only catchphrase of the series. others include a quavering "oooh...", usually uttered with his forefinger to his mouth as he stands amidst the chaos of some disaster he has just caused (and which he himself has invariably escaped unscathed). he also sometimes complains about being "ha-rassed!", or occasionally, "i've had a lot of ha-rassments lately" (originally an american pronunciation). other recurring catchphrases include references to "a bi
1970s_British_television_series 1973_British_television_programme_debuts 1978_British_television_programme_endings BBC_television_sitcoms English-language_television_programming