Big Breadwinner Hog

Big Breadwinner Hog is a British television thriller serial devised by Robin Chapman, produced by Granada TV and transmitted in eight parts, starting at 9.00pm on 11 April 1969 on the ITV network. It portrayed the ruthless rise through the criminal underworld of the trendy young London gangster Hogarth (Peter Egan). He exploits the resources of a declining gangster, Ryan (Godfrey Quigley), to take over the dominant crime syndicate Scot-Yanks, controlled by the equally ruthless and manipulative Lennox (Timothy West). The key to Hogarth's success is knowledge of a murder arranged by Lennox, of which there is a crucial witness, Ackerman (Donald Burton), a one-time private eye who has been blackmailed into working for Scot-Yanks, and bitterly resents Lennox as a consequence.

Contents

• Dog food big breadwinner hog
• Cast
• DVD release
• References

The eight-part serial was widely condemned at the time for its amorality and violence. Its first episode featured a scene in which a jar of hydrochloric acid was thrown into a rival's face. "Barely minutes after the first episode was transmitted, the Granada TV switchboard was inundated" with viewers' complaints about the violence and the second episode was preceded by a Granada apology for the previous week's episode. Granada toned down some of the more violent aspects of later episodes but, despite this, viewer complaints continued and, from episode 5 onwards, some ITV regions moved transmission to a later timeslot; two ITV regions stopped transmission of the serial completely.

The serial was directed by Mike Newell (later of Four Weddings and a Funeral) and Michael Apted. It gave an early role to John Challis, later Boycie of Only Fools and Horses, and an important role for Priscilla Morgan, wife of Dad's Army star Clive Dunn. Peter Egan is also better known these days for sitcoms like Ever Decreasing Circles (1984–89), Joint Account (1989) and Home Again (2006)