Mark Hamill’s Charlie Purley may have been a poor substitute for Robert Lindsay’s Wolfie Smith, the character Purley seemed created to ape, but this oddity from the early 80s still offers a few special moments from the golden age of TV. As his Hollywood career seemed stalled Hamill threw himself into a number of TV roles: Charlie Purley was possibly the best. With a supporting cast that boasted Joanna Lumley and Arthur Lowe (in his last TV role), Purley Way tried to do for Croydon what Citizen Smith did for Tooting. It may have failed, but as Star Wars aficionados will no doubt be quick to say, Hamill’s persona in The Force Awakens seems to owe more to the quirky ways of Charlie Purley than Luke Skywalker.
Purley Way (1981, TV Series)
The Delusionals 