Steptoe and Son — 1962-1974 · 8 seasons · 57 eps

★ 7.8

Steptoe and Son poster

Steptoe and Son

1962-1974 8 seasons 57 episodes

★ 7.8 (3,676 votes) Top 36%

Steptoe and Son is a British sitcom written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson about a father and son played by Wilfred Brambell and Harry H. Corbett who deal in selling used items. They live on Oil Drum Lane, a fictional street in Shepherd's Bush, London. Four series were broadcast by the BBC from 1962 to 1965, followed by a second run from 1970 to 1974. Its theme tune, "Old Ned", was composed by Ron Grainer. The series was voted 15th in a 2004 BBC poll to find Britain's Best Sitcom. It was remade in the US as Sanford and Son, in Sweden as Albert & Herbert and in the Netherlands as Stiefbeen en zoon. In 1972 a movie adaptation of the series, Steptoe and Son, was released in cinemas, with a second Steptoe and Son Ride Again in 1973.

Steptoe and Son is a British sitcom written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson about a father and son played by Wilfred Brambell and Harry H. Corbett who deal in selling used items. They live on Oil Drum Lane, a fictional street in Shepherd's Bush, London. Four series were broadcast by the BBC from 1962 to 1965, followed by a second run from 1970 to 1974. Its theme tune, "Old Ned", was composed by Ron Grainer. The series was voted 15th in a 2004 BBC poll to find Britain's Best Sitcom. It was remade in the US as Sanford and Son, in Sweden as Albert & Herbert and in the Netherlands as Stiefbeen en zoon. In 1972 a movie adaptation of the series, Steptoe and Son, was released in cinemas, with a second Steptoe and Son Ride Again in 1973.

Episode Ratings Grid

Every episode at a glance, color-coded by rating. Rows are episode numbers within each season, columns are seasons.

Size: M

S1

S2

S3

S4

S5

S6

S7

S8

E1

7.4

7.3

7.3

7.9

7.9

8.1

8.7

7.4

E2

7.9

8.3

7.5

7.8

7.6

8.3

8.4

8.1

E3

7.9

7.7

7.8

8.1

8.3

8.2

8.6

8.3

E4

7.2

7.6

7.7

7.8

7.6

7.6

8.4

7.5

E5

7.2

7.7

8.1

7.6

7.7

8.4

8.0

9.1

E6

7.9

8.2

7.8

7.4

7.7

8.2

9.2

7.9

E7

7.7

7.7

8.0

7.5

8.2

9.1

8.4

E8

7.6

8.0

Avg

7.6

7.8

7.7

7.8

7.8

8.1

8.6

8.1

Excellent

Great

Good

Episode Power Rankings

The best and worst episodes at a glance. Use this to find must-watch episodes or ones you might want to skip.

🏆 Top Episodes

#1 9.2

S7E6 Divided We Stand

#2

S7E7 9.1

The Desperate Hours

#3

S8E5 9.1

Upstairs, Downstairs, Upstairs, Downstairs

4. S7E1 "Men of Letters" 8.7
5. S7E3 "Oh, What a Beautiful Mourning" 8.6
6. S6E5 "Without Prejudice" 8.4
7. S7E2 "A Star Is Born" 8.4
8. S7E4 "Live Now, P.A.Y.E. Later" 8.4
9. S8E7 "A Perfect Christmas" 8.4
10. S2E2 "The Bath" 8.3

📉 Bottom Episodes

#57

S1E5 7.2

The Diploma

Tired of being a rag-and-bone man, Harold decides he wants to do something different and enrolls upon a course which will give him a qualification as a television repairs man. Unfortunately Albert seems to know more about the subj...

56. S1E4 "The Economist" 7.2
55. S3E1 "Homes Fit for Heroes" 7.3
54. S2E1 "Wallah-Wallah Catsmeat" 7.3
53. S8E1 "Back in Fashion" 7.4

The Quality Arc

Each point is an episode, plotted chronologically. The colored bands mark season boundaries. Look for upward or downward trends to see if quality improved or declined over time.

Trend

Episode Engagement

Vote count shows how many people cared enough to rate. High votes + high rating = beloved classic. High votes + low rating = notorious stinker. Low votes + high rating = hidden gem.

Rating threshold:

25 Standouts

5 Infamous

25 Hidden Gems

2 Forgettable

Top Standout: S7E6 Divided We Stand

Most Infamous: S1E1 The Offer: Pilot

Best Hidden Gem: S6E5 Without Prejudice

Episodes plotted by rating vs. vote count. The vertical line marks the rating threshold (7.5). More votes = more engagement. Toggle above to compare against global or show-specific median.

Series Trajectory

A simplified view: one point per season. This smooths out episode-to-episode noise to show the overall arc of the series.

Trend

Season Momentum

Did each season build momentum or fizzle out? Green arrows mean the finale rated higher than the premiere. Red means the opposite. Longer arrows = bigger swings.

Season Consistency

Some seasons are reliable bangers. Others are hit-or-miss. Each dot is an episode. Tightly clustered dots mean consistent quality. Scattered dots mean a mixed bag.

Each dot is an episode. Clustered dots = consistent quality. Scattered dots = variable season. Hover for episode details.