Hola!

I am an American who grew up watching every single episode of Sanford and Son. Sanford and Son should not need introduction, but it was a early to mid 1970s TV show with a mainly African American cast. The leads were played by Redd Foxx and Demond Wilson. redd Foxx played the father and was a comedy genius.

I have never seen Steptoe and Son, but I have seen some still shots of the actors in the series. If you have watched both, how are the characters similiar and how are they different?

In Sanford and Son, Fred (the father) had a sister in law that he loathed. Her name was Esther and she was a fundamentalist Christian type whose beliefs conflicted greatly with Fred's layabout, sometime drinking attitudes. Esther bitched at Fred because she felt that Lamont (the son) was worked to death, and Fred was a general heathen. Was there a Sister in Law from hell messing with Mr. Steptoe?

I am an American, but have been introduced to Fawlty Towers, Absolutely Fabulous, and The Office. All wonderful. i would like to see Steptoe and Son.

Senor

One fundamental difference was toward the end of Sanford and Son's run, where it became pretty much more of a Redd Foxx vehicle, what with excessive applause whenever he entered at the beginning of an episode (same audience reaction viz Demond Wilson), vs. at the start of its run. The earlier episodes (particularly in the first season) hewed more closely to the original Steptoe sources (as in the end credits "Based on '_____________' by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson"; even mentioning the titles of the source Steptoe episodes therein). It was as Sanford . . .'s run progressed that it veered a bit more away from its original source in terms of basis.

But then . . . am I mistaken, or didn't Steptoe, especially towards the end of its run, have some (British) guest stars carrying individual episodes (c.1973-74)?

I would highly recomend buying one of the "Best of Steptoe and Son" DVD's if they are available in America at all (Perhaps your DVD player can play Region2 anyway).

I have seen both Steptoe and Sanford and although Sanford remains very enjoyable it in no way compared to the gritty, biting wit of Steptoe. Then again maybe this is just because I grew up with Steptoe in England.

HUGE difference. In STEPTOE you know that the Son can never leave the Father, that they are "Joined at the hip". You really didn't get that in SANFORD. In STEPTOE Father and Son are both kind of buffoons(the Son perhaps the greater one), but in SANFORD the son is the "Straight Man"-one can imagine Lamont Sanford graduating College, but Harold Steptoe in University? Maybe, maybe not! The major difference is that SANFORD's writers didn't approach Galton and Simpson's keen observation of human nature or the boredom of everyday life.(Nor did they try. It wasn't their job, because SANFORD was not supposed to be the same kind of show). Trivia: Before SANFORD, a pilot for a US Steptoe with white actors: the 30s wisecracker Lee Tracy and 50s lug Aldo Ray, was made. Like to see that!