A Very Peculiar Practice is a BBC comedy-drama series, which ran for two series in 1986 and 1988. It was the first major success for screenwriter Andrew Davies, and was inspired by his experiences as a lecturer at the University of Warwick. The series is a black comedy with surreal elements. It concerned an idealistic young doctor, Stephen Daker , taking up a post as a member of a university medical centre. The centre is staffed by a group of misfits including the bisexual Rose Marie , self-absorbed Bob Buzzard , and decrepit Scot, Jock McCannon who heads the team. One of the themes of the... series is the increasing commercialisation of higher education in Britain following the government cuts of the early 1980s, with the Vice-Chancellor Ernest Hemmingway trying to woo Japanese investors in the face of resistance from the academic old guard. Hugh Grant made one of his first television appearances as an evangelical preacher; Kathy Burke also had a bit part.
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