Follyfoot: The Charity Horse (ITV 2 Aug 1971, with Rio Fanning)

In The Charity Horse the Willens family have to decide what to do with their horse Sandy after the father dies. He ran a business selling firewood off the back of a cart pulled by Sandy but the oldest son Willy doesn’t want to continue with the business. Sandy might be a candidate for Follyfoot but youngest son Gip wants to keep him.

Matters run out of control when a local reporter wants to do a story on Sandy, when his photographer takes a picture the flash sends Sandy running and he is hit and killed by a truck. The newspaper then starts a campaign to get a new horse for the family even though they don’t want one.

Quite a funny episode really, the Follyfoot gang take second place to the Willens family for much of the first half of the story.

production details
UK / ITV – Yorkshire / 1×25 minute episode / Broadcast Monday 2 August 1971 at 5.15pm

Writer: Francis Stevens / Director: Stephen Frears

Series: Follyfoot Season 1 Episode 5

cast
Steve Hodson as Steve
Gillian Blake as Dora
Arthur English as Slugger
Desmond Llewellyn as The Colonel
Christian Rodska as Ron Stryker
Rio Fanning as Reporter
Len Jones as Willy Willens
John Lyons as Photographer
Margery Mason as Mrs. Willens
Bryan Sweeney as Gip Willens