Postcards # 1

The great British tradition of the seaside postcard is, alas, a thing of the past.

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People just don't need to send them anymore when they are able to keep in contact by mobile, text or e mail. It was not always so of course. Sending a saucy postcard to family, friends or workmates was as much part of the holiday as ice cream and bucket and spade. And the selection of cards on offer was huge. You could always find the suitable one for the person you had in mind.


The seaside postcard was an essential part of working class Britain. It's popularity went hand in hand with the development of the annual holiday shutdown of factories when an increasing number of workers escaped to the coast for a week. Bank Holidays were first introduced in 1871 and by 1908 it is reputed that 860 million cards a year were being posted in the UK. Yes I will write that again for you. 860 million !! I just cant get my head around that figure. Those early cards were more often photographs with deep rich colours added. The images were likely to be romantic and whilst the caption could be amusing it was often secondary to the picture. By the 1920's and 30's , seaside postcards had become somewhat lighter and more risque in content but nothing in comparison to the 60's and 70's when, with traditional taboo subjects blown away, the publishers found a huge market for naughty, rude and vulgar material.


The largest publisher of seaside postcards were Bamforth, who were based in Holmfirth, West Yorkshire ( coincidentally the home also of Last Of The Summer Wine). James Bamforth had originally been a film maker with the reputation of producing many of the finest early examples of British comedy. Movie making ceased however at the outbreak of war in 1914 and the company concentrated on postcard production and in particular song cards for the soldiers in the trenches.

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If saucy postcards played any part in your life 30-40 years ago, I can promise you many of them will have been Bamforth. Other publishers entered the market, and were equally entertaining, but it is the Bamforth postcard which remains to this day the most popular and sought after. I have a reasonably sized collection of these postcards, upwards of a 1000 and still growing by the week. Not just Bamforth but other similar series as well. The mass market for holiday postcards has, as I have already said,gone.And in any case many of the jokes would no longer be acceptable to the great British public. I will blog more examples in the future but the first two shown, and picked at random, get at the Drunk and The Female Hippie in the top one, followed by The Fat Man underneath. Believe me, everyone gets their turn ; Skinny Men , Newlyweds , Buxom Women, Stupid Kids, Policemen, Bald Men, Pregnant Women........and many more.

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In 2007 the sentiments may appear mis-guided, but the truth is there was a time when people found buying and receiving saucy postcards fun. Looking back, we all had a laugh together.................

Wendy Richard - Life Before Pauline

I understand Wendy Richard has recently left the soap EastEnders, after a long stint playing Pauline Fowler. I am not altogether sure of the circumstances of this departure either on or off screen. Forgive me as I am not a follower of this programme, though I have I suppose flirted with it on and off a few times over the years. What little I do know is that the character of Pauline was rather dark not to say depressing , probably in keeping with the show in general. The Wendy Richard I want to talk about is altogether different.

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Any comedy addict from the 70's will remember Wendy for numerous appearances in sit-coms and films. Her most famous role was of course Shirley Brahms in Are You Being Served ? which ran for 69 episodes between 1972 and 1985. She continued playing the character in the spin off series Grace and Favour which lasted for 12 shows in 1992 and 1993. I will blog AYBS another time. It was the more minor roles I wanted to remember today because Wendy does seem to pop up in loads of comedy episodes. She was, without doubt, a good looking girl, and her parts ( or maybe I should say her roles ) were normally sexy and flirty. Although born on Teeside her accent was a Cockney screech. She appeared in The Likely Lads in 1965, an early episode of Up Pompeii in 1970 (where she played Soppia in The Ides of March), Please Sir ! (1971), On The Buses (1971) and in the feature film of the same name also in '71. I was watching this film just the other day and there she was .................only for a minute or so in a scene where her smalls are wrongly taken from a launderette by Stan Butler who then manages to offload them onto 'Blakey' just as the police arrive ! In 1972 she popped up in Bless This House and then in four separate episodes of Dad's Army between 1970 and 1973 (in which she played two totally different women - one being Shirley, Private Joe Walker's girlfriend). Add to these two Carry On films - Carry On Matron in 1972 where she played Miss Willing and the next year Carry On Girls as the fantastically named Ida Downs ! She had earlier appeared in a fifty minute special entitled Carry On Christmas Again (1970) and the film Doctor In Clover (1966).

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Although none of these were significant roles by comparison with Miss Brahms , Wendy Richard was nevertheless a well known actress prior to Are You Being Served ? hitting our screens. I certainly remember Not On Your Nellie which starred the great Hylda Baker as a pub landlady. Wendy was her busty barmaid. I also remember vaguely a sitcom called Both Ends Meet in which Wendy played a character called Maude. It was from 1972 and set in a sausage factory. The main star was Dora Bryan. Two series were made and the second one was renamed Dora. I am not sure if this programme was shown nationwide or not, it was made by Anglia TV so was definitely shown in my neck of the woods. Wendy Richard also appeared in Spooners Patch though I don't remember her in it. I do however have a vague memory of the programme. It was a police comedy , rather feisty and controversial (it was written by Johnny Speight and Ray Galton post Till Death Us Do Part) and starred Ronald Fraser as Inspector Spooner. Her two remaining comedy shows I am afraid are a complete blank to me. Hugh and I from 1962-1966 was before my time (the main stars were Hugh Lloyd and Terry Scott) and Hogg's Back (1975) which was a children's comedy starring Derek Royle ( who you may not know but was in fact to later play 'the corpse' in that famous Fawlty episode).

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Wendy Richard was once quoted as saying ' I think I'm employed because of my funny voice. It's like cracked glass'. I think it fair to say her attraction laid wholly elsewhere. Upon landing the Pauline Fowler role she said it was a challenge and that she could not go on playing dolly birds forever. I for one will always remember the Wendy Richard of the 70's and 80's.

Ernie - The Fastest Milkman In The West

Benny Hill - Fastest Milk Cart - video powered by Metacafe


The jury is always out whenever the question 'is Benny Hill funny?' is asked. His critics write him off as lewd and creepy. To his fans he was a comic genius, a master of sketch with great clowning and mime thrown in for good measure. And a chart topper. The number one single in the UK pop charts at Christmas 1971 was Ernie (The Fastest Milkman In The West). Hill , who had once been a milkman himself, wrote the song and first performed it on The Benny Hill Show in 1970. It was released as a single the following year and became a huge favourite that captured the imagination of the masses. It stayed in the charts for 17 weeks. It was in fact the fourth time Hill had made the charts. He had two hits in 1961, first with Gather In The Mushrooms ( 8 weeks highest position 12), then Transistor Radio ( 6 weeks highest position 24). His next hit came in 1963 with Harvest Of Love (8 weeks highest position 20).

Love him or hate him , Benny Hill was one of only a small number of comics who could truly claim world wide popularity. He had his first TV series as early as 1955 and the telly was to prove the perfect medium, especially during his Thames days in the 70's. With much of his humour being visual, it easily crossed international boundaries. And his ability to shock made him a constant talking point. He was a huge hit in America , where TV audiences were used to more conservative material. It is reputed that Charlie Chaplain, who died in 1977 and would therefore have seen most of Benny Hill's best work, was an avid fan.

The innuendo of Ernie is typical Benny Hill and it remains one of the funniest and most successful novelty records of all time.

You could hear the hoof beats pound as they raced across the ground,

And the clatter of the wheels as they spun 'round and 'round.

And he galloped into market street, his badge upon his chest,

His name was Ernie, and he drove the fastest milk cart in the west.

Now Ernie loved a widow, a lady known as Sue,

She lived all alone in Liddley Lane at number 22.

They said she was too good for him, she was haughty, proud and chic,

But Ernie got his cocoa there three times every week.

They called him Ernie, (Ernieeeeeeeeeee)

And he drove the fastest milk cart in the west.

She said she'd like to bathe in milk, he said, "All right, sweetheart,"

And when he'd finished work one night he loaded up the cart.

He said, "D'you want it pasturized? 'Cause pasturized is best,

"She says, "Ernie, I'll be happy if it comes up to my chest.

"That tickled old Ernie, (Ernieeeeeeeeeee)

And he drove the fastest milk cart in the west.

Now Ernie had a rival, an evil-looking man,

Called Two-Ton Ted from Teddington and he drove the baker's van.

He tempted her with his treacle tarts and his tasty wholemeal bread,

And when she seen the size of his hot meat pies it very near turned her head.

She nearly swooned at his macaroon and he said, "Now if you treat me right,

You'll have hot rolls every morning and crumpets every night.

"He knew once she sampled his layer cake he'd have his wicked way,

And all Ernie had to offer was a pint of milk a day.

Poor Ernie, (Ernieeeeeeeeeee)

And he drove the fastest milk cart in the west.

One lunch time Ted saw Ernie's horse and cart outside her door,

It drove him mad to find it was still there at half past four.

And as he leapt down from his van hot blood through his veins did course,

And he went across to Ernie's cart and didn't half kick his 'orse.

Whose name was Trigger, (Triggerrrrrrrr)

And he pulled the fastest milk cart in the west.

Now Ernie rushed out into the street, his gold top in his hand,

He said, "If you wanna marry Susie you'll fight for her like a man.

""Oh why don't we play cards for her?" he sneeringly replied,

"And just to make it interesting we'll have a shilling on the side.

"Now Ernie dragged him from his van and beneath the blazing sun,

They stood there face to face, and Ted went for his bun.

But Ernie was too quick, things didn't go the way Ted planned,

And a strawberry-flavoured yogurt sent it spinning from his hand.

Now Sue ran between them and tried to keep them apart,

And Ernie, he pushed her aside and a rock cake caught him underneath his heart.

And he looked up in pained surprise and the concrete hardened crust,

Of a stale pork pie caught him in the eye and Ernie bit the dust.

Poor Ernie, (Ernieeeeeeeeeee)

And he drove the fastest milk cart in the west.

Ernie was only 52, he didn't wanna die,

And now he's gone to make deliveries in that milk round in the sky.

Where the customers are angels and ferocious dogs are banned,

And the milkman's life is full of fun in that fairy, dairy land.

But a woman's needs are many fold and Sue she married Ted,

But strange things happened on their wedding night as they lay in their bed.

Was that the trees a-rustling? Or the hinges of the gate?

Or Ernie's ghostly gold tops a-rattling in their crate?

They won't forget Ernie, (Ernieeeeeeeeee)

And he drove the fastest milk cart in the west.

Thirty Minute Magic........Sunday 7.30

I became a teenager in 1972. It is hard to remember that in those days, whilst just about everyone in the world I lived in had a television set , few had the privilege of colour. And to boot , there were only three channels , BBC 1 , BBC 2 , and ITV to choose from. Programmes did not start until around 4 o'clock and there was a complete shutdown at around midnight when the national anthem was played and those so inclined stood up in respect. No satellite channels 24/7 .No specialised channels. Daytime was for work not watching telly. Oh, and no video recorders. Least not in my house.If you missed an episode, tough.And it was often quite a while before it was repeated. So, if you are younger than me , try to imagine for one moment just how narrow programming was. There was an incredible symmetry to the watching week. Schedulers had fewer slots to fill. And my memory is that there were three key times in the week for comedy...........Sunday evening 7.30 , Monday night at 8 , both ITV , and for BBC Thursday 8 o'clock.

That is not to say there was no comedy at any other time. I don't think the TV watershed existed as such but even in the early 70's certain sitcoms or comedy programmes would only be shown later (after the news very often which meant 9.30 onwards for the Beeb and 10.30 or later for ITV). But as a 12/14 year old it was those three ,thirty minute slots that fed both my comedy diet and the hunger of millions of others. Because alternatives were limited , you had a good idea as you were watching that most people you knew would be watching too. No wonder that over 30 years later so many productions from this period are regarded as national treasures.Many millions of people watching week in week out. Following the plots. Talking about it together the next day. Not just comedy but drama also. There was limited live sport ( Grandstand on BBC and World of Sport on ITV both on Saturday afternoon and the legendary Sportsnight with Coleman on Wednesday at 9.30 ). Reality TV had not been invented. Nor viewer telephone voting. None of us had telephones where I lived.

My memory, and I stand to be corrected, of Sunday 7.30 was On The Buses and Please Sir! Both of these series were , in their day , hugely popular with the British public. And for many a young lad , titillating, in the absence many other places to get your titters ! The general premise of On The Buses was two old men , one a bus driver , the other his conductor , pulling 'birds' left right and centre. The series first reached our screens at the very end of the swinging sixties in 1969 and in the next four years an incredible 74 episodes were produced. It felt like it was never off our television screens. There were some other great characters in this sitcom apart from Stan and Jack and many of the best laughs were provided by occasions when they were not chasing the clippies (female conductors ! ) or the bored housewives on their route. Stan's Mum, his sister Olive and her husband Arthur will go down in history as one of the funniest sitcom families of all time. And the stand out character, the one everyone impersonated in the playground the next day was Blakey , the Hitleresque inspector with his catchphrase ' I 'ate you, Butler'. There was nothing complex about the humour in OTB, much of it was the saucy humour found on seaside postcards. But the country loved it, as it prepared for the start of a new working week.

Please Sir ! was a shorter series of 55 episodes and centred on Mr Hedges, a young teacher and new to his vocation, who is handed the class from hell , 5 C . The screening of Please Sir ! coincided with my own school days of course and how marvellously rowdy and riotous was Fenn Street compared to my school. As with OTB , the characterisation was superb , both with the 'kids' , who were meant to be 15 - 16 year olds but actually played by actors slightly older , and the 'staff ' , highlight of whom was Potter the caretaker. I remember an episode involving Potter and a ten bob note ( or maybe something more valuable ) on a piece of string which he pulled when somebody tried to pick it up. It was of course a comic type joke , found weekly in the Beano and Dandy , but inspired for a week or two a new playground joke at my school. The sexual innuendo in Please Sir ! was always simmering just below the surface. I guess it had to be because these grown up actors were meant to be kids ( unlike On The Buses where they were definitely very old men in my young eyes). I had a strange unease with the ongoing story lines of Maureen, the dreamy girl pupil who was hopelessly in love with Sir. It was the only pathos in the programme .The Please Sir ! half hour was greatly entertaining in a mad , fraught kind of way. It is no longer screened on British TV and we are all left wondering if it is in any way funny today.

For many years after ,this time slot continued to be used as the comedy half hour by both ITV and BBC until to a large degree the soaps stole it. But the sitcoms that followed gradually became more mainstream and safe, never again getting close to the risque adventures of On The Buses and Please Sir !

Comedy - Is It A Science?

Dr Helen Pilcher is a molecular neurobiologist, as well as a stand up comedian specialising in scientific jokes(which sounds like a hard slog if ever I heard one). In 2005 she was commissioned by UKTV Gold to research why some sitcoms are hugely popular whilst others fall into the huge black hole of obscurity. Being neither a comedian nor a scientist it is all a mystery to me, but here follows the reasoning and results of her study.

The all important formula to which we should all aspire to is :
(( R x D + V) x F ) + S divided by A = all time comedy classic

Let me explain each element (if I can) :

R = recognisability of the main character
D = delusions of grandeur of that character
V = verbal wit of the script
F = number of times someone falls over or is injured
S = difference in social status of highest and lowest ranking character
A = success of any scheme in the show

So, give each sitcom a mark out of 10 for each category, do your sum, and hey presto............another 'best ever' list !!

Which is the point where we need Dr Pilcher, wearing her scientist hat please. The research was carried out on various sitcoms over the past 20 years. I point this out because many of the older classics were not included. The control (which I am led to believe is needed in any experiment) was the BBC programme Casualty. This would have been chosen because a) it is not a sitcom and b) it can represent on its night as thoroughly a gruesome and depressing an hour as anyone could wish for. Bear this in mind as I tell you that the score achieved by Casualty was 5.5

So, to the results (drum roll please) :

In 5th place with a score of 374.5 was Blackadder
4th goes to the legendary Fawlty Towers with 557
which was just behind third placed Father Ted with 564
leaving in second place The Office on 678
and the winner (double drum roll.............)
Only Fools And Horses with a mammoth 696.

No surprises there then. All have been major TV successes and the exercise provides another interesting 'best' list. However of greater intrigue are the results at the other end of the league table; that is to say those that provided none of the essential ingredients required by a long running, gigantic ,and acclaimed sitcom. Here then is the 'worst' list :

5th from bottom was Eyes Down with 96
only mildly worse was According To Bex on 67
both of which were gems compared to Sam's Game on just 22
leaving on a measly 8 points, Babes In The Wood
and finally and holding the wooden spoon 'Orrible on 6.5

It is not for me to criticise any person or show. This blog is an appreciation of comedy after all. But looking at the results of the top end and bottom end of the analysis it would suggest our good Doctor is well on the way to discovering exactly what makes the great sitcoms compulsive and long lasting. I guess I will just continue to laugh at things I find funny and quickly forget those things I don't.But what I will do here, as a point of record, is enlighten you with a little more information on those worst five. I must confess I had to research this because the shows had either passed me by or had temporarily ( ! ) consigned themselves to the darker recesses of my memory :

Eyes Down was the only one of the five I could remember watching (though not until I had looked it up). It was a BBC comedy (as indeed were all the bottom 5 ) from 2003 starring Paul O'Grady as a Liverpool binger caller. 15 episodes in 2 series was as long as it lasted.

According To Bex was a one series eight episode show in 2005 starring Jessica Stevenson as a secretary in an office struggling to work out what to do for best in a male environment and the effects it has on her love life.

Sam's Game was a flat share comedy from 2001 which also managed just one series but only six episodes in total. Starred Davina McCall and Ed Byrne.

Babes In The Wood had another flat share theme ,though more vulgar than Sam's Game. Followed the steamy lives of three girls and starred Denise Van Outen. Lasted for 15 episodes over 2 series in 1998-1999.

And finally 'Orrible, which is possibly the only sitcom in history to truly live up to it's name.Using the scientific test it scored just one point more than Casualty. Johnny Vaughan starred as a taxi driver on the peripheral of the gangster world of crime,drugs and violence. This adult comedy from 2001 did not last to a second series nor beyond 8 episodes.

Astroturf

Following on from the Only Fools And Horses poll, it occurs to me that probably no other sitcom has produced as many memorable moments as this one has. Being a 64 episode series helps but there is no doubting the fantastic writing , acting and script originality. There are simply too many great gags and situations to recall without an enormous amount of thought.

This clip is short but a real 'plonker' moment from Rodney. He is out with Del in a nightclub on the pull. In order to secure the telephone numbers of two girls, Nicky and Michelle, Del spins the yarn that Hot Rod is an international tennis player ; in fact so good he has beaten Jimmy Connors in Miami !! It is taken from the 1981 episode Go West Young Man. In fairness to Rodney, he is not listening to the conversation when he is asked a question....................

Whose Poll Is It Anyway?

For a while now, it has been common for television viewers to be treated to the poll format. Music, soaps, adverts, Christmas moments, to name a few. All subjected to the phone- in treatment to establish the top 40, 50 or sometimes the top 100 of all time. Interspersed with celeb expertise (!) and overview it does often make for entertaining TV, though the final results of the poll rarely come out in the order you would have placed them. But good fun none the less and wall to wall nostalgia. Comedy gets its fair share of exposure in this way. In the run up to the festive season, UK Gold asked viewers to vote for their favourite Only Fools And Horses moment, from a selection of 40 clips. I should like to record the top 10 :

1 Del Falls Through Bar
2 The Chandelier
3 Batman and Robin
4 Blow Up Dolls
5 Jolly Boys Outing
6 Millionaires
7 Grandad's Cooking
8 Tony Angelino (Cwying)
9 Dave
10 Trigger's Broom

Personally I find it very difficult to decide my favourite when it comes to comedy. Often it just simply comes down to what mood you are in at the time. Whilst accepting that all the above are funny, I think there are a couple of dodgy ones if we are really talking top 10 here. Grandad's Cooking ? Would not have readily sprung to my mind. Millionaires ? Yes it was funny but the butterfly scene with Denzil would have been there for me. And I think Rodney's pony-tail. No matter, the final order is largely irrelevant. Everyone has their own favourite.

Probably the largest comedy vote of all time was carried out in 2003/2004 by the BBC. The results were published in the form of a top 100 as follows :

1 Only Fools and Horses — 342,426 votes
2 Blackadder — 282,106 votes
3 The Vicar of Dibley — 212,927 votes
4 Dad's Army — 174,138 votes
5 Fawlty Towers — 172,066 votes
6 Yes Minister / Yes, Prime Minister — 123,502 votes
7 Porridge — 93,902 votes
8 Open All Hours — 67,237 votes
9 The Good Life — 40,803 votes
10 One Foot in the Grave — 31,410 votes
11 Father Ted
12 Keeping Up Appearances
13 'Allo 'Allo!
14 Last of the Summer Wine
15 Steptoe and Son
16 Men Behaving Badly
17 Absolutely Fabulous
18 Red Dwarf
19 The Royle Family
20 Are You Being Served?
21 To the Manor Born
22 Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em
23 The Likely Lads
24 My Family
25 The Office
26 Drop the Dead Donkey
27 Rising Damp
28 dinnerladies
29 As Time Goes By
30 Hancock's Half Hour
31 The Young Ones
32 Till Death Us Do Part
33 Butterflies
34 The Thin Blue Line
35 The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin
36 Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights
37 Waiting for God
38 Birds of a Feather
39 Bread
40 Hi-de-Hi!
41 The League of Gentlemen
42 I'm Alan Partridge
43 Just Good Friends
44 2point4 children
45 Bottom
46 It Ain't Half Hot Mum
47 The Brittas Empire
48 Gimme Gimme Gimme
49 Rab C. Nesbitt
50 Goodnight Sweetheart
51 Up Pompeii
52 Ever Decreasing Circles
53 On the Buses
54 Coupling
55 George and Mildred
56 A Fine Romance
57 Citizen Smith
58 Black Books
59 The Liver Birds
60 Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps
61 The New Statesman
62 Sykes
63 Please, Sir!
64 Dear John
65 Barbara
66 Spaced
67 Bless This House
68 Love Thy Neighbour
69 Man About the House
70 Desmond's
71 Duty Free
72 All Gas and Gaiters
73 Happy Ever After/Terry & June
74 Only When I Laugh
75 Brass
76 The Rag Trade
77 Sorry
78 Kiss Me Kate
79 Doctor in the House
80 I Didn't Know You Cared
81 Shelley
82 Nearest and Dearest
83 Fresh Fields
84 The Army Game
85 Robin's Nest
86 The Dustbinmen
87 Whoops Apocalypse
88 My Wife Next Door
89 Never the Twain
90 Nightingales
91 Early Doors
92 Agony
93 The Lovers
94 Father, Dear Father
95 Hot Metal
96 ...And Mother Makes Three/...And Mother Makes Five
97 Life With The Lyons
98 Marriage Lines
99 A Sharp Intake of Breath
100 No Problem

Again the outcome is subjective and everyone is able to agree or disagree according to their own tastes. It is difficult to question the quality of any of the top 10 but there were a number of surprise results such as the high position of Vicar of Dibley and Yes Minister against the relatively lower position of Rising Damp and Till Death Us Do Part. There was also some concern of bias with it being a BBC venture and that sitcoms from other stations never really stood a chance. My opinion ? Well I am not going to say. My own top 10 would read differently for sure. And there is a difference between voting for the best , which probably is Only Fools And Horses , and your favourite. I have a number of favourites depending on how I am feeling at the time and really cannot seperate them.

I just wanted to record these lists nice and early in the blog. I like lists of my own so more will follow. The above shows will no doubt form the basis of many other posts in the future.

Ray Of Sunshine #1 - Thelma Ferris

The first in a series called Ray of Sunshine, dedicated to the comedy characters who contributed to the great British sitcom. The characters are listed in no particular order,just as I think of them..............but they all brightened our lives

Ray Of Sunshine # 1
THELMA FERRIS

Thelma Ferris was the wife of Bob Ferris in Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads? She was a prim and proper girl who worked as a librarian and had known Bob since schooldays. She was bossy and overbearing , played badminton and was a member of the local ladies sewing circle. She provided the essential extra component as WHTTLL developed it's own place in British sit-com history. A follow on from the original classic The Likely Lads,which followed the chaotic lives of two North Eastern blokes, WHTTLL allowed the introduction of a threatening third character; a wedge between the lads. Thelma was a well brought up girl , her father George was a self made man , moving from brickie to owner of his own business. So social climbing came second nature to her. As Thelma Chambers she had been Bob's childhood sweetheart. The story begins with Terry Collier returning from the army to find his best mate Bob engaged to Thelma. Bob is a changed man and by episode 4 Terry is ready to move away again, much to the relief of Thelma,who knows of his bad influences on her future husband. Terry however doesn't go away and instead causes trouble for the couple in the build up to the big day. The relationship between Thelma and Terry was wonderfully portrayed. You knew she despised him, mainly on the grounds that he was a loser in life. However there was always a subtle undertone that he excited her in ways Bob perhaps never would. In episode 5 (I'll Never Forget Whatshername)the suspicion comes out that Terry may have had a fling with her in the past. She was also appalled by her experience on an outing to Blackpool when she finished up on the back seat of the bus with Terry. He gave her a two star rating! But maybe she enjoyed it all along - we will never know. Her influence on Bob however was unrelenting. He changes from a 'lad' to young executive with town house and posh dinner parties. In episode 9 (Storm In A Teachest) she makes Bob throw out all his childhood possessions or junk as she considers it.

The character Thelma Ferris was hugely grating for those viewers who were much more interested in the laddish story lines. Her voice , her ambition , her domination of Bob.I don't doubt that many (as Terry did) wished her gone but looking back her prescence created some tremendous opportunities which the writers crafted splendidly. Personally I rather liked her. Never too sure about the hair cut but the mini skirts were appreciated. I suspect she may have provided a role model for other women a decade or so later, in the upwardly mobile eighties. Thelma Ferris has a lot to answer for.


Thelma Ferris was played by Scottish born actress Brigit Forsyth, who later also appeared in The Glamour Girls, The Practice, Dark Season and Boon. The character was created by Dick Clement and Ian Le Frenais. Thelma's dad George was played by Bill Owen ( Compo - Last Of The Summer Wine). Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads ? ran for 27 episodes in 1973 and 1974.

Ray Of Sunshine #2 will be Arthur Rudge.

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

I know Christmas has passed for another year. It wasn't until it was all over that I realised I survived the entire festive period without singing so much as a single verse of a carol.

Tomorrow, January 6 is the birthday of Rowan Atkinson. He was born in Consett,County Durham in 1955 , which I reckon makes him 52 years old. We will no doubt return to Mr Atkinson many more times in this appreciation of comedy. I will want to look at The Thin Blue Line at some stage as it was a sitcom I really enjoyed but one that seemed to pass a lot of people by. More of that another time but for today a Mr Bean clip. From 1992 ( OK I know the original intention was 1960's to 1980's but I also said lets just see where this blog goes) and a famous scene from Merry Christmas Mr Bean. Having caught a pick-pocket in town, Bean hands the thief's haul to the conductor of a Salvation Army Brass Band. When the conductor's baton ends up in Atkinson's hand the scene is only going one way.

This was the last Bean episode made by Thames Television and also the last appearance of Irma Gobb (Bean's girlfriend,played by the excellent Matilda Ziegler). Atkinson is at his rubber faced best and shows his clowning genius. The Bean series consisted of 13 shows, from New Years Day in 1990 until the autumn of 1995. A 14th episode, Hair By Mr Bean of London was made in 1995 and appeared on video and DVD releases only. It did not reach television screens until 2006 believe it or not and then only on cable and satellite stations.

Eric, Ernie & The Beatles

I have watched this clip of The Beatles appearing on the M&W show so many times,initially revelling in the ad-libbing.Or was it ad-libbing? I don't think it was but see what you think. It is said that Eric and Ernie knew one anothers ways so well that it would be impossible to tell whether or not they were making it up as they went along or whether it had been rehearsed beforehand. Whatever the truth ,the 15 seconds of banter between John and Eric is priceless.Eric certainly convinces the audience that he is taken aback by John's suggestion that he is past it (remember this is an old clip from a relatively early show so M&W were definitely not 'has-beens'). The line is delivered superbly by Lennon, almost with menace (I'm telling you Grandad!).Morecambe quickly cuts away to the audience almost looking for sympathy.But the laughter kicks in and saying 'that's an insult' and ' you didn't expect that did you? 'to Ernie, it sells the idea that John had moved away from the script. Meantime John, relaxed knowing he has set Eric up beautifully for the intended punchline about his little Dad, retreats back in line with the other three.Notice their heads rocking back in laughter as if they did not know what was coming (and Ringo nearly falling off his stool).

The Fab Four played their part though Ringo was confined to the subs bench to give Eric two gags.Paul was his usual wooden self and notice he doesn't actually quite finish his lines but George was funny with the fat hairy heads bit .So was this off the cuff or a rehearsed sketch? Well in my opinion The Beatles knew what they were expected to say but they had no idea how E&E would weave their magic around them. I think that this small piece of television footage shows perfectly just how much in tune Eric and Ernie were with each other.They had many talents but this ability to make a scripted scene appear like an impromptu conversation with a bunch of lads outside a football ground, sets them apart.Notice as Eric is saying 'You only had a little Dad.............' Ernie talks across him muttering 'in the old days'. It allows us to believe Eric made up the line there and then. The genius of Morecambe and Wise could not be rehearsed.

Eric Morecambe Statue

One thing that had completely passed me by until the recent Morecambe and Wise documentary was the existence of a statue of Eric in his home town. I have never been to Morecambe but maybe now I would like to pay it a visit. The statue has become not only a famous landmark but perhaps more pertinently the most photographed place for many a mile.I would like to go see it on a hot sunny Bank Holiday afternoon. Not to have my own photograph taken in front of it you understand but more to measure whether people make the trip as some kind of homage.The town is understandably proud of Eric though I assume he spent little of his adulthood there.The statue,a result of a public appeal and unveiled by the Queen in 1999 looks suitably grand and is adorned with binoculars (Eric was a keen bird-watcher).The Lake District provides a suitable back-drop and the area is lit at night. I just pray there is not a little box at the foot of the statue, where for a pound coin you get a 'wahey' or 'what do you think of it so far'. I am sure there isn't!

I guess it is now relatively well known that Eric adopted the name of his home town for his stage career (he was born John Eric Bartholomew). But I had a thought earlier. Imagine a contestant on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. Asked 'where was Eric Morecambe born ? a) Manchester b) Bristol c) Morecambe d) Reading ,those without the slightest clue would immediately dismiss c) as ridiculous. Would be fun if it was the million pound question. Maybe the question has been used on the show ( I don't watch it much anymore). Whenever I learn the real name of a celebrity I am often left wondering how their more famous stage name came about. Eric's choice could not have been simpler. Much like his comic genius I think.

Being so fantastically popular (over 28 million viewers watched their 1977 Christmas Show) for so long, there is plenty of resource on the net dedicated to Eric & Ernie. It's all worth checking out. Their sketches are so vivid in the old grey matter that just reading about them is funny. I caught Des O'Connor on Countdown this afternoon (and a splendid job he is doing). Next thought Eric!! Fans waited (and often not too long) for the next Des O'Connor joke. Ernie: I've got some great news Eric:What? Has Des O'Connor got a sore throat?

Relentless character assassination. O'Connor of course allowed it to go on and it could have fatally destroyed the reputation of many a lesser man.He went on to become a great friend to both Eric and Ernie and is reputed to have helped come up with ideas for jokes about himself. But what a top man our Des was and still is. He asked Eric and Ernie if he could sing on their show. 'Sing on our show'? responded Eric. 'You can't even sing on your own show'.

Bring Me Sunshine

Welcome to my blog. People of a certain age and bearing will immediately know that the song 'Bring Me Sunshine' was synonymous with those legendary British comedians Morecambe and Wise. I watched a documentary just before Christmas which brought to our screens previously unknown details of Eric Morecambe. His wife,sons and daughter had found box loads of private material which,according to the documentary, gave us insight into the real Eric and his family life.It was an excellent programme.As always it brought tears to my eyes,either through the comic genius of Morecambe or, as always seems to happen with me, through the incredible sadness felt at the premature loss of a national treasure (similar footage of Tommy Cooper has the same effect).

Anyway, once again it left me with this incredible desire to study and explore the art of comedy. This blog is called Bring Me Sunshine as a kind of tribute to Morecambe but in reality I will be posting about anything I find funny. Not jokes (my heart stops when somebody starts a conversation with me along the lines of 'I heard a good joke the other day' or 'knock knock' .................invariably it isn't funny and even if it is it won't be told particularly well). The intention is more along the lines of tribute and nostalgic re-collection of magical comedy moments. It will largely be British, television,film or radio related and from the 1960's,1970's or 1980's. I have had loads of conversations with friends(though once again they have to be of a certain age)where we fly from one memory to another. Everyone has a favourite TV clip. A favourite sitcom. A different all time great.I thought it could be fun to record it all. I know that political correctness is going to be an issue and it is a fact that many people(of a certain age!!) find this material hugely funny and entertaining but can't feel entirely comfortable laughing at it anymore. Lets see where all this goes shall we. And maybe I will discover that sitcom fans will also include a few younger people as well.

This is my first attempt at a blog. I am not entirely sure I know what a blog is exactly. But I start it with every intention of keeping it going.

I said I would not be recording jokes as such, but as this first post is in part a tribute to M&W, I will leave you with a gem from Eric.

'Red sky at night shepherds delight , red sky in the morning shepherds house on fire'. Simple but very funny.