The Truth About Biggles

A sketch from the mid nineties sit-com The Thin Blue Line. Inspector Fowler (Rowan Atkinson) is a big fan of Biggles. But again his old fashioned views are cruelly exposed by one of his officers - on this occasion WPC Maggie Habib (Minar Anwar).




A longer article on The Thin Blue Line can be found on the post dated 16 June 2007.

Why Are Rain Macs Yellow ?

Any More Questions ?

For All Female IT Users - New Software Releases

INSTALLING A HUSBAND



Dear Tech Support,



Last year I upgraded from Boyfriend 5.0 to Husband 1.0 and noticed a distinct slow down in overall system performance, particularly in the flower and jewellery applications, which

operated flawlessly under Boyfriend 5.0.

In addition, Husband 1.0 uninstalled many other valuable programs, such as

Romance 9.5 and

Personal Attention 6.5, and then installed undesirable programs such as

Football 6.0,

Cricket 5.1 and

Golf Clubs 4.1.

Conversation 8.0 no longer runs, and Housecleaning 2.6 simply crashes the system.

Please note that I have tried running Nagging 5.3 to fix these problems, but to no avail,

in fact Husband 1.0 seemed to slow even further.

What can I do?

Signed,



Desperate.





DEAR DESPERATE,



First, keep in mind,



Boyfriend 5.0 is an Entertainment Package, while

Husband 1.0 is an operating system.

Please enter command: ithoughtyoulovedme.html and try to download< /FONT> Tears 6.2 and 

do not forget to install the Guilt 3.0 update.

If that application works as designed, Husband 1.0 should then automatically run the

applications Jewellery 2.0 and Flowers 3.5.

However, remember, overuse of the above application can cause Husband 1.0 to default to< U>

Grumpy Silence 2.5, Happy Hour 7.0 or Beer 12.1.

Please note that Beer 12.1 is a very bad program that will download the Snoring program as well as disable spell checker and voice recognition

Whatever you do, DO NOT under any circumstances install Mother-In-Law 1.0 (it runs a virus in the background that will try to seize control of all your operating system resources.)

In addition, please do not attempt to reinstall the Boyfriend 5.0-program. These are
unsupported applications and will crash Husband 1.0.

In summary, Husband 1.0 is a great program, but it does have limited memory and cannot learn new applications quickly. You might consider new software to improve performance. 

We recommend

Cooking 3.0 and* Hot Lingerie 7.7.



Tech Support

Citizen Smith

Originally Broadcast : 12 April 1977 to 4 July 1980


Channel : BBC

Written By : John Sullivan

Produced By : Ray Butt, Dennis Main-Wilson, Peter Whitmore

Starring : Robert Lindsay (Wolfie), Mike Grady (Ken Mills), Cheryl Hall (Shirley Johnson), Hilda Braid (Florence Johnson), Peter Vaughan (Charlie Johnson), Stephen Greif (Harry Fenning)

Episodes : 29

My Brother And I

I think it fair to say that as a teenager in the early to mid seventies, I had absolutely no appreciation of just how good Dad's Army was. I loved it of course, along with millions of others. And that was maybe a little unusual for a young lad because in truth DA was perhaps more pertinent to my parents generation, who had lived and fought through WW2. But I would not have appreciated it. The marvellous characterisation would have been lost on me, and the fantastic qualities of the actors. And it certainly took until adulthood for me to understand and acknowledge the talents of Arthur Lowe. The finer points of his character, Captain Mainwaring, have taken many years to evolve in my analytical mind. And if you want to see both Mainwaring and Lowe at their very best, catch the 40 minute Boxing Day special from 1975, entitled My Brother And I.

The episode is definitely not the funniest in the series, not absurd nor slapstick. But it is famous for the fact that Arthur Lowe played two roles : Captain George Mainwaring as usual, and also his brother Barry. It is a masterpiece of character acting. Was it Lowe's finest moment on the small screen ? Not for me to say. But if ever he put in a better 40 minutes, I should love to see it. Barry was a total opposite to Mainwaring, and so good was the acting, there were times when you could quite easily forget that it was Lowe playing him. And remember it was made over thirty years ago. Only one short scene contained Lowe in both parts - presumably film technology at the time did not allow anything like the wizardry we take for granted these days. For the rest of the episode he is on camera either as George or as Barry. And as I have said, the two were chalk and cheese.

My Brother And I was marvellously written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft. Mainwaring is his usual pompous pretentious self (though we see a caring side to him before the end of the episode). At the start of the show he has an issue with drinking by the platoon members. Pike leaves a written piece of work in his latest Hotspur comic. He says that the Home Guard would only discover German parachutists if they landed in a Public House - and that his section had recently made sure there was no enemy present in eleven pubs in two hours !! Mainwaring is disgusted and disturbed and seeks assurances from his men that there will be no drinking. Two things then happen : firstly he announces that a sherry party is to be held in the village hall for local dignitaries and he is to host it (with Jones, Pike and Godfrey helping and Wilson providing musical entertainment on the piano), and secondly he tells Wilson that he came from a family that knew (as far as alcohol was concerned) when to stop. This second statement will soon rebound on Captain Mainwaring ! We also see his snobbish and condescending sides - he tells Wilson that his father had been a Master Tailor - then he praises his men as 'indispensable', simply because they were prepared to help at the party. He is particularly impressed that Godfrey's sister is to provide cucumber sandwiches.

These opening scenes set up the story beautifully. The 'joke' is that a few truths about George Mainwaring are about to be revealed. And it is Frazer who discovers them !! He enters a railway carriage on his way back to Walmington On Sea from Eastbourne (where he has been measuring up a customer for a coffin). In the carriage is a rotund red nosed man, clearly the worse for wear and drinking Scotch. He speaks with a Northern accent and is a traveller in jokes and novelties. He is, due to the drink, somewhat loutish and vulgar. And he is , as Frazer soon discovers, Barry Mainwaring, brother of Captain George ! And the Scottish Private is delighted to learn that old Mr Mainwaring was not a Master Tailor - but a lowly draper, that they were a family of drinkers, and that Barry is going after his brother 'Po-Face' in order to retrieve a watch that George had 'stolen' on his fathers death bed. So, we have this delicious situation where suddenly the platoon know a few skeletons from Captain Mainwaring's past. They revel in this knowledge..............especially Frazer.

George and Barry have not seen each other for fifteen years. The Captain reluctantly agrees to meet in his bedroom at The Red Lion. It is here that the viewers are treated to the scene where Arthur Lowe is on camera as both characters. It lasts only a few minutes or so and is brilliantly acted. Uncouth womaniser Barry, lying on his bed, drunk and demanding. Authoritative lofty George standing over him and refusing to hand over the watch. Until Barry threatens to attend the sherry party that is. Captain Mainwaring's image would be destroyed. So, on the understanding that Barry is out of town on the next train, the watch is passed over.

The final part of the episode, the party, is more like the Dad's Army we know and provides most of the laughs. Jonesey 'announces' the guests as they arrive, though as you would expect, not very well. The best bit of the show is the arrival of the Vicar and Air Raid Warden Hodges. Godfrey holds out a plate and offers them one of his sister Dolly's cucumber sandwiches. Hodges takes one and scoffs it, then another, then another, then the Vicar takes a couple, then Hodges finishes them off !! And all before the dignitaries arrive. And indeed, before Barry, now very drunk makes an entrance. Despite winning the watch he came to Walmington for, he can't resist making trouble for his brother. And the writers can't resist putting him immediately with Hodges, perhaps the one man on earth who hates Mainwaring more than Barry does !! And don't you just know they will swap their nicknames for him..............Hodges loves the 'Po-Face' name just as much as Barry enjoys the 'Napoleon' reference.

Eventually Captain Mainwaring arrives with his guests. It is an important night for him. But disaster looms with the presence of inebriated Barry. Pike, surprisingly, comes to the rescue. He locks Barry in the office out of sight and then gives him a bottle of sherry to keep him quiet. When Mainwaring finds out he tells him he has been stupid (as usual he has little toleration of his Private though in truth Pike has for once shown a little initiative).Worried that there will be an awful show, Mainwaring tells Jones, Frazer and Pike to get Barry out of the Village Hall. They try to push his fat frame through the window and fail. Eventually he departs hidden inside a cupboard - coffin style.

The final twist at the end of the episode comes when Wilson reveals that he has saved the watch from Barry's clutches. In a very matter of fact way, Mainwaring tells him to catch the others up and let Barry have the watch before they put him on the train. A rare sign of humility from the Captain.

I always have thought that accurately playing the part of a drunk is the hardest thing an actor will ever be asked to do. The performance of Arthur Lowe as a drunk in My Brother And I is without equal.

I Laughed My Socks Off..................

...............when I first heard this

In the Rising Damp episode Suddenly, At Home, Rigsby breaks the news that hypochondriac lodger Osborne is dead by saying '' He's gone to a better place'' to which Alan replies ''What , you mean he's got a council flat ? ''.

Postcards # 4

Quite a while since I blogged postcards from my collection, so here goes with two more. These are from the Coastal Cards series which was popular in the 60's. Coastal were based in Clacton but their cards were to be found in resorts all around the country. They had a motto : '' Humour is the sole relief of error and tension '', which appeared on the back of each card. The top picture is of card 153 which was sent from Bridlington to Doncaster in 1966, below is card 4728 drawn by Trow and unused.

Dick Emery - The Driving Test Centre

Comedy sketch shows are pretty much the rage these days. But the pioneer as far as British TV was concerned was almost certainly Dick Emery. His show ran throughout the 60's and 70's in prime time slots, largely on BBC and at the very end ITV. Emery was a brilliant character actor and produced some highly memorable and funny figures, such as Gaylord (the Bovver Boy), Clarence (Honky Tonk), Hettie, Mandy (Ooh you are awful) and the toothy vicar. These hugely ridiculous people appeared weekly, with others, creating many famous catchphrases for the British public to adopt.The show was snappy, full of innuendo, and a right good laugh. The format of this kind of show has been used many times since, notably by Kenny Everett, Harry Enfield and Catherine Tate. But the master remains Dick Emery, shown here in this clip at his very best.

Mike Reid - RIP

Born : Hackney, London 19 January 1940

Died : Marbella, Spain 29 July 2007

The Comedians, EastEnders

Said In Jest # 3

'' Titter ye not '' - Frankie Howerd.

'' You is a bunch of poofs '' - Battery Sgt Major Williams in It 'Ain't Half Hot Mum.

''Luvvly jubbly'' - Del Boy in Only Fools And Horses.

''I will tell you this. I will tell you this'' - Rab C Nesbitt.

''You stupid woman'' - Rene Artois to his wife in 'Allo 'Allo.

''The Bouquet residence, the lady of the house speaking'' - Hyacinth Bucket in Keeping Up Appearances.

You're Gonna Die Ives

Possibly the shortest clip you will ever see on this blog...................from the superb BBC series Porridge and featuring 'Orrible Ives who has poison in a rather delicate place - his bottom. Being the most detested inmate at Slade, there were no volunteers to help him with his little problem and Fletch has no problem giving him the bad news ! Ronnie Barker needs no introduction, Ives was played by scouse actor Ken Jones. Fans of the show will remember he started most conversations with 'ere listen' and he remains one of my favourite characters from the series.

I Laughed My Socks Off...........

..................when I first heard this.

“If we're not supposed to eat animals, how come they're made out of meat''

Tom Snyder.

Charles Hawtrey

Sentences containing the words Charles and Hawtrey often also include 'comic', 'legend' and 'icon'. Certainly there have been few people in the history of mankind who could more easily and instantly bring a smile to my face. As a youngster, I would watch Carry On films, and the characters portrayed by Charles Hawtrey, were often the funniest and most memorable. I am not altogether certain what was so funny about him. Maybe the vulnerability......... he was of course scrawny and wimpish visually. Or his ineptitude to get things right. Probably it was his absurdity. With his posh voice and stubborn but camp disposition, I used to love the appearance of Charles Hawtrey into a Carry On scene because suddenly the laughter possibilities were endless. He was a superb comedy foil, most especially to Sid James whose nature was a complete opposite. This was never better witnessed than in Carry On Cabby in 1963, with Hawtrey playing the willing but largely incompetent Terry 'Pintpot' Tankard, alongside James' typically aggressive and opportunistic character, taxi company owner Charlie Hawkins. Perhaps the memory that stuck with me the longest was his part in Carry On Doctor (1967) in which he played Mr Barron, who was in hospital because he thought he was having a baby!!

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In all, Charles Hawtrey appeared in 23 Carry On films between 1958 and 1972. Other roles in the series that I have enjoyed were as Eustace Tuttle in Carry On Abroad in 1972 ( the last time all the regulars appeared together) and as Professsor James Widdle in Carry On Up The Khyber in 1968. The writers were always generous in the gags handed to Hawtrey. He provided some of the best one-liners from the series. I remember a great gag from Carry On Don't Lose Your Head. He played the Duc De Pommfrit, who ,when at the guillotine and about to get be-headed, was told an urgent letter had just arrived for him. He replied 'Oh, drop it in the basket. I'll read it later'. However, he was never top of the bill, usually appearing fourth or fifth on the film publicity material. 'Abroad' was to prove to be his final Carry On appearance. Hawtrey was disillusioned with not being top of the bill and after a drink fuelled argument with producer Peter Rogers, was never again seen in a Carry On film.

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Being the age I am, I can only remember Charles Hawtrey from the Carry On's. He had though been a child star. He was born in November 1914 in Hounslow, Middlesex. His real name was George Frederick Joffre Hartree. He took the name Charles Hawtrey from a celebrated and knighted actor of the time and encouraged rumours that he was his son in an attempt to further his own chances in the business. His father had in fact been a mechanic. The Charles Hawtrey we all know and love started his career as a boy soprano, making records and appearing on the radio in Children's Hour. He was in fact a very good musician. Aged 11 he made his stage debut in Boscombe, playing a street Arab. He was to go on to appearing at the London Palladium. As far as films were concerned, he was in Tell Your Children as early as 1922. His first prominent roles were alongside Will Hay in Good Morning Boys (1937) and Where's That Fire (1939). Hawtrey also produced a film in 1945, Dumb Dora Discovers Tobacco, starring Flora Robson, in 1945. His TV career took off in 1957 when he appeared as Private 'Professor' Hatchett in The Army Game, with Alfie Bass, Bill Fraser and Bernard Bresslaw. In 1960 he played Simon Willow, a council official in Our House, a sitcom also starring Carry On favourites Bresslaw, Hattie Jacques and Joan Sims (as well as Hylda Baker).

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The Carry On period was to prove to be the pinnacle of Charles Hawtrey's life, both personally and professionally. After 1972 he made a handful of TV appearances, but was largely reduced to playing pantomime roles, using his enormous former popularity to great effect. But his private life took on a darker side as he turned increasingly to drink. He retired to Deal in Kent, where he gained the reputation of being a lonely and unpredictable man. He had never hidden his homosexuality, and alcohol and cigarettes led him to an unhealthy and promiscuous lifestyle. Any publicity he received often portrayed him as a broken and pathetic figure. In 1988, ironically following a fall in a Public House, he faced the reality of having to have his legs amputated. He refused an operation and died a month later, aged 73.

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Back to happier times. Charles Hawtrey will go down in comedy history. He was much loved by the British public because of his Carry On connection. Anyone around at the time and those who have caught the series since will remember his voice, his snooty mannerisms, his campness, his granny glasses and his mummy boy ways.They may simply remember him saying 'Oh. Hello' and giggling. He was a natural comic, funny just entering the room. Regrettably, his private life would suggest he had much emotional turmoil. It is quite probable we never saw the real George Frederick Joffre Hartree.

Pinwright's Progress

The world's first ever sit-com is reputed to have been a BBC show called Pinwright's Progress. The black and white thirty minute production was screened in November 1946 and lasted for 10 episodes through to May 1947, being shown every other week. The star was James Hayter, pictured twice above, on the left as a younger man and on the right as Mr Percival Tebbs in Are You Being Served? in 1978, his final TV role. There were some similarities between Pinwright's Progress and Are You Being Served? Both were set in shops - Macgillygally's Stores and Grace Brothers. And Pinwright's Progress had a character called Mrs Sigsbee, played by Doris Palmer, who was an early version by all accounts, of Mrs Slocombe.

James Hayter played J Pinwright, the owner of Macgillygally's, and storylines revolved around his feud with a hated rival, and the antics of his staff. He went on to be a familiar TV face for a further three decades, notably as Mr Pickwick in Pickwick Papers, The Forsyte Saga, and The Onedin Line. His sound however, was perhaps even more famous than his face in the late 70's and 80's. He was the original voice of Mr Kipling - that maker of 'exceedingly good cakes'.

No tapes exist of Pinwright's Progress as it was not recorded. I was not around in 1946 (honest I wasn't), but I thought it nice to document the point at which sitcom first started.

Cocked That Right Up Didn't We

TV comedy is not solely restricted to sit-com or stand up performers. X Factor is wonderful viewing and never fails to capture the interest of the nation and at times can be very funny. Like the occasion when Welsh singing duo Total Eclipse, real names Fiona Rae Griffiths and Pam Edwards, turned up for the Cardiff audition. Their problems started before they even sang. When asked to which group they aspired, Pam answered 'That's a toughie innit ?' , Fiona adding 'Innit', Pam 'Eh?' and finally Fiona with 'Weren't expecting that question.' Eventually they settled for Abba. They then sang Summer Of 69 but ended it abruptly with Pam declaring 'Oh see! Cocked that right up didn't we' ? Fiona just laughed with Pam adding 'Oh never mind'. The clip shows the reaction of the judges, and notably Simon Cowell who suggested that Fiona reminded him of Vicky Pollard !! Cruel. But these girls took it in great spirit and actually found it in their hearts to laugh at themselves, an attribute so few of us can boast. The very end of the clip is just magic...........note the look of absolute dismay on Fiona's face.

The picture at the top shows the girls after a make-over on the following Monday's edition of ITV's This Morning. They were totally transformed and gave a creditable performance of Dobie Gray's Drift Away.

Thanks girls............a great piece of TV comedy.

The Thin Blue Line

In my head, I always have The Thin Blue Line down as a modern sit-com. So I have to be mindful that it is in fact nearly twelve years since it was first shown in the UK. And in my opinion it is a gem of a comedy and regrettably one that has been overlooked by many people of my age. I have discussed this often with friends who share my memories of earlier sit-com series but have little or no knowledge of The Thin Blue Line. Which really is a shame, because there are few comedies, before or since, that produced as many funny moments in a thirty minute time slot as this one did.

It was written and produced by Ben Elton, and through the casting of Rowan Atkinson, re-formed the hugely successful Blackadder partnership. The setting was a police station in the fictional town of Gasforth, which was one heck of a bad place. In the fourteen episodes, we saw terrorism, violent robberies, teenage delinquency, entrapment, racist skinheads, road protesters and drugs raids. These crimes were investigated by CID, headed by Detective Inspector Derek Grim (David Haig), whilst the uniformed officers, led by Inspector Raymond Fowler (Rowan Atkinson) were left to merely uphold Her Majesties peace. It is this scenario which provides the main storyline in most episodes, through marvellous characterisation. Fowler is an old fashioned policeman, well turned out, a man of routine who plays life by the rule book of decency and patriotism. He is a staunch supporter of the Queen. And, when reminiscing about Meccano and Biggles, ultimately boring. Grim on the other hand is a scruffy plain clothes cop, obviously proud of his elevation to CID and always out to make a name for himself. He is a chancer and provides many a funny moment with his ranting and terrible use of the English language ( hoity toity, lardey dardey........I can't even start to put this into words, and will have to post a clip soon if I can). This battle of styles carries on through each show with the loyal Fowler often winning the day over the conceited Grim.

The supporting characters are also excellent. The station, despite the problems in the local community, was not a busy place, and many scenes took place with the officers behind their desks, working. Many days started with Inspector Fowler wheeling his bike through the front door, looking a right twerp in his white cycling helmet and fluorescent jacket. Behind the front desk was Sergeant Patricia Dawkins (Serena Evans), his girlfriend of ten years. Raymond's total lack of interest in sex was a subject of continual frustration for the simmering and broody Patricia. In one episode he admitted how he was looking forward to getting home to his bed - for ' a chapter of John Buchan and a chocolate Hob Nob'. Sgt Dawkins was well used to the disappointment and often showed her fiery side, always directed at Inspector Fowler. The three uniformed officers were Constable Frank Gladstone (Rudolph Walker of Love Thy Neighbour fame), Constable Maggie Habib (Mina Anwar) and Constable Kevin Goody (James Dreyfus). Frank was a slow moving veteran who often dealt with the most mundane matters. But the relationship of Maggie and Kevin was a constant storyline. She was bright and feisty. He was dim and grotesquely camp. And the two provided some great comedy moments with PC Goody often dangerously aroused when in the company of the WPC. Maggie was in no way interested in Kevin's feeble attempts to score (on one occasion she tells him he is the last turkey in the shop).Gormless Goody was also often on the wrong side of Inspector Fowler. Their relationship was akin to that of Captain Mainwaring and Private Pike in Dad's Army. Ben Elton was a huge fan of the 70's sit-com and many commentators have drawn comparisons with the characterisations of that show and The Thin Blue Line.

Unlike the uniformed officers, CID were not desk bound. They were high energy. Happy to follow their erratic leader Grim, they enjoyed their perceived superiority over the others. There were two Detective Constables, in the first series Robert Kray (Kevin Allen and missing from the above photograph) who was always eating or on the phone ordering, a take-away meal, and Gary Boyle (Mark Addy) in the second. Kray was lazy and liked to laugh at his own jokes whilst Boyle fancied himself as a bit of a hard nut. Both were largely useless at their jobs and generally irritating. They were however vital components in Grim's mis-guided operations and added much to the detective versus plod skirmishes. They dealt with the real crime but not very well !

Many of the laughter moments in The Thin Blue Line were earthy, at times quite explicit, and always high on innuendo. But it was very sharp, funny, and quirky. Critics were not altogether complimentary of the show, pointing at inconsistencies in the characters. Personally I can just take it for what it is - a relatively modern sit-com with an old fashioned format that makes me laugh a lot. It's content is essentially 90's but it's style is probably more 70's. Considering the series was made up of only a short number of episodes , I think the writer and cast did a great job in establishing such a funny group of characters, all of whom made for some memorable TV moments. Like the episode where Goody buys Inspector Fowler a puncture repair kit and WPC Habib sexy underwear for Christmas............then manages to get the parcels mixed up. And the occasion where a film crew arrives at Gasforth Police Station to make a fly on the wall documentary...........and the unfortunate Raymond accidentally brushes his teeth with black polish just before his big moment.

Perhaps the biggest shame in sit-com lies in the fact that the best has often lasted for far too short a time, and I am sure The Thin Blue Line had another series or two in it. I watch the episodes over and over again and wish there were more. It was just too good to manage only 14 episodes.

Postcards # 3

Another two saucy postcards from my collection, this time from Sunny Pedro. This series was particularly popular in the 60's and 70's and left little to the imagination. The top card is number 101 and involves that great British comedy tradition - the milkman. It was posted from Margate to Doncaster in 1967. Naughty wives are a constant thread in saucy postcards - just what was she up to dressed like that so early in the day !!?? The second card, number 174, visits another favourite theme for the seaside postcard, nudists, seen here at breakfast time in a hotel. I love the facial expressions ; delight from the woman, embarrassment for the guy at the food trolley. The fella at the next table is greatly amused, unlike the husband, who looks simply dumbfounded at his wife's remarks !!

I Laughed My Socks Off............

.........when I first heard this

''As you get older three things happen. The first is your memory goes, and I can't remember the other two.''

Norman Wisdom

Frank Spencer - Roller Skates

For most of the 70's, Frank Spencer was a comedy icon. Though the sit-com Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em produced only 22 episodes over three seasons (with, strangely, a five year gap from 1973 to 1978 between the second and third series), the character was perhaps the most mimicked of any in the history of TV comedy. He was a main ingredient in the acts of impersonators such as Mike Yarwood, Bobby Davro and Lenny Henry. Most people could have a reasonable go at an 'Ooh Betty' ; at work, in the pub or the playground.

The above clip comes from the end of the 1973 episode, Fathers' Clinic. Frank (Michael Crawford) and Betty (Michele Dotrice), are looking after two children whose mother is in hospital. A trip to a roller skating rink results in typical mayhem. The scene represents one of the most lasting memories of the show and would arguably be in any list of all time great comedy moments. Believe me, when first viewed it was pretty scary stuff , as were many of Crawford's other stunts in the series. Enjoy it.

Scrumpy And Western

1976 was a hot summer in England. And a novelty act, the likes of which had never been seen before (nor since) hit our charts. They were called The Wurzels. In May they had a number 1 with Combined Harvester, selling over 400,000 copies and the follow up record in September, I Am A Cider Drinker, reached No 3. Their trade-marks were anything Zummerzet ; cider (scrumpy), pitchforks, straw, farmyards, animals, tractors and West country locations. They brought the music genre, Scrumpy & Western to parts of the country that didn't even know it existed. And amid a raging heatwave they brought some new humour to our lives.

The Wurzels had been in existence many years before their national fame, formed in 1966 as the backing group to Adge Cutler , a much loved West country performer who wrote and sung humorous songs to local audiences, and had previously been road manager to Acker Bilk. They had a minor hit in '67 with Drink Up Thy Zider and were hugely popular. Ironically, their major successes came after Adge Cutler was tragically killed in a car crash in Chepstow on his way home from a gig in 1974. The Wurzels needed new material and turned therefore to re-writing other popular tunes, adding their own lyrics and country yokel accents. Melanie's 'Brand New Key' became Combined Harvester, and Jonathan King's 'Una Paloma Blanca' was turned into I Am A Cider Drinker.

Chart acclaim was short lived. The 1977 release Farmer Bill's Batman made it to No 32 and was to be their final hit. The group, Reg Quantrill (banjo), Tommy Banner (accordion) and Pete Budd (lead man with a great jovial smile), made various TV appearances around this time. Whilst they were heavily criticised by music purists, their act was truly original and refreshing and much enjoyed by those who took them for what they were - a bunch of guys having a bit of fun. After their time in the lime-light passed, they returned to performing live concerts and by the end of the 90's had achieved cult status once more, especially amongst students. To this day they remain regular favourites in the West Country and it was recently announced that I Am A Cider Drinker was to re-released for charity with Tony Blackburn sharing the singing duties.

With a discography which includes songs such as Champion Dung Spreader, The Wurple - Diddle - I - Doo - Song, Don't Tell I Tell 'Ee, and The Marrow Song ( Oh What A Beauty), The Wurzels are never going to be taken seriously, are they. But they have provided warm memories for me and no doubt countless others. Cheers lads.............here's to more scrumpy.