Did the show become less British with Season Three?

B

bigcat

Well-Known Member
As an American I'm struggling through seasons one and two of a rewatch of Last of the Summer Wine. It is nice from the perspective of getting more of Clegg and Compo's background but I don't get the Blamire character at all and struggle to understand his words. The shows themselves don't seem as amusing as later episodes will be.
It seems more class based comedy from a very different time and place that I'm missing. Foggy seemed more the frustrated authority figure and Clegg the bemused middle man between him and Compo rather than the upper, middle and lower class dynamic. I wonder if for those of us who are not blessed to be British subjects, what with a bit of a war in the late 1700s and all, and have to rely on the BBC and PG Wodehouse for our understanding of the culture of the Emerald Isle, this dynamic is easier to comprehend and more amusing?
 
I am Irish born but British bred but DO aggree with you to a point, those first two series (Blamire) leave me a little cold, not got the chemistry of the later trios I suppose.
Never really applied the political/cultural dynamic to the show at all, always treated it as an escape from reality, in it's simplest form..... humour!

Oh, and while I'm here, a very very warm welcome from Kernow, down in the beautiful South West UK :01: **^^<: :01:
 
Ireland is mostly known as the Emerald Isle which might through some people but Summer Wine went through several metamorphosis over the years. The first 2 series where the beginning of a concept that lasted over 30 years, Blaimire was typical of the era a man made redundant after years of working trying find his new role in life with help from his friends. I prefer the early years before it came more slapstick it was gritty and real.
 
Thanks for your thoughts gothic. It might well be that I'm over thinking it and like you I just find the later trio more to my liking and funnier.
Thank you for your warm welcome as well. Out beside the Rockies we are a bit chilly so a warm welcome helps!
 
Thanks for that perspective Pearl and for letting me know about the Emerald Island.
That is good information about redundancy. I'm not sure we have quite that concept over here? I also tend to think of Clegg as the redundant lino salesman and forget that Blamire also fit that role.
By the early years do you mean the first two or is it more encompassing to include the early Foggy years as well?
 
Welcome @bigcat ! The earliest of seasons made little sense to me (especially since my starting points were around Foggy 2.0 as shown on PBS). Season 1 - 3 are very dry compared to later. Since then I've gone head to toe, all seasons, several times. I pick up little things with each (re)watch.

Admittedly I still favor seasons 12-29 and never had the full appreciation of Seymour or Blamire (a sacrilege I seldom state) as those who understood the actors from their prior work. BTW - the earlier the season, the more turning on cc/closed captioning is your friend. Seriously.

A resource I find helpful is the season/episode guide on Wikipedia. If you drill down to individual seasons you'll see where various characters hop on or off with first/final appearances as well as other notes that provide enhanced context.

Long before Seinfeld, LOTSW was the original "a show about nothing." The gems keep popping out the more you watch.
 
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Thanks for the welcome Onslow!
I tend to agree that even Season three takes a while to get off the ground. I read somewhere that it was still written with Blamire in mind generally and Foggy wasn't really established until season 4. Waiting for the later seasons gives me something to look forward too as I haven't seen them in a long while. I must admit that after Compo passes I tend to stop watching.
Thanks for the great advice on CC and the episode guides to help follow along.
 
bigcat said:
Thanks for that perspective Pearl and for letting me know about the Emerald Island.
That is good information about redundancy. I'm not sure we have quite that concept over here? I also tend to think of Clegg as the redundant lino salesman and forget that Blamire also fit that role.
By the early years do you mean the first two or is it more encompassing to include the early Foggy years as well?
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By early years I mean up to series 11 or 12 after that series 13 to around 18 I quiet like but after that I'm not so keen.
 
I didn't much care for seasons 1 & 2 either. The second series with Foggy was the best overall in my opinion. While it wasn't as good after Compo passed, I thought they did a pretty good job of keeping it enjoyable. I watch it through to the end and when the series starts over, I watch that too, I just don't enjoy it nearly as much. Oh and welcome aboard bigcat, I'm from the colonies too..
 
Thank for the reply Bora Natty. Glad to meet a fellow colonist!
I don't always deal well with change in my sitcoms, so it is more enjoyable for me just to watch the original two I suppose with the variety of third men and then start over. After this I will likely just jump to season three to restart.
 
The first 2 series (with Blamire) always seemed "separate" to the rest. I came to the show late and so like most people here started to look into the previous episodes, starting with Series 1

The show, to me anyway, seemed to emulate the times it was made ("No sh*t Sherlock!:08:) Remember at THAT stage the show was new and no-one knew what it would become. It was dark and very sarcastic, as was life in general at that time. The actors didn't have a clear understanding of the characters and were still developing them. My main problem with the Blamire years is that everyone seems to be shouting their lines for some reason.

Look at other British shows from the era featuring working class people, even comedy ones, they are often very dark. "Open all Hours" and especially Arkwright himself were very dark characters compared to today's shows. "STILL Open all Hours", which I binge watched over the lead up to Christmas, is very light and fluffy in comparison. Steptoe was a VERY dark show.

Times have changed and so have tastes. If you go back and watch the shows you loved when you were young (particularly if you are trying to turn back the odometer quite a bit) it is surprising how bad they were compared to modern shows in things like production values, cinematography and particularly human behaviour. If you had actually lived during those times you have an understanding of all the background nuances etc that were present. A "modern" person looking back at the times and manners simply cannot fathom or understand all the context that surrounds them. In fact I am noticing an increasing trend where people who were not around at the time simply disbelieve that things were as they were.

I suppose every generation has this syndrome to some extent, hence the rewriting (dare I say whitewashing??) of history.? Today with instant communication and the dreaded Social Media where everyone suddenly becomes an expert on everything (just ask them) and decides the whole world needs to know what they had for breakfast, misinformation and opinion have become the new norm. I just wish they would stop making stupid people famous!
 
Just read the latest on the Dick Emery thread.....I think the last couple of entries there reinforce and possibly better reflect my comments above!^^>:
 
Hello Brain Johns. Thanks for your thoughts.
It certainly makes sense that TV shows would reflect the times they were made in. Somewhat oddly that darkness may have wrapped around as many sitcoms made in more recent years seem very dark and cruel to me. Maybe there is a sweet spot of a lighter and more joyous time in TVland?
At any road one reason I wander the interweb is to find people like the ones here who are passionate about their enjoyment and have lots of thoughts about what they consume. Real experts.
 
A Big welcome to you bigcat (or should that be big meoww :p )

I've said the before an Pearl has alluded to it LOTSW ran for so long it's essentially 3 comedies, early - gritty wordy parody of the many people who found themselves thrown on the scrapheap and couldn't find work (Changing Faces Of Rural Blamire illustrates this perfectly)
Then slapstick physical comedy usually with Compo trying out one of Wesleys/Seymours inventions and then ultra gentle non offensive humour towards the end.

You will find that the focus on this site is mainly the first 2 thirds of the series, but I also really love the latter episodes. If you want an escape from the world we inhabit then series 22 onwards is perfect.

Anyway delighted to have you on board and we look forwards to your many postings !!!!
 
Thank you for your welcome Barrychuckle and meow!

The three comedies idea makes sense. I'm mostly familiar with the middle years which is likely no great surprise. I will give the later years a go to see if they appeal to me as well. I'm glad you mentioned them. I don't always do well with replacement characters, I firmly like the first five years of Cheers rather than the last six for instance. Here with the replacement and unreplacement of Foggy and the newer characters coming on board, one does grow more used to the idea though so maybe I can role along even after Compo's passing.

I'm glad to be here. This seems like a friendly and welcoming place which is quite lovely.
 
My Theory for what it's worth is that people watch the later episodes and expect 'more of the same' A comedy that runs for near 40 years is going to have a change of personnel and direction. I think if you watch the later episodes with an open mind, enjoying the beautiful Yorkshire countryside which is showcased more and expect relaxing chuckles more than out and out belly laughs you should enjoy them. A word of warning don't watch them before operating heavy machinery due to their sedative effects :p :p
 
Barrychuckle's description is right on point. I am an American who first discovered the show while it was airing the post-Compo years. I didn't get the Blamire years so much the first few times. However, I recommend you keep watching the series from beginning to end. I eventually got to love the Blamire years and Blamire's stark contrast to the other two. I really enjoy the older, rural setting and another wonderful part of this old era is we get to see a bolder Clegg. I always wish we could have seen that side of Clegg more. He softened up too quickly.
 
In answer to the thread title, no.

In my opinion we get very different representations of Britain and it's people over the shows run.

The very early Blamire years show a picture of an abandoned Yorkshire town with equally abandoned by society protagonists. They are cast out and even unwelcome in the areas of supposed respite such as the library or the cafe. Their eccentricities at this point are fights back against a system that has no longer any need for them.

With Foggy the mood lightens a touch as the community broadens out with Nora and Ivy getting closer as do Sid and Wally. As things open open so do the possibilities for plots but still ultimately Foggy just wants to be useful again. With Getting Sam Home gallows humour is really brought to the fore but also showcases the integral nature of the ladie's position in their lives.

Enter Seymour and the nostalgic tone of what once was is perfectly counterbalanced, in my opinion, with the barminess of the present with many get rick quick schemes so common of the 80s. Crusher, Barry and Glenda as regular representations of youth have optimism and by this stage the trio are more content than ever to loaf about in a haybarn with nothing to do but look back wistfully.

Foggy returns and has been galvanised by his Bridlighton eggscapade and is keen to reassert his perceived authority and respect but he too has mellowed in contrast to the ladies circle whose control over their menfolk is tighter than the battle for the best cream cake. Society by now no longer runs paralel to their adventures and Summerwineland has become it's own little microcosm of roles, perceived or otherwise for our heroes.

Truly of the Yard appears now and things continue in a similar vein albeit with a sprinkling of mischief. He can, and does, display huge empathy when needed but the guest spots are now representations of society trying to reassert it's influence on the trio but ultimately get thwarted or belittled into not reappearing.

Dialogue returns in the final years as the core humour generator and whilst the slapstick of the policeman pays off still it displays that law and order is in as insane abundance as those situations found in Wesley's shed or outside the Co-op for a furtive assignation. The community is complete but the outlook is now as bright as the Holmfirth sun with the credo 'enjoy life, don't take yourself too seriously and "yes dear" is the response required for a lasting marriage.'
 
I Think the first couple of seasons they were figuring things out, as to what they wanted the characters to be. I thought Clegg was kind of gruff the first two seasons and then morphed into that dry, witty, softened up, woman fearing Clegg I love so much, like the one who was standing there with Foggy and Compo was saying, he could drink brown ale from Nora's shoe and Clegg dryly says, by the bucket full. That is the Clegg I like and enjoy!
 
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I'm guessing your view of the show is heavily influenced by the era you first watched. When I was younger in the 90's I perceived LOTSW as a seriously uncool thing to watch as all my pals were watching lad culture comedies like Men Behaving Badly or Game On. As I got older I really appreciated the appeal of this show so started watching it regularly at around s24 and really enjoyed it. Perhaps that's why I prefer the later episodes, I don't know.
 
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