Billy Hardcastle

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Most of the men in LOTSW were old and retired. So my question is was Billy old enough to be rertired? He was always hanging around being Robin Hood. I know he kept away from his house as much as possible because of his wife and her sister, But was he reitred or not. He didn't look old enough to be ...
 
I always thought he looked younger but maybe he used Oil of olay or was on incapacity for a bad back. ;)
 
People can retire early ,perhaps he was made redundant and was able to concentrate on being a barmpot the lucky devil .Always liked Billy pity the Beeb mucked him a round with his contract as he was a strong charachter more so than Hobbo .
 
I think it was the opening scene of The Coming of the Beast that revealed what Billy did for a living and that he was retired.
 
James26 said:
I always thought he looked younger but maybe he used Oil of olay or was on incapacity for a bad back. ;)
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A decendent of Robin Hood (on his mothers side) useing Oil of Olay..... :o

I wonder what Compo would have said about that ? ;D
 
James26 said:
I always thought he looked younger but maybe he used Oil of olay or was on incapacity for a bad back. ;)
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Or maybe he had plastic surgery or used steriods. But he seemed more frisky than the others..
 
chris said:
People can retire early ,perhaps he was made redundant and was able to concentrate on being a barmpot the lucky devil .Always liked Billy pity the Beeb mucked him a round with his contract as he was a strong charachter more so than Hobbo .
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I must say that I never liked Billy that much but his character was much better than Hobo.. The truth is the truth..
 
Billy was typical barmpot! As a result I liked him. He "added" something to the show that gave it another dimension away from the trio?/Howard plots. As did Alvin when he arrived ;D Hobbo was just beginning to grow on me when the show was ended but I wish Billy could have stayed to the end. A line on Bugs Bunny's show summed him up for me, "I LIKE HIM ,HE'S SILLY" ;D
 
Billy was a really good addition to the show. The messing about between him and Truly was excellent, and them taking the rise out of Alvin.
 
I thought he was a decent enough, and believable, character.

I think he was clearly too young against Clegg and Truly, but I think they later aged him up a bit, though I never really noticed.

I'm fairly sure the character was, later at least, supposed to be the same age as Clegg and Truly.

The main problem with Billy Hardcastle is his character wasn't always well written; he was married, and often disappearing - probably to allow some screentime for Tom or Alvin. Sometimes it was a quartet with Tom or Alvin always around.

Keith Clifford never got third billing on a regular basis, so he never seemed like a true member of the trio.

I also couldn't understand in Clegg's birthday episode, Billy wasn't invited to the lunch, just Truly. This wouldn't have happened in the Compo years.

Worse still, when he left his absence wasn't explained.

Post Compo, all these Compo-like characters emerged, and it seemed for several years Roy Clarke was just experimenting with these characters.

Despite the age, it may have worked with Tom as a third man. It seemed that was the intention for his first few episodes. His character completely changed in every aspect over the next ten years. And Alvin seemed too much like Compo in some ways.

Billy Hardcastle seemed a good choice in the Compo type role to me - believable and funny.
 
I liked the Billy Hardcastle character - true barmpot. I like that!

As to how old -different people age dfferently: many people think I am anything up to 10 or 15 years younger than I really am. So Billy could be retired.

Another possibility is that he only showed up when not working, i e week-ends. Barry definitely worked for a living (Building Society) but he appeared often, presumably at week-ends?
 
I liked it when Billy decided to become Yorkshires greatest tracker,and he was looking for dung and then got chased by a blooming great Alsation dog .Incedentaly the property looked like Smilers old house any thoughts?
 
I think i remember Clegg mentioning about Billy being made redundant, having worked in the spares department of a Volvo dealership.

I thought he was brilliant, from the first time he appeared, i though he was well cast as another barmpot, shame he left to join Coronation street.

G ; )
 
I like Billy a lot. Many of the characters hold onto a sense of disillusional glory. There was Foggy and his military background, Seymour and his education background, and Truly with his time in "the yard". I always appreciated the claim to be the direct descendant of Robinhood. So no matter how foolish the person is in real life, they can try to rely on ancestory for a feeling of greatness.

He had somewhat of a military appearance and that made a stark contrast to his silly moments, like the singing in Gnome and Away and I forget the episode when he is dancing with Alvin by Nora's house.

By the way, what is a Barmpot?
 
codfanglers said:
He had somewhat of a military appearance and that made a stark contrast to his silly moments, like the singing in Gnome and Away and I forget the episode when he is dancing with Alvin by Nora's house.
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Let me clarify my last statement. Instead of "military appearance" I should have use "rugged exterior". Billy appeared rugged, rough, and adventurous. This made his moments of foolishness, such as singing and dancing, even funnier.
 
Now be nice as there is a Billy Hardcastle in every family... LOL
 
Compo said:
Now be nice as there is a Billy Hardcastle in every family... LOL
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According to my family, I'm the one in ours! I always say that if I go gaga they won't know the difference ;)
 
Do you mean Lady Gaga???? I am sure they will be able to tell the difference... lol
 
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