Characters in Episode Titles

codfanglers

codfanglers

Dedicated Member
Hello Summer Wine Folk, It has been a while as I finally had to overcome passwords. After many years of watching Summer Wine, I wonder if Roy Clarke had a reason or method behind the character's names in the episodes. Without doing an official count, I believe Howard and Barry's names were used most in the episode titles. Some from the main trio, and other notable characters, never had their name in the episode titles. Does anybody know why this is? And why were Howard and Barry's names used so often? Just curious.
 
Welcome back, codfanglers. Things getting any better up there with the gas stations since the pipeline shutdown? They are slowly trying to return to normal down here in coastal NC. Last I heard in the news you all got hit harder than us.

I had not given the episode naming much thought before. Just figured it a way to generalize the episode. As you say, Howard and Barry's names do get a mention a few times. Clegg gets a mention with elastic stockings. Can't think of many others singled out by name.

Most of them make sense to me. Woolen Mills of the Mind is one of the few that I some days think have figured out and other days I seemed to have forgotten why.
 
RickAns said:
Welcome back, codfanglers. Things getting any better up there with the gas stations since the pipeline shutdown? They are slowly trying to return to normal down here in coastal NC. Last I heard in the news you all got hit harder than us.

I had not given the episode naming much thought before. Just figured it a way to generalize the episode. As you say, Howard and Barry's names do get a mention a few times. Clegg gets a mention with elastic stockings. Can't think of many others singled out by name.

Most of them make sense to me. Woolen Mills of the Mind is one of the few that I some days think have figured out and other days I seemed to have forgotten why.
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I think Clegg gets a mention in several episodes, and Foggy in a couple. Blamire is mentioned in one. Nora also appears in several ep titles.
 
I presume the titles reflect whatever Clarke thought was a good quick and perhaps funny or notable aspect of that episode. I doubt there was any method to it. I do wonder if how they rolled off the tongue was a factor. For example, the Series 3 episode "The Kink in Foggy's Niblick" works but we know that episode was originally written for Blamire. "The Kink in Blamire's Niblick" doesn't really flow, at least to me. So perhaps it had a different title orginally but was re-written because Clarke liked how Foggy and Niblick flow together? Interesting to think about!
 
RickAns said:
Welcome back, codfanglers. Things getting any better up there with the gas stations since the pipeline shutdown? They are slowly trying to return to normal down here in coastal NC. Last I heard in the news you all got hit harder than us.

I had not given the episode naming much thought before. Just figured it a way to generalize the episode. As you say, Howard and Barry's names do get a mention a few times. Clegg gets a mention with elastic stockings. Can't think of many others singled out by name.

Most of them make sense to me. Woolen Mills of the Mind is one of the few that I some days think have figured out and other days I seemed to have forgotten why.
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Thanks Rick. The gas stations look like they are going back to normal. My wife and I both drive little Corollas and we filled up both and cut our driving down in the meantime.
 
Sarkus said:
I presume the titles reflect whatever Clarke thought was a good quick and perhaps funny or notable aspect of that episode. I doubt there was any method to it. I do wonder if how they rolled off the tongue was a factor. For example, the Series 3 episode "The Kink in Foggy's Niblick" works but we know that episode was originally written for Blamire. "The Kink in Blamire's Niblick" doesn't really flow, at least to me. So perhaps it had a different title orginally but was re-written because Clarke liked how Foggy and Niblick flow together? Interesting to think about!
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I would guess, for the most part, Clarke looked for titles that had a certain flow. Although he might have had an extra appreciation for Barry and Howard on the side as he leaned toward those 2 in the titles.
 
To everyone, yes, other characters' names were used in episode titles, but my point was that for some reason, Barry and Howard's names appeared in a good bit more. I just wasn't sure if there was an exact reason for this.
 
Roger said:
Howard's name appears in 13 episode titles but Pearl and Marina's names aren't in any.
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Yes, exactly my point. I realize a lot of different characters had their names in titles. I was just curious as to why Barry and Howard's names were used so much more. Not that I have a problem with it. It is just curiosity.
 
I think most of the latter episodes centred around Howard or Barry and the trio were more peripheral, perhaps that's why they got more titles?

On a separate note even Errol Flynn even got himself into 2 titles!
 
Barrychuckle said:
I think most of the latter episodes centred around Howard or Barry and the trio were more peripheral, perhaps that's why they got more titles?

On a separate note even Errol Flynn even got himself into 2 titles!
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Possibly, and I don't have an actual account of the number of titles. Although around Series 22, 23, etc. there is still a decent emphasis on the trio (although maybe not a dominant emphasis) and a lot of "Barry" and "Howard" titles. Just something to ponder over.
 
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