Children

[Philosopher Clegg]

I think its in the anniversary specials, but Roy Clarke says that he had a hard time coming up with how to make a show centered around older men until he realized that the key was to make them "unattached" in terms of family. Once he did that it removed a lot of restrictions on what he could do with the characters, and I'm sure that philosophy was a key to the shows long success.

Plus, as noted by others there were children that appeared on occasion. But as the backlash over Tom having a teenager in his "family" showed, most viewers didn't want another show about family relationships. That was one of the things that made LOTSW unique.

I do sometimes wonder why crusher Milburn was introduced as the nephew of Ivy when he could easily have played the returning son of Sid and Ivy after the death of John Comer. Given his build he could easily have passed for their son. Your reply perhaps explains it.

What do you mean by "the returning son"? There is at least one episode (Pate and Chips) that makes clear they never had any children. So making Crusher their son would not have fit.

Of course you are right, my post is badly worded. What I was trying to get over was that Milburn could easily have passed for the son of Sid and Ivy had Clarke wanted to introduce extended family as in sons and daughters, but as mention had been made that they had no children it would look strange. Nevertheless, characters often do have a secret in their past or alternatively story lines can sometimes be overlooked for the purpose of a new story, I suppose it depends how deep you want to push things and as Sid and Ivy were supporting characters why complicate things? An example of this and I'm largely going from memory here so I could be wrong, is the way Compo's war record doesn't come across as that impressive in the early series, yet later on we are told that he was at Dunkirk. As I say I might be wrong as it's been a while since I watched the very early series, but I don't recall it ever being mentioned, the impression is he doesn't get much further than his home base. Bill Owen was quite ill by the time this was put in so it was a fitting tribute, but for years we had the impression that Compo spent the war avoiding things just as much as he had in peacetime. I'm happy to be corrected on this if wrong!

 

[Philosopher Clegg]

I hadn't watched the first series for some time so last night decided to start with the pilot episode. It opens with Nora chatting to a neighbor about Compo who is having his TV repossessed. Some of the conversation is unsavory and in keeping with the grittiness of the early series as Nora gossips that "next door says he exposes himself", but in the background is a young woman putting washing on the line who comes out of Nora's house. When she appears she says "morning Mr Simonite", to which Compo replies "ayup love" which suggests she's well known. So, who was she? In the pilot Nora's husband is named Harold, Compo mentions him, so could this woman who is clearly a lot younger than Nora, be a daughter that wasn't taken forward into the series? I doubt whether Nora would have had a friend that young or would have been happy with a neighbor handling her washing! Possibly a lodger? Just wondered if others could shed some light on who she was as she doesn't appear again.

 

[Big Unc]

In the pilot Nora's husband is named Harold, Compo mentions him, so could this woman who is clearly a lot younger than Nora, be a daughter that wasn't taken forward into the series? I doubt whether Nora would have had a friend that young or would have been happy with a neighbor handling her washing! Possibly a lodger? Just wondered if others could shed some light on who she was as she doesn't appear again.

The cast list gives her as a neighbour. There are two neighbours specified, one played by Jean McLaren and one by Pat Bonna. I think the young one is Pat Bonna and she shows up again in "Spring Fever", again designated as a neighbour. I would suggest that this episode is the pilot and characters had not yet been formulated. And was it not typical of the time that neighbours got together on Monday washday. And I am not just talking the Glasgow Steamie here.

 

[Philosopher Clegg]

In the pilot Nora's husband is named Harold, Compo mentions him, so could this woman who is clearly a lot younger than Nora, be a daughter that wasn't taken forward into the series? I doubt whether Nora would have had a friend that young or would have been happy with a neighbor handling her washing! Possibly a lodger? Just wondered if others could shed some light on who she was as she doesn't appear again.

The cast list gives her as a neighbour. There are two neighbours specified, one played by Jean McLaren and one by Pat Bonna. I think the young one is Pat Bonna and she shows up again in "Spring Fever", again designated as a neighbour. I would suggest that this episode is the pilot and characters had not yet been formulated. And was it not typical of the time that neighbours got together on Monday washday. And I am not just talking the Glasgow Steamie here.

Yes that would explain it. The cast list at the end of the episode listed them as "also appeared". Hadn't considered the Monday washday, it just seemed strange her coming out of Nora's house in a way that suggested familiarity. I'll look out for her in the other one.

 

[Sarkus]

Keep in mind that when that opening scene was written and filmed it was simply designed to introduce Compo - there was no intent of making Nora a regular character. Its just Compo interacting with the ladies in his building as they hang out there wash. I doubt they had even defined that doorway as being where Nora and her husband lived.

 

[onyx(John)]

The first time I saw this episode I assumed that this young woman coming out of Nora`s house was her daughter, I think that would be a natural assumption to make. Also the way the conversation went would lead you to believe that she was more likely to be a daughter than a lodger. Merely crediting her as "also appeared" left all options open for the programme makers in future episodes.

 

[Philosopher Clegg]

Keep in mind that when that opening scene was written and filmed it was simply designed to introduce Compo - there was no intent of making Nora a regular character. Its just Compo interacting with the ladies in his building as they hang out there wash. I doubt they had even defined that doorway as being where Nora and her husband lived.

I would say that it was slightly more than Compo just interacting with the ladies in that opening scene as although Nora does not become a regular for some time she is mentioned a number of times each episode as the object of his desire, the stage is being set. In the credits at the end she is named as Mrs Batty, while the other two only get mentioned as "also appeared". As all three of them only appear in that opening scene, it's Nora that is the most likely to become a regular. You are right in that it isn't clear as to where she lived as it is only in later episodes that we see her coming out of the door we came to know as her home that in this episode the younger woman emerges from. It was also the pilot so I suppose it was possible that it wouldn't be commissioned as a series, but at that stage and for some time it was mainly about the trio.

 

[Sarkus]

From what I've read they did not intend Nora to be a notable character at all when the pilot was written and filmed. But after it was shown they discovered that the audience liked the idea of Compo and Nora's interaction so she was written in when the full series was commissioned.

 

[Big Unc]

In the pilot Nora's husband is named Harold, Compo mentions him, so could this woman who is clearly a lot younger than Nora, be a daughter that wasn't taken forward into the series? I doubt whether Nora would have had a friend that young or would have been happy with a neighbor handling her washing! Possibly a lodger? Just wondered if others could shed some light on who she was as she doesn't appear again.

The cast list gives her as a neighbour. There are two neighbours specified, one played by Jean McLaren and one by Pat Bonna. I think the young one is Pat Bonna and she shows up again in "Spring Fever", again designated as a neighbour. I would suggest that this episode is the pilot and characters had not yet been formulated. And was it not typical of the time that neighbours got together on Monday washday. And I am not just talking the Glasgow Steamie here.

Having seen "Spring Fever" again today I realise I got them the wrong way round. It was the older neighbour from the pilot who showed up again in "Spring Fever" so she was obviously played by Pat Bonna meaning the younger neighbour in the pilot was played by Jean McLaren.