Cleggy’s shyness

[Mrs blamire (i wish)]

I’m rewatching the later seasons of last of the summer wine, and is it me, or have they made clegg more like how he was in the earlier seasons, in the blamire and early foggy years?

I mean obviously he doesn’t smoke or really swear like in the older ones but I reckon they were aired before the watershed?
But correct me if I’m wrong , I feel like in the later seasons they’ve sort of dropped , or at least mellowed the wallflower type of personality he had going on in the Seymour and later foggy years, he seems to be less scared of marina and doesn’t seem to be pushed into things?

also I would just like to note , I love all the episodes and clergy personalities, I love him through to the first season to the very last, so I’m not criticising anything, just wanting a little discussion about it

 

[Adanor]

Depending on who was the third man, Peter Sallis had an ongoing role, off camera and that was peace maker. Often, his off camera role was almost more important than doing Cleggy, whether he covered his eyes at the mere mention of blood. or had everyone sniffing flowers in Sid's.

 

[RickAns]

I prefer the more confident, mischievous Cleggy to the whiny version. He also came up with some really good ponderings. For instance, if our feet were on the other way round we could stand closer to walls. Also, how lucky we are that your legs are hinged in the middle as they are so we can ride bicycles.

 

[Marianna]

I, too, prefer the bolder Clegg. For instance in Spring Fever, when Clegg and Blamire go to Compo's place to check on him, and find it empty, Nora comes in and talks to them. The conversation drifts into a comparison of Nora's and Ivy's sharp tongues, with Clegg giving as good as he gets. After Nora leaves, Blamire comments, "You were dicing with death."

 

[MoodyBlue]

Even during the early Foggy years Cleggy was confident and [dare I say it...in 1 episode] confrontational !!!.
After Foggy was disgusted that Compo wanted to go to Leningrad....and even worse stated that Russian humbugs tasted better than,in Foggy's terminology "the Great British boiled sweet" he retired to Sid's Cafe to sulk and read the paper...
Our 2 "comrades" then appeared at the window and drew hats and beards on their faces .......which progressed to Cossack style dancing......now here is where Cleggy got a little loony !!!....he jumps on the table...starts singing a Russian song...just as an elderly lady enters the Cafe...he then proceeds to jump from table onto a chair....and runs over and chases her out...whilst still singing his Russian song !!!...UNBELIEVABLE behaviour when we look at the "passive Cleggy" of future series.

 

[lotsw1984]

I, too, prefer the bolder Clegg. For instance in Spring Fever, when Clegg and Blamire go to Compo's place to check on him, and find it empty, Nora comes in and talks to them. The conversation drifts into a comparison of Nora's and Ivy's sharp tongues, with Clegg giving as good as he gets. After Nora leaves, Blamire comments, "You were dicing with death."

Nora comes across as quite nasty in that scene

 

[Adrian Morris]

I, too, prefer the bolder Clegg. For instance in Spring Fever, when Clegg and Blamire go to Compo's place to check on him, and find it empty, Nora comes in and talks to them. The conversation drifts into a comparison of Nora's and Ivy's sharp tongues, with Clegg giving as good as he gets. After Nora leaves, Blamire comments, "You were dicing with death."

It wasn't that long after Clegg's wife died so I guess he was still bold enough to have a sparing match with a female occasionally. As the series moved on he would have lost that edge as he didn't have a female in the house.

I also noticed that he wasn't that keen on driving in later episodes. He was keen on getting Little Billy Aubrey's bike from his widow in Northern Flying Circus and also buying a car in The New Mobile Trio. In later episodes which had a motorbike and sidecar or a car in which he had to drive because he was the only one with a valid driving license he wasn't that keen.

 

[codfanglers]

I like both, the bold and shy Clegg. However, my main regret is that the bold Clegg didn't last long enough into the show.

As for the original topic, I never noticed in the later years how Clegg became bolder. Although a lot of times he was paired with Howard and Howard was always in a vulnerable state (between Pearl and Marina) allowing Clegg to be more relaxed and confident in comparison.