Electrical Entwhistle

I decided to revisit this topic after catching "Pick Up of the Late Ming Dynasty".

I have discussed with others over the last few months about the decline of the show (although still good) in its last few years. A common thought here is that Entwistle and Alvin simply weren't strong enough to be main characters.

At one point, Entwistle was my favorite character and I lost track why. Now, one of my two Summer wine stations, MPT2, is airing the early Entwistle episodes. I just caught Pick Up of the Late Ming Dynasty yesterday. It has been quite a while since I revisited the 2003 series. I just think Entwistle is fabulous during those years. His kicking the truck, and getting the others to push for him, and his witty lines make him quite enjoyable. I love his ancient wisdom comments.

A great line went something like this, "You look like an ancient civilized people, what do you suppose is wrong with my truck?".

At this point in viewing Summer wine, I no longer have character favorites. There are just too many lovable Barmpots. After revisiting Entwistle's first episodes I have come to this conclusion. I don't know if he was able to pull off a lead role, but 2003 Entwistle was so much stronger than 2009-10 Entwistle!
 
I liked Entwhistle as well, but as with so many of
the extra characters, he really was not up to
more than a quick line now and then. You really
needed a Clegg/Truly/Foggy/Cyril kind of character
to carry the main thrust of the show around those
quick one-liners.
 
Well Entwistle really isn't a character to be honest, it's just the actor Burt Kwouk with a bit of a fictitious story added.

I can't find it on youtube, but there's a Spike Milligan sketch about "Japanese Ritual Suicide" in which Milligan, as a china woman jumps off a building, then lands in front of a white backdrop with a car and Burt standing in front. Burt then says something random (can't remember), but it's exactly the type of thing Entwistle would say, and this is back in 1982.
 
goodiesguy said:
Well Entwistle really isn't a character to be honest, it's just the actor Burt Kwouk with a bit of a fictitious story added.
Click to expand...

Not sure I go along with this. Entwistle is a character created by Roy Clarke and played by the actor, Burt Kwouk. (Total and utter non-sequitur, going off into twitter mode, why Burt and not Bert? His name was Herbert after all). It strikes me that there is no reason why Roy Clarke could not have beefed up the charaters of Entwistle and Alvin to make them significant contributors unless it was felt by Roy and Alan JW Bell that actors Burt Kwouk and Brian Murphy were not up to it. Both were pretty ancient by the end. I continue to feel that letting the part of Hobbo completely dominate was a big contributor to the failings of the last two series. A one man band was contrary to the ethos of the show of many years. It adds to the significance of the loss of Billy Hardcastle earlier.
 
I quite liked Entwistle to be honest, he had his moments and it needed someone with a truck to replace Wesley, so the gang could be ferried about in their various adventures.
The last series was a bit of a disappointment for me, considering how long the programme had been going, it was mainly centred on Howard being thrown out by Pearl and the rest of the gang trying to find ways to get him back with her, each episode became a bit too much "samey" in my opinion, as though Roy Clarke had pretty much given up on it and was just writing the last series to finish it, certainly not his best work by a long shot.
Try watching a few of the 70's/80's episodes and then the final ones back to back, there's just no comparison, the magic had long gone by then.

G ; )
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top