If/When should the series have ended?

Barrychuckle

Barrychuckle

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I was wondering how long the series would have continued for if the BBC hadn't pulled the plug, do you think the series would still be running today? I'm sure Roy Clarke would've been capable of writing brilliant scripts even today.

My view is the series probably would have evolved and the Hobo character and new additions would have joined. But I know some people think the series went on too long and should have ended after Compos death. However that would mean that we would have missed out on 10 years worth of series which I agree were hit and miss but surely better than none?

How long do you think the series would have continued for if the BBC supported it and if you think it went on too long what series would you have ended it?
 
Well, as I've said many times before, I don't care for the series so much after Foggy's final episode. (A Sidecar named Desire). It seemed to lose it's comfortable cosiness and it seemed to take me out of the "comfort zone" the earlier episodes put me in. There were some good episodes in later years but really, in my opinion, the series should have finished at the end of series 18 when Foggy left. It just didn't feel right after that.
 
Since I dislike both the Foggy character and Brian Wilde's interpretation, I thought the series recovered after his departure. Now when I view the recordings in broadcast order, I merely endure Foggy's two seasons. The Hobbo character and the actor needed at least one additional season to settle in, just as a few seasons were required for Roy Clarke to find the right niche for Tom Owen.
 
Based on what happened after, I would have ended the show after Series 24. That's right before Alvin became a regular. I like Alvin, but his arrival corresponds with Peter Sallis' taking a significantly reduced role on the show and that's when it goes off the rails for me. There are good episodes after, but not as many as before then. They never found a replacement for Clegg's "everyman" grounding the show needed.

I don't think the show would have gone on much longer even if it had survived bumpy road of Hobbo's arrival. They botched the transition in my opinion but trying to reset the show around him and around the physical comedy of Russ Abbot, which I don't think ever would have worked. As I've said before, my feeling is that something like an Alvin/Barry/Tom trio would have been the best way forward, transitioning to a younger trio but using characters the long term audience already was familiar with.
 
The photo date in the file name is 2021 can I please ask if that if correct and the photo is from this year and where did you track it down Graham. Thank you for any information
 
Hi Captain. My wife found it on another facebook site last week on his birthday . I'm not on facebook myself.
 
Sarkus said:
Based on what happened after, I would have ended the show after Series 24. That's right before Alvin became a regular. I like Alvin, but his arrival corresponds with Peter Sallis' taking a significantly reduced role on the show and that's when it goes off the rails for me. There are good episodes after, but not as many as before then. They never found a replacement for Clegg's "everyman" grounding the show needed.

I don't think the show would have gone on much longer even if it had survived bumpy road of Hobbo's arrival. They botched the transition in my opinion but trying to reset the show around him and around the physical comedy of Russ Abbot, which I don't think ever would have worked. As I've said before, my feeling is that something like an Alvin/Barry/Tom trio would have been the best way forward, transitioning to a younger trio but using characters the long-term audience already was familiar with.
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I am glad the series went beyond Series 24 because there are still gems of episodes, but I totally agree that the quality took a little hit after Series 24. I just finished Series 24 in my current rotation. Now the first 2 episodes of Series 25 are good, Jurassic No Parking and General's Greatest Battle, but the comedy takes a little bit of a dive after that.
 
codfanglers said:
I am glad the series went beyond Series 24 because there are still gems of episodes, but I totally agree that the quality took a little hit after Series 24. I just finished Series 24 in my current rotation. Now the first 2 episodes of Series 25 are good, Jurassic No Parking and General's Greatest Battle, but the comedy takes a little bit of a dive after that.
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I completely agree, but as you say there is the odd gem in the later series and although some are lacklustre they're still worth watching over some of the tripe on these days.
 
Barrychuckle said:
I completely agree, but as you say there is the odd gem in the later series and although some are lacklustre they're still worth watching over some of the tripe on these days.
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Follow that Bottle, Stag Night of Doggy Wilkinson, In Which Howard Gets Double Booked, Cooper's Rules, to name a few. Although Series 24 might be the last great series?
 
"When the Season Should have ended?" can be looked at in different ways. If I had the decision, I would have kept it going. I am not a huge fan of the Hobbo years, but who is to say it couldn't have vastly improved after adjustments. While I am not bg on those years, it was still worth watching once in a while.

Actually, my least favorite season is Series 29, featuring a different guest character each time, but there are still a few good episodes in it.

I watch Summer Wine on public television channels which repeats the duration of the show from beginning to end. Usually, when I finish with Series 28, I take a break. It isn't because I purely dislike the last 3 seasons. I just find that a little break from it makes me appreciate the show, even more, when I return to it.
 
I'm a completionist and have the whole series on DVD, so when I watch it (I am at the moment) I go all the way through to the end, just skipping a few episodes along the way that I never liked. I don't dislike the later years enough to skip them completely, and as mentioned above there are a few good ones along the way, even in the Hobbo years.
 
If I had my way I'd have kept the series running until Peter left when that link was no longer there, but that would have meant the series got a deserved 40 years. I feel the series could have recovered, I've said this before but I spoke with Alan Bell and he felt the Hobbo character could reboot the show to new audiences. I felt the episodes following Compos death were truly awful but it found it's feet again and got better, sadly Russ Abbott never got the chance to work on his character.
 
Barrychuckle said:
If I had my way I'd have kept the series running until Peter left when that link was no longer there, but that would have meant the series got a deserved 40 years. I feel the series could have recovered, I've said this before but I spoke with Alan Bell and he felt the Hobbo character could reboot the show to new audiences. I felt the episodes following Compos death were truly awful but it found its feet again and got better, sadly Russ Abbott never got the chance to work on his character.
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There are also a lot of "what ifs." I don't know Bobby Ball beyond his Summer Wine appearances, but he seemed like a natural fit for a regular cast member that could have helped a bit. The next one is a bit of a stretch, but I always wondered if Keith Clifford could have rejoined the show.

I was never all that fond of Alvin. I really liked Entwhistle when he first came on, but sadly he didn't offer much in those later years. So I don't put it all on Hobbo.
 
One man's meat is another man's poison...the only thing we will all ever agree on is that we will never agree...and rightly so.
Whilst I agree [ish] with you Barry I can honestly say that I have never found a single episode "truly awful"....below the levels we have come to expect ..yes....but with characters we have grown up with and love I tend to give the "less good" episodes the benefit of the doubt.....try to find a little "something" that appealed to me......but the beaty of "our series" is......we will never all agree.
 
Interestingly a few people have mentioned Bobby Ball as a replacement, I'm sure the producers must have asked him to become more permanent. However he would still have had lucrative commitments as Cannon & Ball, sadly Bobby passed away as an early victim of Covid. :frown2:
 
codfanglers said:
There are also a lot of "what ifs." I don't know Bobby Ball beyond his Summer Wine appearances, but he seemed like a natural fit for a regular cast member that could have helped a bit. The next one is a bit of a stretch, but I always wondered if Keith Clifford could have rejoined the show.

I was never all that fond of Alvin. I really liked Entwhistle when he first came on, but sadly he didn't offer much in those later years. So I don't put it all on Hobbo.
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A bit of comedy trivia. Both Bobby Ball and Brian Murphy (Alvin) were in Benidorm, as was Bobby Knutt who was in an episode of SW.
 
For me when Compo passed. I always thought if Clegg or Compo passed then the show should have ended these was the 2 central characters of the show, the third man could always be replaced but not Compo or Cleggy. The show after Compo's death wasn't the same. When characters like Alvin, Hobbo or even Tom Came in, it wasn't the same, I wasn't keen on them. When Compo passes I go back to the start.
 
I am an oddity, in that I quite liked the later series. YES there were some bad ones but overall I liked them. Funnily enough, some of the episodes that most people seem to put in their favourites bin (like Full Steam Behind) I am quite "BLAH" about. Not that I hate them, they just are not among MY favourites.

The one thing I DIDN'T like about the later series was the green screen. I understand why Clegg and Truly had to appear that way towards the end and can just about accept that, but scenes like Howard on the bike and trampoline put me right off!

The stunts on the show have always been a bit "dodgy" but that was part of the charm of the show. At least they WERE done for "real", so the amateurish results were acceptable and fitted in with the general "feel" of the show.

The stuff done with basic CGI and green screen were so OBVIOUSLY faked it jarred the senses.

The tone of the show changed quite a lot over the years and I personally think that was a good thing. I am not, for example, a fan of the 1st two series. However they reflect the times when they were made. Foggy could be quite annoying at times and Seymour was more gentle.

I think because I came to the show late and started in the later periods I tend to think of the episodes around the "Jurassic" era shows as the "classic" ones and so quite liked Alvin, Entwhistle and even Hobbo (after a slow start).

I think the show could have been continued, but it wouldn't be the "same" show. And after all, it NEVER WAS!.
 
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