smoking

O

Oregon Diane

Active Member
Probably been discussed here before, but at what point did they all stop smoking ? I've been indulging in the pilot and first 3 episodes tonight, and am amazed at the light ups. I guess we just don't see it anymore.
Have to enjoy some of the anti-Compo lines Blamire comes up with such as " Just think, he could have gone to Australia for 10 quid. We should have taken up a collection."
Priceless !
 
Well the non smoking law came out a few years ago on any tv program. Unless they are outdoors. Also it could be that some of the actors decided to quit.
 
I think there was a big anti smoking binge about 8-9 years ago and a lot of programes got a touge lashing for it, and the fact that it was being shown earlyer in the evening seemed to cut it down a lot too.
 
Yes it was the same with seat belts. On many shows now when a character gets in their car you see them fasten up... Infact on Eastenders Dot still is a heavy smoker. There was talk about her giving up but the character is a smoker. You can't change that.
 
I think i read in A Vines book that it was decided very early on to cut out the smoking and the very mild swearing as they wanted to appeal to a younger and also, a family type audience.I dont think we see either after the end of the second series but i might be wrong.

Hector
 
When the show started it reflected the time it was in ,everybody seemed to light up at a drop of a hat but thankfully times moved on and sense prevailed with smoking being cut back.To see the trio lighting up looks very dated, now if a show wants a charachter to smoke now they have to huddle outside in a doorway just like the poor souls you see outside offices etc .(what a shame!) Compo always seemed to be cadging fags but didnt always get them Clegg didnt smoke as much as the others and of course Foggy being a warrior didnt .The show is a good mirror of real life and how the world has changed although Howard shows how is a real stayer and should get a medal for staying with Marina ,he smoked as well as did Wesley.
 
Clegg smokes in the early series, but gives up quickly. It's mentioned as early as "Small Tune for a Penny Wassail" when he comments

"How do you think I feel? I gave up smoking so that i'd live longer. It's at times like this you wonder if you're doing the right thing"

With Compo i'm wondering if the latest mention is "Getting Sam Home", where he mentions dropping his fag in hospital (of course that being an adaptation from the novel, written in the early days, it could be a fragment of the earlier characterisation)
 
Perhaps i am delving to deep into theory here, but what if Roy Clarke thought that because the characters are meant to be adolescent school boys, that climb trees and make daft inventions. Thus he thought maybe they shouldn't smoke anymore, because that takes away the school ground image he had in mind?

Like i said maybe to much thinking going on in my tiny mind ???
 
James26 said:
Like i said maybe to much thinking going on in my tiny mind ???
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Not neccesarily James, i would think it was probably just a sign of the times.
Smoking was becoming more anti-social, ciggie advert advertising on the telly and sports (F1 etc) was dissapearing and the government were championing the stop smoking campaigns on TV.
You only have to look back to the late 70's to see programmes like Parkinson and suchlike, where the guests could be seen smoking whilst being interviewed.....in a TV studio!!!
In reality, Compo would still be smoking his roll-ups, as also might Howard and possibly even Pearl.
Possibly it was down to pressure from the PC brigade, or maybe just a decision by Roy Clarke, to waft the smoke away for good?

G ; )
 
Foggy's introduction was a great way to cut down on the smoking - he didn't approve of smoking one bit.

I suspect the main reason for cutting down on the smoking may have been;
a) The actors themselves either didn't smoke or were trying to give up.
b) Smoking restrictions were gradually appearing.
c) Fire hazard and insurance.

Or I may be completely wrong.
 
Well, a) certainly counted for Peter Sallis. I think at least Bill Owen continued smoking well into the 80s or even longer, there were some photos I seem to remember.
 
Hector said:
I think i read in A Vines book that it was decided very early on to cut out the smoking and the very mild swearing as they wanted to appeal to a younger and also, a family type audience.I dont think we see either after the end of the second series but i might be wrong.

Hector
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Don't know if it is relevant but it was at Series #7 it went to its early Sunday evening slot where it remained except, according to my records, for Series #13 which went out on a Friday.

I am reminded in a way of the comment of a character on, I think it was, "New Tricks". "It will be Health and Safety. They want us to stay permanently in bed".
 
Big Unc said:
I am reminded in a way of the comment of a character on, I think it was, "New Tricks". "It will be Health and Safety. They want us to stay permanently in bed".
Click to expand...

that comment was from Summer Wine, PC Cooper said it in "Will the Genuine Racer Please Stand Up", i remember cause i watched it on GOLD yesterday
 
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