Thora Hird did not like Edie

[foggyd]

I just watched her biography on the bio channel and she said on the programme that she could not stand her character. She didnt like the way she treated Wesley or talked down to her daughter Glenda, and she couldnt understand quite why she was so mean to her poor husband.

People would often stop her in the street and tell her off for the way she treated Wesley. She would reply that she is just playing the part and that she was just following the script. I never really liked the Edie character either, I never understood quite what her issue was with Wesley, after all he spent most of his time in the shed never cheated on her unlike Sid and Howard did on theirs, but poor Wesley could never seem to do anything right. In many ways you could say she was a prototype to Hyacinth Bucket A very similar character. Its sad that she never really showed a softer side to her, even Nora and Ivy sometimes drop their guards, apart from the episode situations vacant do we see a softer side to Edie. Also maybe her patronising attitude to Glenda was down to a jealously of Glendas closeness and fondness to Barry who she also didnt seem fond off, she obviously doesnt have the same bond with her husband.

I know her charcter was popular with many summerwine fans, I guess they can relate to her putting her newspapers down before Wesley comes in e.t.c but I never really felt any empathy towards her. Give me Pearl any day now she has a real reason to be annoyed with her husband considering he has been cheating on her for 25+ years I always enjoy her foiling his schemes, what a shame she and Marina never joined forces and turned the tables on Howard, he would of deserved it .

 

[Garrett]

Hmmm... I'd never really given Edie much thought, but she actually is quite an interesting psychological study. I could imagine her in real life. I'd say she was disappointed with life. I don't think much was ever said about her youth, but I expect she was a "common" child, who grew up with dreams of grandeur, only to find herself married to an uninspired mechanic, living in an ordinary house in the street. I suspect she once had great dreams for Wesley.

It's interesting how people are able to ignore all the things they have and just spend their lives regretting the things they don't (and trying to pretend they actually have them). But as you point out foggyd, when it comes to the crunch, Edie really does love Wesley.

By the way, was Wesley's background ever explained? What he used to do for a living?

 

[barmpot]

.....

By the way, was Wesley's background ever explained? What he used to do for a living?

He was retired, and according to one episode (which I forget for the time being) Edie bought him the shed to keep him out of the house at this time.

I am not sure he was a regualr mechanic as many fo his cars were quite likely to fail: I suspect he was a keen motor enthusiast (an early Jeremy Clarkson?) who possibly had quite a dfferent job. We know it was not in an office as one outing he was to be found in his wedding suit which had obviously had very little wear. And he did not like wearing a tie - so manual job as in his day office work would have invariably have meant wearing a tie!