Who says the final few series aren't funny???

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Miss Davenport was fine as an addition and felt as though she'd been in the library all along and tended to be used well by and large whether inveigled in the men's schemes or as Marina's confidante. Stella on the other was and could never be Nora and would have been good to lead Glenda into more intriguing ways of asserting her womanhood instead of fighting an addiction that was poorly realised comedically.
 
I have just started on the Hobbo series, and I suppose I still want to see the older established cast on screen and clearly it would have been exhausting for Peter Sallis and Frank Thornton, I still smile at the antics, but I miss the original interaction between the trio, be it Blamire. Clegg and Compo, or later Foggy, then Seymour. I intend to see it through to the end.
 
I have just reached the episode "Happy Camping" and it is apparent that Clegg and Truly were not able to appear as often as they once did , the scene in the field is only given away by the shadow of Clegg on Truly's shoulder which reveals it was shot on green screen. It does seem as if some regular characters are being pushed into the background to give Hobbo the limelight, I am saddened because I am aware I am reaching the last few episodes, but, it is understandable that the actors were of an age where the schedule would have been exhausting.
 
I find the later series to be every bit as enjoyable as the earlier ones. Sure, the line-up of characters has altered somewhat, but the writing remains top-drawer and the countryside is as beautiful as ever. I argue the same for the Carry On films; even fans say that the 70's entries are disappointing. This baffles me, as Carry On Girls and Carry On at Your Convenience are gems.
Major cast changes can definitely harm a comedy series (for example, On the Buses). But Roy Clarke is a genius at creating characters and his dialogue is second-to-none. The very least you can say about the later series is that they are funnier than the first two.
 
Wintertea said:
I find the later series to be every bit as enjoyable as the earlier ones. Sure, the line-up of characters has altered somewhat, but the writing remains top-drawer and the countryside is as beautiful as ever. I argue the same for the Carry On films; even fans say that the 70's entries are disappointing. This baffles me, as Carry On Girls and Carry On at Your Convenience are gems.
Major cast changes can definitely harm a comedy series (for example, On the Buses). But Roy Clarke is a genius at creating characters and his dialogue is second-to-none. The very least you can say about the later series is that they are funnier than the first two.
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Love your comment and really agree regarding the latter series. Bear in mind the last 3 Carry On Films were Carry On England, Emmanuelle & Columbus all of them generally accepted as dreadful and panned by the most critics! I do agree that many of the early 70's Carry On Films were ok, and CO Girls had our Barry in it!
 
Agreed - England, Emmanuelle and Columbus were indeed dreadful. By the way, I once had the pleasure of chatting with Jacki Piper, who lit up a few of the Carry Ons. She is absolutely delightful, very funny and totally genuine. Thought I'd drop that one in!
 
Good morning to all,
I have seen that the final episode of Summer Wine is being re-screened tonight, followed by the very first episode, which I have been lead to believe was a pilot episode written prior to the series being commissioned, Since I have seen neither, it feels bittersweet, However, I have no problem watching the series all over again, I missed the Blamire years, I am hoping they get shown too.
 
I realise I am behind the times, but, I see season one of summer wine is now due to be screened on Drama channel on freeview in the UK, I can now get to see the "Blamire" years which are missing from my viewing history. I must admit the pilot episode was certainly different from the later seasons of summer wine, it felt "grittier" and the banter between the characters is , well, a tad more barbed if that is the correct term. I look forward to the screenings.
 
Roger said:
The problem with the Drama channel is each episode takes 40 minutes, that's 30 minutes of episode plus 10 minutes of adverts.
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UK drama actually shows 13 minutes of ads over the 40 mins as I’ve timed them. You usually get 2 ad breaks during the episode, so they also cut out 3 minutes from each episode, sheer greed so I never watch on Drama anymore. I may be wrong but I don’t think UK Gold truncate the episodes as that’s not a free view channel.
 
Barrychuckle said:
I've just realised it's interesting that no one has mentioned Stella who was a new character in the last 2 series as a replacement for Nora. I personally didn't think her craving for cigarette gags hit the mark but felt she could have had potential. Is the fact she's not mentioned much mean she wasn't liked or was just very forgettable?
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I thought Barbara Young made a great wife Florrie, for Lenny from the pickle factory. I am not from the UK and was not privy to the news of Kathy Staff's passing. My next exposure to Barbara Young was standing on Nora's front stoop, wearing a Bozo-the-clown colored bad wig (probably sourced from Auntie) and now being someone other than Florrie. It all didn't make any sense at that time. I had to goo goo google "Kathy Staff" before it all came together.

When Kathy staff left LOTSW some years earlier to re-join the cast of a former production she had been in, there was an opening scene of someone dressed in Nora's hideous overcoat and ridiculous hat, carrying a suitcase and descending the stairs, obviously going somewhere for a while. This was a good transition into Nora's absence. There was no transition from Nora to Stella. Kathy Staff had been with the show since 'Of Fish and Funerals'. Such longevity would have got her a gold watch from any decent employer. She wasn't a supporting actor. Both she and the show's fans deserved a better transition out of the show.

I mentioned earlier in this thread, that Compo's wellies were hard to fill. The same were true of Nora's wellies. That said, I think Barbara Young did a great job as Stella. Like Russ Abott, she threw herself into a part that offered little promise for a future. We don't have real pubs here, so I can't imagine what the stereotypical pub landlady is like, probably case-hardened and carborundum coated from dealing with boozy men. Stella portrayed that well. I especially enjoyed watching the relationship develop between Stella and Alvin. A precedent had been set by the Nora/Compo relationship, but to my delight did not walk down that path. It went nicely from confrontational to coexistent to friendly, then hinted at something more in the last couple of episodes.
Kudos to Barbara!
 
Seymour Upperthong said:
I thought Barbara Young made a great wife Florrie, for Lenny from the pickle factory. I am not from the UK and was not privy to the news of Kathy Staff's passing. My next exposure to Barbara Young was standing on Nora's front stoop, wearing a Bozo-the-clown colored bad wig (probably sourced from Auntie) and now being someone other than Florrie. It all didn't make any sense at that time. I had to goo goo google "Kathy Staff" before it all came together.

When Kathy staff left LOTSW some years earlier to re-join the cast of a former production she had been in, there was an opening scene of someone dressed in Nora's hideous overcoat and ridiculous hat, carrying a suitcase and descending the stairs, obviously going somewhere for a while. This was a good transition into Nora's absence. There was no transition from Nora to Stella. Kathy Staff had been with the show since 'Of Fish and Funerals'. Such longevity would have got her a gold watch from any decent employer. She wasn't a supporting actor. Both she and the show's fans deserved a better transition out of the show.
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In fairness, Kathy Staff's health was the issue and there was no way to transition her out. Her absence in Series 30 was, according to Bell's book, a very last-minute development and they had to scramble to throw something together to cover for that. Stella as her sister taking care of Nora's house while she was away in Australia again was what they came up with. The hope was that she would be well enough to come back in the future. Kathy Staff died after Series 30 was filmed but before Series 31 was commissioned, and there should have been some reference to her, I agree, in that next Series. However, Series 31 was what Roy Clarke wrote, so ultimately he made the call to handle things that way.
 
I am 4 episodes in on the Blamire years, the humour is different from the Foggy period, The laughs are there, but, some episodes almost have a harsher edge to them, perhaps if I had been on board from the pilot It would have been a smoother transition to when Michael Bates left. I notice Clegg is a lot more self assured, he seems to become a bit more timid as the seasons go on, I look forward to seeing all of the first and second series, if Drama do show them all, I am pleased I can catch up on these gems.
 
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