Pilot

Of course, we are thinking about this far too much as it's just a programme someone's written, but I'm always interested in dates and ages of all kinds of things!

I´m the same!
Being 51 when the filming started fits perfectly when Clegg was supposed to be 18 in 1938, they basically took Peter´s real birth year as a reference I suppose. Yes, Bill Owen was not only older, he also looked older than he was in my opinion. He once mentioned that to Peter and he agreed. But Brian Wilde also looked a bit older, getting white hair so early, so that was good for his part.
 
Age is very subjective and I know many who could easily be +/- 10 years so for me, it is all beievable.

When looking back at the pilot there can not have been any idea that it would spawn 30 series, 295 episodes and a dedicated band of followers who analyse and consider each point carefully
 
Age is very subjective and I know many who could easily be +/- 10 years so for me, it is all beievable.

When looking back at the pilot there can not have been any idea that it would spawn 30 series, 295 episodes and a dedicated band of followers who analyse and consider each point carefully
Considering your point about analysing each point carefully, I used to worry that the more we took the programme to pieces it would lose its magic. In a musing moment the other day I realised we are no different to the TREKKIES who meet to discuss their favourite programme. Indeed I used to be part of a group at school who got together the following day and " replayed" the previous nights GOON SHOW complete with voices So nothing changes does it?? ;)
 
Age is very subjective and I know many who could easily be +/- 10 years so for me, it is all beievable.

When looking back at the pilot there can not have been any idea that it would spawn 30 series, 295 episodes and a dedicated band of followers who analyse and consider each point carefully
Considering your point about analysing each point carefully, I used to worry that the more we took the programme to pieces it would lose its magic. In a musing moment the other day I realised we are no different to the TREKKIES who meet to discuss their favourite programme. Indeed I used to be part of a group at school who got together the following day and " replayed" the previous nights GOON SHOW complete with voices So nothing changes does it?? ;)

Love, obsession and overanalysis comes in many forms Dick! We are equivalent to Trekkies, we are Summer Wine fanatical nerds!
 
Age is very subjective and I know many who could easily be +/- 10 years so for me, it is all beievable.

When looking back at the pilot there can not have been any idea that it would spawn 30 series, 295 episodes and a dedicated band of followers who analyse and consider each point carefully
Considering your point about analysing each point carefully, I used to worry that the more we took the programme to pieces it would lose its magic. In a musing moment the other day I realised we are no different to the TREKKIES who meet to discuss their favourite programme. Indeed I used to be part of a group at school who got together the following day and " replayed" the previous nights GOON SHOW complete with voices So nothing changes does it?? ;)

Guilty as charged Chuffer Enwright. When first compared to Trekkies I started coming up withg a defense, such as Trekkies are into "total fiction" as are into something that reflects real life. But you know what, that excuse just doesn't hold up. I have NOTHING to answer to that, but as Barmpot say, there are worse things we could be into.
 
When you see the pilot its noticable how dirty Compo looks and how long Cleggs hair is also how scruffy the town is ,Britain was going through on of its regular downturns and nobody cared.If you go up north now the buildings look clean and many towns very smart ,notice the square in front of the cafe early shows there is grass growing up between the flags now its all tidy.It makes me shudder when I look at the fashions and think I used to wear stuff like that ,god help me!Redundancy was a regular event then and there was no prospect of work so the boys enjoyed themselves as they brought back their schooldays dont think I would want to bring back mine!I never realy liked Blamire thought him to be not a very brilliant charachter Foggy was a far more beleivable person ,the swearing was also more dominant for the early series though nothing like the filth that so called comedians come out with now.This show I think was one the most enduring comedies ever written and noone can beat Roy for its quality lets all carrying on being fans.
 
When you see the pilot its noticable how dirty Compo looks and how long Cleggs hair is also how scruffy the town is ,Britain was going through on of its regular downturns and nobody cared.If you go up north now the buildings look clean and many towns very smart ,notice the square in front of the cafe early shows there is grass growing up between the flags now its all tidy.It makes me shudder when I look at the fashions and think I used to wear stuff like that ,god help me!Redundancy was a regular event then and there was no prospect of work so the boys enjoyed themselves as they brought back their schooldays dont think I would want to bring back mine!I never realy liked Blamire thought him to be not a very brilliant charachter Foggy was a far more beleivable person ,the swearing was also more dominant for the early series though nothing like the filth that so called comedians come out with now.This show I think was one the most enduring comedies ever written and noone can beat Roy for its quality lets all carrying on being fans.

Thanks for the explanation Chris. I see the early years in a different light. I always thought they were retired from the start but someone else mentioned they were redundant. With my American vocabulary, I think of redundant as repetitve, but it seems like you are referring to redundant as idle. My Public Television station aired "How not to Cry at Weddings" today so I expect to see the pilot tomorrow.

Blamire didn't have too many striking characteristics to me, but sometimes there needs to be a few "straight" characters to compliment the wild personalities such as Compo. Blamire was OK to me, just seemed a little rough but that fit into the early years.

I will keep your thoughts in mind when viewing the scenery and attire of the cast when I see it again.
 
Since I last commented on this topic I got to revisit the first three episodes of Series One since my Public Television just rotated back from the swan song.

Chris’ comment about the guys being redundant really struck me. The guys even mention being redundant in the Pilot. Originally I just thought they were three retired guys killing time at the library, café, and old barn. However, their redundancy ties in to the British downturn at the time. This makes a historical connection and to me it gives the first few years a deeper meaning.

Chris also mentioned Holmfirth and the guys’ attire looking rough. I definitely see the exterior of Holmfirth and the interior of the café as looking quite rough (but the café does have an inviting quality too). Obviously, Compo is rough but despite the environment, I think Blamire and Clegg still present themselves as quite smart. Perhaps that is because of my “jeans and t-shirt” American background.

It appears the Kathy Staff appeared in Open All Hours and Summer Wine at the same time. Am I correct?

Through all of the dialogue I get lost a little bit here and there. Some dialogue was politic driven. Not to get into that taboo topic, but it appears that Clegg is “left wing” and Blamire is “right wing”. Am I correct?

Blamire appears to me to have characteristics of Foggy and Seymour. He makes military references, such as saying to Compo, “I wish I had you under me in the military” (paraphrasing) and he brings up a social class divide as would Seymour. He does this by making comments about not wanting to be seen with people of Compo’s class.

Overall, I still prefer the wild escapades of the later years, but I enjoy revisiting this time and enjoy the comradery of the trio.

Oh, by the way. It took me a while to really figure out what you meant by redundant. I always knew it as “excessive or repetitive”. I had to check with dictionary .com and got the same meaning. It wasn’t until I used the Webster dictionary website where they give the same definitions and at the bottom of the screen they included that a specifically British definition meaning out of work.
 
It appears the Kathy Staff appeared in Open All Hours and Summer Wine at the same time. Am I correct?

Yes, but it was a smaller part in "Open all Hours".

Through all of the dialogue I get lost a little bit here and there. Some dialogue was politic driven. Not to get into that taboo topic, but it appears that Clegg is “left wing” and Blamire is “right wing”. Am I correct?

Blamire appears to me to have characteristics of Foggy and Seymour. He makes military references, such as saying to Compo, “I wish I had you under me in the military” (paraphrasing) and he brings up a social class divide as would Seymour. He does this by making comments about not wanting to be seen with people of Compo’s class.

I would concur that Blamire was "right wing". I seem to recall references to his membership of the Conservative Party. Do not agree on Clegg, however. He was apolitical, I suggest. Compo could be described as unemployed working class with left wing tendencies. He never suggested any form of organised left wing politics (trade unionism, etc.). After Blamire the political aspect reduced. I suggest Foggy and Seymour would be refer to themselves as middle class rather than "right wing" (though Foggy's military stance might be considered to the right of centre).

Blamire appears to me to have characteristics of Foggy and Seymour. He makes military references, such as saying to Compo, “I wish I had you under me in the military” (paraphrasing) and he brings up a social class divide as would Seymour. He does this by making comments about not wanting to be seen with people of Compo’s class.

Oh, by the way. It took me a while to really figure out what you meant by redundant. I always knew it as “excessive or repetitive”. I had to check with dictionary .com and got the same meaning. It wasn’t until I used the Webster dictionary website where they give the same definitions and at the bottom of the screen they included that a specifically British definition meaning out of work.

We're in terminology here. Wikipedia suggests UK "redundant" is equivalent to US "lay-ed off":
"Layoff (in British[1] and American English), also called redundancy in the UK, is the temporary suspension or permanent termination of employment of an employee or (more commonly) a group of employees for business reasons, such as when certain positions are no longer necessary or when a business slow-down occurs. Originally the term layoff referred exclusively to a temporary interruption in work, as when factory work cyclically falls off. The term however nowadays usually means the permanent elimination of a position, requiring the addition of "temporary" to specify the original meaning."

Maybe important to note that "redundant" and "out of work" are not always synonymous. Yes, one can be out of work because of redundancy but there can be other reasons - fired, ill-health, never worked for example.
 
Chris also mentioned Holmfirth and the guys’ attire looking rough. I definitely see the exterior of Holmfirth and the interior of the café as looking quite rough (but the café does have an inviting quality too). Obviously, Compo is rough but despite the environment, I think Blamire and Clegg still present themselves as quite smart. Perhaps that is because of my “jeans and t-shirt” American background.

......

Oh, by the way. It took me a while to really figure out what you meant by redundant. I always knew it as “excessive or repetitive”. I had to check with dictionary .com and got the same meaning. It wasn’t until I used the Webster dictionary website where they give the same definitions and at the bottom of the screen they included that a specifically British definition meaning out of work.

The northern part of the UK did look bleak and 'rough' in the 1970s. I arrived in Leeds in the mid 1970s from the south of England, and I was immediately struck by the darkened buildings (soot) and also that the style of clothing was possibly 10 years behind the south of England. Not any more: Leeds has the only other Harvey Nicks store in the country.

And, as Big Unc states - we obviously use the term redundant in different way to the USA: the three were all our of work, Compo probably had never worked, Clegg and Blamire would have lost their jobs but were under the age for offical retirement and old age pension. Clegg was redundant because we stoopped using and bi=uying linoleum; Blamire would eb redundant because of the cut back in military associated actvities. I alwasy get the impression that he would have left the army at the age of 40 (22 years service) but then took up some work in a related area, such as NAAFI, in the same town as the barracks - Oswestry.

Compo was what we soemtimes jocualry referred to as a governemtn artist - he was "drawing the dole". For the help fo those not in the UK: dle being a vernacular term for the government funded unemployment benefit.
 
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