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  1. Sarkus

    Well I've finally managed it......

    It's been a couple of years, but for a while I had LOTSW on perpetual loop. That said, I'd often watch 2-4 episodes a night but not really be paying close attention at all times. At that rate I'd go through the whole lot in as little as six months on occasion. That being said, there are a few...
  2. Sarkus

    Who would you have dated/married

    I'll admit to being intrigued by Marina. Sure, she had a reputation, but it seems to have been highly exaggerated. Either version - the original widow or the later perpetually single version, lol.
  3. Sarkus

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

    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...
  4. Sarkus

    Billy Hardcastle

    Bell is the one who said he never quite fit, again in his book. I don't agree with him, as I liked the character and felt he was a good direction to go right after Bill Owen's death. Trying to fit in another "Compo" wasn't going to work, as we saw with Tom. Alvin brought some of those...
  5. Sarkus

    Billy Hardcastle

    Alan Bell in his book said he left for health reasons, specifically back problems. Never seen any confirmation of that from Keith Clifford, though, and have always wondered since that was after a few years of the four person group that also included Alvin. Just my opinion, but it always seemed...
  6. Sarkus

    Interview with Mike Grady (Audio Only)

    While I know they change their voices for their characters, I'm always somewhat surprised at how actors sound with their natural voices.
  7. Sarkus

    Back and There Again

    The character never left, the actor did for six years. He was occasionally referenced but never seen between "Barry's Christmas" (1990) and "Extra! Extra!" (1996). Alan Bell in his book says this was by Mike Grady's request, who felt it would help his career.
  8. Sarkus

    Whither and Wheretofore Howard, Pearl and Marina?

    Bell's book says that he and Clarke didn't initially think the play characters were worth bringing over, but as Adanor said, they liked the chemistry they had when Howard and Pearl were recast for the second year run of the play. By that time, they had also lost John Comer, and I do think...
  9. Sarkus

    Season 9 Ponderations

    I don't recall which book I read it in, but either Vine or Bell said it was longer because the BBC wanted something with more episodes they could sell to other markets, such as the US, where seasons were much longer than just six or eight episodes. IIRC, Bell says there was also a belief that...
  10. Sarkus

    Edited Dvd release

    I recall there being some talk here that some episodes from the first two series were edited given their more mature content and the show being viewed as a family show by the time DVDs came along. IIRC, there is a scene in "Some Enchanted Evening" that was removed in some releases where Nora is...
  11. Sarkus

    Why did season three feature Gordon?

    Actually, that was an original Blamire moment. From Andrew Vine's book, a quote from Sydney Lotterby: According to Vine, the plan for Series 3 was to make the trio more active, presumably because audiences had liked the Series 2 episodes where the characters were out and about - such as the...
  12. Sarkus

    Why did season three feature Gordon?

    I don't believe its accurate that Wilde did not give notice. According to Alan Bell in his book, Wilde told them he was going to depart the show after "Getting Sam Home" and even sat down with BBC execs after it was done filming and said the same thing. He rather humorously ignored all of that...
  13. Sarkus

    A UK Drama Rant!!!!

    Yes, the direction ad supported programming has gone is quite sad. It feels like these companies are trying to push you even more towards the subscription services. Even there, though, ads are beginning to be a bigger part of the picture. Amazon charging me quite a bit per month for free (but...
  14. Sarkus

    Things LOTSW got you to try.

    As its the holidays, I was eating some fruitcake the other night, and of course, I had it with butter. The idea of putting butter on it was something LOTSW taught me, as I'd never been told to do that all those years ago when as a child I was forced to eat it. As a result, I did not have fond...
  15. Sarkus

    Just a Small Funeral

    Those are great episodes, but like others I can't always watch them when they are up in line. Sometimes I watch them, sometimes I skip just those three, and sometimes I skip the whole season. I do think there are good years after that, though, so I certainly recommend that fans don't just stop...
  16. Sarkus

    Sad News

    For some reason I found the news of Alan Bell's death pretty shocking. In my mind he was about 10 years younger than he apparently was. So he did Hitchhiker's when he was about 40, whereas I thought he was younger when he did that. I was also hoping he'd someday update his book about the...
  17. Sarkus

    Ist or 2nd Foggy Era

    I would say I prefer first era Foggy, but not by much. Along with some weaker episodes in the 2nd run, the show by then was suffering from having to write around the age of the actors and the limits of what they could pull off with limited stunt double use. One thing I do like about the 2nd...
  18. Sarkus

    Edie Pegden Later Episodes

    Alan Bell clearly had a loyalty to her and she also seems to have wanted to keep appearing. IIRC, in his book he says her final series was all filmed in a day or two in a studio with only Sarah Thomas present. It's interesting to watch that series and see how they made it look like she was...
  19. Sarkus

    Tom Surname-ite

    I thought this was clearly explained when Tom was introduced. His mother told him his father had died in the war, meaning she was one of Compo's wartime girlfriends. Tom didn't find out until later (after his mother died?) that she hadn't told him the truth. I think the "why did it take you...
  20. Sarkus

    Great Stephen Lewis interview stuff

    Its not the video I linked, but in one of them they show that when he showed up to do the interview he brought his old Blake costume and put it on to do an improvised little sketch for them. I remember reading once that when he was living in a retirement home near the end of his life, he would...
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