Foggy

The best Russ Abbott one to my mind is "Who's that looking Sideways at Nelly" Keeping an eye out for our own Terry and his car!
 
Seymour has grown on me the more I have re-watched the episodes that he is in. To my surprise Hobbo was even more like able on my last re-watch of him as well. Something I really enjoyed about Wesley and Seymour is the crazy devices they would invent to test out with the group. I used to love to tinker and create when I was younger so that is dear to me.

I think you are right in your thoughts, Dick. There does seem to be more camaraderie with Seymour at times than with Foggy. From what I recall reading is that as time went on Brian started to feel he was more of a major character than the others. He wanted more pay and billing credit than the rest of the trio. I must admit after reading that bit it did tarnish my feelings of him for a little while. Those slightly negative feelings have passed as I re-watch the series. He is still an enjoyable character and compliments the trio. Foggy and Compo having differing political ideals in real life as well as on the show also added some tension to the mix I figure. All in all there are some good writing and acting in the Foggy years.

To me it came across as Blaymire, Foggy and Seymour felt they were above the others. Where Truly, Entwhistle, Alvin, Tom and Billy seemed more as mates and equals with everyone. Though Truly at times did put on airs of superiority in a jest full manner due to his job. After all he was Truly of the Yard, though he may be lying. ;-)

I am glad to see the ladies mellow some. They could be a bit harsh on their men at times.

Pearl's accent does seem to smooth out in time. I had read that before and was not sure if I had just gotten used to the way she talks. On my last watch through I do see that it does come across more strongly early on. Maybe she was trying a bit hard in the beginning to be the curmudgeon Howard thinks she can be. Then over the episodes she got more comfortable and settled into her role.

Cheers,
Rick
 
I love Foggy. He was always sticking his nose into other people's business but was only trying to help.

When Seymour came along I absolutely hated him. To me he had this attitude of 'I'm a former headmaster, I know better, people need my help'. He seemed to think he was better than everyone else. Living out in the countryside he seemed remote in terms of being friends with anybody. All the other characters live 'in town'. I have seen the Seymour years on DVD at least five times so have mellowed towards him and now quite like the character.

I have even now not got to really liking Hobbo. He is too much like Foggy. Talking about secret things and cleaning combat knives etc.
 
I love Foggy. He was always sticking his nose into other people's business but was only trying to help.

When Seymour came along I absolutely hated him. To me he had this attitude of 'I'm a former headmaster, I know better, people need my help'. He seemed to think he was better than everyone else. Living out in the countryside he seemed remote in terms of being friends with anybody. All the other characters live 'in town'. I have seen the Seymour years on DVD at least five times so have mellowed towards him and now quite like the character.

I have even now not got to really liking Hobbo. He is too much like Foggy. Talking about secret things and cleaning combat knives etc.

It took me a few years to get into liking Seymour, these days I find I enjoy watching him, no matter how pompous he was it always backfired on him
 
He is too much like Foggy

I think Roy Clarke wrote the part of lead of the trio in such away that they were all very much alike with delusions of grandeur ,who thought they had such important roles in their professions when in fact nothing was further from the truth . The Corporal Signwriter who was in his own mind a jungle fighter , leader of men. A milkman who believed he was a key British Spy . A desk Bobby who caught notorious criminals when other officers failed . I think Roy Clarke wanted to keep that theme running through the whole of the show .
 
I think Roy Clarke wrote the part of lead of the trio in such away that they were all very much alike with delusions of grandeur ,who thought they had such important roles in their professions when in fact nothing was further from the truth . The Corporal Signwriter who was in his own mind a jungle fighter , leader of men. A milkman who believed he was a key British Spy . A desk Bobby who caught notorious criminals when other officers failed . I think Roy Clarke wanted to keep that theme running through the whole of the show .
So you dont believe Truly actually caught the Fulham flasher Captain? ;)
 
I have been thinking on the "boss" man of the trio for a while now and am inclined towards the following view...

Cyril Blamire definitely thought of himself as the undisputed leader of the three and a step up the social ladder from the other two (well...several steps in the case of Compo!) and did nothing to hide that. Compo & Clegg I think both saw him in the same light, but fought back lightly when possible. I always think of his two series as being fundamentally different from the rest, both for his character and also the rougher behavior of the other two; particularly Clegg.

Foggy I think was treated more "equally" by the other two, despite his bossiness. He was clearly a blowhard with exaggerated ideas which the others enjoyably took no belief in. They followed him around because they had nothing else to do basically. Foggy himself however was full of misplaced self importance and believed he was superior to the others although not necessarily a class above them, just further up the same ladder with aspirations of improvement. He did however have a force of character which usually overpowered the other two when they allowed it.

Seymour WAS a class above the other two and more highly educated but had a vision of himself as being better than he was and always being held back and betrayed by others. His bossiness of both Clegg and Compo seems more relaxed and something to which he is automatically accustomed to. Foggy was always trying to boss the others by a mild form of bullying, Seymour just expected it as the natural order of things.
I have said it before but I find the Seymour years a softer and happier experience overall. He never really got annoyed but his expression of disappointment when things went wrong was priceless.

Truly I think didn't really have a "boss man" attitude. He just fitted in with the others, exaggerated some of his experiences (who doesn't?? :08:)
but basically didn't really care if the others followed him or not...as long as they all were having a bit of mischievous fun.
Blamire, Foggy & Seymour were definitely the "leaders" of the trio, even if the others didn't always go along with them, but with Truly I got more of a partner vibe than a leader one even though it is clear he was intended to be a leader.

Hobbo I didn't like too much on first viewing. It seemed like they were trying to bring back a poor shadow of Foggy. HOWEVER the more I watched and then the more often I re-watched his episodes, my opinion changed.
He is the only one of the leaders who was NOT what he made himself out to be. Blamire WAS a leader, Foggy HAD been in the army, Seymour HAD been a headmaster, Truly HAD been a policeman, Hobbo was a milkman! He believes himself to have been a spy, but even he has doubts!

Certainly the first few episodes of his clearly tried to revive a Foggy type character, but as he got settled in the role he (and the writing for him) changed. While still believing himself to be a spy that bragginess about it (like Foggy) softened to where even he wasn't fully taking the idea seriously whereas Cleggy, Truly, Alvin, Entwhistle and all the others NEVER took him seriously. He never had the force of personality that Foggy did and so the others were a lot more "free-er" around him and regularly defied his wishes. Something they only rarely did with Foggy to any serious degree.

I wouldn't say the Hobbo years were brilliant (although they did have a few moments!!!) but I find that I enjoy them more now that I did when they were first aired (despite the overuse of very poor special visual effects)
 
I always viewed Blamire as him thinking he was above the other two, as he always had aspirations, had been a leader, had been in the army, wanted to get back into employment and I think Clegg and Compo accepted it.

Even though I found Foggy more bossy than Blamire, I didn't think Foggy showed he was above much of the other two, rather than Blamire. I always thought Foggy was much more nearer to Clegg's Level than Blamire was.
 
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