Get out of That Then - the beginning of the end?

Barrychuckle

Barrychuckle

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I'm nearing completion of my back to back viewing of the entire series from start to finish and I feel that this is a very significant episode the series history, which is perhaps overlooked. It represented not only the departure of Nora Batty but the last time Clegg & Truly acted on set which meant the dynamic of the cast was radically changed moving forwards.

Clearly Nora was a significant loss had to be replaced at short notice, but was it lack of imagination that Stella was introduced playing a completely different character the immediate following episode? Also I think Nora's passing should have been acknowledged in a similar but perhaps lower key way than Compo, I find the notion she would've gone to live in Australia something Nora would've never done! Clearly Cleggy & Truly had to slow down, but perhaps they could be withdrawn more gradually, I think the 2 series after this gave the BBC the excuse they wanted to end the series perhaps?
 
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On our Facebook group this comes up a lot. " why weren't all the characters given a good send off ? "
My argument to that is, because then it would have turned into a programme about funerals. They're we're so many good characters lost through out the years, if all the deaths were mentioned I think it would have changed the whole direction of the show.
Having said that! Compo was such a huge ever present character, not marking his passing would have led to a mass exodus of fans and it was done so very well. Not marking Nora's passing was wrong, she like Compo was a stalwart of the show and still present in it so her passing should have been marked too.
 
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I know a lot of you will disagree with me but I would have liked the original characters to have lived forever. Many shows have had characters played by different actors, Rose in Keeping Up Appearance was played by two different actresses, Herr Flick in Allo Allo was played by two different actors and Doctor Who was played by many different actors. Compo, Foggy, Cleg, Nora, Wally, Sid and Ivy could have carried on but played by different actors. Bill Owen was a great actor but there are plenty more great actors that could have stepped into Compo's boots.
 
That's an interesting point Roger, a lot of replacements simply don't work out. I can't think of any actors that would have been a decent replacement for the Summer Wine characters.
 
Roger said:
I know a lot of you will disagree with me but I would have liked the original characters to have lived forever. Many shows have had characters played by different actors, Rose in Keeping Up Appearance was played by two different actresses, Herr Flick in Allo Allo was played by two different actors and Doctor Who was played by many different actors. Compo, Foggy, Cleg, Nora, Wally, Sid and Ivy could have carried on but played by different actors. Bill Owen was a great actor but there are plenty more great actors that could have stepped into Compo's boots.
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You do raise a few interesting points, however Rose, Herr Flick were peripheral figures, if Rene had left the series I feel it would have finished as when Patricia Routledge decided she was leaving KUA the series ended, the only example where a main character was replaced in a comedy was From May to December and that change was awful (although many would be forgiven for thinking the series was awful in the first place:p)

Regarding Dr Who, although the name is the same all the doctors are effectively different characters.
 
As far as I know Kathy Staff was still alive during the making of Series 30, the one where Hobbo first came in, so since she had been written out (in a return visit to Australia), there was no real need to 'kill her off' in Series 31.

As good as Roy Clarke was at writing funeral scenes, he never made a big thing of sending off main characters - with the exception of Compo, the star of the show as you might say.

As far as new actors playing old characters, it never ever works.
 
Barrychuckle said:
You do raise a few interesting points, however Rose, Herr Flick were peripheral figures, if Rene had left the series I feel it would have finished as when Patricia Routledge decided she was leaving KUA the series ended, the only example where a main character was replaced in a comedy was From May to December and that change was awful (although many would be forgiven for thinking the series was awful in the first place:p)

Regarding Dr Who, although the name is the same all the doctors are effectively different characters.
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I liked May to December but did prefer the first Zoe.
 
I agree with Pearl we would have had to many funeral episodes, the odd nod to those passed on would of been nice, also I think sometimes the family may of been approached and it could of been to painful for them to have the passing of their loved one immortalized
 
Regarding replacement characters Croft and Perry got it right when James Beck was taken at such a young age and we lost the wonderful character Private Walker , they decided he was irreplaceable and paid tribute by leaving a gap in the closing credits as the cast walk by the camera.
 
I remember watching from May to December and liking it. Thank you for bringing that up, will need to seek it out and watch again.

The examples of actors / actresses being swapped out with another during a story line sometimes works. Other times it feels odd until you get used to them. In Allo Allo it felt odd seeing the new herr Flick and Bertorelli replaced. At least with herr Flick we had a reason for his change. New Bertorelli just walked in the next season like nothing had happened. Watched the show Brush Strokes again recently and forgot that the daughter was swapped out as well part way through.

Not sure I would want a funeral episode for every actor leaving the show or passing away from LotSW. A mention of why they are no longer there would be nice. Nora going off to Australia explains her absence fine. Blamire and Seymour both went off on their own adventures. I expanded on this line of thought in another thread some time ago. I really liked that Nora and Ivy reflected back on their husbands during a Christmas episode special. It seemed heartfelt and nicely done.
 
Pretty much all the episodes of from May to December are on YouTube, I have to admit although watching, it's a pretty poor comedy IMHO.

I feel you could never have other actors playing the likes of Compo as he was utterly unique, however I know Roy Clarke went over the US to talk about an American version with Mickey Rooney playing the Compo character. It never materialised but that would have been a very interesting series.
I wonder where it would have been set, I'd guess New England somewhere would be as close to Holmfirth as I can think of.
 
Sometimes UK shows do not get 'translated' over to the US TV very well. I had 3 shows instantly pop in my head when I started typing this and now can only think of two. The third one vaporized in my mind somewhere. Will probably think of it later. Red Dwarf, Coupling and whatever the third one was just were not as funny. Poor choice in actors. Not making the comedy work. Don't know what the problems were. After watching and enjoying the originals I just felt like the American side of the production process just did not 'get it' what the British humor, wit and satire were all about.
 
I feel every country has it's own brand of humour and generally comedies just don't transfer into different cultures very well. The US had the Golden Girls as brilliant comedy, we tried to copy it with the Brighton Belles and that was utterly dire. If you watch the Australian version of Are You Being Served on YouTube this will emphasise my point.

The only exception to this point is the American version of The Office which I found quite amusing, but still not a patch on the Ricky Gervais version.
 
RickAns said:
Sometimes UK shows do not get 'translated' over to the US TV very well. I had 3 shows instantly pop in my head when I started typing this and now can only think of two. The third one vaporized in my mind somewhere. Will probably think of it later. Red Dwarf, Coupling and whatever the third one was just were not as funny. Poor choice in actors. Not making the comedy work. Don't know what the problems were. After watching and enjoying the originals I just felt like the American side of the production process just did not 'get it' what the British humor, wit and satire were all about.
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Were you thinking of "Til death us do part" ? - The American version was pathetic and wishy-washy.
 
It just seemed odd, as if the people recreating the show had never seen the original. Like they were handed a script and told 'Do this, it is funny overseas.'

I still can't think of the third one. They popped into my head one right after the other... 1,2,3. So I hurried to type things out and you know the story from there.

Not sure if it was that one, Andy. Is possible.
 
I think Rick you get a mix , the scripts are sold to TV Executives who have been sent to pick up shows worldwide and remake them tailored for the country's taste or you get the show as is which then gets dubbed into the Country's language . The translation/remake really never seems to travel well and they are a pale imitation of the original , dubbing the original could work but the style of humour isn't always universal and any number of shows are colloquial the humour does not translate well , the only exception is probably slapstick which is universal by definition , physical comedy travels well and is funny everywhere Laurel and Hardy et al .
 
wstol said:
Dear John was adapted for America - I think it did reasonably well.
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I could see that working wife leaving husband for another or vice versa is a universal subject that is pretty much the same whichever Country it happens in and so the show travelled "well" however, shows like Steptoe and Son was about a very British specific scenario . Rag and Bone men out collecting junk with a horse and cart is unique , yes the " Son trapped looking after his ageing Father, a relationship he constantly tries to escape from and also tries to improve himself " is the same world wide but Rag and Boning is a proverbially British Institution .
 
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