The Great British Sitcom: "The Gaffer"

[Luke_Krebbs_Ewing]

Oh yeah Winston, he was the gay coloured character.

A very funny show, I haven't watched it in a long time.

I believe one of the new That's TV channels is showing it on Freeview.

 

[Angela Channing]

Oh yeah Winston, he was the gay coloured character.

A very funny show, I haven't watched it in a long time.

I believe one of the new That's TV channels is showing it on Freeview.

He was actually the gay BLACK character. We've now moved on from archaic, offensive racial terminology.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

After being quite blown away by the opening episodes, the last two-thirds of the first In Sickness... series felt as though they settled down into something a little more ordinary. It was still watchable and enjoyable, but I'd say my expectations had been raised by the first two... perhaps unrealistically so.

Wow. I'd forgotten just how 'out there' Winston was. He is presented as stereotypical on a number of levels, but this seems as much a statement on the character's unapologetic, confrontational nature as it does his race or sexuality. There's a sense that he plays up to certain stereotypes so that others - and Alf in particular - can't do anything but acknowledge him as both a gay man and a black man.

During his second appearance in particular, his part in the series suddenly clicked with me. Firstly, he's very much filling the gap vacated by Mike: the progressive left wing character who threatens Alf's right wing sensibilities simply by being under his very roof on a daily basis. However there was also a moment where Alf was ranting at Winston and Winston in return was facing him head on, widening his eyes sarcastically before leaning in and attempting to kiss Alf that made me realise Winston is also filling the "Rita" role: the one who teasingly indulges Alf while colluding with Else against him. There was an irony to this particular moment because it was the only Series One episode to feature Rita, and so Una Stubbs was present and laughing during the mock kiss. This created a sense of the torch being passed.

Arthur English has now made a couple of appearances playing Arthur, who is this series' version of Bert. He and Warren Mitchell play well off one another, as Arthur enables Alf with his equally preposterous theories (such as the one about mince and beef burgers creating "poofters" because female hormones are pumped into the ear of bulls to make them bigger for the meat market, with the head then ground down to make mince).

Warren Mitchell genuinely pushed Dandy Nichols in front of a speeding car which screeched to a halt with feet to spare

But the risk makes the comedy work.

And this philosophy is what diminished Alf in the jet-propelled wheelchair in Episode Six. In this case it was very clearly a stunt double taking Warren's place, and this took away the reality of the situation and showed this for just a standard Big Stunt Moment which could have appeared in any old BBC sitcom of the era, from 'Allo 'Allo to Only Fools And Horses.

 

[Luke_Krebbs_Ewing]

He was actually the gay BLACK character. We've now moved on from archaic, offensive racial terminology.

I thought calling someone black was considered offensive which is why I didn't use it.

You can't win these days. There are always people who will be offended by anything and everything you say, even when the intention is not to cause any offence at all.

 

[Angela Channing]

I thought calling someone black was considered offensive which is why I didn't use it.

You can't win these days. There are always people who will be offended by anything and everything you say, even when the intention is not to cause any offence at all.

Most black people are happy being referred to as "black" because it infers equal status to "white" whereas "coloured" suggests white is the default or normal race to which everything else must be compared.

Anyway, I'm sure you didn't meant any offence, and I don't want this excellent thread to be diverted on a side issue, so I won't say anything further to say on this matter.

Isn't it ironic that discussing the Alf Garnett sitcoms should bring up this topic?

I didn't watch Till Death... so I didn't realise that Winston was introduced in this series because I previously assumed his first appearance was during In Sickness and In Health.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

I don't want this excellent thread to be diverted on a side issue, so I won't say anything further to say on this matter.

Isn't it ironic that discussing the Alf Garnett sitcoms should bring up this topic?

Very much so, yes. If anything, it's the most appropriate time to be discussing it, even if it's come up in a more "real world" way than expected, so please don't feel it was diverting from the topic. It dovetails perfectly.

I didn't watch Till Death... so I didn't realise that Winston was introduced in this series because I previously assumed his first appearance was during In Sickness and In Health.

Oh... perhaps I've worded one of my posts confusingly (blame watching all these Alf Garnett series back-to-back).

You are right that Winston's first appearance was In Sickness & In Health's first series. He didn't appear in Till Death....

Incidentally, I didn't know much about Eamonn Walker beyond this and The Bill. It seems he's had a varied and distinguished career on both sides of the pond, including long-running TV series, playing Mark Antony on Broadway and being the first black actor to play Othello at the Globe. Very impressive.

 

[Angela Channing]

Oh... perhaps I've worded one of my posts confusingly (blame watching all these Alf Garnett series back-to-back).

You are right that Winston's first appearance was In Sickness & In Health's first series. He didn't appear in Till Death....

I think you were right and I was mistaken. I read several of your posts in succession and got confused regarding in which one you first mentioned Winston.

Incidentally, I didn't know much about Eamonn Walker beyond this and The Bill. It seems he's had a varied and distinguished career on both sides of the pond, including long-running TV series, playing Marc Antony on Broadway and being the first black actor to play Othello at the Globe. Very impressive.

I didn't see him in anything other than In Sickness and In Health until out of the blue he turned up in what was one of my favourite series at the time, ER. He really did go on to appear in bigger and and more high profile things.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

I read several of your posts in succession and got confused regarding in which one you first mentioned Winston.

That's entirely understandable. I have watched them all in close succession.

It's easy for me to tell what iteration of the Garnett saga I'm watching because each has a distinct tone and different theme tune. But when it comes to writing or saying the title I really have to think about it. Those names are all so entwined and similar it's incredibly easy to get them mixed up.

I didn't see him in anything other than In Sickness and In Health until out of the blue he turned up in what was one of my favourite series at the time, ER. He really did go on to appear in bigger and and more high profile things.

Yes - his IMDb is quite extensive and it seems he's done a fair bit of stage work as well. It's certainly made me realise I've underestimated him. He's so convincing as Winston that, on the face of it, it looks as though they've cast a flamboyant actor to play himself. But even from episodes I've watched since my last post I can see there's so much more to both character and actor than I'd thought.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Series Two of In Sickness & In Health has breezed merrily on by.

While not earth-shattering, it's certainly been enjoyable. Killing off Else in light of Dandy Nichols' death feels like a bold move for a sitcom, even if it wasn't the first time it had been done (Grandad's death on Only Fools And Horses was the previous year, and I dare say there were others before this). It's all felt perfectly-pitched. There hasn't been any shying away from it, but neither has it become mawkish. And so it feels truthful. There's been a constant reminder this year in the form of Alf's black armband, as well as frequent mentions of Else. Alf's spoken to her picture and, as late as the final Series Two episode, he and Rita had to break the news to the visiting Min.

The household has changed greatly since the Till Death Us Do Part days, of course. Else is dead. Mike hasn't been on-screen in over a decade. Rita swings by from Liverpool every once in a while - always a welcome sight - but she feels more peripheral these days.

Wisely, Johnny Speight has broadened the scope with an ensemble of quirky characters who make up the neighbours and locals. It feels as though many have crept in, but they're becoming increasingly familiar and work well.

There's Winston, of course. And his almost-silent boyfriend (who at first I thought was Martin Clunes then William Boyde from EastEnders but is actually neither). There's also Arthur English as his like-minded (i.e. equally bigoted) friend Arthur. Then there's Mrs Hollingbery from upstairs who has a love/hate relationship with Alf (I've read spoilers on where this ultimately goes, which might have tinted the way I view these scenes). Mr and Mrs Johnson are favourites of mine. Every couple of episodes, Alf will invade their home and take over their phone, running up their bill while arguing with someone or dialling the wrong number and getting into conversation with strangers. The first instance of this was terrific, with him telling them to turn the TV down, then changing the channel and sitting down to eat Mrs Johnson's chocolates. There's also Mr Kittel, the shopkeeper (and local Tory representative, as it turns out). And there's been the Milkman who plays the same role as the previous Milkman from Till Death Us Do Part.

The broader ensemble, and Alf's interactions pushing outwards from the home have given In Sickness... a more conventional sitcom tone. The feuds with neighbours has elements of the most traditional of sitcoms such as Happy Ever After, Terry & June, Bless This House or Ever Decreasing Circles, as well as those still to come, such as Keeping Up Appearances and One Foot In The Grave. In fact there's much about this iteration of Alf that could be seen as paving the way for Victor Meldrew.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

It seems In Sickness & In Health is a series that continually evolved, frequently from necessity.

Wikipedia says that Johnny Speight was warned about racist language in 1988, the outcome being that it was agreed Alf's epithets would be discontinued and the character of Winston would be written out. I wonder, though, if this was actually the outcome of an evolution rather than a revolution. Series Three aired in 1987 and even here Alf's language is noticeably tamer and less colourful. The few epithets we've had have seemed somehow to have less malice behind them (more often than not they've been during banter with someone acquainted with Alf who simply laughs or rolls their eyes or takes no notice at all).

Of course, this leaves the question of how much the show can change before it becomes unrecognisable. Would it have been better to have simply accepted that Alf was a dinosaur who wasn't going to stop raging and end the series there and then rather than changing him which, in turn, risks undermining the very concept of the series? In theory I would have said it would. Alf is a character who allowed Johnny Speight to shine a light on some of the ugly recesses of British culture of the day. Censoring him would seem to remove the main outlet for satire.

In practice, though, the change hasn't been too harmful: so far, at least. I haven't missed the language. As mentioned, it was never comfortable to watch - especially used as liberally as it was in many series of Till Death Us Do Part. By now we know what Alf is about, so making that more implicit is fine with me. There is also the fact that Alf might just genuinely have evolved his views. More than two decades have passed since we first met him, and he has life experiences - from becoming a grandparent to several house moves to becoming a senior citizen, a carer and eventually a widower - that will have no doubt facilitated change.

At this point in the series, he now shares his home with a man who is both black and gay. Someone who would have been treated by Alf of old with forceful antipathy is now the subject of the kind of same good natured teasing he lavished on his own wife. Winston may challenge him in some ways and embarrass him in others, but Alf - in his own way - seems genuinely appreciative and even quietly fond of him. If we'd jumped from 1965 Alf to this point it would have seemed out of character, but we've seen him evolve over a long time.

The series itself may continue to become an ever more conventional sitcom. But it's a good conventional sitcom. Warren Mitchell's Alf was always the centrepiece, and this series is proof that the character is versatile enough to thrive no matter what changes around him.

Evolution brings endings, though. The Series Two Christmas special marked Una Stubbs's final appearance as Rita. Come Series Three she's been written out in a way that feels unsatisfying and unfinished. Having her in Liverpool made sense because she could not appear and it would raise no questions. Now, though, she's divorced from Mike and appears to be somewhere in the vicinity hiding out of sight.

We actually see "Rita" at the beginning of Series Three... or at least we see her legs as she carries on with the doctor in his surgery. Later we learn she and the doctor are engaged. It's a peculiar situation. The doctor appeared after Una had left the series so we've never seen them together, and the whole engagement arc and Alf's resentment towards the doctor for his conduct is done with solely the doctor present. And yes - I keep saying "the doctor" because I don't think he's even been given a name! There's even an episode where Rita and the doctor arrange for a telephone to be installed at Alf's home, but there's no sign of Rita. It feels very badly written, and feels very much like the episodes were written with Una in mind but they couldn't get her.

In other "lazy writing" tropes for long-running sitcoms, there's still much repeated material. Alf's visit to the DHSS felt familiar but was done so well I could forgive it. The most notable reprise was Alf getting stuck in the first floor window, previously seen in one of the final episodes of Till Death Us Do Part. Perhaps it was felt that some twelve years on it was excusable, but watching them so closely together, it felt a bit "here we go again", and - despite better production values - it didn't feel as technically impressive as the earlier version. There are a couple of things that might excuse the choice to reprise this. Firstly, it may have already been understood that Till Death Us Do Part would not be repeated much. The series hadn't been "cancelled" in the 21st Century manner, but - judging by the conversations taking place around language - was perhaps viewed as less palatable even then. That's as good a reason as any to commit this to film again. The other reason is that the involvement of the lorry in the reprise version seems to come from another episode of Till Death Us Do Part which is now lost to the mists of time having been wiped (only an off-air audio recording exists). This is an even better reason to do it all again.

Looking at the cast list for the series, it seems there are wholesale changes in store for Series Four. Supporting players such as Mrs Johnson and Mr Kittel will no longer be seen.

Even more crucially, the Christmas special I just watched was Winston's last episode, which seems a real shame since the dynamics were working perfectly. I assume Eamonn Walker left to do The Bill, but am unclear of the circumstances. Wikipedia suggests that Winston was purposely written out as part of the drive to tone down Alf's racist language (which would presumably also apply to Mr Kittel), but there are two gaping holes in this idea. Firstly, it seems both ironic and incredibly wrong that non-white actors should lose their jobs in a drive by the series to be less racist. Secondly, it appears that Winston will be replaced by another black character who serves much the same function. This leaves me to feel that Eamonn left the series by choice and this was written around rather than the writing requiring his exit.

I'll know more once I begin watching Series Four, but I can't help feeling this could be a turning point for the series... and not in a good way.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Series Four of In Sickness & In Health wrapped up last night on O'Dramavision. As mentioned in my previous post I feared the worst and, while that wasn't entirely without justification, it hasn't been as great a dip as expected.

Winston was missed, and it felt very clear that Pele was a substitute, serving the same function (in a sitcom replacement cliche, he's even a relative of Winston). Vas Blackwood is a likeable enough actor. I remember him well for his one-off episodes of Girls On Top/French and Saunders and also for his ongoing role in CITV sitcom Spatz. In those roles he's fine, but I don't think of him as a good actor in terms of naturalistic delivery, which is what's needed for this series. I'm always aware he's reading lines from a script. Still, the likeability carried him through.

The change of premise for this series has felt sudden and forced. The idea of Alf marrying Mrs Hollingbery would have been unthinkable a couple of episodes before. The reasoning is sound (if they join forces, they can buy the entire house from the council for £20k and make a profit since it's worth £100k more than this), but Alf and Mrs Hollingbery are both on board with the idea far too quickly. It would have been an interesting longer-term story, but I've struggled to believe it at this pace. Rita's barely been mentioned in all this.

Despite the presence of the ever-reliable Fanny Carby, a pub-based episode the night before they left for Australia was probably the most tedious of the entire series to date. It was dull and static and felt as though it went on forever, and made me think that Carmel McSharry might be fine as a supporting actress but is far less so as a core cast member. The same could be said for Arthur English, but he gets by on having good screen energy with Warren Mitchell.

Following on from these, the Australian episodes felt like a much-needed breath of fresh air. With much of the first Australian episode taking place on an aeroplane, at an airport and on indoor sets, I was fully prepared for them to fake it, but no... it's plain that the cast were genuinely Down Under, with Sydney Harbour providing an unexpectedly picturesque backdrop. It's impressive, and seems a lot of trouble for the BBC to take.

A number of genuine Aussie actors appeared including Alex Petersons (Home & Away's bolshy Jeff Samuels) and Pat McDonald of Sons and Daughters and Number 96 fame. All of Pat's scenes were indoors, leading me to wonder if the indoor sets for the Australian scenes were shot in the UK or Oz. They certainly looked Australian enough.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

At ten episodes, Series Five of In Sickness & In Health has been the longest yet. The only previous year in The Garnett Saga to be this long would have been Series Two of Till Death Us Do Part, most of which are now long since wiped.

It's a positive sign that it hasn't felt like a slog to get through as I'd anticipated it might. There was some tedium, and we are quite clearly past the golden years of the series, but it's been perfectly acceptable.

Warren Mitchell has helped carry the long scenes with Mrs Hollingbery - one of the best being the penultimate episode of Series Five where Alf spent about half the entire episode boasting about the size of his cock, which sounds terrible but was actually brilliantly written and hilariously executed. Still, it's always a relief when there are scenes with the extended ensemble of Fred and Mrs Johnson, Harry Carey and his wife and Harry the milkman.

Ken Campbell has been great fun as Fred Johnson, to whom Johnny Speight gives a lengthy rant or two in most episodes. His rising blood pressure and lust for blood is almost tangible as each diatribe builds, until it comes to a dead halt and he's left with the grim, tedious reality of his boring life. Mrs Johnson has already been recast with a younger, very different-looking actress who plays the character completely differently (I believe she's to be recast again for the final series). Both are fine approaches, but she does feel like a different character. Hugh Lloyd is an actor I mix up with George Waring (Emily's bigamous husband from Corrie) because I think their features are similar. His Harry Carey is a winning combination, appearing likeable, agreeable and quiet but with an edge to him when he speaks that hints at a bit of darkness beneath. Pat Coombs has been fine in this (helped, truthfully, by not appearing very often).

Regarding Mrs Hollingbery: now that her brother isn't buying the house, I find myself wondering why the wedding is still on. They don't seem to like one another, and I can't blame them. Alf is Alf, and Mrs Hollingbery is as awful as Else: critical, controlling and demanding. Then again, those similarities do make some sense of things, since I can believe Alf would view Else through rose-coloured glasses somewhat and be drawn to the similarities, destructive and unattractive as they are.

As Series Five ends, the wedding is once again off, though I have a feeling it will be on again by the end of the final series which lies just ahead.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

The final series of In Sickness & In Health drew to a close last night. It remained watchable enough, but the bloom was noticeably off the rose and the series was running on fumes.

Arthur English was noticeably absent from the final series (due to ill health, it seems), and Alf's new "old friend" Michael was an all-too-transparent substitute who just didn't work for me. Most of Alf's scenes were now with Mrs Hollingbery and Michael and I just found myself questioning why he would have these people around. Mrs Hollingbery just seemed to get less and less likeable. Immediately after standing Alf up at the altar she was shaming him in front of her friends and assaulting him and his friends by pouring drinks over him. She did nothing but moan, and - unlike Else - he wasn't stuck with her through marriage. Yes, she cooked for him (and even cut his toenails - shudder), but I just couldn't see why he'd want to be around such toxicity, especially when in many ways he's mellowed as a character.

Fred Johnson appeared throughout but seemed to play a smaller role in the final series (my guess is due to Ken Campbell having other commitments) where I would have preferred his role to be amped up. There was the recurring gag about his wife leaving him for another woman, but even this proved more distracting than anything when Mrs Johnson briefly appeared and she'd been recast yet again.

Unless it's the main premise of series from the beginning, I'm not generally a fan of storylines where characters come into a life changing sum of money. This was the main arc for the final few episodes but it was done as well here as anywhere. It was on the verge of being "undone" right at the very end, but it's disappointing that the series didn't have a proper ending since it was hoped there would be another series.

Wikipedia implies the character of Alf was the main reason for the cancellation, but I find this difficult to believe. I do feel the series was stale at this point and I was more than ready for it to end, but I didn't see Alf as a problematic character by this point. The racist language has been all but dropped and Alf's bigotry had been toned right down. At this point, Alf wasn't dissimilar to Victor Meldrew who had first appeared two years before the final series and who would remain on the BBC until the beginning of the next decade.

This may be the end of the sitcom version of Alf, but there's a little more still to come in The Garnett Saga.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

The final series in The Garnett Saga is 1998's The Thoughts Of Chairman Alf:

I already had a little taster of what could be in store a little while back in my chronological watch:

As a one-off curio, it's fascinating. And even more so because of the cross-network story behind it. I suspect an ongoing series of this might wear a bit thin, but I'm still looking forward to seeing the Nineties version of this when I get to it.

Comparing versions, there are some notable differences here.

Firstly, despite the tagline on the DVD cover, Alf is not as bigoted as ever. Not by a long chalk. His diatribes pull their punches, and there's no danger of pushing the envelope.


Secondly, there's no question here that the audience - though extremely fond of the character - is of a very different outlook to Alf and will not permit him to "get away" with his views:

One slightly more disturbing thing I found myself wondering as I watched was: what percentage of the audience is there because their own beliefs and prejudices align with those of Alf. Writings would suggest that there was a proportion of the viewing audience who weren't bright enough to see that the character is actually poking fun at Alf's incredible ignorance, and admired the character for expressing the views he did. It's difficult to tell this from a few glimpses of people laughing at lines that are funny anyway, but certainly the vast majority of the audience seemed to be older white people*. The only time I noticed a non-white face in the audience was when a black man was singled out by "Alf", who had a chat with him while calling him "sambo". He seemed to take it in good humour, but still...

It's quite a different story in the 1998 series. The audience is far more diverse and the age range broad. There are a lot of twenty-somethings. Something I found strange was that they kept interrupting with questions, rather like An Audience With... but with hoi polloi in lieu of "celebs". At least I think they are ordinary people - and I certainly didn't recognise anyone - but they seem so cocky and overconfident and full of themselves I did wonder.

I'm assuming the interruptions were encouraged - and perhaps even scripted - but they did seem to get a bit much. One young woman not only asked her question, she kept firing back a cocky challenge to each reply Alf made as though this was Question Time or something. There was a tangible air of political correctness, as though the audience feared enabling the character and so couldn't simply allow the satire to happen they had to be actively challenging it at every turn. It's notable that many of Alf's comments - particularly his sexist ones - have been met with boos (albeit good-humoured ones) rather than laughs.

IMDb says he's interacting "with a live studio audience in Australia" for this series, but I'm far from convinced this is the case. Every accent so far has sounded British and all the topical British humour and references to football teams lands every time.

Warren Mitchell continues to impress with his dynamic energy, his memory for dialogue and his commitment to character. I suspect there's a lot of necessary ad libbing - especially with this audience - and he not only does this well, he draws on Johnny Speight's dialogue to do this. No matter what the topic or question, he has a classic Alf line in response. It's as though he's catalogued every line of dialogue Johnny has ever written for him, and can pull it out at will. Very impressive indeed.

Having watched just two episodes, I'm already a third of the way through this series which will be plenty, I think.

 

[Angela Channing]

Warren Mitchell continues to impress with his dynamic energy, his memory for dialogue and his commitment to character. I suspect there's a lot of necessary ad libbing - especially with this audience

I didn't see any of the series The Thoughts of Chairman Alf but I did watch On Yer Actual Boxing Day (which you previously discussed) when it was originally broadcast. I was never a big fan of the Alf Garnett sitcoms (although did watch them occasionally) but seeing Warren Mitchell in character interacting with a audience was remarkable. Some of it was scripted but the ease with which he was able to adopt the Alf Garnett character, maintain it for an extended period of time and ad lib answers while always sounding authentically "Alf" impressive and testament to his talent and knowledge of the character. I thought this format was only a one-off Christmas special and didn't before realise that he did this for an entire series.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

seeing Warren Mitchell in character interacting with a audience was remarkable. Some of it was scripted but the ease with which he was able to adopt the Alf Garnett character, maintain it for an extended period of time and ad lib answers while always sounding authentically "Alf" impressive and testament to his talent and knowledge of the character.

Absolutely. The writing is credited to Johnny Speight and Barry Cryer, but it's clear that Warren Mitchell is also calling upon some of the lines as needed. Every single thing he says is pure Alf Garnett, and many are familiar having been peppered throughout the various series.

Incidentally, I found it quite moving to see the text at the end which serves as a kind of dedication to Johnny Speight who died some months before these episodes aired. I believe this is the reason Warren Mitchell retired the character, and that's fully understandable since Alf is as much Johnny as he is Warren.

I thought this format was only a one-off Christmas special and didn't before realise that he did this for an entire series.

When looking into the viewing order and exploring the various titles available on DVD I got so confused about which ones fitted where. There's this series which has an almost identical title to the one-off from 1980. Then there's Till Death... from 1981 which I initially thought was a repackaged DVD edition of Till Death Us Do Part.

Also, I plan to round things off with the feature film version of Till Death Us Do Part which came along between the first and second incarnations of the series with the same title, but which apparently exists in a separate reality from these or any of the other Alf vehicles.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

And for posterity I'll mention that The Thoughts Of Chairman Alf drew to a close last night. The episodes were more of the same, but I did think Warren seemed to get a bit bolder in some of the latter episodes, telling audience members (as Alf) to shut up if he was interrupted and getting a bit close to the knuckle in his personal insults of audience members which encompassed Alf's favourite discriminatory areas including race, size, sexuality and gender, as well as questionable clothing taste and dodgy hairdos ("Did you get that wig on the NHS?" he asked one woman, before replying that he knew it wasn't a wig really "cos you'd have got a much better one than that").

A lot of the more bawdy comments came when Alf was supposed to have had a few. It's incredible what the audience will forgive under those circumstances. And while he never went as far here as he did in the 1980 version, I'd say Alf was edgier here than he was in the last few years of In Sickness & In Health.

Of course, the audience couldn't hide their affection for the character. I'm still unclear about audience selection. They were all firing away their questions and seemed very much to be enjoying the spotlight. I wonder how much they were prepped. Were they given the questions in advance or under their seat or something? Or was it genuinely spontaneous?

I did spot a glimpse of an autocue at one point, though (assuming there was just the one) Warren didn't seem to glance at it at all. Just the fact that I don't know how it was done fills me with admiration for Warren Mitchell. If he can follow a script and make it seem this off the cuff and fresh then that's quite a feat. I was left with the feeling that a great deal of it was ad libbed, and came away feeling I'd watched a proper stand-up show.

One element I must mention is the songs. Many of them were traditional East End knees-up standards, but there were a couple of poignant ballads thrown in and he interpreted them so well as an actor that I found myself feeling quite moved by some of the lyrics. He ended on one of these, but still managed to leave them laughing and left that stage on his own terms. I was ready to wrap up the Garnett Saga, but still felt a little sad to think that was probably the last we saw of Alf.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Last night I wrapped up The Garnett Saga by going back to the roots of the characters and watching the 1968 film version of Till Death Us Do Part.

Before watching, I was aware that the film was made between the black and white and colour series of the series of the same name; that it operates in a different canon to that of the series; and that it begins with a flashback to the Second World War.

What I was unprepared for was how very well-done the WWII scenes are. It opens in 1939, and the period detail is just incredible. The street on which it's filmed alone told many stories - and I still don't know if it's an incredibly realistic outdoor set or a real street that they've somehow managed to change to reflect the pre-war neatness, followed by the bombed-out look of WWII and the VE Day Celebrations and finally to the ghost town of the late 1960s as it's condemned by the council.

​

The period dress, makeup and hair (or hairpieces in most cases) do an astounding job of showing our characters begin much younger and age-up as the decades pass by. The fact that the cast is filled with experienced character actors helps greatly. Warren Mitchell was in his early Forties here, and played Alf as an older character, so he begins by playing Alf as just a little younger than himself, and is aged-up as time passes.

There are many familiar faces among the cast, and some of these make the transition along with Alf. These include Bill Maynard and my On The Buses favourite Michael Robbins (who, incidentally, also appeared in one of the final episodes of In Sickness & In Health).

I really was blown away by how compelling this part of the was and actually felt quite sad when we got to the Sixties and left it behind. In fact, this film feels very much like a document of key moments in 20th Century British history: There's the commencement of WWII and its end and everything in between (Chamberlain's radio announcement, then his resignation a short time later when he was replaced with Churchill. We see rationing, building a bunker in the back yard, being woken several times each night by air raid warnings). There's Rita and Mike's wedding reception, held in the living room. We go with Alf and Mike to watch England win the 1966 cup. Then there's the Garnetts being forced to leave their condemned street to move to a high rise in a New Town: the moment where Alf goes to the corner pub, sees it boarded up then looks sadly around his once bustling street, now boarded up and desolate is genuinely poignant. And in practical terms, the council give him £300 for his house when he'd paid £1500 for it a short time before. The wonderful Frank Thornton explains the discrepancy: the house is now worthless so he's being paid the land value. This is something that hadn't occurred to me before, but I imagine many people made such a loss on their biggest (and perhaps only) financial investment. I felt quite moved to think of people losing their life's work this way.

It's easy to see why this film was a success and paved the way not just for the eventual return of the series, but also the many, many big screen versions of sitcoms that would follow in the next decade. As a companion to the series it's an interesting anomaly, but as a film in its own right it's a must-see. It's not even a straight comedy film. There are so many fascinating layers that makes this worth a watch even to those who aren't fans of the series.

 

[Angela Channing]

Last night I wrapped up The Garnett Saga by going back to the roots of the characters and watching the 1968 film version of Till Death Us Do Part.

You've made this film sound fascinating. From your description, they appear to have done exactly what these film adaptations should do which is to do something different with the characters, and the universe they live in, that they can't do the with time constraints and budget of the TV version while still remaining faithful to what made the sitcom loved.

I watched quite a few big screen adaptations of British TV sitcoms but I didn't know this one existed so I really need to get a copy so I can see it.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

From your description, they appear to have done exactly what these film adaptations should do which is to do something different with the characters, and the universe they live in, that they can't do the with time constraints and budget of the TV version while still remaining faithful to what made the sitcom loved.

That's spot on.

It's a funny one, because the series in its purest form feels as though it doesn't lend itself to the big screen at all. Before this film was made, the series was characterised by long scenes taking place in one indoor setting - usually the living room or the pub - with Alf going into lengthy spiels. There was some location work, but overall the intimacy of the series' premise feels closer to theatre than film.

As you've accurately said, though, the film gave the opportunity to tell a larger-scale story on a broader canvas and it's a different experience. The film is the perfect "all-in-one" experience of the characters and their world, and certainly the most accessible.

In many ways this pre-empts a lot of what would come later in the series. Alf's bigotry is present, but not as vociferous and in-your-face as in the series and so is more palatable. Likewise, there's a bit more situation comedy that would find itself into the series during the Seventies (and certainly in the Eighties once it went to In Sickness...).

It's pointless for me to compare the film and the sitcom as they're different animals, but I'd say they complement one another. The continuity of the film has some differences from the series, but there are also many things that enhance the small screen version. But the film is great because it requires no prior knowledge or further commitment.

The big surprise for me was how fascinating I found the series from a social history angle. Not just the period scenes of WWII, but also the contemporary scenes which are now a time capsule in themselves.

I watched quite a few big screen adaptations of British TV sitcoms but I didn't know this one existed so I really need to get a copy so I can see it.

When I watched some of the extras for the On The Buses films, Till Death Us Do Part was mentioned as a pivotal film that proved big-screen spinoffs from sitcoms could work well and do well at the box office. Reading between the lines, it seems that most of the films that came later happened mainly because the Till Death Us Do Part film proved there was a market for it. Not a bad legacy, really.

Like you, I don't think I knew about this one but I remember many of the adaptions which followed having a reasonably high profile through repeated screenings and home media releases.

I'm grateful that Network released this one in a very nice HD transfer before they went under, and I hope you get the chance to watch it sometime as I'd be interested to know your thoughts.