The Likely Lads
Encyclopedia
The Likely Lads was a black-and-white British
sitcom
created and written by Dick Clement
and Ian La Frenais
, and produced by Dick Clement. Twenty episodes were broadcast by the BBC
, in three series, between 16 December 1964 and 23 July 1966. However, only eight of these shows have survived.
This show was followed by a popular sequel series, in colour, entitled Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?
, broadcast between 9 January 1973 and 24 December 1974. This was followed in 1976 by a spin-off feature film The Likely Lads
.
Some episodes of both the original black and white series and the colour sequel were adapted for radio, with the original television cast.
young men, Terry Collier (James Bolam
) and Bob Ferris (Rodney Bewes
), in North East England
(assumed to be Newcastle upon Tyne
) in the mid 1960s. Both Bob and Terry are assumed to be in their early 20s (when their ages are revealed in the later film
, this puts both characters at around 20 when the series started).
After growing up at school and in the Scouts together, Bob and Terry are working in the same factory, Ellison's Electrical, alongside the older, wiser duo of Cloughie and Jack. The show's gritty yet verbose humour derived largely from the tensions between Terry's cynical, everyman
, working class personality and Bob's ambition to better himself and move to the middle class
.
Bob and Terry were two average working class lads growing up in the industrial northeast, whose hobbies were beer, football and girls. They were "canny", which is to say street-wise, yet they stumbled into one scrape after another as they struggled to enjoy the Swinging Sixties on their meagre incomes.
At the end of the third and final series in 1966, a depressed and bored Bob attempted to join the Army
but was rejected due to his flat feet
. Terry who decided at the last minute to enlist to keep Bob company, was accepted A1 and shipped away for three years.
It was gradually revealed that Terry and Bob's full names were Terence Daniel Collier and Robert Andrew Scarborough Ferris ("Scarborough" not revealed until the 1970s colour series). According to the later feature film, made in 1976, both "Lads" were conceived during the same wartime air raid
and were thus born in the same year, 1944.
Although in the colour sequel much would be made of Bob's childhood sweetheart Thelma, she appeared only once in the original 1960s show, in which Bob had no steady girlfriend and was forever chasing 'skirt'; though she was mentioned in some episodes in series three, including Rocker and Goodbye to All That.
The word 'likely' in the show's title (which in some Northern English
dialects means likeable) is somewhat ambiguous. It might be derived from the phrase the man most likely to, a boxing expression in common use on Tyneside
(in Geordie
slang: "a likely lad"). Another possible meaning is the ambiguous northern use, which refers ironically to small-time troublemakers, usually young, as "likely", either as an ironic comment on the above sense or as an expression of the sentiment that they are likely to be the cause of any trouble.
's wiping policy of the 1960s. However, the BBC Archive Treasure Hunt, a public appeal campaign continues to search for missing episodes.
7.15pm to 8.45pm, in which Bob and Terry have an argument over Bob's encyclopaedic knowledge of 'Rupert The Bear' Annuals ("It was Edward Trunk!"). This recording still exists in the BBC's film & videotape archive. An edited version, which included 'The Likely Lads' sketch, was screened on BBC2 over Christmas 1991.
Produced by John Browell, the radio adaptations were recorded at the Paris Studios in Lower Regent Street, London using the original television cast (although some minor parts had to be recast for some episodes, where the original actor was unavailable).
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
sitcom
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
created and written by Dick Clement
Dick Clement
Dick Clement, OBE is an English writer.Born in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, England, Clement was educated at Bishop's Stortford College and is best known for his writing partnership with Ian La Frenais. Generally, Clement and La Frenais write comedies, or dramas with a comic tone...
and Ian La Frenais
Ian La Frenais
Ian La Frenais, OBE, , is an English writer best known for his creative partnership with Dick Clement. They are most famous for television series including, The Likely Lads, Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?, Porridge, Lovejoy and Auf Wiedersehen, Pet.They have also written various other work...
, and produced by Dick Clement. Twenty episodes were broadcast by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, in three series, between 16 December 1964 and 23 July 1966. However, only eight of these shows have survived.
This show was followed by a popular sequel series, in colour, entitled Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?
Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?
Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? is a 1970s British sitcom broadcast between 9 January 1973 and 9 April 1974 on BBC1. It is the colour sequel to the mid-1960s hit The Likely Lads. It was created and written, as was its predecessor, by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais...
, broadcast between 9 January 1973 and 24 December 1974. This was followed in 1976 by a spin-off feature film The Likely Lads
The Likely Lads (film)
The Likely Lads is a 1976 British comedy film directed by Michael Tuchner, starring James Bolam and Rodney Bewes. It's a spin-off from the popular 1960s British television series The Likely Lads, from which it takes its title, though in fact it's closer in tone to the more recent sequel series...
.
Some episodes of both the original black and white series and the colour sequel were adapted for radio, with the original television cast.
Premise
The original show followed the friendship of two working classWorking class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
young men, Terry Collier (James Bolam
James Bolam
James Christopher Bolam, MBE is a British actor, best known for his roles as Jack Ford in When the Boat Comes In, Trevor Chaplin in The Beiderbecke Trilogy, Terry Collier in The Likely Lads and its sequel Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?, Roy Figgis in Only When I Laugh, Dr Arthur Gilder in...
) and Bob Ferris (Rodney Bewes
Rodney Bewes
Rodney Bewes is an English television actor and writer who is best known for playing Bob Ferris in the BBC television sitcom The Likely Lads and its colour sequel Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? , and in the various radio series based on them , and in the big screen film The Likely Lads...
), in North East England
North East England
North East England is one of the nine official regions of England. It covers Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne and Wear, and Teesside . The only cities in the region are Durham, Newcastle upon Tyne and Sunderland...
(assumed to be Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
) in the mid 1960s. Both Bob and Terry are assumed to be in their early 20s (when their ages are revealed in the later film
The Likely Lads (film)
The Likely Lads is a 1976 British comedy film directed by Michael Tuchner, starring James Bolam and Rodney Bewes. It's a spin-off from the popular 1960s British television series The Likely Lads, from which it takes its title, though in fact it's closer in tone to the more recent sequel series...
, this puts both characters at around 20 when the series started).
After growing up at school and in the Scouts together, Bob and Terry are working in the same factory, Ellison's Electrical, alongside the older, wiser duo of Cloughie and Jack. The show's gritty yet verbose humour derived largely from the tensions between Terry's cynical, everyman
Everyman
In literature and drama, the term everyman has come to mean an ordinary individual, with whom the audience or reader is supposed to be able to identify easily, and who is often placed in extraordinary circumstances...
, working class personality and Bob's ambition to better himself and move to the middle class
Middle class
The middle class is any class of people in the middle of a societal hierarchy. In Weberian socio-economic terms, the middle class is the broad group of people in contemporary society who fall socio-economically between the working class and upper class....
.
Bob and Terry were two average working class lads growing up in the industrial northeast, whose hobbies were beer, football and girls. They were "canny", which is to say street-wise, yet they stumbled into one scrape after another as they struggled to enjoy the Swinging Sixties on their meagre incomes.
At the end of the third and final series in 1966, a depressed and bored Bob attempted to join the Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
but was rejected due to his flat feet
Flat feet
Flat feet is a formal reference to a medical condition in which the arch of the foot collapses, with the entire sole of the foot coming into complete or near-complete contact with the ground...
. Terry who decided at the last minute to enlist to keep Bob company, was accepted A1 and shipped away for three years.
It was gradually revealed that Terry and Bob's full names were Terence Daniel Collier and Robert Andrew Scarborough Ferris ("Scarborough" not revealed until the 1970s colour series). According to the later feature film, made in 1976, both "Lads" were conceived during the same wartime air raid
Airstrike
An air strike is an attack on a specific objective by military aircraft during an offensive mission. Air strikes are commonly delivered from aircraft such as fighters, bombers, ground attack aircraft, attack helicopters, and others...
and were thus born in the same year, 1944.
Although in the colour sequel much would be made of Bob's childhood sweetheart Thelma, she appeared only once in the original 1960s show, in which Bob had no steady girlfriend and was forever chasing 'skirt'; though she was mentioned in some episodes in series three, including Rocker and Goodbye to All That.
The word 'likely' in the show's title (which in some Northern English
Northern England
Northern England, also known as the North of England, the North or the North Country, is a cultural region of England. It is not an official government region, but rather an informal amalgamation of counties. The southern extent of the region is roughly the River Trent, while the North is bordered...
dialects means likeable) is somewhat ambiguous. It might be derived from the phrase the man most likely to, a boxing expression in common use on Tyneside
Tyneside
Tyneside is a conurbation in North East England, defined by the Office of National Statistics, which is home to over 80% of the population of Tyne and Wear. It includes the city of Newcastle upon Tyne and the Metropolitan Boroughs of Gateshead, North Tyneside and South Tyneside — all settlements on...
(in Geordie
Geordie
Geordie is a regional nickname for a person from the Tyneside region of the north east of England, or the name of the English-language dialect spoken by its inhabitants...
slang: "a likely lad"). Another possible meaning is the ambiguous northern use, which refers ironically to small-time troublemakers, usually young, as "likely", either as an ironic comment on the above sense or as an expression of the sentiment that they are likely to be the cause of any trouble.
Cast
- James BolamJames BolamJames Christopher Bolam, MBE is a British actor, best known for his roles as Jack Ford in When the Boat Comes In, Trevor Chaplin in The Beiderbecke Trilogy, Terry Collier in The Likely Lads and its sequel Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?, Roy Figgis in Only When I Laugh, Dr Arthur Gilder in...
(Terry Collier) - Rodney BewesRodney BewesRodney Bewes is an English television actor and writer who is best known for playing Bob Ferris in the BBC television sitcom The Likely Lads and its colour sequel Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? , and in the various radio series based on them , and in the big screen film The Likely Lads...
(Bob FerrisBob FerrisRobert Eugene Ferris is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. The 6'6", 225 lb. right-hander was drafted by the California Angels in the 2nd round of the 1976 amateur draft, and he played for the Angels in 1979 and 1980.Ferris was called up to the Angels after a 14-7 season with the Salt...
) - Brigit ForsythBrigit ForsythBrigit Forsyth is a British actress, who is best known for her roles as Thelma Ferris in the BBC comedy Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? and Helen Yeldham in the hit ITV drama/modern-day western Boon....
(Thelma Chambers) - Bill OwenBill OwenWilliam John Owen Rowbotham MBE , better known as Bill Owen, was an English actor and songwriter.-Career:...
(George Chambers, Thelma's Father) - Sheila FearnSheila FearnSheila Fearn is a British actress best known for playing Audrey, the sister of Terry Collier in BBC situation comedies The Likely Lads and Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?, and also later on as Ann Fourmile, the next door neighbour in the Thames Television sitcom George and Mildred.On film...
(Audrey Collier: Terry's older sister) - Bartlett Mullins (Mr Clough: Cloughie to the Lads, a work colleague)
- Donald McKillop (Jack: Another work colleague of the Lads)
- Olive Millbourne (Mrs Collier: Terry and Audrey's mother)
- Alex McDonald (Mr Collier: Terry and Audrey's dad)
Guest stars
- George LaytonGeorge LaytonGeorge Layton is an English actor, director, screenwriter and author. He was educated at Belle Vue Boys' Grammar School in Bradford and later studied acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts where he won the Emile Littler award. He went on to leading parts at Coventry and Nottingham and...
in "The Suitor" and "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" - Garfield MorganGarfield MorganGarfield Morgan was an English actor who appeared mostly on TV and occasionally in films.Born in Birmingham, Morgan was apprenticed as a dental mechanic before going to drama school. He started his acting career with the Arena Theatre, Birmingham...
in "Chance of a Lifetime" - Wendy RichardWendy RichardWendy Richard, MBE was an English actress best known for playing Miss Brahms in Are You Being Served? and Pauline Fowler in EastEnders...
in "The Last of the Big Spenders" - Susan JamesonSusan JamesonSusan Jameson is an English actress who is best known for her television work.Jameson was born in Barnt Green, Worcestershire, England, UK. She is married to actor James Bolam with whom she has a daughter, Lucy...
(the real-life wife of James Bolam) in "Double Date". - Michael SheardMichael SheardMichael Sheard was a Scottish actor who featured in a large number of films and television programmes.-Early life:...
in "Other Side of the Fence" and "The Last of the Big Spenders". - Nerys HughesNerys HughesNerys Hughes , is a Welsh actress, known primarily for her television roles.Nerys Hughes was born in Rhyl, . She studied drama at Rose Bruford College. She is best known for the role of Sandra Hutchinson in the enormously successful BBC TV series The Liver Birds which ran from 1969 to 1978 with a...
in "Outward Bound" - Geoffrey HughesGeoffrey HughesGeoffrey Hughes, DL is an English actor.As well as a wide range of TV and film appearances, Hughes is best known for a series of supporting roles in popular UK television dramas...
in "The Razor's Edge" and "Love and Marriage" - Helen FraserHelen FraserHelen Fraser is an English actress, a familiar face in many television comedies and dramas from the early 1960s to the present. She is now living in Halesworth, Suffolk.-Career:...
in "Talk Of The Town" and "Love and Marriage" - Irene Richmond (Mrs Ferris: Bob's mother) in "Talk Of The Town", "The Razor's Edge" and "Goodbye To All That"
- Tony CaunterTony CaunterAnthony Peter "Tony" Caunter is a British actor best known for his role as Jack Shepherd in the Yorkshire TV sitcom Queenie's Castle and also his portrayal of Roy Evans in EastEnders from 1994-2003....
in "Goodbye To All That"
Episodes
Only eight episodes survive on film in the BBC archive, as a result of the BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's wiping policy of the 1960s. However, the BBC Archive Treasure Hunt, a public appeal campaign continues to search for missing episodes.
Series 1 (1964 - 65)
| Title | Airdate | Description | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entente Cordiale | 16 December 1964 | The Lads return home from their first foreign holiday, pursued by a French girl they met in Spain. | |
| Double Date | 23 December 1964 | A lovelorn Bob is cheered up by a double date. | Guest star: Susan Jameson |
| Older Women Are More Experienced | 30 December 1964 | Terry finds an older girlfriend, and Bob finds a younger one. | |
| Other Side Of The Fence | 6 January 1965 | Bob is offered a better job, in management. | Guest stars: Michael Sheard Anneke Wills |
| Chance Of A Lifetime | 13 January 1965 | The Lads are offered the chance to emigrate to Australia. | lost Guest star: Garfield Morgan |
| The Suitor | 20 January 1965 | Terry enlists Bob's help to try to get rid of his sister's Italian boyfriend. | Guest star: George Layton |
Series 2 (1965)
| Title | Airdate | Description | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baby, It's Cold Outside | 16 June 1965 | The Lads have a double date arranged, but nowhere they can take the girls afterwards. | lost |
| A Star Is Born | 23 June 1965 | The Lads compete in a pub talent night | lost |
| Talk Of The Town | 30 June 1965 | Bob's engagement to Thelma becomes the talk of the town, but it's news to Bob. | lost Guest stars: Helen Fraser Irene Richmond |
| The Last Of The Big Spenders | 7 July 1965 | The Lads take two London girls out on the town. | Guest stars: Wendy Richard Wanda Ventham Michael Sheard |
| Faraway Places | 14 July 1965 | The Lads plan a foreign holiday, but have trouble raising the money for it. | lost |
| Where Have All The Flowers Gone? | 21 July 1965 | The Lads attend a friend's wedding, causing them to realise that they are now the only unmarried men they know. | lost Guest star: George Layton |
Series 3 (1966)
| Title | Airdate | Description | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outward Bound | 4 June 1966 | The Lads go camping, planning to end up at a campsite notorious for hippy love-ins. | lost Guest star: Nerys Hughes |
| Friends And Neighbours | 11 June 1966 | Bob is caught in the middle when Terry's granddad starts a feud with Bob's next door neighbours, whose daughter is Bob's new girlfriend. | lost sound exists picture missing |
| The Rocker | 18 June 1966 | Bob buys a moped, and Terry ends up in hospital. | |
| Brief Encounter | 25 June 1966 | Unbeknown to each other, Bob and Terry are both dating the same girl. | lost sound only exists there is no picture |
| The Razor's Edge | 2 July 1966 | Bob grows a beard, an act, which causes him trouble at work. When Terry tries to defend him things go from bad to worse. | lost sound only exists there is no picture Guest stars: Geoffrey Hughes Irene Richmond |
| Anchors Aweigh | 9 July 1966 | The Lads take a boating holiday together on the Norfolk Broads, despite Terry's deep mistrust of boats. | lost sound only exists there is no picture |
| Love And Marriage | 16 July 1966 | The Lads are invited on a mate's stag night. | lost Guest stars: Helen Fraser Geoffrey Hughes |
| Goodbye To All That | 23 July 1966 | Bob joins the Army, whereupon Terry, finding life lonely on his own, fatefully decides to join up too. | Guest stars: Irene Richmond Tony Caunter |
Surviving episodes
| Series No' | Ep No' | Title | Broadcast | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Series 1 | Episode 1 | Entente Cordiale | 16/12/64 | |
| Series 1 | Episode 2 | Double Date | 23/12/64 | |
| Series 1 | Episode 3 | Older Women Are More Experienced | 30/12/64 | |
| Series 1 | Episode 4 | The Other Side Of The Fence | 6/1/65 | |
| Series 1 | Episode 6 | The Suitor | 20/1/65 | |
| Series 2 | Episode 4 | The Last Of The Big Spenders | 7/7/65 | Previously lost, found in 2001 |
| Series 3 | Episode 3 | The Rocker | 18/6/66 | |
| Series 3 | Episode 8 | Goodbye To All That | 23/7/66 | |
Christmas Night with the Stars
Additionally, an eight-minute episode of The Likely Lads was broadcast on 25 December 1964, as part of a 90 minute Christmas Day special on BBC 1 called Christmas Night with the StarsChristmas Night with the Stars
Christmas Night with the Stars was a variety television show broadcast each Christmas night by the BBC from 1958 to 1972 and also in 1994. The show featured the top stars of the BBC as they appeared in short versions of their programmes, typically five to ten minutes long. The show was voted 24th...
7.15pm to 8.45pm, in which Bob and Terry have an argument over Bob's encyclopaedic knowledge of 'Rupert The Bear' Annuals ("It was Edward Trunk!"). This recording still exists in the BBC's film & videotape archive. An edited version, which included 'The Likely Lads' sketch, was screened on BBC2 over Christmas 1991.
Radio adaptations
Sixteen of the television scripts were adapted for radio by James Bolam, and broadcast in two series during 1967 and 1968.Produced by John Browell, the radio adaptations were recorded at the Paris Studios in Lower Regent Street, London using the original television cast (although some minor parts had to be recast for some episodes, where the original actor was unavailable).
Series 1
| Title | Airdate | Cast | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Where Have All The Flowers Gone? | 6 August 1967 | Bob - Rodney Bewes Terry - James Bolam Audrey - Sheila Fearn Mrs Collier - Olive Milbourne Vicar, Uncle Walter - John Gazabon Auntie Peggy - Betty Hardy Cyril - Le Roy Lingwood Elaine - Carol Marsh Beryl - Rosalind Shanks |
Series 1 was broadcast on the BBC Light Programme |
| 2. The Suitor | 13 August 1967 | Bob - Rodney Bewes Terry - James Bolam Audrey - Sheila Fearn Mrs Collier - Olive Milbourne Mario - George Layton |
|
| 3. The Rocker | 20 August 1967 | Bob - Rodney Bewes Terry - James Bolam Motor Salesman - Reginald Jessup Nurse - Cheryl Molineaux Carol - Rosalind Shanks |
|
| 4. Older Women Are More Experienced | 27 August 1967 | Bob - Rodney Bewes Terry - James Bolam Mrs Winsor - Rhoda Lewis Jack - Donald McKillop Cloughy - Bartlett Mullins Sheila, Elsie - Madeleine Mills |
|
| 5. Baby, It's Cold Outside | 3 September 1967 | Bob - Rodney Bewes Terry - James Bolam Audrey - Sheila Fearn Jack - Donald McKillop Margaret - Dorothy White Jane, Baby - Shirley Jaffe Rose - Kate Story June - Janet Kelly |
|
| 6. Outward Bound | 10 September 1967 | Bob - Rodney Bewes Terry - James Bolam The Scoutmaster - Peter Hawkins The Postmistress - Kathleen Helme Jack - Donald McKillop Valerie - Janet Kelly Susan - Kate Story Cafe Proprietor, Lorry Driver - David Brierley |
|
| 7. The Talk Of The Town | 17 September 1967 | Bob - Rodney Bewes Terry - James Bolam Jack - Donald McKillop Cloughy - John Henderson Audrey - Sheila Fearn Mrs Ferris - Kathleen Helme Elsie - Madeleine Mills Thelma - Susan Jameson Big Duggie - Michael Kilgarrif Blakey - Douglas Hankin |
The part of Cloughy was recast this week, as Bartlett Mullins was not available. The part of Thelma was also recast, with Susan Jameson playing the role on this occasion. She had previously appeared in the television series as a different character, in the episode "Double Date". |
| 8. Anchors Aweigh | 24 September 1967 | Bob - Rodney Bewes Terry - James Bolam Mum - Julie May Sally - Sarah Kestelman Denise - Madeleine Mills Sam - Wilfred Carter |
Series 2
| Title | Airdate | Cast | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Friends and Neighbours | 19 May 1968 | Bob - Rodney Bewes Terry - James Bolam Grandad - Bert Palmer Mrs Perrin - Noel Dyson Mr Perrin - Glenn Melvyn Lorna Perrin - Angela Lovelln |
Series 2 was broadcast on BBC Radio 2 |
| 2. The Other Side of the Fence | 26 May 1968 | Bob - Rodney Bewes Terry - James Bolam Jack - Donald McKillop Cloughy - Bartlett Mullins Blakey, Roger - Richard Moore Nesbit - Michael Sheard Holgate - Eric Dodson Judith - Anneke Wills Sally Anne - Didi Sullivan |
|
| 3. Entente Cordiale | 2 June 1968 | Bob - Rodney Bewes Terry - James Bolam Audrey - Sheila Fearn Mrs Collier - Olive Milbourne Jack - Donald McKillop Cloughy - Erik Chitty Louise, Waitress - Anna Gilchrist Colette - Bettine Le Beau |
The part of Cloughy was recast this week, as Bartlett Mullins was not available |
| 4. Double Date | 9 June 1968 | Bob - Rodney Bewes Terry - James Bolam Audrey - Sheila Fearn Deirdre - Dilys Watling Pat - Susan Jameson |
|
| 5. Love and Marriage | 16 June 1968 | Bob - Rodney Bewes Terry - James Bolam Jack - Donald McKillop Cloughy - Bartlett Mullins Duggie - Derek Newark Helen - Helen Fraser Archie - Roger Avon Podge - Geoffrey Hughes Mrs Foster - Doris Rogers |
|
| 6. Their Hearts Were Touched by Ursula | 23 June 1968 | Bob - Rodney Bewes Terry - James Bolam Ursula - Isobel Black Jack - Donald McKillop Cloughy - Bartlett Mullins All other female parts - Jennifer Croxton All other male parts - Peter Hawkins |
An adaptation of the television episode Brief Encounter |
| 7. Chance of a Lifetime | 30 June 1968 | Bob - Rodney Bewes Terry - James Bolam Audrey - Sheila Fearn Sgt Jeffcock - Garfield Morgan Ralph - Barry Linehan Jack - Donald McKillop Cloughy - Bartlett Mullins Cecile - Veronica Lang Blakey - George Layton |
|
| 8. Goodbye to all That | 7 July 1968 | Bob - Rodney Bewes Terry - James Bolam Audrey - Sheila Fearn Jack - Donald McKillop Cloughy - Bartlett Mullins Mrs Collier - Olive Milbourne Mr Collier - Alex McDonald George - Barry Stanton Army Sergeant - Tony Caunter Mrs Ferris - Irene Richmond Youth - Andrew Robertson Recruit - Hugh Walters |
DVD releases
In a recent DVD release, only seven of the nine extant episodes were included, in spite of the cover stating that it contained all the surviving episodes. The eighth episode (Other Side of the Fence) was included on the Likely Lads and Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads? combined box set, as an 'extra' rather than in chronological order.See also
- List of films based on British sitcoms
- Pete DohertyPete DohertyPeter Doherty is an English musician, writer, actor, poet and artist. He is best known musically for being co-frontman of The Libertines, which he reformed with Carl Barât in 2010. His other musical project is indie band Babyshambles...
and Carl BaratCarl BarâtCarl Ashley Raphael Barât is an English musician, actor and author. He was the frontman and lead guitarist of Dirty Pretty Things, and recently debuted a solo album, but is best known for being the co-frontman with Peter Doherty of the garage rock band The Libertines.-Early life:Carl Barât was...
(The LibertinesThe LibertinesThe Libertines were an English rock band, formed in London in 1997 by frontmen Carl Barât and Pete Doherty . The band, centred on the song-writing partnership of Barat and Doherty, also included John Hassall and Gary Powell for most of its recording career...
) made a tribute to The Likely Lads in their song What Became of The Likely Lads? in their self titled album. - The Liver BirdsThe Liver BirdsThe Liver Birds is a British situation comedy, set in Liverpool, Merseyside, North-West of England, which aired on BBC1 from 1969 to 1978, and again in 1996. It was created by Carla Lane and Myra Taylor. The two Liverpool housewives had met at a local writers club and decided to pool their talents...
, a comparable comedy about two women living in LiverpoolLiverpoolLiverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
.
Sources
- A Likely Story: The Autobiography of Rodney Bewes, published by Century, 1 September 2005
- BBC Comedy Guide, The Likely Lads
- BBC Comedy Guide, Whatever Happened to The Likely Lads
- The Likely Lads on Tyne
- The Likely Lads IMDB entry
- Whatever Happened to The Likely Lads IMDB entry