Amazing to think that Buster Merryfield had almost no professional acting experience when he started on the show.
Just imagine what it must have been like recording his first scenes in front of a live studio audience, sharing a set with actors of the calibre of David Jason and Nicolas Lyndhurst.
The rock n roll episode where Rodney is in a band I found that quite weak.
1 of my favourite scenes from that particular episode is between Del & Rodney
Del Boy: I remember what Mum said on her death bed. She said to me: "Del," she said, "please give little Rodney all the encouragement that you can. Never, Del, never hold him back." Rodney: She didn't half say a lot on her death bed, didn't she? Del Boy: What? Rodney: Whatever the subject is, Mum had something to say about it on her death bed. She must have spent her final few hours in this mortal realm doing nothing but rabbiting! Del Boy: You are walking a bleeding tightrope here, Rodney!!!! Rodney: No, hang on! Right, you remember last week we were having a row about whose turn it was to go down the chippy, yeah? And you claimed that Mum said on her death bed: "Send Rodney for the fish!"
Uncle Albert was ,in my opinion, far superior-though maybe the episodes he was in benefitted from the extra running time John Sullivan managed to persuade the BBC to agree to. However, one of the funniest episodes- about the chandelier- featured grandad and was a classic.
I love them both but think Uncle Albert just wins by a very small margin!
I love it when Albert get's the coffee and gravy mixed up in 'Time on our Hands' and Del pours the coffee all over his dinner, his face when he does it still makes me laugh!
Rodney: "........ if you say 'during the war again.......:mad:"
Albert: "I wasn't going to say 'during the war'......."
"During the course of the 1939-45 conflict between this county and Germany...."
Stronger character, better actor.
Not close really.
Agreed
Uncle Albert, at the end of He ain't heavy, he's my Uncle episode, after Del finds out Albert wasn't Mugged, but Albert had a fight with his friend[over Marline's Mum], & Del had set up a gang to have a fight with another gang, who turned out to be undercover Coppers.
Albert"They'd better not come round here. I used to be Royal Navy Boxing Champion"
Del"AM GOING TO KILL HIM, AM GOING TO KILL HIM":D
Uncle Albert was ,in my opinion, far superior-though maybe the episodes he was in benefitted from the extra running time John Sullivan managed to persuade the BBC to agree to. However, one of the funniest episodes- about the chandelier- featured grandad and was a classic.
I do think that episode is a bit overrated now, especially as they've played that clip ad nauseum, same with Del falling through the Bar.
My favorite one is Uncle Albert's OTT reaction [Rodney Come Home]when Rodney announces he's got a Date with someone, as Rodney is still Married.:D
Currently re watching all 7 series + the xmas specials and have fallen in love with this amazing sitcom all over again. There wasn't a single bad episodes imo, some were weaker than other such as The rock n roll episode where Rodney is in a band I found that quite weak.
But anyway did people prefer Grandad who was present in the first 3 series or Albert who was present in the rest of the episodes up until the 1996 trilogy?
I love both but prefer Albert for some reason, I guess I found find his "During the war" catchphrase hilarious and he wasn't as dense as Grandad which made him work in a different way.
I preferred granddad, especially as Lennard Pearce seemed to have been given more sarcastic putdown lines by Sullivan, like the one about the Wendy House jibe at Rodney in the broken lawenmowers episode. Buster Merryfield was also a fine actor but got fewer witty punchlines over his 15 year stint than Pearce over three years.
II love it when Albert get's the coffee and gravy mixed up in 'Time on our Hands' and Del pours the coffee all over his dinner, his face when he does it still makes me laugh!
Briliant scene.
An outstanding piece of wordless acting.
Actually watching some the the earlier OFAHs I can see times when Leonard Pearce crashes through or badly mistimes a potentially funny line. On a couple of ocassions David Jason gives him a look that shows he knows it.
I knew Buster would be fine in his very first episode. The way he potrays various emotions in that one alone was fantastic.
I still find the scene with Grandad in the bunker really intense. It went something like "They promised us homes ready for heroes...they gave us heroes ready for homes". The only Uncle Albert scene that I can think of that comes close to that is when he reveals to Del Boy and Rodney that he fell down a cellar in order to get money for Grandad's headstone.
I never liked the show at all and failed to see what others (including my parents) saw in it. Some events in it were somewhat entertaining, but it is not something I wanted to watch myself.
It's hard to say. With Albert, the writing got better but the credibility was lost somewhat by replacing one old man for another. That said, I think I preferred Albert, he was funnier as a character.
Very tricky one : I'd nearly call it a dead heat.Grandad could be a bit more biting and sarcastic at times and had some great one liners.Uncle Albert was a great replacement for him though.
Comments
Just because he seems more kinda innocent,
The saddest episode was when Grandad died.
Uncle Albert was another brilliant character too.
Just imagine what it must have been like recording his first scenes in front of a live studio audience, sharing a set with actors of the calibre of David Jason and Nicolas Lyndhurst.
Albert could be funny at times but when it came to delivering lines Lennard Pearce had it to an art.So because of that i'd go for Grandad.
1 of my favourite scenes from that particular episode is between Del & Rodney
Del Boy: I remember what Mum said on her death bed. She said to me: "Del," she said, "please give little Rodney all the encouragement that you can. Never, Del, never hold him back."
Rodney: She didn't half say a lot on her death bed, didn't she?
Del Boy: What?
Rodney: Whatever the subject is, Mum had something to say about it on her death bed. She must have spent her final few hours in this mortal realm doing nothing but rabbiting!
Del Boy: You are walking a bleeding tightrope here, Rodney!!!!
Rodney: No, hang on! Right, you remember last week we were having a row about whose turn it was to go down the chippy, yeah? And you claimed that Mum said on her death bed: "Send Rodney for the fish!"
I love it when Albert get's the coffee and gravy mixed up in 'Time on our Hands' and Del pours the coffee all over his dinner, his face when he does it still makes me laugh!
Agreed
Uncle Albert, at the end of He ain't heavy, he's my Uncle episode, after Del finds out Albert wasn't Mugged, but Albert had a fight with his friend[over Marline's Mum], & Del had set up a gang to have a fight with another gang, who turned out to be undercover Coppers.
Albert"They'd better not come round here. I used to be Royal Navy Boxing Champion"
Del"AM GOING TO KILL HIM, AM GOING TO KILL HIM":D
I do think that episode is a bit overrated now, especially as they've played that clip ad nauseum, same with Del falling through the Bar.
My favorite one is Uncle Albert's OTT reaction [Rodney Come Home]when Rodney announces he's got a Date with someone, as Rodney is still Married.:D
I preferred granddad, especially as Lennard Pearce seemed to have been given more sarcastic putdown lines by Sullivan, like the one about the Wendy House jibe at Rodney in the broken lawenmowers episode. Buster Merryfield was also a fine actor but got fewer witty punchlines over his 15 year stint than Pearce over three years.
Briliant scene.
An outstanding piece of wordless acting.
Actually watching some the the earlier OFAHs I can see times when Leonard Pearce crashes through or badly mistimes a potentially funny line. On a couple of ocassions David Jason gives him a look that shows he knows it.
I knew Buster would be fine in his very first episode. The way he potrays various emotions in that one alone was fantastic.
Grandad was more a loveable old man, sweet and dear if you like, whereas Albert was more jovial and up for banter.
Both had their plus points and both contributed to the series.
"Our records tell us that you spent most of the war on the Isle of Wight, hardly overseas"
"You wanna try walking it pal!"
"I don't believe you, gun running in the middle of a Civil War"
"it's the best time to do it Del Boy!"
couldn't have put it better
also another reason why it should have ended after "Time on our hands"