It was great in the 70s but move on. Good actors don't dine out on one comedy forever. I'm not defending Bolam but why should we care what he had for breakfast or whether he goes to Tesco on a Saturday?
Bewes needs to stop bleating and put himself about if he wants to keep making money in the entertainment industry.
Bewes might not be able to get any acting work and this series will be the only source of good income for him. Unless there is more to it, Bolam is coming across as being very spiteful over such a trivial thing. The tabloids would have found out about him having a child anyway. If it's true, not speaking because of this is absolutely childish. Even so though, he doesn't have to start speaking to him to allow Bewes to have a good income because of the showing of The Likely Lads.
I have great admiration for actors who keep their private life private, and don't go around courting press attention and celebrity status. But guarding your privacy to the extent that you prevent fellow actors from earning much needed money in later years when the work isn't so readily available is petty and mean minded. Regardless of whatever actually happened between James Bolam and Rodney Bewes, there are other actors also affected by his decision and he needs to stop thinking about himself and start thinking about others who haven't been lucky or talented enough to have as much success as him.
I may be missing something here but how is WHTTLL still vetoed?
Because it's being shown regularly on BBC4, which is more than can be said for some of Bolam's other acclaimed programmes. How often do we see When The Boat Comes In, The Biederbecke Affair/Tapes or even the disasterous Andy Capp?
I never got the love for The Likely Lads - I didn't find it entertaining at all (my husband liked it - but then again - he liked Last of the Summer Wine too). I wouldn't be too concerned if they never showed it again.
Now if someone could direct me to repeats of Drop The Dead Donkey, Chelmsford 1-2-3, Chance in a Million - I'd be much obliged.
NB - James Bolam does come across as a miserable old git though! He does appear to have an inflated opinion of himself too! Anyone would think he was Ralph Richardson or John Gielgud!
They are all on DVD. 6 series of Drop The Dead Donkey is on 4OD. Series 2 of Chelmsford 1-2-3 is on 4OD. Some of Chance In A Million is on Youtube but it is split into bits.
I may be missing something here but how is WHTTLL still vetoed?
Because it's being shown regularly on BBC4, which is more than can be said for some of Bolam's other acclaimed programmes. How often do we see When The Boat Comes In, The Biederbecke Affair/Tapes or even the disasterous Andy Capp?
WHTTLL has been on bbc4 and Uk gold within the last few months, So there is definitely no ban on it these days
I think shows on Satelitte are unaffected, Bolam cannot block those. He can only block shows on terrestrial television. The repeat fees for actors only cover if they are shown on normal tv.
I think shows on Satelitte are unaffected, Bolam cannot block those. He can only block shows on terrestrial television. The repeat fees for actors only cover if they are shown on normal tv.
So they'll be getting a fee for the BBC4 showings then.
I think shows on Satelitte are unaffected, Bolam cannot block those. He can only block shows on terrestrial television. The repeat fees for actors only cover if they are shown on normal tv.
Bewes has been running with this story for a couple of decades now, and it reappears at regular intervals. The surviving b/w "LL" episodes were repeated in summer 1995 on BBC2. The newly rediscovered "Last of the Big Spenders" was repeated as soon as it was found in 2001.
If we look at one of Bewes' later rants (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1252389/Whatever-happened-likely-lad.html) we see that the BBC reply is: "We've no plans to repeat the series at the moment," and the article states, "the BBC denied knowing of any issues that would prevent them from repeating the series." There is no evidence there of any "block".
And concerning the matter Bewes says: "I'm forever writing to the director general of the BBC..." It just screams "nutter alert", doesn't it? I imagine most of his letters hit the DG's WPB is short order.
It's an old series and, having seen it recently, it hasn't aged well. There are a couple of reasonable eps of "Whatever", but most are very poor. That's why mainstream BBC doesn't want to repeat it. The colour eps are rerun on Gold, if you want to see them, which is an appropriate place for them to be. The original series won't be rerun there because they don't do b/w stuff. But if you're that much of a fan, both series (18 hours' worth) are out (without any sign of a "block") on a single DVD boxset at the bargain price of £9.57. And it's that cheap for a reason, Bewes - now shut up and piss off!
Have to agree that I doubt there is any veto. I watched the Likely Lads when shown a few years back - the video quality is awful so its only really going to be on for historical value, not as a much loved old favourite like Dads Army.
As said WHTTLL has been on BBC4 lately and the radio version was on R4 extra a couple of years back.
I have always preferred WHTTLT to the original series. Bewes and Bolam were great in the series. Would have been funny if in real life if Bewes and Bolam had met on a train, having not spoken to each other in years.
Well I know I have just read through the thread but I don't find it at all unusual that two people who worked together 40 odd years ago should not be best buddies. It is just the way of life people come in and out and you can't remain friends with all of them.
I agree. I wonder if his half-sister, Lucy keeps in touch with him after he sold her mother out like that? At least she was making an effort. It's his coldness towards his adoptive parents and siblings which surprised me most, looks like he'd put his birth parents on some kind of pedestal to the adoptive parents/family's loss.
As for James Bolam and Rodney Bewes? If James was the more professional of them, turning up on time, not hungover etc then I can imagine he'd be mightily peed off at his co-stars lax attitude which must have caused delays on set etc (if all of that was true). Perhaps Rodney was hungover/still pie eyed when he gave away the fact that James's wife was pregnant so ultimately it was the straw that broke the camel's back not the whole reason/truth?
Mind you, James Bolam always looks like a miserable sod to me. I hope it's one of those occasions where he's a different person when he's at home!
I have always preferred WHTTLT to the original series. Bewes and Bolam were great in the series. Would have been funny if in real life if Bewes and Bolam had met on a train, having not spoken to each other in years.
Yup, the sixties series has dated badly and was largely recorded in a studio and the location was vague. WHTTL is much better as the location filming is done in Newcastle and the location is a lot clearer.
A great shame on the personal level that these two fell out so badly. A great shame too that Clement & La Frenais were unable to write the follow-up series as they would need both actors.
Bewes has had an OK theatre career. I saw him in Love All and Three Men in a Boat (a one-man show).
Comments
Bewes might not be able to get any acting work and this series will be the only source of good income for him. Unless there is more to it, Bolam is coming across as being very spiteful over such a trivial thing. The tabloids would have found out about him having a child anyway. If it's true, not speaking because of this is absolutely childish. Even so though, he doesn't have to start speaking to him to allow Bewes to have a good income because of the showing of The Likely Lads.
Because it's being shown regularly on BBC4, which is more than can be said for some of Bolam's other acclaimed programmes. How often do we see When The Boat Comes In, The Biederbecke Affair/Tapes or even the disasterous Andy Capp?
They are all on DVD. 6 series of Drop The Dead Donkey is on 4OD. Series 2 of Chelmsford 1-2-3 is on 4OD. Some of Chance In A Million is on Youtube but it is split into bits.
I remember her from Take Three Girls and When The Boat Comes In.
I liked her as an actress , but don't remember any publicity about her , perhaps she is as private as Bolam is ?
If it wasn't for Bewes going on about Bolam, nothing would care about his life either.
http://www.express.co.uk/expressyourself/158225/The-unlikeliest-of-feuds
There's very little evidence either of the LL series were ever vetoed. All just myth I think.
I liked Biederbecke.
So they'll be getting a fee for the BBC4 showings then.
Bewes has been running with this story for a couple of decades now, and it reappears at regular intervals. The surviving b/w "LL" episodes were repeated in summer 1995 on BBC2. The newly rediscovered "Last of the Big Spenders" was repeated as soon as it was found in 2001.
If we look at one of Bewes' later rants (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1252389/Whatever-happened-likely-lad.html) we see that the BBC reply is: "We've no plans to repeat the series at the moment," and the article states, "the BBC denied knowing of any issues that would prevent them from repeating the series." There is no evidence there of any "block".
And concerning the matter Bewes says: "I'm forever writing to the director general of the BBC..." It just screams "nutter alert", doesn't it? I imagine most of his letters hit the DG's WPB is short order.
It's an old series and, having seen it recently, it hasn't aged well. There are a couple of reasonable eps of "Whatever", but most are very poor. That's why mainstream BBC doesn't want to repeat it. The colour eps are rerun on Gold, if you want to see them, which is an appropriate place for them to be. The original series won't be rerun there because they don't do b/w stuff. But if you're that much of a fan, both series (18 hours' worth) are out (without any sign of a "block") on a single DVD boxset at the bargain price of £9.57. And it's that cheap for a reason, Bewes - now shut up and piss off!
As said WHTTLL has been on BBC4 lately and the radio version was on R4 extra a couple of years back.
Thanks for that link.
None of them come out of that looking good.:(
I agree. I wonder if his half-sister, Lucy keeps in touch with him after he sold her mother out like that? At least she was making an effort. It's his coldness towards his adoptive parents and siblings which surprised me most, looks like he'd put his birth parents on some kind of pedestal to the adoptive parents/family's loss.
As for James Bolam and Rodney Bewes? If James was the more professional of them, turning up on time, not hungover etc then I can imagine he'd be mightily peed off at his co-stars lax attitude which must have caused delays on set etc (if all of that was true). Perhaps Rodney was hungover/still pie eyed when he gave away the fact that James's wife was pregnant so ultimately it was the straw that broke the camel's back not the whole reason/truth?
Mind you, James Bolam always looks like a miserable sod to me. I hope it's one of those occasions where he's a different person when he's at home!
Yup, the sixties series has dated badly and was largely recorded in a studio and the location was vague. WHTTL is much better as the location filming is done in Newcastle and the location is a lot clearer.
Bewes has had an OK theatre career. I saw him in Love All and Three Men in a Boat (a one-man show).