Thick as Thieves

This was a comedy with a rather bizarre premise, whose principal actors were better known for dramatic roles, and three out of four of them went on to far bigger and better things.

This show is set in "Cockney" London, whilst John Thaw's attempt at a London accent has more holes than a sieve, anybody who knows Greater London accents will know immediately that Bob Hoskins, and Pat Ashton are from Middlesex, whilst Johnny Briggs is quite obviously from south of the Thames. So nobody is a Cockney, although this is 1974 and in those days Africans were almost invariably played by West Indians.

The scripts are passable, though not laugh out loud by any means. Hairstyles and clothes are drab when not downright ugly, and the few location shots give images of a day before yesterday that few would want to relive. TBH this series is best viewed as a time capsule, its a reminder to those of us who were there in 1974 just how dismal a time it actually was, and a wake up call to today's youngsters not to believe other people's nostalgic memories .

I hadn't realised until recently that John Thaw had appeared in a sitcom other than 'Home To Roost' so I decided to give this pre-'Sweeney' outing a go. I shortly wished I hadn't bothered. As mediocre as 'Home To Roost' was, it was a comedy masterpiece when compared with this dismal, dated, laughter-free drivel.

We have 2 useless crooks, George (played by professional cockney Bob Hoskins, who chews up the scenery when given half a chance) and his gormless pal, Stan (Thaw). Just to eliminate any lingering doubts from the audience's minds that Thaw's character isn't the sharpest tool in the box, the producers have instructed him to speak in a truly awful, stereotypical, fick-as-two-short-planks accent. As if the accent wasn't 'hilarious' enough, Stan, at every available opportunity, will turn to George and ask him 'Izzat thi right wurd?' after using a word in conversation that he wasn't certain to be appropriate. This was something which wasn't even remotely funny the first time I heard it being said, let alone the 34th. Alongside these pathetic losers we have Annie (George's wife and Stan's live-in lover). She is played by Pat Ashton and proves to be the least annoying character of the bunch although that's hardly saying much.

Once you add in a mountain of clichés regarding cockney villains, a totally ridiculous premise ( even for a sitcom ) and, worst of all, a script that was about as funny as a dose of food poisoning, then you're left with a 'comedy' that's long been forgotten (and deservedly so).

The 1970's was a golden era for sitcoms ? You're having a laugh (and that's more than you'd get from watching this).

Its snappy writing and the interplay between the three main characters makes Thick As Thieves a fun romp. The witty dialog carries things along as Stan, Annie and George sort out the living arrangements now that George has been released from prison and found his wife and best pal playing house.

Obviously a low budget show with little money spent on sets, locations etc. and limited retakes (the actors occasionally stumble over their lines), the emphasis is on the words, and plotting the changing dynamics between the threesome over Thick As Thieves's 8 episodes which unfold like an extended play.

'Thick As Thieves' was a British sitcom that would probably interest American viewers, as it stars two English performers who have strong Stateside followings: John Thaw (in a role very different from Inspector Morse) and Bob Hoskins. The series ran for only eight episodes, but every episode was hilarous. Even the title is funny. ('Thick' in Britain being another word for 'stupid'.)

George (Hoskins) is a career criminal: a burglar who was never very good at it. In the first episode, he is released one day early after a three-year gaol sentence. He returns to his house in Fulham and discovers his wife Annie (the excellent Pat Ashton) in bed with George's criminal colleague Stanley (Thaw). Annie is glad to have her husband home, but she has no intention of giving up her relationship with Stanley. So, the three set up housekeeping together.

One of the reasons why British sitcoms tend to be funnier than American sitcoms is because in Britain the relationships between the characters in a situation comedy will gradually change and develop, whereas the characters in Stateside sitcoms tend not to change at all. In 'Thick As Thieves', George starts out unwilling to share his wife with Stan, but he gradually accepts this as the series progresses. George and Stan are an 'odd couple': friends with radically different personalities, who clash constantly but respect each other's differences. It's clear that Annie genuinely loves both men, and she clearly enjoys being the centre of the threesome.

'Thick As Thieves' (by the excellent scriptwriting team Clement & La Frenais) should have run longer. I doubt that American tv has the guts to do anything similar.