The Likely Lads

Although the film is or was 1976,(released?) would anyone know if it was filmed in that year, as sometimes the actual filming of movies takes place the year before?,it was a great film in my view, and summed up the era very well,its amazing that is about thirty years since its making,i think it was also the best thing they did, as the TV series of them seemed to get in to a bit of a rut, i wonder what other people think,was the rumour true that the pair never spoke to each other off screen and generally hated each other!i see Rodney was on TV the other day looking very much older, any info about the filming would be a great help, thanks, Geoff.

These two actors were so good together and the script equally top notch - why oh why in these days of poor sequels and the flogging to death of anything half-decent must we be deprived of this fantastic idea / partnership. The main players are still alive - so too the writers - what is the problem BBC ?? If it is still Bewes & Bolam's dislike of each other that is simply not an excuse - many actors have turned out memorable roles opposite people they detested. Common sense and professionalism should enter the scenario here as future generations will not thank us for allowing this wonderful pairing to die off - DO IT NOW. You did it with 'Only Fools....' Whether they like it or not these two characters/actors are a NATIONAL INSTITUTION and they achieved legendary status in their own lifetimes - something very rare indeed - this should simply NOT BE ALLOWED to wither on the vine. If you are reading this Messrs. Bolam and Bewes...please bury the hatchet (if that is indeed the problem). Even if only for the sake of posterity...Delboy has gone, so too Victor Meldrew.....Blair's Britain must have something to look forward to.....your nation expects.

Must more licence-payers money be thrown at a seamless line of Antique / Boot Sale / Move to the country / Flog it / DIY / Cookery programmes? To say nothing of those awfully bad sensationalist fly-on-the-wall 'Reality' programmes which only serve to provide a stage for and inevitably generate yet more moronic and talentless 'wannabes'.

I recently met up with an old work colleague after 30 years and it's been great - please let Bob Ferris and Terry Collier do the same.

As both would now be heading down the retirement road, a nice twist would be Terry having finally turned out to be the more successful of the two whilst Bob (& Thelma's) fortunes have stagnated on the Elm Lodge Housing Estate courtesy of occupational pensions that didn't live up to their expectations.

They could meet at an airport ......having recently sold his string of Costa Del Sol bars, a flush, sun-tanned Terry returns and literally bumps into Bob re-stocking vending machines in the airport lounge "I do this part-time purely to keep active, you understand, kidder" Come on..MAKE IT HAPPEN FOR A NATION CRYING OUT FOR A DECENT SIT-COM....I've started it off, all you've got to do is carry it on.

Recently I've watched both seasons of Whatever Happened to Likely Lads followed by this feature film. Although the antics of Bob and Terry did seem to start losing their edge after the first half of S2 (not unusual for long TV series), overall it was a very enjoyable and a refreshing experience. The movie, however, turned out to be a disappointment.

First, the scenario itself was quite weak - it lacked direction, there was no central storyline and as a result, the film didn't have a build-up and a climax - the two things that made the majority of TV episodes work so well.

Secondly the humour was by and large recycled - the jokes, innuendos and the typical Bob/Thelma tug o' war were all just the twitched versions of various TV scenes. And given the movie goes on for longer than a TV episode, watching the same thing over again, coupled with the absence of a coherent plot, made me feel bored halfway through.

Onto the characters. Brigit Forsyth's Thelma got a bigger part to play in the film than she would've had in a typical TV episode. But given that in the show the character was (deliberately) kept one-dimensional, being "your stereotypical suburban wife", the enhancement of her role in the movie just made the scenes more dull and cliched. James Bolam's character, on the other hand, for some reason seemed to have lost a lot of the natural wit and charm that in the past would stir up the setting and enthrall in the viewer. Here we see Terry being somewhat lost both in his love life, as well as in his housing estate.

The film also portrays a great deal of philosophical midlife-crisis-dialogues between the main characters, (reckoning in places where the pub banter would have normally been instead). As for me those scenes not only fail to blend in with the usual light-hearted manner of Bob and Terry's adventures, but also, they contributed little to the storyline, if not distracted from it. Perhaps it was just unexpected, (and hence, quite odd), to observe the "lads" from this angle, not least because the characters have never been developed in that direction in the first place.

Overall, the film felt like an enmeshment of several of the less successful TV episodes and didn't add anything new to the story and the relationship of Bob and Terry as we know it.

What a brilliantly funny film,sharp script,great acting and a glimpse of north england in the mid 70's.Its up there with other TV spin-off movies like On the buses trilogy,Steptoe and Son,Are you being served and of course Porridge. Funny Moments- The Trip to Northumbria in Thelma's dads caravan being towed by a Vauxhalle Chevette,Bob getting stuck up a chimney trying to retrieve a football,and of course Thelma and Chris getting out of the caravan at the traffic lights unaware they have driven miles and terry and bob have picked up a pair of stunning female hitchhikers! Nostalgia moment-Tesco in the 70's,and cooking bacon in a frying pan with a fag hanging out of your mouth! All in all I've seen this film 2 times since Christmas,the 1st time was at Christmas on BBC1 and loved every minute of it and wished i had recorded it.2nd time was yesterday on DVD given away free with a national newspaper,i couldn't believe it when they advertised the 6 films they were giving away this week.I got Are you being served? the movie too but thats another review!

A great fun movie capturing the characters we all know an love. The serious Bob and the fun loving and fancy free Terry, both bouncing off one and other perfectly. A great feeling of nostalgia ensues with the changing landscape of North and the idea that things will never be the same again - with Bob still trying to adjust to married life and Terry with yet another girlfriend - the four take a caravan trip together full of hapless adventure. Highly enjoyable