This series is a real oddity. I was quite surprised that it was written by Galton and Simpson, since it has none of the wit, pathos or charm of some of their other work.
Leslie Phillips, essentially, reprises the lecherous, charming bounder that we know and love, but as a man in his mid 40s, his character takes on a creepier edge. The chief flaw in this series of 7 farces, which were, I understand, intended to send up the permissive society, is the relationship between Phillips and his wife. She knows he is cheating on her (a running joke in the series is his ever-more elaborate lying about his whereabouts), yet her reactions seem curious as much as angry or upset, as if the whole thing were a game for her too. Yet when offered sex herself by Henry, as in the last scene in episode seven, she is only too willing. Never mind where he's "been"...
That said, there are a few laughs, a few moments of perception and the odd nice performance (particularly a young Maureen Lipman in one episode) although the main cast, particularly Phillips, often seem a little under-rehearsed in the studio recordings...and at least his character normally comes a cropper, as in the Beauty Contest episode. Here he arranges to fix the content in favour of Miss Limburg (a funny Astrid Frank playing a terrible German stereotype), Miss England is voted for by the other judges as a result of a "party" the night before. Creepier and creepier! In the same episode, it's also interesting to see contest presenter Hugh Paddick as a very camp gay in rehearsal for the show morph into a macho stereotype for the actual show itself. This would have been funnier if the gay version of Hugh weren't such a terrible stereotype, but this was 1973 I guess.
The best moment is in episode 6, when having failed to help Madeline Smith lose her virginity due to erectile dysfunction (she wants to be more "experienced" for her husband) - after some appalling emotional blackmail from the girl, I might add - it turns out that the husband has clearly had more success in the same area - with Henry's wife. A nice twist.
So, far from a lost classic - it's really not that funny - but an interesting curiosity, and a damn site better than On the Buses!
Leslie Phillips, essentially, reprises the lecherous, charming bounder that we know and love, but as a man in his mid 40s, his character takes on a creepier edge. The chief flaw in this series of 7 farces, which were, I understand, intended to send up the permissive society, is the relationship between Phillips and his wife. She knows he is cheating on her (a running joke in the series is his ever-more elaborate lying about his whereabouts), yet her reactions seem curious as much as angry or upset, as if the whole thing were a game for her too. Yet when offered sex herself by Henry, as in the last scene in episode seven, she is only too willing. Never mind where he's "been"...
That said, there are a few laughs, a few moments of perception and the odd nice performance (particularly a young Maureen Lipman in one episode) although the main cast, particularly Phillips, often seem a little under-rehearsed in the studio recordings...and at least his character normally comes a cropper, as in the Beauty Contest episode. Here he arranges to fix the content in favour of Miss Limburg (a funny Astrid Frank playing a terrible German stereotype), Miss England is voted for by the other judges as a result of a "party" the night before. Creepier and creepier! In the same episode, it's also interesting to see contest presenter Hugh Paddick as a very camp gay in rehearsal for the show morph into a macho stereotype for the actual show itself. This would have been funnier if the gay version of Hugh weren't such a terrible stereotype, but this was 1973 I guess.
The best moment is in episode 6, when having failed to help Madeline Smith lose her virginity due to erectile dysfunction (she wants to be more "experienced" for her husband) - after some appalling emotional blackmail from the girl, I might add - it turns out that the husband has clearly had more success in the same area - with Henry's wife. A nice twist.
So, far from a lost classic - it's really not that funny - but an interesting curiosity, and a damn site better than On the Buses!