Happy Camping

The episode starts with Clegg and Truly in the outdoor countryside. An increasing rare thing in the last years of the show. The actors could not get insured for outdoors filming and it is obvious the scenes are green screened. It also looks like Peter Sallis might be reading from cue cards. Itself not an easy thing for him to do as he was also losing his vision.

Howard thinks Marina is looking elsewhere and he also feels underappreciated at home. Howard wants to leave home and head for Albania. At the very least spend a night camping.

Hobo persuades Howard to make it look that he and Marina are departing as friends and make sure Pearl sees it. She will then know it is all over between those two. Saying goodbye with a friendly handshake is easier said than done.

Of course Hobo has problems of his own with the amorous attentions of Miss Davenport.

The best part of the episode is Toby is disappointed in Morton over the attention he has been paying to his wife in the previous episode. Toby goes round to the library and requests the most boring book for Morton to read.

A theme is developing that would take it to the final episode. A wedding is going to take place and Glenda wants to lose weight. She and Barry start jogging and go for healthy eating much to Barry's disgust.

Pearl had finally had enough of Howard, he's feeling very depressed as he thinks Marina is getting interest from elsewhere, Hobbo steps in to help.

Not as funny as the previous episode, but still fairly amusing, Howard and Marina were always my favourite characters, and the duo are put to good use here once again, they are just so much fun together.

Barry and Glenda are good fun here too, is there a wedding coming.

Some originality here again though, is that the first time that Pearl has seen Howard and Marina in an actual romantic embrace?

Efforts were made to get Clegg and Truly outside, but there's definitely something a little off with that opening scene, and I don't just mean the content, it's not the most convincing green screen scene you'll ever see, at least they tried.

It's a shame we no longer get ant of the ladies coffee mornings, the caustic comments are much missed.

7/10.