I recently watched the first two episodes of the second series of BUDGIE, starring ADAM FAITH, and was surprised to see actor JAMES BOLAM from The LIKELY LADS in both of them. I last saw these Budgie episodes around 1985 when they were first, last, and (as far as I know) only repeated after their initial broadcast in 1972, and I remembered them reasonably well.
Before I proceed, let me state that I'd been a huge fan of WHATEVER HAPPENED To The LIKELY LADS since the colour series was first shown in 1973, and James Bolam had also starred in WHEN The BOAT COMES IN, and ONLY WHEN I LAUGH, so the actor was no stranger to me. Also, WHTTLL was repeated around the mid-'80s, so it was unlikely that I'd have forgotten his face.
I was therefore quite surprised by my surprise at his turn in Budgie (as a character called WHOSSNAME), because surely I would've recognised him instantly? Yet, try as I might, I just can't resurrect any memory of seeing him in Budgie at the time of its repeat around '85. I wouldn't have known who Bolam was when Budgie was first aired in the early '70s, but by the time the repeats rolled around, I was a big fan of his portrayal of TERRY COLLIER, and had been for years.
The only other possibility is that I did recognise him in Budgie in '85, but then forgot seeing him in it over the intervening years, hence my surprise at his presence in my recent viewing. How-ever, it's kind of annoying not to know which of the two options it actually is. Anything like this ever happen to you?
Moving to the US in 1974 I only knew James Bolem from The Likely Lads when it was first aired in the UK. It wasn't until a few years ago that I was reacquainted with him from New Tricks a show that brought out some interesting acting both from the regular cast and guest stars from the past of British TV.
ReplyDeleteNew Tricks was a great wee show with the original cast, T47, and although still good when the cast gradually changed, it sort of lost something in the transition. The 'chemistry' wasn't quite the same, I thought.
ReplyDeleteOn a Budgie note, I remember watching when I was a teenager a Budgie spin-off called 'Charles Endell Esquire' which I vaguely remember as being a bit off the wall with Iain Cuthbertson singing the theme song, at school we all loved the 'See me, I'm back' catchphrase....LONG before Arnie jumped on the bandwagon! :-)
ReplyDeleteYeah, it was a 6 part series, the first 2 being broadcast in 1979, with the rest being delayed because of a strike. In 1980, the first 2 were repeated, followed by the delayed 4. Many people believe it should have been as popular as Minder, but for some reason it was never followed up. I remember watching the episodes when they were first shown, and there was talk of a DVD release a few years ago, but that never happened either.
ReplyDeleteJust found the theme song on youtube, as wonderfully mad a I remember it ('a-titty-bum-bum, a-titty-bumberoni')!
ReplyDeleteOh, good. I'll be heading over there shortly to have a listen.
ReplyDelete