User Reviews

Following the failure of the 'On The Buses' spin-off 'Don't Drink The Water', Ronald Wolfe and Ronald Chesney decided to revisit their earlier hit, 'The Rag Trade', which originally had been broadcast by the BBC. In 1975, the pair scripted a pilot ( with only Peter Jones from the original cast re-appearing ) which they took to the BBC. The poor quality of the pilot meant not only that it would not be screened but also that they would not commission a series. In 1977, the pair took their new creation to LWT.

Miriam Karlin came back as Paddy and Peter Jones returned yet again as Fenner but the rest of the cast were made up of new faces. Anna Karen's Olive from 'On The Buses' was brought in here. Diane Langton's busty Kathy was clearly a Sheila Hancock/Barbara Windsor-esque character. Christopher Beeny's Tony was a replacement for Reg Varney whilst Deddie Davies' confused Mabel was clearly modeled on Esma Cannon. Also added to the cast were Lucita Lijertwood as West Indian Jojo and Gillian Taylforth as Lyn.

Nothing else had really changed had really changed at Fenner Fashions. Fenner was still trying unsuccessfully to make that crucial sale whilst the girls were determined to do as little work as possible. Many of the episodes were colour remakes of the original BBC series. That said, there were still some funny moments. We even found out that in one episode, Paddy and Fenner had once had an affair, which went some way to explaining their love/hate relationship. Anna Karen's Olive was played out in much the same way as she was in 'On The Buses'. Diane Langton got on my nerves as Kathy and Christopher Beeny was no Reg Varney. Gillian Taylforth provided some excitement as Lyn however.

Audiences didn't take to 'The Rag Trade' this time around and after two series in 1978, Fenner's Fashions ceased business. In 2009, Network released both series on DVD.

Following the end of 'On The Buses' in 1973, Ronald Wolfe and Ronald Chesney searched for another hit. 'Don't Drink The Water', a spin-off from 'Buses', failed to duplicate the success of its parent show, while 'Yus My Dear', though it got to No.1 in the ratings for most of its episodes, was fairly dire. A comedy pilot for the B.B.C. entitled 'The Boys & Mrs.B' was equally awful, despite starring the wonderful Thora Hird and a young Tony Robinson. Wolfe and Chesney then decided that enough time had elapsed since the end of their first major success - 'The Rag Trade' - to engineer a revival.

The B.B.C. passed on the idea ( do they never learn? ), so they took it to London Weekend Television. Peter Jones and Miriam Karlin reprised their roles as 'Harold Fenner' and 'Paddy', but the rest of the cast was new. Christopher Beeny, fresh in the public's memory from 'Upstairs, Downstairs' replaced Reg Varney ( his character undergoing a name change to 'Tony' ), the buxom and giggly Diane Langton slotted effortlessly into the space vacated by Barbara Windsor, Anna Karen played 'Olive' ( when 'On The Buses' ended Olive was single again, but here she was happily married. We never found out just who the new man in her life was ). Deddie Davies' fluttery 'Mabel' was obviously intended as another 'Lily' ( the Esma Cannon character from the original ). Future 'Eastenders' star Gillian Taylforth made her television debut as 'Lyn'. In a nod to multiculturalism, one of the new intake at 'Fenner's Fashions' was black - 'Jo-Jo' - played by Lucita Lijertwood. One major new character - the haughty 'Mrs.Fenner' - was played first by Rowena Cooper and then 'Doctor In Charge's' Joy Stewart.

The first episode was a remake of 'The Sample' from 1961. This being 1977, the humour was predictably coarsened, the language slightly stronger ( with words like 'scrubber' and 'knickers' bandied about ). Despite its resolutely anti-trade union stance, the show occasionally took pot shots at the alternative.

MABEL: You can always trust a politician who smokes a pipe.

LYN: What about Margaret Thatcher? She doesn't smoke a pipe.

PADDY: She would do if she thought it would get her a few more votes, love.

Lindsay De Paul provided the catchy theme tune. Despite being a ratings success, 'The Rag Trade' somehow never replicated the affection of its predecessor. One angry letter to 'The Sun' suggested it should be renamed 'The Drag Trade' and that everyone in it 'should be out'. It was unfortunate that Wolfe and Chesney chose to resurrect the show at a time when trade unions were massively unpopular. After only two seasons, Fenner's Fashions shut up shop again, this time for good.

Parodied by L.W.T.'s 'End Of Part One' as 'The Gag Trade' with Fenner's girls as scriptwriters instead of dressmakers.