User Reviews

Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais' 'The Likely Lads' provided BBC-2 with its first major comedy hit. Geordie factory workers 'Bob Ferris' ( the late Rodney Bewes ) and 'Terry Collier' ( James Bolam ) are life-long mates who return from a holiday in Spain. Bob made an attempt to fit in with local customs, but Terry did not and ate steak pie and chips and drank British beer. Bob was attracted to a French girl named Louise ( Christine Collins ). He never got to speak to her. Terry did, though, and - cheekily - supplied her with his own address...

The show hit the ground running with its first episode. The characters are fully established, and both Bewes and Bolam are excellent ( even if they do say "Eee!" rather lot ). There's no Thelma. She came in with the 1970's follow-up. Instead we get Bartlett Mullins as the elderly 'Cloughy'. Sheila Fern appears as 'Audrey', Terry's glamorous sister. She mentions "Doctor Who" at one point. The long-running sci-fi series was only a year old when this episode was made. A testament to its massive popularity.

Bettine Le Beau, who appears briefly, is best remembered for her appearances on 'The Benny Hill Show' in the early '70's.

Funniest moment - Louise shows up and when speaks, she turns out to be Welsh. To say Terry is shocked is an understatement.