Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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94 of 100 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good, But Nowhere Near Good Enough, 26 Jan 2007
Well this is a dubious release, it's nice to have but it could have been a whole lot better. The BBC missed off the episode THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FENCE on the 1960's original series single release and I, having bought that disc was extremely angry at being forced to shell out extra money to effectively buy just one episode, an episode that should have been on the original disc anyway.
I was suprised that 2Entertain and the BBC didn't give us more for our money. For example where is the 1964 Christmas Night With The Stars sketch that exists in it's entirety? What about the 1960's radio versions several of which are based on missing episodes and nearly all of them still survive to this day? The missing episode WHERE HAVE ALL THE FLOWERS GONE? has clips and footage existing from it and would have made a nice little bonus feature. Couldn't there have been a documentary perhaps or interviews or even scripts of the missing instalments? All these items would have made a lovely boxset and would have justified the BBC in releasing this entire set sorely for the aquirement of one episode.
The BBC had conned the fans of this wonderful show through all that business with the missed-out episode on the single release, now if it was a genuine mistake then fair enough but the BBC could have redeemed themselves in the eyes of many fans by making the boxset different to the three single releases. I can only give this set 3 stars through anger at the above situation, but in terms of the episodes themselves they are brilliant and fully deserve the maximum 5 stars out of 5. The Likely Lads/Whatever Happened To... is perhaps the greatest comedy ever to grace British TV screens along with Steptoe and Son and Porridge.
If you bought the single releases and can live without THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FENCE then stick with those, however if you are a completist like me and must have them all, grit your teeth and buy this. If this is the first time that you are about to purchase The Likely Lads however, then do buy this boxset, the reasons being that you do get that extra missed-out episode and it's cheaper than buying the three single releases seperately. Good, but nowhere near good enough, a wasted opportunity.
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39 of 46 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Pure Nostalgia, 15 Oct 2007
This box set comprises the eight surviving episodes of the 1960's sitcom "The Likely Lads"; the 13 episodes of Series One of "Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads" from 1973; the 13 episodes of Series Two of "Whatever Happened to ..." from 1974; and the 1974 Christmas special.
I don't agree with another reviewer that it is the best written comedy ever. The 1960's series is very much of its time and of interest mainly for reasons of nostalgia. Series One of "Whatever Happened to ... " is patchy with some very good episodes and some very dull ones. Only in Series Two does it achieve greatness. The writing is much sharper and the stronger role given to Thelma adds much needed a frisson. The 1974 Series Two is pure gold, and the 1974 Christmas Special is probably the best episode of the lot. Indeed, if you do remember anything at all of the Likely Lads it is probably from that episode.
So if it's only comedy you are after, just get Series Two, with the Christmas special - all the best laughs are there. If you are here for nostalgia - of the north east, or the 1970s - you'll need this box set. (The Likely Lads film is good too by the way !).
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41 of 50 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Whatever Happened to Sitcoms like this ???, 19 April 2007
They don't write 'em anymore unfortunately. Possibly the best conceived, scripted, cast and acted sitcom ever. The situation is so simple, so true, so honest and so funny. The "Whatever" series (most of the collection) features the reunion of 2 north eastern working class pals, who meet by chance on a train. 5 years previously the best mates decided to join the army but Bob was rejected due to his flat feet and Terry had to serve his nation alone and bears a grudge, a mysterious wound on his hip that he "doesn't like to talk about" and a tattoo on his buttock (apparently). Meanwhile the 60's have become the 70's, Bob has got a good job and a middle class fiance, become a member of the squash club and gets his hair styled, while Terry is a bit of a dinosaur, jobless and finds it hard to adjust. The comedy ingredients in the 2 series that follow are the tensions between Bob, Terry and Thelma (Bob's fiancee) in a classic love triangle, with Terry tempting Bob with their former laddish bachelor lifestyle and Thelma trying to "civilise" him - Bob is like a ping pong ball in the power struggle. Yes, Men Behaving Badly may be a more modern version but it lacks the timing, depth, subtlety and power to move that characterises the Likely Lads. Like The Royle Family but more universal in scope, more profound in its themes. Why is this great comedy? The script and the acting - fantastic, Bewes and Bolam are a dream team, they ARE Bob and Terry and we share every one of their ups and downs. Their expressions, mannerisms are so natural, the lines so perfectly delivered, the action so uncontrived, the social comedy is so refreshingly non-PC, the comic timing amazing, the storylines so well crafted. In all important respects this has not dated at all, the themes are still as relevant today - I mean there is still a battle of the sexes; we all cling fondly to our past memories and resist change. Bob and Terry were grumpy young men ahead of their time and there is a piece of them in all of us. So whether this is a nostalgia trip or you're too young to remember the series first time round, this is not to be missed.
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