Thick as Thieves (1974– )

House burglar George Dobbs returns home from three years in prison to find his best friend has moved into his house with his wife. But loving them both in different ways, he doesn't have the heart to turn either of them out.

Stars:

Bob Hoskins, John Thaw, Pat Ashton

Cast

Series cast summary:
Bob Hoskins	...	Dobbs (8 episodes, 1974)
John Thaw	...	Stan (8 episodes, 1974)
Pat Ashton	...	Annie (8 episodes, 1974)
Johnny Briggs	...	Spiggy (5 episodes, 1974)

Storyline

House burglar George Dobbs returns home from three years in prison to find his best friend has moved into his house with his wife. But loving them both in different ways, he doesn't have the heart to turn either of them out.

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Genres:

Comedy

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 June 1974 (UK)

Company Credits

Production Co:

London Weekend Television (LWT)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min 30 min (8 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

User Reviews

The Odd Couple plus one

'Thick As Thieves' was a British sitcom that would probably interest American viewers, as it stars two English performers who have strong Stateside followings: John Thaw (in a role very different from Inspector Morse) and Bob Hoskins. The series ran for only eight episodes, but every episode was hilarous. Even the title is funny. ('Thick' in Britain being another word for 'stupid'.)

George (Hoskins) is a career criminal: a burglar who was never very good at it. In the first episode, he is released one day early after a three-year gaol sentence. He returns to his house in Fulham and discovers his wife Annie (the excellent Pat Ashton) in bed with George's criminal colleague Stanley (Thaw). Annie is glad to have her husband home, but she has no intention of giving up her relationship with Stanley. So, the three set up housekeeping together.

One of the reasons why British sitcoms tend to be funnier than American sitcoms is because in Britain the relationships between the characters in a situation comedy will gradually change and develop, whereas the characters in Stateside sitcoms tend not to change at all. In 'Thick As Thieves', George starts out unwilling to share his wife with Stan, but he gradually accepts this as the series progresses. George and Stan are an 'odd couple': friends with radically different personalities, who clash constantly but respect each other's differences. It's clear that Annie genuinely loves both men, and she clearly enjoys being the centre of the threesome.

'Thick As Thieves' (by the excellent scriptwriting team Clement & La Frenais) should have run longer. I doubt that American tv has the guts to do anything similar.