"Auf Wiedersehen, Pet" (1983) TV series 1983-2004

User Rating:

8.6/10   

Creator:

Franc Roddam

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

Release Date:

11 November 1983 (UK)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

The adventures of a gang of British workmen abroad. Combines black and white humour with moments of drama...

Plot Keywords:

Wolverhampton | British | Working Man | Dusseldorf | Newcastle Upon Tyne

Awards:

4 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Timothy Spall	...	Barry Taylor (40 episodes, 1983-2004)
Jimmy Nail	...	Oz Osborne (40 episodes, 1983-2004)
Tim Healy	...	Dennis Patterson (40 episodes, 1983-2004)
Kevin Whately	...	Neville Hope (40 episodes, 1983-2004)
Christopher Fairbank	...	Albert Moxey (39 episodes, 1983-2004)
Pat Roach	...	Bomber Busbridge (36 episodes, 1983-2004)
Gary Holton	...	Wayne Norris (26 episodes, 1983-1986)
Julia Tobin	...	Brenda Hope (22 episodes, 1983-2004)

Runtime:

50 min (26 episodes) (1983-1986) | 60 min (14 episodes) (2002-2004)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono | Stereo

Certification:

Australia:M (some episodes) | Finland:K-11 (2006) | Australia:PG | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Angel of the North, Gateshead, Tyne & Wear, England, UK

Company:

Central Independent Television

Trivia:

Jimmy Nail had done a spell of manual work in Germany himself, before filming the series.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Comic Relief 2003: The Big Hair Do (2003) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Back with the Boys Again

excellent series about brickie pals in Germany

One of the classic series of the 1980s, 'Auf Wiedersehen, Pet' works well as an ensemble piece, with every character complementing the other - Dennis, the sensible one (Tim Healy), Neville, the nervous one (Kevin Whatley), Barry, the dumb one (Timothy Spall), Oz, the crazy one (Jimmy Nail), Bomber, the tough one (Pat Roach), Wayne, the horny one (Gary Holton), and Moxey, the boring one (Christopher Fairbank). They're brickies on a building site in Dusseldorf, and the interest comes in watching them survive being thrown together.

Two series appeared in the early eighties, with the series being curtailed by Holton's untimely death during recording of series 2. Almost every episode was a winner - laughs, pathos, camaderie, and a real sense of liking of the characters involved. Well written, with a pair of great theme tunes (sung by Joe Fagin), and a good cast of supporting actors (Michael Elphick turns up now and then, Ray Winstone plays an army man AWOL), this drama really couldn't miss.

And the final three series reunited all the characters (bar Wayne - we saw his son Wyman, instead) for more laughs and an ultimately touching finale. Highly recommended and, surprisingly, not dated at all.