The Likely Lads (1976)

Terry is divorced from his German wife and has a Finnish girlfriend Christina. At Thelma's suggestion they join her and Bob on a caravan holiday but due to a mishap the men get separated ... See full summary »

Director:

Michael Tuchner

Writers:

Dick Clement (concept), Ian La Frenais (concept)

Stars:

Rodney Bewes, James Bolam, Brigit Forsyth

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rodney Bewes	...	Bob Ferris
James Bolam	...	Terry Collier
Brigit Forsyth	...	Thelma Ferris
Mary Tamm	...	Christina
Sheila Fearn	...	Audrey Collier
Zena Walker	...	Laura
Anulka Dziubinska	...	Dawn (as Anulka Dubinska)
Alun Armstrong	...	Tommy - Milkman
Judy Buxton	...	Iris
Vicki Michelle	...	Glenys
Penny Irving	...	Sandy
Michelle Newell	...	Alice
Susan Tracy	...	Edith Collier
Gordon Griffin	...	Cyril Collier
Edward Wilson	...	Les Ferris

Storyline

Terry is divorced from his German wife and has a Finnish girlfriend Christina. At Thelma's suggestion they join her and Bob on a caravan holiday but due to a mishap the men get separated from the women. Thelma mistakenly accuses Bob of infidelity and their row is heard publicly as they are in a van with the P.A. still switched on. Bob and Terry then holiday without the girls and,in a hotel at Whitley Bay,score with both the landlady and her daughter but have to make a hurried,trouserless,exit. Terry decides to emigrate and Bob joins him for a farewell drink on board his ship. However Terry changes his mind at the last minute and disembarks, realising too late that Bob is still on board and heading for Bahrain.

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Plot Keywords:

based on tv series | sequel | independent film | 

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Taglines:

Emotion blazes across the big screen as Bob and Terry knock down the frontiers of human knowledge and Newcastle ale.

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Genres:

Comedy

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 April 1976 (UK)

Also Known As:

Más que amigos

Filming Locations:

Tarset Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Anglo-EMI Productions Ltd.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Did You Know?

Trivia

Vicki Michelle had appeared in the TV series as Madelyn.

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Goofs

The damaged Vauxhall Chevette has registration plates with a different spacing, indicating it was probably a different vehicle. (The original undamaged car reappears later in the film).

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Quotes

Bob: These streets are ugly, but they have a kind of beauty.
Terry Collier: Working class sentiment is the indulgence of working peopled created through football and rock-and-roll or people like you who moved out to the elm lodge housing estate at the earliest opportunity.
Bob: Well I didn't want my kids growing up in these streets.

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Alternate Versions

When originally released theatrically in the UK, the BBFC made cuts to secure a 'A' rating. All cuts were waived in 1987 when the film was re-rated with a 'PG' certificate for home video.

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Connections

Spun-off from Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? (1973)

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Soundtracks

Remember When
Lyrics by Ian La Frenais
Music by Mike Hugg

User Reviews

Fog on the Tyne

No, this did not transfer to the screen successfully at all. Just like most other sitcoms ( bar the 'Dad's Army' film, which is watchable when there's nowt else to do ), this starts off in the doldrums - and stays there. The trouble with trying to transfer something like 'The Likely Lads' from the small screen to the big one in the first place, is the pseudo-emotional baggage it inevitably brings with it. The series, which was good, has the perceived emotions behind the title, as its hook. 'What's happened to us? Who are we? Remember when?' This can be sustained for thirty minutes, fifty once a year ( the Christmas Special where Terry is a taxi-driver is brilliant ). But, just like Lancashire's worst ( and chuck in Yorkshire for good measure )the Tyne's very own version of 'Ay, Lass, remember when' soaps, comedies and films all fail when it's given a grander suit ( some even fail in their work clothes ). The nostalgia-cum-pathos comes across as sick-making, and if the central characters stare at the clichéd landmarks too much ( ie cobbled streets - Manchester, the Mersey - Liverpool, and the Tyne Bridge on this ), then the whole thing is just too depressing. The honest truth about 'remember when' stories, is, unless you had the busy season of Henley, Wimbledon, Ascot and the Opera to distract you, then you were more likely to be staring at the Tyne with a view to jumping in it, because the reality was/is there were no better days that have gone, just misery. OK, I haven't mentioned the actual plot in this but there's no need. The birds, booze, marital misunderstandings and a sometime interfering friend ( or threat to the ambitious wife ), are all overshadowed by this 'Ee lad, we used to 'ave a grand time, what happened to us?' malarkey. Sorry, but this film is very, very poor and does no justice to the sometime-brilliance of the series.

John Haines