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IMDbPro

The Likely Lads

  • 19761976
  • 1h 30m
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
1.2K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
31,380
5,068
The Likely Lads (1976)
Spin-off from Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? 1973, although it shares its title with the earlier 1960s British television series The Likely Lads, of which Whatever was the sequel. 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 PA still switched on. Bob and Terry then holiday without the girls in a hotel at Whitley Bay. They 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 heading for Bahrain.
Play trailer2:42
1 Video
13 Photos
Comedy
Spin-off from Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? 1973, although it shares its title with the earlier 1960s British television series The Likely Lads, of which Whatever was the sequel. Ter... Read allSpin-off from Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? 1973, although it shares its title with the earlier 1960s British television series The Likely Lads, of which Whatever was the sequel. Terry is divorced from his German wife and has a Finnish girlfriend Christina. At Thelma's su... Read allSpin-off from Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? 1973, although it shares its title with the earlier 1960s British television series The Likely Lads, of which Whatever was the sequel. 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 separa... Read all
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
1.2K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
31,380
5,068
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Michael Tuchner
    • Writers
      • Dick Clement(concept)
      • Ian La Frenais(concept)
    • Stars
      • Rodney Bewes
      • James Bolam
      • Brigit Forsyth
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Michael Tuchner
    • Writers
      • Dick Clement(concept)
      • Ian La Frenais(concept)
    • Stars
      • Rodney Bewes
      • James Bolam
      • Brigit Forsyth
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 23User reviews
    • 2Critic reviews

    Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 2:42
    Trailer

    Photos13

    Rodney Bewes and James Bolam in The Likely Lads (1976)
    Rodney Bewes and James Bolam in The Likely Lads (1976)
    Rodney Bewes and James Bolam in The Likely Lads (1976)
    Rodney Bewes and James Bolam in The Likely Lads (1976)
    Rodney Bewes and James Bolam in The Likely Lads (1976)
    Rodney Bewes and James Bolam in The Likely Lads (1976)
    Rodney Bewes and James Bolam in The Likely Lads (1976)
    Rodney Bewes and James Bolam in The Likely Lads (1976)
    Penny Irving and Vicki Michelle in The Likely Lads (1976)
    Rodney Bewes and James Bolam in The Likely Lads (1976)
    The Likely Lads (1976)
    Rodney Bewes and James Bolam in The Likely Lads (1976)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Rodney Bewes
    Rodney Bewes
    • Bob Ferris
    James Bolam
    James Bolam
    • Terry Collier
    Brigit Forsyth
    • Thelma Ferris
    Mary Tamm
    Mary Tamm
    • Christina
    Sheila Fearn
    • Audrey Collier
    Zena Walker
    Zena Walker
    • Laura Windsor
    Anulka Dziubinska
    Anulka Dziubinska
    • Dawn Windsor
    • (as Anulka Dubinska)
    Alun Armstrong
    Alun Armstrong
    • Tommy - Milkman
    Judy Buxton
    • Iris
    Vicki Michelle
    Vicki Michelle
    • Glenys
    Penny Irving
    Penny Irving
    • Sandy
    Michelle Newell
    • Alice
    Susan Tracy
    • Edith Collier
    Gordon Griffin
    • Cyril Collier
    Edward Wilson
    Edward Wilson
    • Les Ferris
    Roger Avon
    • Joe the Landlord
    Ronald Lacey
    Ronald Lacey
    • Ernie
    Elizabeth Lax
    • Wendy - Bob's Secretary
    • Director
      • Michael Tuchner
    • Writers
      • Dick Clement(concept)
      • Ian La Frenais(concept)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Bob's poem quotation ("Dirty British coaster with a salt-caked smoke stack,/Butting through the Channel in the mad March days") is from 'Cargoes' by John Masefield. As the lads observe, it was a standard piece of recitation in schools and particularly noteworthy to Tynesiders.
    • Goofs
      The Vauxhall Chevette was never sold with wing mirrors. They had door mirrors, and in many scenes the two screw holes for the missing door mirrors can be seen on the doors. For some reason the film company removed the door mirrors and stuck on prop wing mirrors.
    • Quotes

      Terry Collier: I'd offer you a beer, but I've only got six cans.

    • 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.
    • Connections
      Featured in Britain's Best Loved Sitcoms (2015)
    • Soundtracks
      Remember When
      Lyrics by Ian La Frenais

      Music by Mike Hugg

    User reviews23

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    Bob and Terry hit the big screen with typically miserable glee‏.
    A big screen outing for likely lads Rodney Bewes and James Bolam, it's a spin off from the popular TV shows that the two made in the 60's and 70's. It's directed by Michael Tuchner and written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais.

    Plot sees lifelong friends Bob Ferris (Bewes) and Terry Collier (Bolam) finding that times are a changing very fast. When the street where they grew up starts to be demolished, the pair feel the pangs of nostalgia more than most, even bringing the onset of a sort of mid-life crisis. Bob has to face life in the normality of a marriage to the no nonsense Thelma (Brigit Forsyth), and Terry, recently divorced, takes on a new girlfriend whilst firmly ensconced at his parents high rise flat. When Thelma sees that Terry, once the bane of her relationship with Bob, is going steady and happy with Christina (Mary Tamm), she plans a caravan holiday for the four of them….Which surely will not go as planned?

    Although taking the title of the first show that ran on British TV between 1964 and 1966, this film spin off is closer in tone to the sequel show, Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? During the 70's, Britain was awash with situation comedies, many of which had the obligatory film spin off. Sadly, very few of them were any good, bogged down by trying to extend a half hour comedy formula into three times the running time. The Likely Lads movie is one of the rare successes, mainly because the writers were so in tune with the times, they were able to plant the much loved characters in the 70's time frame and involve the comedy as such. Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? Always carried an air of melancholy about it, but the comedy was still rich and prominent, so it be with this film version.

    Bewes and Bolam were an excellent partnership, where Bob is a snob in waiting, borderline henpecked one at that, Terry is the slob, the boozy cynic always dragging Bob back to reality. But their bond is born from the days of hard drinking and chasing women, they hanker for those days again, it's almost as if they refuse to accept they are getting a bit too long in the tooth for such antics now. Here in the film, Clement and La Frenais play on this with much reward, you see, the modern world has not just caught them up, it's also winning the race between them. The answer is simple, take a holiday. But of course this too will be one for the miserablists to bemoan, it's a classic British holiday, small caravan, pouring rain, chance of nooky? Zero. Chance of great comedy? Very high.

    The plot doesn't in truth quite cover the 90 minute run time, but there's enough here to warrant it being called one of the better film spin offs from the 70's. Great acting, not just the boys, Forsyth always a revelation, and writing as crisp as a winters day. God bless those Geordie boys. 8/10
    helpful•7
    2
    • hitchcockthelegend
    • Jul 7, 2011

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 8, 1976 (United Kingdom)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Zwei nette Früchtchen
    • Filming locations
      • The Bee Hive Inn, Hartley Lane, Earsden, Whitley Bay, Tyne & Wear, England, UK
    • Production company
      • Anglo-EMI Film Distributors
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 30 minutes
    • Sound mix
      • Mono

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