The Likely Lads

The Likely Lads was a hit British sitcom created and written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais. Twenty episodes were shown, over three series, by the BBC between December 1964 and July 1966. There was later a successful sequel series, in colour, entitled Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?. This was broadcast over 27 episodes between January 1973 and December 1974. A feature length spin-off movie was released in 1976.

Related Topics:
Sitcom - Dick Clement - Ian La Frenais - BBC - 1964 - 1966 - Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? - 1973 - 1974 - 1976

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The show followed the close friendship of two working-class young men, Terry Collier (James Bolam) and Bob Ferris (Rodney Bewes), in the northeast of England in the mid 1960s.

Related Topics:
James Bolam - Rodney Bewes - 1960s

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Both were conceived during an air-raid on the same night and then born in the same year, 1944. After growing up together they were now working in the same factory, Ellison's, alongside the older, wiser duo of Cloughie and Jack. The gritty, yet richly verbose humour derived mostly from the tensions between Terry's cynical, down-to-earth 'everyman' personality and Bob's striving ambitions to better himself and join the middle class.

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There was also a poignant note of social comment as Terry and Bob struggled to enjoy the booming Swinging Sixties on their meagre incomes. Thus, at the end of the third series, in 1966, a depressed and bored Bob joins the Army but is rejected due to his flat feet. Terry however, who secretly decided last minute to enlist to keep Bob company, is accepted A1 and shipped away for three years.

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For the record, it was gradually revealed that Terry and Bob's full names were Terence Daniel Collier and Robert Andrew Scarborough Ferris respectively. Also, the characters, both born in 1944, were also slightly younger than the actors. Furthermore, dialogue from an episode of the 1973/1974 sequel Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? indirectly revealed Terry's birthday to unusually be February 29th, shared with James Ogilvy. Bob's birthday is apparently the same as Bruce Forsyth's: February 22nd.

Related Topics:
Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? - James Ogilvy - Bruce Forsyth

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Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? was produced over five years later when Terry grumpily returns home after completing his extended enlistment. Bob married his childhood sweetheart Thelma Chambers in this series, but still had time for several adventures with Terry such as a bike race, the famous 'football result' episode, and a memorable Christmas fancy dress party.

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The word 'likely' in the title, in some northern English dialects, means 'likeable'.

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'What Became Of The Likely Lads' is also a 2004 song by The Libertines which enjoyed some UK chart success.

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