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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mel O&#039;Drama" data-source="post: 423445" data-attributes="member: 23">It's time to see if this relatively short-lived - and presumably mostly-forgotten - little series from the early Eighties triggers any nostalgia in me. I won't have seen it since its first transmission.<img src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71-6IvdtN5L._AC_SL1079_.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="width: 587px" />I'd forgotten quite how catchy the theme song is. The way the characters name is sung always used to remind me of the Wonder Woman theme (it's even sung in a similar kind of rhythm).  The guitar licks and the bassline pattern - especially over the end titles - remind me very much at times of 10cc's Dreadlock Holiday or (to a lesser extent) Pink Floyd's Another Brick In The Wall. And I enjoy the spoken lyrics over the end titles which create a sense of the title character's rebelliousness. [MEDIA=youtube]70cnkyy4m5U[/MEDIA]I was curious about the artists involved, so I just ran a search on their names. Nick Sherrif appears to have <a href="https://www.discogs.com/artist/2407631-Nick-Sherrif" target="_blank">released a number of singles</a>, none of which I can find online (though I can find lots of music from a similarly named younger performer with one "R" and two "F"s in his surname). <a href="https://www.discogs.com/artist/743480-Brian-Wade" target="_blank">Brian Wade</a> had a history of stock music, with hundreds of Bruton Music tracks to his name. He was also a member of a group called The Echoes. He'd produced Elaine Paige's 1978 album Sitting Pretty on which he co-wrote most of the songs. He wrote further themes such as The Other 'Arf. Along with co-Gaffer-lyricist Maureen Darbyshire, he would go on to write the UK's 1987 Eurovision entry, Runner In The Night, which came seventh and sung by Ryder, a group featuring none other than Bill Maynard's son. Maureen, by the way, is the actress formerly of Rumpole Of The Bailey, so that's an interesting little career shift. <a href="https://www.discogs.com/artist/1995338-Maureen-Darbyshire" target="_blank">She also has a few tracks under her belt</a>, and I love that the single release of The Gaffer theme tune tops the list.The clapped-out Rover P6 is present and correct. It's the first "character" we see at the start of the opening titles, and is also part of the mid-opening titles running gag in which title character Fred Moffat is teased about his vehicle of choice by tertiary character Ginger. I assume enough of these brief scenes for one series are recorded back-to-back at one time (for the second series Ginger has acquired a rather nice Eightieslicious jacket to replace his plain one).While the series is mostly confined to the studio, the opening credits and several establishing scenes give the opportunity for some location spotting. Most have eluded me, but I have noticed that the first scene of the opening credits is shot in Leeds city centre, with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Majestic,_Leeds" target="_blank">The Majestic</a> prominent in the background (meaning he's parked right outside the Queen's Hotel). I'm sure there's some retrospective irony to be found in an ITV sitcom character scoffing at a parking fine issued outside what is now the headquarters of Channel 4.  After he crunches the car into gear, the car is magically transported to a more suburban setting from which he pulls away.This series is the first thing that comes to mind when seeing Bill Maynard's name. I was too young to know Oh No It's Selwyn Froggitt (which I watched for the very first time a few pages back) and, while it's possible I might have seen one or two of his Carry Ons before discovering this series, I can't remember noticing him. If I had watched I'm sure he would have been overshadowed for me at the time by the regulars. As The Gaffer, though, he made an indelible impression on me. Certainly, his is the only character I can remember, even though I seem to recall finding his blunt gruffness and his heavy-set bearded appearance a little intimidating.Bill does great work here. When it comes to dialogue, the scripts are surprisingly dense. There are pages and pages of dialogue for each scene, with pithy line after pithy line fired off.  So much is there, in fact, that the audience has to follow along carefully or risk missing a gem. There's a lot of wordplay, and plenty of typically sardonic Yorkshire put-downs. Bill has most of the dialogue and certainly earns his stripes here.It's said (on Wikipedia, at least) that writer/creator Graham White was unhappy that Maynard kept changing his dialogue, with the strained relationship meaning that a planned fourth series didn't happen. I can understand both positions. With so much dialogue to memorise, there are times when Maynard does seem to stumble a little and quickly recover with an apparent ad lib. I'd imagine there wasn't much time for retakes, so his ability to keep going as smoothly as possible - which I suspect comes from his background in rep - is an asset. I actually like these moments as the ense of watching something live and organic creates not only a naturalism, but an exciting energy which builds rapport. But I can also appreciate that some productions are more precious about saying dialogue verbatim, lest the actors become the writers. When there's a clash between these two philosophies, it creates a kind of irresistible force paradox.Even having my memory jogged by rewatching, I don't remember any of the other characters. Perhaps this is a testament to Bill creating such a memorable central character. All the same, watching today I find myself thinking it's a great ensemble, mostly made up of faces I don't recognise from other projects.Pat Ashton is most notable to me for being Barbara Windsor's double. There are some scenes in which I can't get over how much she looks like Babs from almost every angle (and she was indeed Barbara's understudy in 1970 for Ned Sherrin's Sing A Rude Song, taking the lead when Babs came down with laryngitis). If it wasn't for the voice, I'd be easily convinced she actually was Babs. I'm guessing this might not be Pat's usual voice anyway. Wiki says she's known for her "engaging cockney, blonde persona" but since the series is set up North she's giving us a more neutral accent closer to RP. She's very engaging to watch, with one frustrating exception: at the end of practically every scene, her character Betty laughs at something Fred does or says, invariably turning her head so that we get her right profile as she throws back her head and laughs (as seen in the thumbnail above). It always feels really fake and staged. I don't know if this is a choice of Pat or the director. I'd guess the latter since Russell Hunter has been seen doing something similar, albeit to a far lesser degree.As shop steward Harry, Russell Hunter is also very watchable. He has a very flexible and mobile face when speaking, which he uses well to underscore the comedy while still being a very intense kind of character. His erstwhile brother in union is played by future Charlie Cotton from 'Enders (who is so mellow and Northern here, I initially mistook him for his brother, former Ernie Bishop from Corrie). Don Crann is very endearing indeed as helpful and naive labourer Charlie.Familiar guests have included future Sir Frank Gordon Peter Cellier and Milton Johns, one of those character actors who seems to have been in everything - always playing the same grey-faced officious,  funereal type - but who I don't instantly associate with any one role even though I feel I should (looking at his filmography, I suspect I'd have seen most of him in children's drama series Murphy's Mob - a series I'd completely forgotten about until I saw it listed just now).Already I've watched half of the entire programme, so I don't think it will take me long to get through The Gaffer. How much I'll have to say about it remains to be seen, but I do know that I'm enjoying it.</blockquote>

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