Sickness and Wealth

We spoke to Ann Bryson who played the part of a nurse from the episode Sickness and Wealth

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:18

We welcome to the Only Fools and Horses podcast, Anne Brighton. You played the role of the nurse in sickness and wealth. What were your memories of that?

SPEAKER_04 0:30

Well, um, you know, it was quite a long time ago. Um, but I remember being absolutely thrilled that Tony Dow said, you know, do you want to I've got I've got a very small part, do you want to do it? And I kind of went, yes, I do want to do it. Um, but as I say, it was a tiny little part, but it was such a a big show, you know, at the uh of of its time that it was thrilling, really.

SPEAKER_01 0:56

Yeah, and although it's a a short scene, it's always a memorable show to be on, isn't it? Only fools and horses, no matter what you do.

SPEAKER_04 1:06

I did my memory, was slightly that I did have maybe a couple more scenes, but no.

SPEAKER_01 1:13

Do you remember filming at all?

SPEAKER_04 1:15

Um, yes, I do. It was uh we filmed it without an audience, it was an OB, you know, an OB. They just put up a uh a hospital set somewhere. Um but we it wasn't in front of an audience uh uh my bit. But I think I did go to the audience recording. I seem to remember going um going to the audience recording.

SPEAKER_02 1:38

They used to record it on a Sunday, I think, Ann, didn't they? Was it Sunday night?

SPEAKER_04 1:41

Yes, I think they did.

SPEAKER_02 1:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:43

Because I suppose they use lots of actors who are in the theatre so that um you know they could rehearse during the day and then um and then record on a Sunday.

SPEAKER_02 1:55

But I've got it down as 5th of oh no, I think it might have been broadcast then, 5th of February 1989, I think it was broadcast. Right.

SPEAKER_04 2:02

You were and you were getting I think yes, I think we recorded slightly early on in the year, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 2:08

You and you you were getting, or OnlyFoods North was getting um between 15 and 20 million, you got 18.2 million for that episode. So that's not bad, is it?

SPEAKER_04 2:17

God, you wouldn't get I mean anybody would be thrilled to get half, well, a quarter of that these days, wouldn't they?

SPEAKER_02 2:23

Yeah, definitely. Back in the day, if you got 10 million, it'd be 18 million. Yeah, 18 million, yeah, yeah. Yeah. Did you have to audition for the part, Anne?

SPEAKER_04 2:33

Or no, I didn't because I was working with Tony, the director, on another project, and he just very sweetly said, you know, do you want to do this? So um yeah, I didn't, which was very nice of him. Um, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 2:50

You were you're a fan of the show already, I presume, were you? You knew about the show.

SPEAKER_04 2:53

No, I think everybody was. Well, I mean, you just it you couldn't not be, could you? No, no, it was such a part of the kind of fabric, you know, it was our Christmas Day, it was it was everything, wasn't it? You know, it was just such a John Sullivan was such a brilliant writer, he was such a brilliant writer. Um that it you couldn't you you couldn't not be a fan, I don't think. What was interesting was that um well because I watched it back because I I hadn't seen it for a bit, and I watched it back and there and there was a bit where where Delboy is actually quite homophobic, you know, where he says, Oh, I don't know whether you know, when I'm getting my haircut, where he what did he call him?

SPEAKER_02 3:39

I know he called him Jason.

SPEAKER_04 3:41

I mean a derogatory name.

SPEAKER_02 3:43

He said Jason. What did he say? He said I know he called him his name was Jason.

SPEAKER_04 3:48

He wasn't and he said, Oh, he's a bit, you know, and you could see that was John Sullivan, you know, having a real kind of you know, exposing that uh uh those people who hadn't probably encountered many homosexuals in their lives, you know, he hadn't probably Delboy, you know, it was all oh whoopsie, you know, all of those kind of stereotypical things. I thought he I just thought, God, you've navigated that absolutely brilliantly.

SPEAKER_01 4:18

It's a bit like um that scene where Delboy and Rodney um go into this pub and they think um they go into this club, and um yeah, do you do you know the one I'm talking about, Chris? And it's not a couple of geezers, it yeah.

SPEAKER_02 4:34

Go west, go west young man, wasn't it? Yeah, yeah. Are there a couple of ravens? No, there's a couple of geezers. That's the one, yeah. Yeah, you know the other second episode.

SPEAKER_01 4:45

But it's very clever, as you're saying, because it's very funny, isn't it?

SPEAKER_04 4:50

But it doesn't so clever to can to to you know to to use the character that you've created so beautifully to you know show up his foibles, you know, and his his um his shortcomings, really.

SPEAKER_01 5:06

And it doesn't go too far, does it? It's still funny. It's it's like it's yeah, it's on the line kind of thing. It's enough. It's enough, but it's still very funny.

SPEAKER_05 5:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 5:18

I was in I was interested to know if you still know your lines then and from the episode. Because you've seen it recently, did it and it's a long time ago, but no, I don't think I do.

SPEAKER_04 5:28

Something about Matron, wasn't there? About you've got to eat all your food or something. Yeah, that was it. Yeah, I think there are lots of there are lots of plays that I do don't know my lines for, but uh that's probably because I did them, you know, 300 times or whatever.

SPEAKER_02 5:43

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 5:45

I did a tour of the new sorry.

SPEAKER_02 5:49

Oh yeah, sorry, sorry, I think there's a bit of a delay on the thing. Yeah, of course.

SPEAKER_04 5:53

I did a tour of an evening with Gary Lineker, and I can recite loads of that, you know. I've uh that but uh but you know, I was on you did eight shows a week for four months or something on tour, so you know it's a long time.

SPEAKER_02 6:09

Yeah, you wouldn't he wouldn't eat his fish, he said it he wouldn't eat his fish, and I think you said it's fresh fish, and he said, I know it, as it's just winked at me or something. And then he wanted um what did he want? He wanted um I'm just looking down here. Oh, by the way, in the news about my application for a bed bath, he says at the end elbow, he's flirted with the walls.

SPEAKER_04 6:31

Oh yes, that's right. That's right. Cheeky.

SPEAKER_02 6:36

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 6:37

And of course, David Jason, you know, that was I mean, it was 30 years ago, wasn't it? David Jason was, you know, he was a kind of at the height of his of his, you know. I mean, he went on to do much more serious things, to do that touch of frost and stuff. But I mean, God, what a part.

SPEAKER_01 6:58

Oh, it's iconic, isn't it? Doughboy is one of the best characters ever, without a doubt.

SPEAKER_04 7:03

It's you know, and and the and the but with Rodney, you know, that just and I mean God when you watch Roger Lloyd Pack, oh you know, he's just that's so straight. There's not a glimmer, there's not, you know, uh yeah. I mean it was geniusly cast. I don't know, you'll be able to tell me who cast it, who cast it originally?

SPEAKER_02 7:28

Ray But yeah, Ray Butts, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 7:31

Really?

SPEAKER_02 7:33

Really?

SPEAKER_03 7:34

Wow.

SPEAKER_02 7:35

I know I know he casts Sir David because he was watching an episode of Open All Hours. He was struggling to find Delboy, weren't there? Character to play Del Boy. I think he was just watching Open All Hours.

SPEAKER_03 7:46

It was before Delboy, it was before Fools and Horses. God, was it really?

SPEAKER_02 7:51

I think he run did he I think he did run them at the same time, though. I think they did run Open All Hours came first, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 7:58

Um but I think he did when Ronnie Barker was in it.

SPEAKER_02 8:01

Yeah, that's it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 8:03

Didn't David Jason then go on to play the Ronnie Barker part?

SPEAKER_02 8:07

Years later, yeah, many years later he did, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 8:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 8:10

Still open all hours, wasn't it? Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 8:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 8:13

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 8:14

There was somebody who misses thing who lived down the road.

SPEAKER_02 8:19

Oh, yeah. Nurse Gladys, wasn't it? Who wrote it? Oh god.

SPEAKER_03 8:25

Nurse Gladys.

SPEAKER_02 8:26

Yeah, yeah. Another good comedy, definitely. Do you have any of your costumes or props from the show? Any memorabilia from your time on the show? No.

SPEAKER_04 8:39

I don't. I did you know, I was so in and out. Although I can hear my mother saying, Well, you should have had a haircut, and she's absolutely she'd be absolutely right. My hair was terrible. My mother always used my mother, you know. I'd say to her, Did you see do you see you know the show? And she'd say, Oh, yes, yes, I saw the show. Why did they put you in that cardigan? You looked awful. Okay, oh, okay.

SPEAKER_02 9:09

Say it like it is, yeah, yeah. Yeah. Bringing you back down to a thing.

SPEAKER_04 9:14

Yeah. She, I mean, you know. But I can hear her saying, Why didn't you have a haircut? You looked awful.

SPEAKER_01 9:22

So you're gonna be at the Only Fools and Horses convention. Are you looking forward to that? Is it your first one?

SPEAKER_04 9:27

Yes, I am, I've never been to one. I'm especially looking forward to seeing Michael Fenton Stevens. What was Michael in in Only Fools and Horses? Was he a vicar?

SPEAKER_01 9:36

No, no, he was part of the Groovy gang. He was part of uh that episode where Rodney goes away and he has to pretend he's 14. That one.

SPEAKER_03 9:45

Yes, was Mike in that one?

SPEAKER_02 9:50

Was it it was it was the same series as yours, I bet it was an episode or so later, actually. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 9:54

Oh, was that?

SPEAKER_02 9:55

Yeah, yeah. Yeah, Alan Perkins, yeah, yeah. Groovy Groovy, that's his cat sign, isn't it? Groovy. Oh, you're having fun. Groovy.

SPEAKER_04 10:04

Groovy. That's very Mike, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 10:07

Yeah, he's there. I'm just looking news on your day. Vast Blackwoods on your day, isn't it? The shadow.

SPEAKER_04 10:12

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_02 10:13

Uh Tony Angelino. Oh, Philip Pope. Um, he's big mates with Michael Fenton Stephen. Yeah, Philip Pope lovely day. Raquel and Cassandra. Did you meet Raquel or Cassandra on the show? You wouldn't met Raquel Strong.

SPEAKER_04 10:27

Yes, I did. I met Gwyneth Strong. I was very pleased to meet Gwyneth Strong. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 10:32

And the the Driscoll brothers, you know those guys at all, Christopher Ryan and um Chris Ryan. Chris Ryan, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 10:39

Yeah, I did a I did a darling, I did an opera with Chris Ryan.

SPEAKER_02 10:44

Oh wow. Wow. An opera.

SPEAKER_04 10:47

I know. I did yeah. And we all had to join in the singing, it was quite funny. And had these obviously incredible um opera singers to do it, and um all the opera singers were going, oh darling, that's an absolute nightmare. We've got to do two shows a week. It's going to be so exhausting. And um, and all the actors are going, What do you mean, two shows a week? We do eight bloody shows a week. You know, why are you complaining about two shows?

SPEAKER_02 11:15

Nothing, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 11:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 11:18

So you've been looking forward to that then, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 11:20

Yeah, but brilliant. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 11:22

Have you seen any of the casts into the show at all? Have you bumped into the David or Nick Lindhurst or anything?

SPEAKER_04 11:27

Um I did do some I did see Nicholas Lyndhurst or something, but he didn't. Uh my friend used to write um Goodnight Sweetheart. And I remember going to see that, but uh he wouldn't, you know, know who I was or anything.

SPEAKER_01 11:42

But um Yeah, we spoke to the creator of Goodnight Sweetheart, actually, because um obviously Nick was in it, and yeah, that was interesting. Yeah, because that was another great show.

SPEAKER_04 11:53

Oh, it's a great show. Really good idea. Although one of those ideas that I suspect when they pitched it, everybody went, sorry, what you would you go back in what you know, and then when they did it, it was so great. Yeah. Do you ever get any other writers to uh well I suppose it was only John Sullivan, wasn't it, who wrote it? No one else wrote it, did they?

SPEAKER_02 12:16

It was only John. I know Tony Dow. I mean, unfortunately, a lot with us now. Tony Dow uh would be a good one to have on, because he's got some good stories, hasn't he?

SPEAKER_04 12:26

Yeah, he's and he's such a great raconteur, Tony.

SPEAKER_01 12:29

We spoke to Adrian Peg, he was the production manager, that was interesting.

SPEAKER_03 12:34

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_01 12:35

Yeah, he famously blew up the coach in the Jolly Boys outing, so that was interesting. He said he had a lot of fun doing that.

SPEAKER_04 12:44

Yeah, I bet he did. I bet, God. I mean, all of those all of it was such a team, wasn't it? All of those recurring names that you see all the time. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 12:58

When I was looking back when I Googled Jan, I I was always a shock when you Google someone, you think, oh, that's the first from there. The Phil I remember them Philadelphia adverts very well that you were in. Oh yeah. Yeah. Did quite a few of those, didn't you?

SPEAKER_03 13:11

We did them for 12 years.

unknown 13:14

Wow.

SPEAKER_04 13:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 13:15

Wow.

SPEAKER_04 13:15

I know. And we just went for an audition and they didn't even we were me and Sarah were doing uh um a cabaret act at the time because we wanted to get our equity card. So we were kind of busking in Comic Garden and doing cabaret shows, and because if you showed that you could earn a living, you know, that's what the um the union wanted to see that you could that you were earning your living, you know. So we we did all these things, and we went for this audition, and they kind of said, Oh, um, this is you know, uh, and this is Sarah, so this is Anne, and we just went, Okay, well, we're we'll we'll play that game then. And they didn't uh and we kind of just auditioned for it. And it was always they didn't know that we knew each other.

SPEAKER_02 13:54

It was the catchphrase, wasn't it? What was it? F Philadelphia Labor something, wasn't it?

SPEAKER_04 13:59

Yeah, but we only said that once. We said that on the first and we put it in. Thank you very much.

SPEAKER_02 14:05

Oh wow, yeah, you've got the yeah, and you you had a duo, you were a duo work, you're a comedy duo.

SPEAKER_04 14:09

Yeah, yeah. We were called the Flaming Hamsters. And we were um because we uh uh because we met at drama school and we needed to, you know, you absolutely in those days you had to join the union, you know, so you couldn't get any work until you had. So we had to find a way of doing that, and so that's what we that's how we decided to do it.

SPEAKER_02 14:31

Are you still in touch with each other? Are you still friends?

SPEAKER_04 14:34

Yeah, yeah, we are, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 14:36

That could have backfired, couldn't it? Then we fell out back in 1997, yeah. Yeah, then she's right.

SPEAKER_04 14:42

I mean, we don't see each other very often because Sarah lives up in Scarborough, and um, but uh she's um she's often on tour and things, and I will always go and see her then. And you know, we we we keep in touch, yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_02 14:56

That's nice, yeah, yeah. Were you hoping for another part? I know it's hard when you're in a were you hoping for another part down the line in Fools and Horses, or did that never enter?

SPEAKER_04 15:06

Do you know I I never even it never crossed my mind because I just I couldn't believe that you know that I got that really. Um I mean it I would never have thought uh I would never have thought of it because it was so huge, you know, it was so kind of no, I I I would I just thank thanked my lucky stars that I got that.

SPEAKER_01 15:33

And do you remember watching it on the TV at the time? I know it's a lot of things.

SPEAKER_04 15:37

I do. I remember I think I watched I think I watched it, but did they repeat it? I've got a feeling that they showed it and then they repeated it.

SPEAKER_01 15:47

Oh, it's been one many times. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 15:50

Oh yes, I mean, but I I I mean it went well it was it was in the days where you stayed in to watch your programme, didn't you?

SPEAKER_05 15:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 15:58

Yeah, Thursday because it's my programme. I think maybe I can't remember who I watched it with, but I do remember, yeah, definitely watching it as it went out.

SPEAKER_02 16:09

Yeah, fifth fifth, I think 5th of February 9 was the the the night it was on, as well as recording on a Sunday. I I think they were running it, you know. One week you were recording it, the next week that episode was sh was shown. I think it was that quick, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 16:24

Wow. God, so the editors must have had to work really hard. But do you know what? I bet they didn't have that much work to do.

SPEAKER_02 16:32

No, maybe exterior shots and things, you mean, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 16:36

The Well also that though I can't remember. I mean, I remember going to watch it, I don't think there was that much retake. So you know, you know that you can be stuck in those blooming studios for hours, can't you? But I remember they'd all being pretty slick, you know, they just one take wonders, really.

SPEAKER_02 16:57

Yeah, like your 50 minute show, like your scene, you said wasn't on the night, so all that wouldn't have to be filmed, would it? The sum of it would have been in the can as it were already.

SPEAKER_04 17:05

So that would have all been just played in. Um yeah, yeah. But they were really, you know, they were what I'm sounding as I'm talking like as though they're dead, but um, you know, they they were very they're brilliant actors, they're really experienced actors, and they knew exactly what they were doing, so they just cracked on. Nobody kind of, you know, it was there was no um there was no hanging about.

SPEAKER_02 17:36

I know a lot of the actors say that as well, that like particularly David and Nick, they used to make the the supporting actors very welcome, didn't they?

SPEAKER_04 17:44

Like yourself, if you oh yeah, absolutely. Which is actually hard because I've been on things, you know, where somebody just comes in for a little bit and you know, if you're really tired and you know, you think, oh Craigy, you know, they're only here today, it doesn't really matter. Um and uh but having had that experience, I know that it's really important not to do that, it's really important to to make people welcome and you know they're they're part of the part of it.

SPEAKER_01 18:13

So and as you said, there wasn't many mistakes, and I think we've spoken about it before how with only fools and horses, it was more like a live performance a lot of the time because you would have a not not for your scene, there wasn't a live audience, but for a lot of it, they acted as if it was a live show as well.

SPEAKER_04 18:31

Yeah, yeah. And actually, I I remember all the seance stuff had to be pre-recorded because they had that that funny that the kind of crane shot, which I don't know how you do that now. You probably just do it with a drone or something now. But you know, that was probably that was I mean, I'm only thinking about it now, but uh at the I well, I thought about it when I was watching it again. At the time, that would have been quite a complicated shot to do. Yeah, so I that was all pre-recorded. She was brilliant at the um the seance one Elsie Partridge.

SPEAKER_01 19:04

I don't can't remember her actress name, um character name.

SPEAKER_04 19:08

She was brilliant, wasn't she?

SPEAKER_02 19:11

Oh yeah, she mentioned a few times. Yeah, she mentioned a few times in the in the series, isn't she? But that one that was her only one, yeah. Um Elsie Partridge is a medium, and you're selling dresses at the end of the day.

SPEAKER_04 19:22

Yeah, no, she's not, she's a lot, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 19:23

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 19:25

Doesn't she even get with Uncle Albert in the end? Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 19:29

Oh, does she?

SPEAKER_01 19:31

We never see her again, but I don't think, but um we find that out, don't we? Is that near the end of the series, Chris?

SPEAKER_02 19:38

Yeah, that that was the one where unfortunately sadly his funeral, wasn't it, where the story's gone, he's gone to live with Elsie Partridge on the south coast or somewhere like that, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 19:51

Yeah, so and luckily Uncle Albert was a a lot better with his money. But he what did he put his money into? It was something a lot safer, wasn't it? Bonds or something.

SPEAKER_02 20:00

Yes. Yeah. And and they got money at the end, didn't they? Yeah, they got money again at the end, didn't they? Uh Uncle Albert, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 20:07

And it really um well it saved their bacon, didn't it? Otherwise they would have been bankrupt.

SPEAKER_04 20:13

And all that stuff he did on those Christmas specials when he won the lottery and all of that, that was that was genius, wasn't it? And of course he didn't know what to do with the money, you know. Of course he didn't, because how would he? How would he know what to do with lots of money? He had never had lots of money.

SPEAKER_01 20:30

So you hear that a lot as well for people who win the lottery, they don't necessarily have it for very long. Um no.

SPEAKER_04 20:37

Because they all of the all of the kind of liggers come on, don't they? And you know, everybody kind of bowls in to get their sort of share. Remember that um spend, spend, spend, that musical that um what was his name? Um Steve Brown wrote about the girl who won the polls.

SPEAKER_02 21:02

I do seem to recollect it, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 21:06

Grandad thought he won the pools, but he never did.

SPEAKER_05 21:09

Remember that, Chris?

SPEAKER_02 21:11

Yeah. Del Boy said he'd won the pools to Grandad, and Grandad was in a nightclub with some woman, wasn't he, called Maria? Camilla, and then he realized he never he doesn't do the bloody pools, he said. So funny.

unknown 21:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 21:25

Do you still get recognised for your part, Anne? Do you do people do people come up to you still? No.

SPEAKER_04 21:30

No.

SPEAKER_02 21:31

Oh, so I didn't really get recognized.

SPEAKER_04 21:34

I uh I I hadn't really had that very much because um when I did cheese adverts, I I had you know wigs and masses of makeup and and and I and I'm um well as you can see quite lazy, and I can't really I don't really do all of that. So um I I have sat in a pub with Sarah um um quite often, actually. This has happened quite often, where people have come up to her going, You are you that girl of the Philadelphia? And I've sat there going, Oh, she's really good, isn't she? And they've gone, Yeah, not you, love. Oh, honestly, it's yeah.

SPEAKER_01 22:10

But I suppose you've never dressed up as a nurse again, have you? Like in public.

SPEAKER_04 22:14

So that's another It's my business, actually.

SPEAKER_02 22:19

Yeah, come on, Chris. Well, where would it rank in your career? Would it be quite there as number one?

SPEAKER_04 22:27

Or yeah, well, it was great, you know. I mean, it was so tiny, but and I was yeah, you know, I was young. I tell you the the brilliant thing about it is people say, because it gets repeated all the time when you get, you know, um, and people say, Oh, I saw you one, I didn't know you did any force and was I sort of think, yeah, yeah, because I'm I'm like, you know, how I would hold my 20, you know, I'm in my 20s. You think, yes, remember me like that, marvellous.

SPEAKER_02 22:56

And do you still got do you get is it? I mean, not trying to, but do you get like royalties or not?

SPEAKER_04 23:01

Or is that like yeah, you do, you do because in those days they the the contract was different. Now I don't know. I think you just get bought out now, but in those days, yeah. I mean, you know, it's down to about you know 35p when they sell it to Bulgaria. I mean, there are lit, it is literally the agent who I had at the time, I get a kind of remittance from them once a year because they collect all the all the money, and it is literally, you know, £2.50 from you know, you think, how is it worth anybody's time to collect this money?

SPEAKER_01 23:36

But um But that was the contract, I suppose.

SPEAKER_04 23:40

Yeah, that was the contract, absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 23:42

It's like um there's an actor who, well, he might have just been an extra, actually, um, who's in the scene where Delboy uh Delboy falls through the bar and he's just he's behind the bar, you know, doing the drinks. So every time that that's been on so many times, isn't it, over the years?

SPEAKER_04 23:58

Uh uh I mean absolutely that I mean it's on all of those clip shows, isn't it? As the kind of I mean, it's probably number one, isn't it? You know, in lots of those best moments on telly. I mean, it is or that or the chandelier.

SPEAKER_02 24:16

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 24:17

You know, those two are the kind of they get the top of the pops each time, don't they?

SPEAKER_01 24:23

Very hard to choose between them, isn't it, Chris? I'm I don't know if I could choose.

SPEAKER_02 24:28

I might throw one or two yeah, blow up Dole's one as well, and throw up there as one of the top ones, isn't it? As well, yeah. Batman and Robin, there's so many, isn't there?

SPEAKER_05 24:36

Batman and Robin.

SPEAKER_01 24:37

I like it as well when they get the money for the watch and then Rodney falls over, and uh no, Del Boy falls over and then Rodney falls over. It's oh yes, yes, yes.

SPEAKER_04 24:47

It's very clowny, actually, isn't it? It's very physical, and that yeah. Yeah, I think that it's so does David Jason come? Did the do the boys come to your things as well?

SPEAKER_02 25:02

So David has come to the we've never had him on the podcast, unfortunately, but he does come to conventions that you're going, he's there both days. Yeah, he's there both days for David, yeah. So that'd be nice for you to catch up.

SPEAKER_01 25:12

Nicholas Lindhurst doesn't, I don't think he's ever done it, has he, Chris? No, he hasn't.

SPEAKER_04 25:17

Shy, hasn't he?

SPEAKER_01 25:18

Yeah, yeah, yeah. And w we heard from Mike Fenton Stevens, funnily enough, he was saying about how it would be a bit too much for him sometimes because people would say all right, Dave, all the time, you know. So I can understand that, you know. Yeah, um, but as a fan, it must be hard not to, you know.

SPEAKER_04 25:37

Yeah. But just you know, he's everyone thinks if you're an actor, you're very gregarious, you know, you're naturally gregarious, but it's not true, you know, you're not, you're not, and he he's really good at what he did. And actually, I was really when I was watching it again, those trousers that are so I mean, the costume was just genius, wasn't it? Those completely, you know, those jeans that were just kind of they were so not fashionable, and those kind of flannel shirts that were just too big for him. It was just genius.

SPEAKER_02 26:17

And some of the costumes they they had for years, and they still have them, don't they? At some of the conventions you see them on display as well. It's amazing, yeah. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 26:25

I mean, as with you know, most people have clothes that they've, you know, everybody's got clothes that they've had for 30 years in their wardrobe, haven't they? You know, you might be wearing a new top or something, but you've still got that uh jacket or the thing that you don't wear very often, haven't you? And that's what they did so cleverly, I think.

SPEAKER_01 26:46

And as we said, yeah. And as we said before, um, without Nicholas Linters, Rodney, it wouldn't have worked, really, would it? I mean, he was as important as Delboy David Jason.

SPEAKER_04 26:58

Oh my god, yes. And who, you know, it'd be really interesting. I'd really like to know who else they were thinking of casting.

SPEAKER_01 27:07

For Rodney.

SPEAKER_03 27:09

Or either of them.

SPEAKER_01 27:11

Oh, well, we we know for um Sir David it was uh the actor who played Slater, wasn't it, Chris? Jim Broadbrand.

SPEAKER_02 27:17

Yeah, he was gonna play. There was a few people, yeah. Bill Bill Murray was another one that was gonna play Delbo, I think, as well, yeah. Um but you're right, Chris.

SPEAKER_01 27:28

I think they actually decided on um Nicholas Lindter straight away, actually. I don't think they thought of it. They saw him in butterflies.

SPEAKER_04 27:36

And um that's of course they did with lovely Andrew Hall. Hmm.

SPEAKER_02 27:42

Yeah, he was first cast. I think they were talking about Wilfred Bramble for granddad in Specto and some, but he was too well established, I think, in Speptoe, wasn't he?

SPEAKER_04 27:52

Because there was another brand there was another grand, there were two granddads, weren't there?

SPEAKER_02 27:56

Yeah, Uncle Albert later, wasn't it? Granddad.

SPEAKER_04 27:59

I mean Uncle Albert, yeah, yeah, yeah. Granddad and Uncle Albert, of course, you're right. Yes, of course.

SPEAKER_01 28:05

Yeah, yeah. Because he passed away, didn't he, in real life? And they actually did a funeral on the show, and it was, wasn't it, a week after that or something, Chris? They actually did a funeral for real. Yeah, not long, Chris. A few weeks later, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 28:20

Oh, that's nice, isn't it?

SPEAKER_02 28:24

How he could, John Sullivan, another string to his bow, he could write sadness and comedy at the same time, couldn't he then?

SPEAKER_04 28:30

You know, his pathos is just beautiful. Yeah, it's such a shame. He's you know, he's not that you that we don't have more of his stuff. That you didn't, you know, write plays and things that you could keep on doing because his writing's sublime, isn't it?

SPEAKER_02 28:49

So good of plays, did you see the musical, The Only Fools and Ours is Musical?

SPEAKER_04 28:52

No, I didn't.

SPEAKER_02 28:54

Was it good? Excellent, really good, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 28:57

Oh yeah. No, I didn't. I don't know why I didn't, but I didn't.

SPEAKER_01 29:01

Might come back.

SPEAKER_04 29:03

Yeah, yeah, it would definitely go if it came back.

SPEAKER_01 29:06

Oh, it's it's very good. Yeah. And that word you used, Dan. That word you use, Anne, for PAFOS. I'd say that's the word that we've heard the most on Only Fools and Horses podcast, PAFOS. And before we did this, Chris, did you know what it meant? I didn't either. No. I know what it means now. I didn't know. No, I suppose I'm not into the theatre as much.

SPEAKER_04 29:31

Well, you know, you can't, yeah, absolutely. How interesting.

SPEAKER_01 29:35

Yeah, no, I just think he's oh his it's one minute you're happy and the next minute you're sad, all the other way around, isn't it?

SPEAKER_04 29:42

It's the it's the you know, the two it's the two masks, isn't it? The the Commode d'Alarte, the happiness and the sadness, and the the ability just to be able to flip, you know, which he could absolutely do. God could he do it. Um, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 30:00

Do you know what to find?

SPEAKER_04 30:01

It's really interesting that he just was the one that wrote it all, you know. That they, you know, with all of these an American of those big writing teams and all the rest of it, and it was no, it was, you know, I'll write these six episodes and thanks very much.

SPEAKER_02 30:18

And the episode you're in, that's the first series that were 50 minutes as well, weren't they? Because I think a lot of the time, the half an hour, they were throwing good stuff away, really, weren't they? So I think 50 minutes they could build a bigger story, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 30:30

Oh, that's interesting. I didn't even notice that yeah, yeah, of course. Yeah, they uh amazing, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 30:41

I think the half an hour ones when you watch them now, you think it's gotta be quick, hasn't it? You know, tell the story, get off, but 50 minutes you could let it develop a bit more and put some more jokes in there and things, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 30:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 30:55

Do you ever remember Dr. Meadows that was on that was the doctor?

SPEAKER_04 30:59

I do. I do remember him because I did something else with him as well. I did a Syquam up in Glasgow for a bit and he was on that as well. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 31:07

And do you he got um quite a good film, didn't he? Do you know what film he was in?

SPEAKER_04 31:12

Is he in no, I don't. What was it?

SPEAKER_02 31:14

Titanic. He was in Titanic with Kate Winston Leonard. Yeah, he was the I think it was the was he the ship captain or something like that. Yeah, he's on the ship.

SPEAKER_01 31:24

Yeah, yeah, he's quite a noble character in it. Well, not to begin with, he's given a bribe, but then later on he throws the money at his face and he's like, Women and children first, it's not gonna save you. Um when they're playing the violins on the ship, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 31:37

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. With um Yosser from um oh what's his name? Oh yeah, boys and the black stuff. Um he plays the give us a job.

SPEAKER_02 31:50

Give us a he said give us a job, didn't he?

SPEAKER_04 31:52

Yeah, um, what's the actor's name?

SPEAKER_02 31:55

I don't know, but it's in Shirley Valentine as well, isn't he?

SPEAKER_04 31:58

Yeah, he was.

SPEAKER_02 31:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 32:00

He played the he played the husband, didn't he?

SPEAKER_01 32:02

Yeah, he always liked eggs and chips, didn't he? The husband, I think. Yeah, he threw up the wall, didn't he?

SPEAKER_04 32:10

I think and um Tom Conti saying, you know, oh you're so beautiful, and oh your uh your stretch marks, and then she just turns on the camera and says, Aren't men full of shit?

SPEAKER_02 32:20

Yeah, yeah. It's a good film back.

SPEAKER_04 32:24

Yeah, it's a great film. Yeah, and Jan Longley's great in it. Well, I mean, obviously, um um Pauline um Pauline This is Pauline.

SPEAKER_02 32:39

I was gonna say quirk, but it's not quirk, is it?

SPEAKER_04 32:41

No, that Pauline Collins. Um Pauline Collins is is brilliant in it, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 32:48

Was it was it Joanna Lumley or Sheila Hancock that was a mate in it? It was Joanna Lumley.

SPEAKER_04 32:53

She was Joanna Lumley was the hooker. Joanna Lumley was the hooker in the um Ah, but uh uh the girl that she goes on holiday with, I can't remember. Was that Shirley Hancock? Can't remember Sheila Hancock, can't remember.

SPEAKER_02 33:08

Off um Sean Governor and Stacey, isn't she? As well. She's Governor and Stacy afterwards, yeah. She was the um Gavin's mum, wasn't she?

SPEAKER_04 33:19

Oh, um Alison Steadman.

SPEAKER_02 33:21

Is that what it is? Right.

SPEAKER_04 33:23

Yeah, yeah. Uh that's right, it was Alison Steadman. You're right. Yeah, she was the mate that she went on holiday with, and then she came home, didn't she? And then um Pauline Collins stayed there, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 33:34

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 33:35

And Tracy, um Tracy. Oh god, we're all really trying to de dredge these up now. Plays a daughter. Oh, it's coming.

SPEAKER_01 33:48

I can't remember the discussion. Well, it's been lovely to speak to you, Anne. Sorry, we're running out of time now. Um it's been great to speak to you, and we really hope you're gonna be.

SPEAKER_04 33:56

It's really nice to speak to you and put a face to you. And um, I look forward to seeing you on Sunday. Great. Well, not this Sunday, but in a few Sundays. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 34:06

Thank you. I'm nice to speak to you.

SPEAKER_00 34:08

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