NOVEMBER 24 — When I heard the phrase “likely lad” spoken after so many years, it was on the sitcom The Office. My brother, who was studying in the UK at the time, asked me what it meant and to my own surprise, I knew!
It was no deficiency on his part for not knowing. You could ask any native Brit and chances are, he would not know either.
It is a phrase from a bygone era. It originated in northern England and referred to someone who showed great promise but could also mean mischievous.
But what really made it famous was the sitcom The Likely Lads and its sequel Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads from the 60s and 70s.
Today, I learnt that one half of that cultural landmark, Rodney Bewes, had died.
I was fortunate that my grandfather used to enjoy British sitcoms. While many Malaysians of my and my parents’ generation would remember sitcoms like Mind Your Language, I am sure (primarily because of its overwhelmingly ethnic cast), few would remember other British sitcoms which enjoyed significant airtime over RTM in the early to mid 80s. Of these were the aforementioned The Likely Lads and its sequel.
While I enjoyed the sitcoms then. I never really caught them again on terrestrial or even cable TV. It was only during the DVD revolution (circa 2006-2008) that I finally remembered them and easily found information online.
I also found a book in the British Film Institute on TV programmes. I bought the DVD collection the very same night and finished them all within a week of delivery! I still enjoy a re-watch every now and again.
The Likely Lads is about these two young men who were born during World War 2, Terry and Bob (played by James Bolam and Rodney Bewes).
The original series was set in the 60s when they began their working lives at entry level jobs. This was set before the days when a university education became ubiquitous.
Something worth noting is that for this series, only eight of the 20 episodes remain. This unimaginable loss was due to the BBC’s policy of erasing used tapes, ostensibly to save space or money!
Either reason would be pathetically inadequate and despite the slim hopes (the episodes are a half century old by now), I hope they recover them someday.
After the series ended, the writers created a sequel. This lasted two seasons and even led to a TV movie.
Fortunately for us, all of the episodes survived. Why wouldn’t they save it, this sequel used to win over 20 million viewers, more than a third of the population!
So why was this series so popular? Of course the script and acting were excellent but what I feel took it over the top was its social commentary.
It depicted the lives of young white men of the time. They grew up at a time when Britain was rebuilding herself after a long harsh winter that was World War 2.
This Britain was cold (global warming was still 20 years away) and drinking endless cups of tea was a must. The nation was still getting used to the influx of immigrants then as well.
In the sequel, Terry returns home after a five-year stint in the army and finds Bob already entrenched in middle class society.
He has a managerial job and is engaged. He had also put a downpayment on a house which was a key element in showing his social upgrade.
Being a homeowner in this vibrant Britain of the 70s was a very significant part of social climbing. Seeing this gone and forgotten Britain fills one with nostalgia.
After the TV movie was aired in 1976, the late Mr Bewes and his co-star fell out after a misunderstanding and never spoke again.
Mr Bewes never again achieved the heights which he commandeered during that time. Mr Bolam, on the other hand, acted in a few successful series and became a British institution. He even won an MBE. Such are the disparate ends of the likely lads.
* This is the personal opinion of the columnist.
