Auf Weiedersehen Pet

“Workin’ on the site from mornin’ ’til night; that’s livin’ alright”
Back in the early eighties when there were only four channels on the Telly and over three million on the dole. One much watched programme in particular gave light relief and laughs to many. The adventures of three brickies from Newcastle whilst working in Dusseldorf, Germany. I watched one today where Oz, the irritating one with wisecracks galore superbly handled by the indefatigable Jimmy Nail, had a argument with some Germans and was sacked from his job, catching a bus to head back to England his compatriots chase after him. The only mode of transport is a Triumph Bonnie owned by the Brummie Barry, played by a droll Timothy Spall. The unspoken leader Dennis (Tim Healy) gets a backie from Barry to chase down the bus….

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“Workin’ all day for a pittance of pay, then blow it all on Saturday night. And you kiss the dames, but you don’t ask their names, that’s livin’ alright!”

Of course Oz got his job back as the graftin’ bricklayer but he still had something against the Germans:
“‘Cos they’re the bastards that bombed me granny!”

3 Comments to “Auf Weiedersehen Pet”

  1. A bloody marvellous program…..I was living in the UK from 1977 to 1985 and this was ‘must see’ tv…..mind you the alternatives were pretty few, but it was still a damned good show…. Les Elmer (Fudd)

  2. David,
    You are entirely right. As a rule ITV etc couldn’t touch the BBC when it came to quality sit-coms, BUT.. in this one they had a jewel.
    The first 2 series were the must-see tv of the 80’s.. and wonderfully funny.. wicked really. Subsequent series were.. less so. Funny thing that from the 80’s they were never shown again in the UK until very recent years.. when they’ve been regularly shown.
    Nice that the main players have all had long and successful careers except Jimmy Nail [Oz] who, with the exception of an outburst of pop hits in the early 90’s and 2 tv series.. one as a Geordie pop singer at the 90’s pop time in his career, and later in the very early 00’s as a Geordie detective, in disgrace back in the Toon.. he seems to have disappeared without trace.. shame really, he was the coolest dude of the lot.
    Regards
    B

    • Bill, I hadn’t seen this for var nigh thirty years and find it still as, if not more, funny now. Good writing, acting, characters the lot! Yes a rare ITV piece. Of course Auntie had Alan Bleasedales “black Stuff” drama to counter; though more serious – ‘go on gizza job! I could do That!’. But it’s grand to hear Geordie crack on! Dave

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