The Likely Lads (film)
| The Likely Lads | |
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UK theatrical poster
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| Directed by | Michael Tuchner |
| Produced by | Aida Young |
| Written by |
Dick Clement Ian La Frenais |
| Starring |
Rodney Bewes James Bolam Brigit Forsyth |
| Music by | Mike Hugg |
| Cinematography | Tony Imi |
| Edited by | Ralph Sheldon |
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Production
company |
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| Distributed by | Anglo-EMI |
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Release date
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1976 |
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Running time
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90 mins |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
The Likely Lads is a 1976 British comedy film directed by Michael Tuchner, starring James Bolam and Rodney Bewes. It is a spin-off from Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?, although it shares its title with the earlier 1960s British television series The Likely Lads, of which Whatever was the sequel.
The screenplay is by the scriptwriters of the television show, Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais; and the principal roles of Bob and Terry, as well as those of Bob's wife Thelma and Terry's sister Audrey, are played by the original television cast.
An opening pre-credits sequence shows the conception of both Lads during a World War II Air raid. After the opening titles the film cuts to Bob and Terry, both aged about thirty, playing football with some boys.
The main plot begins with Bob and Terry's favourite watering hole, the Fat Ox, being demolished. The middle class Bob feels great sentimentality for this loss, whereas the working class Terry, who is now living in a high rise council flat, is more optimistic about the city's redevelopment, pointing out that he now has a "modern kitchen, a lovely view and an inside lavatory". From this establishing sequence the plot unfolds: Terry receives his final divorce decree, freeing him from his wife in West Germany, and is looking forward to a bright future; Bob on the other hand is growing tired of his married life with Thelma, and jaded with his social activities (the two things he boasted about in the television series).
Terry is now in a relationship with Christina (or 'Chris' as she's known), a Finnish beauty who works at the local boutique, of whom Bob is openly envious. Thelma sees this as an opportunity to get Terry married and settled down, thus removing the perceived threat to her marriage to Bob which Terry, as Bob's lifelong best friend, represents. In her pursuit of this, Thelma insists the four of them going away on a caravanning holiday in Northumberland; but while Thelma and Chris enjoy the trip, Bob and Terry do not. They hitch up the caravan, with the girls asleep in it, and set off to drive home. However, while they're stationary at a set of temporary traffic lights, Thelma and Chris get out and Bob drives away before they can get back in, stranding them in front of the church going congregation of the market town. Not realising they're now alone, Bob and Terry nevertheless pick up Sandra and Glenys, two attractive young female hitch-hikers, before Thelma and Chris catch up with them again.
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