Quote: maidenpriest @ February 11 2011, 1:35 PM GMT

Today I am very disappointed, I bought the new box set of the so-called 'complete' Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em, and the scene in Series 3 - Moving House where Frank falls in the tar has been cut, and he no longer has that conversation with Mr Singh (played by Barbar Bhatti, who also appeared in It Ain't Half Hot Mum). Has anyone a transcript of that scene or video clip, does it appear on the previous DVD or VHS set?

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I just got the R1 release by BFS Video which includes all of series 1 (not in order though) and 4 random episodes from series 2&3. The Moving House episode is included and has Frank falling into the tar but not the scene with Mr. Singh.

Quote: MTpromises @ February 11 2011, 7:41 PM GMT

I just got the R1 release by BFS Video which includes all of series 1 (not in order though) and 4 random episodes from series 2&3. The Moving House episode is included and has Frank falling into the tar but not the scene with Mr. Singh.

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It's silly isn't it? Now he is saying "Good afternoon..." etc to no one, whereas in the original version, I remember a bemused looking Indian gentleman, I can't remember if Mr Singh said anything, but why has this been cut, it was not even offensive in a so called 1970s sitcom way, just a bemused looking Indian bloke!

I f**king hate what the BBC are doing to those classic comedy sitcoms, and I really feel like not paying my TV licence in protest and if I go to court, I will state every stupid cut they have made on Reginald Perrin, Only Fools And Horses and now Some Mothers... Arghhh it makes me so angry because it is a pointless exercise!

Quote: maidenpriest @ February 11 2011, 9:10 PM GMT

I f**king hate what the BBC are doing to those classic comedy sitcoms, and I really feel like not paying my TV licence in protest and if I go to court, I will state every stupid cut they have made on Reginald Perrin, Only Fools And Horses and now Some Mothers... Arghhh it makes me so angry because it is a pointless exercise!

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I understand your fury, but the DVDs are NOT RELEASED BY THE BBC, so that would be a monumentally stupid thing to do.

Quote: Aaron @ February 12 2011, 12:16 AM GMT

I understand your fury, but the DVDs are NOT RELEASED BY THE BBC, so that would be a monumentally stupid thing to do.

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Yes it would be, because on the whole I enjoy the BBC and think it's money well spent!

I enjoyed this more as a child. Watched it only recently, but for some reason I didn't find it that enjoyable like when I was younger.

The one episode I remember with fondness is with James Cossins.

Just seen the only press cutting on here for SMDAE. Said the 1975 Christmas special driving instructor episode was rubbish, an episode that pulled in God knows how many millions of viewers several times. But he was a Guardian journalist so therefore doesn't know what he's talking about, poor twerp.

I heard a brief clip of the show's creator-writer on R4 the other day and it seems he really was the model for hapless Frank, and a lot of the material was based somewhat on his own experiences. Isn't it criminal that we never got another sitcom from the man, not even a related spin off series. I don't know if he submitted further sitcom ideas and failed or didn't want to do another but Raymond Allen is a very rare one hit wonder sitcom writer from the era that got dozens of sitcoms produced by some writers and writing partnerships.

You'd think that having one huge classic under his belt in the Beeb's hayday would get the BBC's top producers almost shaking him upside down to get more work out of him. I find his writing CV almost too incredible to believe.

Quote: Alfred J Kipper @ September 22 2012, 2:39 PM BST

Just seen the only press cutting on here for SMDAE. Said the 1975 Christmas special driving instructor episode was rubbish, an episode that pulled in God knows how many millions of viewers several times. But he was a Guardian journalist so therefore doesn't know what he's talking about, poor twerp.

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You do know during the coalition, the left wing needs to agree with the centre...?

(The left wing being Kipper, I'm guessing, the centre being the Guardian)

Quote: Alfred J Kipper @ September 22 2012, 2:39 PM BST

Just seen the only press cutting on here for SMDAE. Said the 1975 Christmas special driving instructor episode was rubbish, an episode that pulled in God knows how many millions of viewers several times. But he was a Guardian journalist so therefore doesn't know what he's talking about, poor twerp.

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Why would the fact (or assertion) that something was watched by "god knows how many millions of viewers" have any corelation with whether or not said thing is is any good?

My own views on the programme aside, "popularity" is quite different from "quality". For example, the biggest selling daily newspaper is not necessarily the one with the "best" journalism.

I heard a brief clip of the show's creator-writer on R4 the other day and it seems he really was the model for hapless Frank, and a lot of the material was based somewhat on his own experiences. Isn't it criminal that we never got another sitcom from the man, not even a related spin off series.

No. I don't think it's criminal at all. Surely it's better to stop while the audience and critics still find it enjoyable. Grinding the formula into the ground to wring every last residual out of it may be counter productive. Take Fawlty Towers, for example: it stopped while it was ahead. I can't say for sure, but I'd hazard a guess that series twenty-two wouldn't have the same appeal.

However, I don't think it would be possible to create a series like SMDA'E in the current cultural climate as it is no longer acceptable to laugh at the travails and behaviour of someone like Frank Spencer.

Quote: bigger niche @ September 22 2012, 4:56 PM BST

No. I don't think it's criminal at all. Surely it's better to stop while the audience and critics still find it enjoyable. Grinding the formula into the ground to wring every last residual out of it may be counter productive. Take Fawlty Towers, for example: it stopped while it was ahead. I can't say for sure, but I'd hazard a guess that series twenty-two wouldn't have the same appeal.

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I don't disagree, on the threads which deal with that argument I've always gone for 'less is best' for the classics generally. But this is completely unrelated to what I said here about SMDAE's creator.

Quote: Alfred J Kipper @ September 22 2012, 2:39 PM BST

Isn't it criminal that we never got another sitcom from the man,

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Best episode for me will have to be "motorbike". the things he did on that motorbike was nuts for the time and I supposes even now it still stands its ground.

Didn't Michael Crawford star in an awful comedy called Chalk And Cheese after Some Mothers? Playing a cockney scrounger if I recall, it was terrible.

I liked the one where they went on honeymoon in this grotty hotel. The hotel owner is the guy from the first Catweazle series.

Quote: Pingl @ September 22 2012, 5:59 PM BST

Didn't Michael Crawford star in an awful comedy called Chalk And Cheese after Some Mothers? Playing a cockney scrounger if I recall, it was terrible.

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He did, and it was.

I love SMDAE. I love the series. My favourite episodes are Moving House, Cliffhanger, Motorbike and where he is learning to drive the Mini. I can't remember the episode name? And when Betty's in hostpital.

Frank Spencer landing in boiling tar? Highly embarrassing.

Michael Crawford going to Margaret Thatcher's funeral? Tops it by miles...