Only Fools And Horses - the Albert years Page 2

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denzil_Tulser There he moved down when his was in his teens I don't know how he kept his original accent either. After all it had been 30 plus years since he was there

His family would have a Liverpudlian accent at home.
And they tell me you can take a Scouser out of Liverpool but....

Quote: Alfred J Kipper @ 25th November 2018, 2:02 PM

Unless a dialect expert corrects me I find it hard to believe that a young kid would retain his original accent after living in a place for 30 years especially Saaf Landon. The Class of 62 is one of my top 5 OFAH eps, possibly my favourite but I was surprised and still am by hearing that Denzil was schoolmates with Del and the rest. With such a thick Scouse accent it still bewilders me to this day how he was at school in Peckham as a teen. And I haven't seen it for a while but they don't talk as though Denzil had just moved down but maybe I'd better watch it again. Huh?

Reference please Wheel, ta.

Denz moved down from Liverpool with his family when he was 14/15 as seen in Rock & Chips.

Quote: Wheel @ 25th November 2018, 2:08 PM

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denzil_Tulser
There he moved down when his was in his teens I don't know how he kept his original accent either. After all it had been 30 plus years since he was there

Thanks Wheel. That's quite enlightening, especially the reason why his wife Corrine only appeared in one ep, which was a bit odd after such a good performance in a very funny episode - One in which Grandad shone imo and showed how good Series 3 was, one of the very best imo.

Quote: Tommy Griff @ 25th November 2018, 7:10 PM

Denz moved down from Liverpool with his family when he was 14/15 as seen in Rock & Chips.

Ok but wouldn't it have been easier to cast a Londoner? The actor was very good as Denzil but there were plenty others around to play him who'd have sounded like a local. It was a very London geezer sitcom after all, half the joke was it was sending up the cockney wideboy hustler type.

Quote: Alfred J Kipper @ 25th November 2018, 8:25 PM

Thanks Wheel. That's quite enlightening, especially the reason why his wife Corrine only appeared in one ep, which was a bit odd after such a good performance in a very funny episode - One in which Grandad shone imo and showed how good Series 3 was, one of the very best imo.

Ok but wouldn't it have been easier to cast a Londoner? The actor was very good as Denzil but there were plenty others around to play him who'd have sounded like a local.

It's ethnic London - even in the 80s.

The actor was very good as Denzil - you said it mate. If the actor is good enough, that's all that matters. Let the writer decide why they ventured down to wherever they live.

Quote: Alfred J Kipper @ 25th November 2018, 8:25 PM

Thanks Wheel. That's quite enlightening, especially the reason why his wife Corrine only appeared in one ep, which was a bit odd after such a good performance in a very funny episode - One in which Grandad shone imo and showed how good Series 3 was, one of the very best imo.

Ok but wouldn't it have been easier to cast a Londoner? The actor was very good as Denzil but there were plenty others around to play him who'd have sounded like a local. It was a very London geezer sitcom after all, half the joke was it was sending up the cockney wideboy hustler type.

Unfortunate about what happened to the actress as she was going to appear in more episodes. But I think John Sullivan did a good thing making her a unseen character rather than getting a new actress.

I loved series 3 but the episode where Del meets the posh woman doesn't make the series the best for me. I hate that episode for me it's behind series 6 and series 2.

I agree with the Kipper
Uncle played it like a pantomime.
Grandad was unique.

Quote: Alfred J Kipper @ 24th November 2018, 7:19 AM

Sorry but most times I found him very annoying. His mugging of the scenes especially overdoing a secondary line so he could be more prominent and his general one tone acting style was off putting and I'd have watched more if it wasn't for him and that Cassandra. They needed a third character when Grandad left but not one who wanted to be the star when it was clearly not his place to be.

It sort of worked over time because they gave his character a more prominent role than Grandad but to me that was just indulging the awful scene stealing actor and made watching an ep even more difficult. There was a very believable rumour back then that Jason and Lyndhurst didn't get on with him offset because he wouldn't tone down his mugging acting style on it.

30 years on from the timeless instalment, the Only Fools and Horses cast are set to reunite at Dreamland in Margate to mark the anniversary of The Jolly Boys Outing.

Seems of late there's been a lot of reuniting. Cheap TV.com

Looks like it's just Denzil, Marlene, and Mickey making in-person appearances in Margate rather than a televised thing like that Miranda reunion this year will be.

I am watching the entire series of OFAH for the second time, having learned about it in one of David's books. The first time I saw the episodes I was stunned that someone of the acting caliber of Buster Merryfield had been chosen to replace Lennard Pearce who brought Grandad to life so subtly and beautifully. It is very difficult to watch him onscreen and I think it was a huge casting mistake.

Quote: ElvisP @ 12th April 2021, 6:38 AM

It is very difficult to watch him onscreen and I think it was a huge casting mistake.

You're not wrong.
He was hopeless - awful mugging of Dick Emery proportions.

Quote: ElvisP @ 12th April 2021, 6:38 AM

the acting caliber of Buster Merryfield ....... It is very difficult to watch him onscreen and I think it was a huge casting mistake.

Totally agree, I suspect he slept with a lot of people to get that gig.

Some strong opinions against poor old Buster here - what does it matter that he didn't have the acting caliber? He absolutely nailed the role Sullivan had written for him and he joined at a time that the show was evolving and this is evident in the fact the ratings got higher and higher as time went by. I don't think I've ever heard a negative word said about him by fans apart from this forum!

I think someone mentioned in this thread that Lennard Pearce was this seasoned professional in the field of acting, but he barely had not more than a few more roles than Buster - if the online sources are accurate.

Uncle Albert was fricken hilarious - end of story!

Quote: Tommy Griff @ 13th April 2021, 9:20 PM

Some strong opinions against poor old Buster here - what does it matter that he didn't have the acting caliber? He absolutely nailed the role Sullivan had written for him and he joined at a time that the show was evolving and this is evident in the fact the ratings got higher and higher as time went by.

That is true, he did do the right thing in writing in a new character, no doubt not wanting to repeat the mistakes of Citizen Smith (I doubt they were his decisions) when actors left. He also avoided the errors of sitcoms like AYBS, bringing identical characters in all but name in.

He went for a complete change of character that brought with it its own problems, he was loud and boastful, traits most Brits don't like, especially when Grandad was a quiet and naïve character. It reminds me of the casting of Cheeseman to replace Walker, subtle, clever and cool replaced by loud and uncool - was never going to be popular with everyone. But I see the point you make, it was Sullivan's choice. And the sitcom did get stronger and more popular during his tenure (if not because of it).

I don't think the part is the issue.
It was the over-acting.