"version of ""Billy Liar"" (1963) as Arthur Crabtree, alongside his close friend Tom Courtenay. The two men shared a flat at the time; Bewes, having seen Courtenay's script, independently and successfully approached the casting director for the part. The following year his northern working-class background and natural northern accent stood him in good stead, landing him the role of Bob Ferris in ""The Likely Lads"" (1964-66) after Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais had seen him in ""Billy Liar"". In ""The Likely Lads"" Ferris was the more ambitious of two Newcastle factory workers, with Terry Collier (James Bolam) being his"
"The Likely Lads (film) 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"
"Geordie slang, ""a likely lad"". Another possible meaning is the ambiguous Northern usage of ""likely"" to mean a small-time troublemaker. Guest stars included George Layton, Garfield Morgan, Wendy Richard, Susan Jameson (the real-life wife of James Bolam), Michael Sheard, Nerys Hughes, Geoffrey Hughes, Helen Fraser, Tony Caunter and Irene Richmond as Mrs Alice Ferris in three episodes. Only eight episodes survive (as film telerecordings) in the BBC's archives, as a result of its wiping policy of the time. However, the BBC Archive Treasure Hunt, a public campaign, continues to search for missing episodes. Additionally, an eight-minute episode of ""The Likely"
"May 2011, The Tynemouth Priory Theatre, in Tynemouth, Tyne and Wear, were granted the rights to become the first non-professional company to stage the production. It became one of the theatre's most attended productions, selling out well in advance for all performances. Terry was played by Brendan Egan and Bob by Stu Bowman. Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? is a British sitcom which was broadcast between 9 January 1973 and 9 April 1974 on BBC1. It was the colour sequel to the mid-1960s hit ""The Likely Lads"". It was created and written, as"
"as Bob Ferris, which made Bolam a star during its 1964 to 1966 run, and he adapted the scripts for a BBC Radio version soon afterwards. Before the sequel, ""Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?"", began its run, Bolam appeared in films such as ""Half a Sixpence"" (1967), ""Otley"" (1969), and ""O Lucky Man!"" (1973). The revived series, chronicling the further adventures of Bob and Terry, lasted for two series broadcast in 1973 and 1974 and a 45-minute 1974 Christmas Eve special. In 1975, Bolam appeared alongside the original cast in a further BBC Radio series adapted from the 1973"
"and remains on the credits despite the scene not being shown). ""Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads"" begins with Terry being finally discharged from the Army, and for the duration of the series he spends most of his time unemployed, although he takes brief short-term work as a car washer, hospital porter, fork-lift truck driver, and finally as a minicab driver. In ""The Likely Lads"" film, he works briefly as a mobile salesman. Terry was conceived during an air raid on Newcastle upon Tyne and born on 29 February 1944 (possibly in Hartlepool, as mentioned in dialogue in the first"
"played by Martin Jarvis and Alistair McGowan respectively. Notes References Terry-Thomas Terry-Thomas (born Thomas Terry Hoar-Stevens; 14 July 19118 January 1990) was an English comedian and character actor who became known to a worldwide audience through his films during the 1950s and 1960s. He often portrayed disreputable members of the upper classes, especially cads, toffs and bounders, using his distinctive voice; his costume and props tended to include a monocle, waistcoat and cigarette holder. His striking dress sense was set off by a gap between his two upper front teeth. Born in London, Terry-Thomas made his film debut, uncredited, in"
"has second thoughts and disembarks the next morning. Bob, however, awakeshung overaboard the ship, as it sails for Bahrain. This was an ironic reversal of the ending of the original 1960s show (where Terry, missing Bobwho had joined the Armyjoined up too, only to discover that Bob had been discharged with flat feet). In 2008, The Gala Theatre in Durham staged the world premiere of ""The Likely Lads"", adapted for the stage by Dick Clement and Ian LaFrenais and directed by Simon Stallworthy. The title roles of Bob and Terry were played by David Nellist and Scott Frazer respectively. In"
"TV series and in 1976 there was a further reunion in a feature film spin-off from the series, simply entitled ""The Likely Lads"". Bolam's co-star Rodney Bewes revealed in 2005 that the two actors had not spoken since the film had been made, a period of over thirty years. The rift, according to Bewes, developed through his indiscreetly telling a journalist that when Bolam's wife revealed she was pregnant, Bolam was so startled that the car he was driving mounted a pavement and almost crashed into a lamp post. Bolam denied there was a rift between the two men when"
"Thelma Chambers Thelma Ingrid Ferris (née Chambers) is a character in British sitcom ""Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?"", and is mentioned in ""The Likely Lads"". Thelma also features in the film adaptation ""The Likely Lads"" (1976). She is played by Brigit Forsyth. Thelma is the fiancée and later wife of Bob Ferris. Thelma was born into an aspiring lower-middle-class family, to an aspirational and particularly snobbish mother and a down to earth father, who hailed from the working classes. Thelma and Bob attended junior school together, along with Terry. Bob and Terry were sent to the 'blackboard jungle' of"
"Terry, based on the forklift truck, which enabled Terry to both augment his height and move around freely for the first time. He suffered a nervous breakdown due to bullying and abuse at his secondary school Ernulf Community College in St. Neots, where on one occasion some students put him in a holdall and dragged him around a room. He left the school to study at a polytechnic. Then aged 17, Wiles played himself in a 1979 BBC television ""Play of the Week"" drama entitled ""On Giant's Shoulders"", starring Bryan Pringle as Leonard Wiles and Judi Dench, who was nominated"
"""Storm in a Tea Chest"") that the boys used to be in a skiffle group called Rob Ferris and the Wildcats. Other group members included Maurice ""Memphis"" Hardaker, named after a real-life friend of the show's co-creator and co-writer Ian La Frenais. The lads' workmate from the 1960s series, Cloughie (played by Bartlett Mullins), does not appear, but it is mentioned in the first episode that he now runs a newsagent's. Two aspects of the show are never fully explained: Terry's supposedly injured leg, which he claims to have injured in the Army (""I never talk about it""), and his"
"Listen, Ladies"" at the Booth Theatre on Broadway in 1948-49. Bartlett Mullins Bartlett Mullins (born 13 August 1904 – died 15 May 1992) was a British actor. He is best remembered by British TV viewers as Mr Clough """"Cloughie"""", Bob and Terry's workmate in the sitcom ""The Likely Lads"". He also appeared on episodes of ""Z-Cars"", ""Danger Man"", ""Maigret"", ""The Saint"", ""Dixon of Dock Green"", ""Doctor Who"" (in the serial ""The Sensorites""), ""Adam Adamant Lives!"", ""The Prisoner"", ""On the Buses"", ""Steptoe and Son"", ""Secret Army"" and ""Worzel Gummidge"". His stage work included Dorothy L. Sayers ""The Zeal of Thy House"""
"Terry-Thomas Terry-Thomas (born Thomas Terry Hoar-Stevens; 14 July 19118 January 1990) was an English comedian and character actor who became known to a worldwide audience through his films during the 1950s and 1960s. He often portrayed disreputable members of the upper classes, especially cads, toffs and bounders, using his distinctive voice; his costume and props tended to include a monocle, waistcoat and cigarette holder. His striking dress sense was set off by a gap between his two upper front teeth. Born in London, Terry-Thomas made his film debut, uncredited, in ""The Private Life of Henry VIII"" (1933). He spent several"
"Despite Thelma and Terry's strained friendship, she defended him on one occasion, describing him as 'honest' and 'unpretentious' when a snobbish friend of hers insulted him. Thelma's attitude to Terry seems to mellow throughout the series, and she turns to him for advice when her and Bob experience marital problems. Thelma and Bob's marriage appears to be a largely happy one, however it is often complicated and Thelma on several occasions mistakenly accused Bob of infidelity. Thelma Chambers Thelma Ingrid Ferris (née Chambers) is a character in British sitcom ""Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?"", and is mentioned in ""The"
"the Likely Lads?""). It was made by Thames Television for the ITV network. Thomas Maddison (played by Jeffries) had spent 40 years living in the deepest Cornwall countryside, and hen-pecked at that, his late wife banning him from smoking, drinking, and even casually looking at other women. With him becoming a widower, Maddison, unable to wait to break free from the shackles that had bound him for so long, heads off to the bright lights of London, where his son Richard (Dick) (played by Ogilvy) lives with his wife Harriet (played by Forsyth). Suffice to say, his rather primitive manners,"
"Bartlett Mullins Bartlett Mullins (born 13 August 1904 – died 15 May 1992) was a British actor. He is best remembered by British TV viewers as Mr Clough """"Cloughie"""", Bob and Terry's workmate in the sitcom ""The Likely Lads"". He also appeared on episodes of ""Z-Cars"", ""Danger Man"", ""Maigret"", ""The Saint"", ""Dixon of Dock Green"", ""Doctor Who"" (in the serial ""The Sensorites""), ""Adam Adamant Lives!"", ""The Prisoner"", ""On the Buses"", ""Steptoe and Son"", ""Secret Army"" and ""Worzel Gummidge"". His stage work included Dorothy L. Sayers ""The Zeal of Thy House"" at London's Garrick Theatre in 1938; and Sacha Guitry's ""Don't"
"title ""A Tribute to the Likely Lads"". In 1995 and 1996 the series was repeated in its entirety on BBC2. It went on to become a short-term staple of cable channels, and was again shown on satellite and cable TV in 2008–9. In April 2013, the first series began a repeat run on BBC Four, its first showing on terrestrial television since 1996. It has also been released on DVD. The movie spin-off usually appears at least once a year on TV, around Christmas. One of the most notable continuity points about the show is that Terry has been away"
"the show simply ""The Likely Lads"". The opening scenes are set in late September, on the day of Terry's successful driving test. Exterior shots were filmed on Tyneside and around the North East, while interiors were shot at the BBC Television Centre in London. The genuine affection held by Clement and LaFrenais for the golden age of movies is reflected in the show. For instance, nearly all of the episode titles (from ""Strangers on a Train"" to ""The Shape of Things to Come"") are based on the titles of well known films; and the script frequently features jokes about popular"
"time later, was believed to be tied to the Great Train Robbery (1963) under his alias Harry Booth. Terry Hogan was born in 1931 and grew up an abused child in poverty in Fulham. He was deaf in one ear as the result of a beating he got as a child. As a young adult he chose the path of crime to escape poverty, and earned a reputation for reliability and being able to perfect the details and timing of a robbery. While in his early twenties, he worked for notorious gang leader Billy Hill. His other associates included cat"
"to mellow as the series goes on. Terry drinks and smokes heavily, tempting Bob to also indulge in the two vices he is always trying to cut down on. Much of ""Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?"" consisted of reminiscent nostalgia, while the film was largely made of observations of the current status and lifestyles of the main protagonists, and perhaps fear of the future. Terry was in both cases largely the main driver behind these features of the series. Terry is usually the character to make the apt and sometimes ironic observations on life, sometimes in a drunken state,"
"Rodney Bewes Rodney Bewes (27 November 1937 – 21 November 2017) was an English television actor and writer best known for playing Bob Ferris in the BBC television sitcom ""The Likely Lads"" (1964–66) and its colour sequel ""Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?"" (1973–74). Bewes' later career was of a much lower profile, but he continued to work as a stage actor. Bewes was born in Bierley in the West Riding of Yorkshire, to Horace, an Eastern Electricity Board showroom clerk, and Bessie, who was a teacher of children with learning difficulties. His family lived for a few years in"
"became known by the name Terry as he could not pronounce 'Gerard' as a young child. His mother held two jobs: as a factory worker and an office cleaner. The family lived in the suburb of Cabra, and had very limited finances. Being one of the younger children he was indulged, and took advantage of his lack of household chores to spend the majority of his time playing football in the street. However he was arrested by a plain-clothed policeman and sentenced to probation in Children's Court for playing football in the street. He later credited his ball control skills"
"secondary modern school, while Thelma attended grammar school. Bob and Thelma remained in contact. Thelma and Bob married at the end of the first series of ""Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?"". Thelma saw Terry as the largest threat to her marriage, although at some point she is known to have had courtship with him, which she describes as 'mistreatment by something coarse and vulgar'. Thelma is capable of being a snob at times and is keen to be seen to be middle class and tries to distance her husband from his working class roots, something Terry proves counter-productive in."
"one seen in the opening credits. To avoid bad feeling over billing, Rodney Bewes and James Bolam were alternated in the opening credits, so that one week Bewes was billed first and the following week Bolam was. In the closing credits the billing was reversed, with whoever had been billed second in the opening credits being billed first. Bewes maintained his connections with ""The Likely Lads"", appearing in a cameo role as the old newspaper seller in a 2002 ITV remake of the series' most popular episode, ""No Hiding Place"", starring Tyneside presenters/actors/entertainers Ant and Dec, which aired under the"
"the house on the lawn, where he is restrained by other close residents. The incident is a first glimpse of how Terry is eventually depicted as being prone to mental breakdowns. In the same year in what was a big storyline, Terry and Barry got involved with the Liverpool gangster Tommy McArdle, who later had them viciously beaten up. Terry took many months to recover and after this time Barry did one of his numerous disappearances from the close. Terry then moved in with Pat Hancock (David Easter), a former hospital porter originally from London, and his girlfriend, nurse Sandra"
"— and named him Phillip Terry, Jr. Following her 1946 divorce from Terry, she renamed the boy Christopher Crawford. Terry later married Rosalind Lee, who was not an actress; they remained married until his death. Terry never completely abandoned acting. During the 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s, he took on occasional movie roles. Some of his better B movies from this period include ""The Leech Woman"" (1960), with Grant Williams, and ""The Navy vs. the Night Monsters"" (1966), with Mamie Van Doren. Sometimes he would accept television roles and was in episodes of ""The Name of the Game"" and ""Police"
"of him is briefly visible, which is clearly James Bolam; and Bolam also provides the voice-over dialogue in that scene). Bob's mother, Alice, occasionally appears; Terry's mother (Olive Milbourne) is frequently seen in the 1973 series. Thelma's full maiden name is Thelma Ingrid Chambers. Thelma's father, played by Bill Owen, is George Chambers. Her younger sister is Susan, who lives in Toronto, Canada with her accountant fiancé Peter. The lads attended Park Infants School, Park Junior School and Park Secondary Modern. Thelma was with them for infants and juniors, but then went to the grammar school. One of Bob's most"
"Brigit Forsyth Brigit Forsyth (born 28 July 1940 in Edinburgh) is a Scottish actress, best known for her roles as Thelma Ferris in the BBC comedy ""Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?"" and Helen Yeldham in the ITV drama"" Boon"". After leaving St George's School for Girls in Edinburgh, Forsyth trained as a secretary before enrolling at Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, where she won the Emile Littler Award. Forsyth toured in ""My Fat Friend"" and performed in the West End productions of ""The Norman Conquests""; and ""Dusa, Fish, Stas and Vi"". Her film work includes ""The Night Digger"" (1971)"
"villain Tommy McArdle (Malcolm Tierney)) eventually curtailed his footballing career. He was Barry's best friend, having grown up with him, and in many ways Barry's mother Sheila (Sue Johnston) was the mother that Terry never had. Barry and Terry worked together in the building industry and supplemented their wages by stealing materials from their company. In the early days Barry and Terry got up to numerous scams, including selling dodgy video recorders and driving Barry's car into the sea to claim the insurance. In an interview, Brian Regan described the duo as the ""likely lads of the 80s"". In 1984"
"Billy Hartman Billy Hartman (born 1957) is a Scottish actor, well known for playing the part of Terry Woods on ITV's ""Emmerdale"" from 1995 until his character was killed off in 2011 after 16 years. Together with ""Emmerdale"" co-stars Steve Halliwell and Alun Lewis, he was a member of UK 1990s country rock trio The Woolpackers, who had a UK hit single ""Hillbilly Rock Hillbilly Roll"" in November 1996. He also played a small role in the film ""Highlander"". He played the part of Dougal MacLeod, cousin of Connor McLeod. Under the name GBH, Hartman was the host of the"
"dislike of being referred to as ""thin"" or ""slim"", preferring to describe himself as ""wiry"". The latter is, in fact, a continuation of a running gag in the original 1960s series, in which Terry was paranoid about being thought weedy. The pubs frequented by the lads include The Black Horse (which is their most regular ""local"", featuring landlord Jack and barmaid Gloria), The Fat Ox, The Drift Inn and The Wheatsheaf. Others mentioned in passing include The Swan, The Ship, The Institute and The Railway. Friends of the Lads who are regularly spoken of but never seen include Frank Clark"
"was in 1980. He spent much of his fortune on medical treatment and, shortly before his death, was living in poverty, existing on charity from the Actors' Benevolent Fund. A charity gala was held in his honour, which raised sufficient funds for him to live his remaining time in a nursing home. Terry Thomas was born Thomas Terry Hoar Stevens at 53 Lichfield Grove, Finchley, North London. He was the fourth of five children born to Ernest Frederick Stevens, managing director of a butcher's business at Smithfield Market and part-time amateur actor, and his wife Ellen Elizabeth Stevens (née Hoar)."