Our take
Three pensioners decide Christmas has lost its magic and go looking for the boys they used to be, which is the whole show in one sentence. The premise is wistful, the old school friends with their absurd talents are a lovely Roy Clarke invention, and it went out on Christmas Day itself to one of the biggest audiences of that Christmas. A natural pick for anyone who wants the series at its most bittersweet.
What happens
Foggy and Clegg somewhat cautiously agree with Compo that Christmas is not what it used to be. Struck by the Christmas blues and nostalgic for Christmases past, the three of them try to recapture the spirit of their youth by looking up two long-lost and boisterous old school friends: Chuffer Enright, a champion lamp-post climber and duck impressionist, and Splutter Lipinscale, a long-distance hand walker. Finding them, and finding out what time has done to them, is the business of the episode.
Can the kids watch it?
Not rated by the BBFC as a separate episode; gentle, and fine for all ages.
Cast and crew
Starring
- Bill Owen as Compo
- Peter Sallis as Clegg
- Brian Wilde as Foggy
- Kathy Staff as Nora Batty
- Jane Freeman as Ivy
- Joe Gladwin as Wally Batty
- John Comer as Sid
Guest stars
- Arnold Peters as Splutter Lipinscale
- John Rutland as Chuffer Enright
- Paula Tilbrook as Mrs Enright
- Gordon Faith as Landlord
Writer
- Roy Clarke
Director
- Alan J. W. Bell