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Other ‘Arf, The

WELL, WE know THIS one existed: LORRAINE CHASE’S first comedy series (see LAME DUCKS, if you dare), based, as her entire career was, on that “Naaah, Lu’on Airpawt!” Campari ad. She was the cockney mistress of a Tory MP. Concept ahead of its time, comedy miles behind. Cunning idents into and out of adbreaks proclaimed “Coming up the other ‘arf”. Next step for La Chase – Cats UK.

8 Comments

8 Comments

  1. Applemask

    August 31, 2019 at 6:19 pm

    She wasn’t actually in Cats UK, you know.

    • Glenn Aylett

      September 1, 2019 at 11:53 am

      They used her catchphrase, that’s all. I do remember The Other Arf for two things: it wasn’t very funny and Rodney Bewes played a Tory MP in one episode.
      Always felt sorry for Bewes after The Likely Lads. While James Bolam moved on to huge success in When The Boat Comes In and Only When I Laugh, Bewes was reduced to bit parts in poor sitcoms and films.

      • THX 1139

        September 1, 2019 at 3:35 pm

        I suppose Rodney couldn’t stand the confusion in his miiind. My friend went to see his Edinburgh Fringe shows and described him as an extremely bitter man, but was glad to have met him.

        • Glenn Aylett

          September 1, 2019 at 10:13 pm

          I always wonder if Mr Bewes had not talked to newspapers about James Bolam’s wife being pregnant, if things would have turned out differently for him. Yet I suppose with acting being a cut throat world and Bewes being typecast, he could have undergone the fate of many actors by not getting a decent role again. Also continuingly moaning about his fall out with James Bolam got rather grating.
          In a way I admire James Bolam’s refusal to give interviews and only hanging out with a select group of friends who keep everything quiet. That way he can get on with making some very high quality programmes and be left alone, and keeps the redtops away from his door.

          • THX 1139

            September 1, 2019 at 11:16 pm

            After Bewes died, Bolam did give an interview where he said he had never fallen out with him, he just wanted to move on from The Likely Lads, and offered his condolences to Bewes’ family. Sounds a lot more gracious than he was usually painted as, and as you say, kudos for wanting a private life considering how well-known he is.

          • Glenn Aylett

            September 2, 2019 at 8:06 pm

            @ THX 1139, Bolam typically rang his local radio station and gave a low key, but honest interview, saying there was no feud and he wanted to move on in the seventies and then offered his condolences to Bewes family. Then nothing more, he’d got it off his chest in Bolam like fashion and retreated to his quiet life on the South Downs.
            Also a coupe of years before Bewes died, I was surprised to see Bolam appear on a daytime antiques show and discussed his liking for golf and golf memorabilia. This must have been the first time in decades he’d done an interview and it was interesting to hear him.

  2. richardpd

    September 1, 2019 at 11:16 pm

    For a long time James Bolam blocked the repeats of The Likely Lads & Whatever Happened to…, probably to keep his appearances as Terry to a minimum & avoid stereotyping, & possibly to stop Rodney Bewes getting any royalties.

    Robert Shaw did a similar thing with the Professionals, but relented when Gordon Jackson died as his widow would receive repeat fees.

    • Glenn Aylett

      September 3, 2019 at 9:29 pm

      We’ll never know the truth about the fallout as James Bolam only gives an interview once a decade, if we’re lucky, and since The Likely Lads ended in 1976, it is rather a long time ago. Also he’s 84 now and can look back on a very successful career over the last 55 years.
      Yet back to The Other Arf, you can get all the series on Amazon from the well known producer of DVDs of more obscure eighties programmes, Network. Seeing a clip, the sitcom was one of those that was neither brilliant nor totally bad and people watched as they liked to see how Lorraine Chase did as an actress( quite well) and if her relationship with a Tory MP from the upper crust would work( it did).

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