GetPapa Far from Perfect, Far from Terrible

Jonah Abbott There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Benas Mcloughlin Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

Cissy Évelyne It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

missraziel I recently looked back on these and was horrified to see what I once found funny. The characters are so bitter and twisted both in personality and attitude. I found myself not laughing but disgusted at what I was seeing, the writing's "comedy" seems to come from the hatred the characters spew at each other and I find that no longer funny but sad and a despicable to be called funny.If you step back and look at something with a fresh perspective it's amazing how clear it looks in a new light, and this one just reeks of all things bad. Acting aside because I did think Harry H. Corbett could've done much better things, it's a shame the cast got stuck and will be remembered for this cesspool of a show.

ShadeGrenade One of the saddest sights I ever saw on television was Wilfrid Brambell, close to tears on 'Nationwide' in 1982 following the sudden death of his 'Steptoe & Son' co-star Harry H.Corbett. The pairing of these great actors, combined with some wonderful scripts by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson, made 'Steptoe' a classic. I think viewers recognised the truthfulness of the situation; rag and bone man Harold desperately wanted to escape from his father's domination to begin a new life on his own, but couldn't because he loved the old man too much. When searching for comedy ideas, today's writers fall into the trap of thinking: "How can I shock the public?". 'Steptoe' did not set out to shock, yet did because it was so real. After a successful run in the '60's, it was revived in the '70's in colour, and these episodes are my favourites, particularly 'Divided We Stand' in which Harold and Albert tried to lead separate lives in the same house. The word 'timeless' is overused these days, but it definitely applies here.

Nicholas Rhodes A brilliant exercise in British comedy from the sixties and seventies ! Not one episode fails to please and the dialogues were extremely savoury. A certain number of episodes are available on BBC dvds in the UK region 2. The picture quality of the latter episodes is so good that you'd swear they'd been made yesterday. It is hard to believe that both of these characters have sadly left us but thanks to this series they will live on forever in our hearts and minds ! It appears that in real life, Wilfred Brambell was an exceedingly well-spoken man and didn't have a common accent at all. In one of the episodes involving Harold acting in a play, we do in fact hear Albert speak in a very posh voice albeit very briefly.

vaughan.birbeck Although Steptoe and Son ran on British TV for twelve years it is one of those rare (maybe unique) examples of an idea which continued to develop and evolve rather than slide into stale repetition.In its early years the series emphasised broad comedy. One well-remembered episode features Albert eating a meal while sitting in his bath, earning a rebuke from his son which became a national catchphrase: "You dirty old man!"As time went by the characters became established and the writing began to emphasise the mutual dependency of two basically lonely men (Harold the batchelor and Albert the widower). Harold dreams of a better quality of life away from his father and constantly makes attempts to achieve something in his own right. His attempts are thwarted by his own lack of social standing and his father's scheming: if Harold joins a local theatre group, Albert joins too and becomes the star of the show.Albert, for his part, fears losing his son and being abandoned in his old age. He will use any means (especially moral blackmail) to keep Harold at his side. More importantly he is far more realistic than Harold and sees that his attempts at social ambition are doomed.In one of the most moving episodes an old girlfriend of Harold's reappears after many years. They still feel the same way about each other and plan to marry. Finally Harold can break away from the old man. Naturally Albert has other ideas, but at the climax of the show it is the girl who ends the relationship, telling Harold he is already married.The performances of Wilfrid Brambell and Harry H Corbett never faltered through the show's run. Galton and Simpson produced scripts of wit and insight and they performed with great skill and subtlety. This is a show where you laugh while recognising the truth and basic sadness of the situation in which the characters live.