User Reviews

After four series of 'Romany Jones', Ronald Wolfe and Ronald Chesney took two of its characters - Lily & Wally Briggs, her a gossipy rat bag and him a dim-witted, under-the-thumb layabout, played by Queenie Watts and Arthur Mullard respectively - and pitched them into a show of their own, called simply 'Yus, My Dear'. Here Wally and Lil are moved from their caravan home to a council house as the gypsy caravan site they have lived on for so long is redeveloped.

Making his acting debut here is future 'Eastenders' star Mike Reid ( he played wily con man Frank Butcher ) as Wally's younger brother Benny, who is on the scene most of the time to tap money off of his gullible brother ( who is earning a healthy wage as a bricklayer ). Benny has a girlfriend in the shape of Molly ( the lovely Valerie Walsh ), a buxom red-head who works as a stripper at a seedy nightclub. Lil, almost like Mildred Roper from 'George & Mildred', is keen to get her foot on the social ladder and make new friends, only for Wally and Benny to come along and show her up.

'Yus, My Dear' was a typical offering from its era, neither original, groundbreaking or even subtle but it was highly amusing. Mullard and Reid are on good form here. There is a hilarious scene in one episode where Benny is berating Wally for his lack of culinary skills- ''When you were a nipper I used to cook your breakfast!'' says Wally. Benny's response: ''Oh yeah, I remember your Welsh Rarebit! Me and my mates used to sole our shoes with them!''. I crease up each time I hear Wally's cries of ''Cor!'' ( used whenever a young bimbo sauntered past his leering eyes ) or ''I ain't fick!'' ( bellowed whenever one dared to insult his intelligence ). Mike played Benny in that same hyperactive delivery that he used for his stand-up routines in 'The Comedians'. Valerie Walsh's Molly was one of my favourites, mainly due to her sexy legs and her dazzling.....eyes ( you know what I mean! ). Queenie Watts' Lil got on my nerves but all the same without her the show wouldn't have worked ( Wally and Benny wouldn't have had anyone to bounce their humour off of otherwise ).

Arthur Mullard sang the show's catchy theme tune, which was written and composed by Denis King and Myles Rudge.

I don't care what anyone says, I liked the show. Both series of 'Yus, My Dear' were released on DVD a number of years back, though strangely it was released ahead of its predecessor 'Romany Jones' ( which is also now out on DVD ). Both shows are good in their own right though in my opinion, 'Yus, My Dear' is the better of the two.

The 'On The Buses' spin-off 'Don't Drink The Water' hadn't exactly set the world on fire, yet what did Ronald Wolfe and Ronald Chesney do next? Another spin-off, this time from their series 'Romany Jones' which had starred the late James Beck ( 'Private Walker' from 'Dad's Army' ) as work-shy 'Bert Jones' and Jo Rowbottom as wife 'Betty'.

'Yus My Dear' chronicled the further exploits of warring Cockney couple Wally and Lil Briggs ( Arthur Mullard and Queenie Watts ). They have moved into a council house after the gypsy caravan site they'd lived on for so long is redeveloped. Moving in with them is Wally's previously unmentioned brother Benny, a layabout of the first order, played by a constantly grinning Mike Reid ( in his first major acting role ).

With money coming in from his new job on a building site - which consists of him sitting on his bottom and pulling a rope to allow bricks to move upwards to where the men are working - he enjoys a higher standard of living. At Lil's insistence, he wears embarrassingly trendy clothes, yet behind her back still enjoys the delights of a cheese sandwich whilst taking a bath! The opening credits showed Wally putting five pound notes in Benny's outstretched palm to the accompaniment of the Denis King & Myles Rudge penned theme song, sung ( or rather bellowed ) by Mullard! You had to wonder why a man of Benny's obvious talent for conning people didn't aim slightly higher than a close relative who was, after all, not particularly rich himself. But 'fick' old Wally fell for his brother's charm each time. In one episode, Wally and Lil put up Benny's stripper girlfriend Molly ( the gorgeous Valerie Walsh ) for the night, on the condition that she slept in his room while he crashed out on the sofa. The following morning, it was revealed Benny had used a ladder to get into the room, and thus have his wicked way with Molly.

The series was mostly dire, and critics tore it to shreds. Were we really supposed to be amused by the sight of a dimwit continually being conned by a silver-tongued rogue, they asked. Season 1 got to number one in the ratings, edging out 'Coronation Street', but Season 2 later that year was not so popular and the show did not return. Is 'Yus My Dear' a forgotten comedy classic or a rotten show which wasted some very good performers? Its out on D.V.D. so you can decide for yourself.

I cannot believe someone regards this terrible LWT sitcom as a 'forgotten classic'! The scripts were dire, and Arthur Mullard and Queenie Watts had nothing to work with. We are supposed to accept layabout Wally has at last got a job on a building site and that he and Lil are now living in a council house. Furthermore, Wally's bone idle brother Benny ( Mike Reid ) keeps sponging off them, and they don't do anything about it! Thankfully, after only two seasons, the show was scrapped. It was a pity because Wally and Lil were strong comedy characters. They were seen to much better comic effect not only in 'Romany Jones' but also the 1973 film 'Holiday On The Buses'.