I.T.V. must have been envious of the B.B.C.'s 'Dad's Army' as it tried to get as many of the cast as possible into its own shows; Arthur Lowe did both 'Bless Me Father' and 'A.J. Wentworth B.A.', Clive Dunn was conscripted to play 'My Old Man', Ian Lavender landed 'The Glums', and James Beck was given 'Romany Jones', Ronald Wolfe and Ronald Chesney's first show since the phenomenally successful 'On The Buses'. Their previous shows had been about the working classes, but this one was about the underclass - people without jobs who exist on paltry benefits ( the very people the present British Government is currently persecuting in an effort to look tough. A few years ago, it was asylum seekers, and before that, new-age travellers. Some things never change ). Bert Jones ( Beck ) is bone idle, and lives on a run-down caravan site with his new wife, the lovely Betty ( Jo Rowbottom, who really should have been called Jo Sexy Bottom ). Their neighbours are Wally ( Arthur Mullard ) and Lil Briggs ( Queenie Watts ). Wally is a bit thick while Lil is incredibly nosey.
The pilot episode of 'Jones' went out on 15/2/1972. Presumably it no longer exists as it is not included on the D.V.D. of Season 1. The series proper began on 25/5/73. Surprisingly, the first episode was not penned by the two Rons, but Jon Watkins, whose other credits include 'Bless This House', 'The Fosters', and 'No Place Like Home'. Betty discovers her mother ( the late Brenda Cowling ) is coming round, so gives Bert money to pay for food so she can make dinner. Bert initially brings home two sausage rolls, then produces a bottle of wine, chocolates, sweetcorn and a chicken. What he does not tell her is that he stole the latter from Wally. All goes well until the latter comes prowling round looking for his missing bird...
I enjoyed this, but it is no classic and felt strange after recently viewing 'Yus My Dear' in which the Briggs had moved up in the world. Here they are living in abject squalor ( Francis Wheen is probably revising his book 'Strange Days Indeed' as I speak to include 'Romany Jones' as evidence of how skint everyone was in those days ). The cast are good, with Beck's 'Jones' clearly the prototype of Mike Reid's 'Benny'.
Funniest moment - Wally realising his beloved chicken has been eaten. It ought not to be funny, but thanks to Mullard, it is.
The theme music was by everyone's favourite whistler - Roger Whittaker.
The pilot episode of 'Jones' went out on 15/2/1972. Presumably it no longer exists as it is not included on the D.V.D. of Season 1. The series proper began on 25/5/73. Surprisingly, the first episode was not penned by the two Rons, but Jon Watkins, whose other credits include 'Bless This House', 'The Fosters', and 'No Place Like Home'. Betty discovers her mother ( the late Brenda Cowling ) is coming round, so gives Bert money to pay for food so she can make dinner. Bert initially brings home two sausage rolls, then produces a bottle of wine, chocolates, sweetcorn and a chicken. What he does not tell her is that he stole the latter from Wally. All goes well until the latter comes prowling round looking for his missing bird...
I enjoyed this, but it is no classic and felt strange after recently viewing 'Yus My Dear' in which the Briggs had moved up in the world. Here they are living in abject squalor ( Francis Wheen is probably revising his book 'Strange Days Indeed' as I speak to include 'Romany Jones' as evidence of how skint everyone was in those days ). The cast are good, with Beck's 'Jones' clearly the prototype of Mike Reid's 'Benny'.
Funniest moment - Wally realising his beloved chicken has been eaten. It ought not to be funny, but thanks to Mullard, it is.
The theme music was by everyone's favourite whistler - Roger Whittaker.