tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4901944301852919470.post7337056752744110974..comments2024-03-16T13:05:24.164+00:00Comments on Curious British Telly: The LonerBen Rickettshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01749284122022718064noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4901944301852919470.post-47434852493970856752021-02-28T12:31:33.576+00:002021-02-28T12:31:33.576+00:00He used my parents house at Norland as the setting...He used my parents house at Norland as the setting for the start and ending of each episode and walked down a path opposite to Sowerby Bridgeken halifaxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12757741149125644373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4901944301852919470.post-50208159347448797802018-06-04T00:07:16.108+01:002018-06-04T00:07:16.108+01:00Coming from Sowerby Bridge I do remember this prog...Coming from Sowerby Bridge I do remember this programme. I seem to think he walked down a hillside from a little village called Norland. Pity there’s no public footage left 😠<br /><br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17557176326625338949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4901944301852919470.post-86751884909801343962018-02-14T10:27:35.528+00:002018-02-14T10:27:35.528+00:00This is why I enjoy this blog - I was around, love...This is why I enjoy this blog - I was around, love Les, but this passed me by completelymjnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4901944301852919470.post-67295499672437008832018-02-07T02:27:32.754+00:002018-02-07T02:27:32.754+00:00Being from Manchester as Les was,I always thought ...Being from Manchester as Les was,I always thought he was at his best in stand-up format rather than in sketches,as he sometimes appeared a little uncomfortable in character mode,although most of the time,he was amusing and often more than that,especially in his "Cissie and Ada" sketches with Roy Barraclough,and as the sad pervert Cosmo Smallpiece,spectacularly non-PC of course,and such a character would never see the light on TV in this day and age,yet thanks to keeping such vignettes very brief (often barely a minute),Dawson amazingly succeeded in making such an unsavoury individual like this pitiable and even occasionally lovable. <br /><br />I can vaguely remember "The Loner" from the 70's;it was more of a melancholic drama with humorous touches that seemed to suit Dawson's lugubrious,pessimistic persona rather well,showing he was both a decent straight and comedy actor if the right script came along.<br /><br />Alan Plater was a very fine TV scriptwriter,one of the best of his kind for decades,and the series has been unjustly forgotten,maybe because Les' forays into acting have always been overshadowed by his stand-up and sketch shows,along with his stint on Blankety Blank.Many comedians before and after Dawson have struggled when they attempt a half-hour sitcom format and narrative features for the cinema.If memory serves right,this short three episode series was fairly well received,but was not expanded on as viewers preferred to see Dawson in a stand-up/short sketch mode rather than narrative format.<br /><br />At the time of writing,not even short extracts of this series have turned up on YouTube;it would be intriguing to see a somewhat sparse but welcome foray into comedy drama by the much loved Les Dawson four decades after its original broadcast.JFBridgenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4901944301852919470.post-44163611651898701742018-02-05T17:44:05.130+00:002018-02-05T17:44:05.130+00:00Ah, I didn't realise that. Cheers for the info...Ah, I didn't realise that. Cheers for the info, I'll update the article later! Ben Rickettshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01749284122022718064noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4901944301852919470.post-75275430997828101132018-02-05T17:33:34.922+00:002018-02-05T17:33:34.922+00:00Readers may be interested to know that the first p...Readers may be interested to know that the first play, 'Dawson's Complaint' is available on DVD on the Network 'Alan Plater at ITV' collection.Billy Smarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11808866217501456210noreply@blogger.com