I remember reading an article in the Radio Times many years ago, and also hearing a couple of other things. The gist was that he was a bit of a loner and the others were much more gregarious, so he was often a bit left out, and even isolated among the cast - and it got worse as the years went by...
Does anyone have any info on this?
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"Maybe I should go alone"
- Quint, Jaws.
Cannot remember where I read this.So take it with a pinch of salt if you like.
Brian Wilde thought he was the main attraction of LOTSW.Coming from another sucessful show-Porridge.This belief was the one of reason behind him leaving.
According to Wikipedia he fell out with the producer Alan J W Bell was another.Whether these two facts are connected .I do not know
THe rest saw it as an ensemble work
I had read somewhere that although he was considered to be the best one of the "third man" in the trio, he never got used to the fact that Compo was the most popular character on the show.
I kind of took it that he was a little arrogant when Brian said in an interview that the reason he didn't appear in the episodes for Compo's passing was he didn't want to overshadow his death. I don't think it would have been possible.
You are in a position to demand nothing. I, on the other hand, am in a position to grant nothing.
Foggy IS the best third man of the group.
I kind of took it that he was a little arrogant when Brian said in an interview that the reason he didn't appear in the episodes for Compo's passing was he didn't want to overshadow his death. I don't think it would have been possible.
Foggy IS the best third man of the group.
I call it as I see it. Nothing more, nothing less.
Not my fault you can't take it non-sugar coated.
"Face to face and steel to steel. How does the Scotsman's anger feel."
YAWN. go away little troll. go find another YEAR OLD THREAD to do your thing.
You are in a position to demand nothing. I, on the other hand, am in a position to grant nothing.
YAWN. go away little troll. go find another YEAR OLD THREAD to do your thing.
true the AGE of the thread is not significant. BUT IF A YEAR goes by and NO ONE keeps the topic going IT IS DEAD. THIS ONE IS DEAD.
You are in a position to demand nothing. I, on the other hand, am in a position to grant nothing.
Brian Wilde contracted an illness which prevented him from filming, that was the reason he was written out.
shareI imagine that he knew that all the actors in Britain understood that he and Bill Owen (Campo) didn't get along, so it would have been hypocritical for him to appear. So, what's he going to say, "I hated Owen, so I decide not to go?" He handled it okay. ALSO, there is certainly the possibility that he was not ASKED to be there! Peter Sallis was the true star! All 295 episodes!!
By the way, what the heck does "Face to face and steel to steel. How does the Scotsman's anger feel." My search engines cover just about everything, and nothing!
Well, if people keep responding, it ain't dead. Who put you in charge of IMDB to make pronouncements of this sort?
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Genius is often mistaken for arrogance by the lesser minded amount us. It's nothing new.
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I remember some of the Radio Times article too. The interview took place in a caravan on set with Peter Sallis & Bill Owen, and Brian Wilde refused to say a word, due to, I believe, the Radio Times only placing him third in its printed character credits.
shareBill Owen could be equally difficult too. From what I've read, he had a tendency to bring his politics on to the set. When the show first began in the early 1970s, production was marred by Owen's constant clashes with Michael Bates (the original 'third man'). To quote Peter Sallis, Owen was 'slightly to the left of Lenin' in terms of his political views. On the other hand, Bates was apparently much more Conservative. Although this is merely speculation, it would not surprise me if this contributed towards the later clashes between Wilde and Owen.
I had not heard any of the stuff about Wilde thinking he was superior to the rest of the cast. That's not to say I am dismissing it. I know that he attended Joe Gladwin's (Wally Batty) funeral, which was during Wilde's break from LOTSW in the late 80s. Although one could argue that this may have just been a publicity gesture, it is unlikely that Gladwin's funeral would have got that much coverage, if any at all. The more likely reason is that Wilde genuinely wanted to pay his last respects to a valued colleague. Also, I recently watched the 30 years documentary and can't find the bit where Wilde apparently says that he didn't want to distract attention from Compo's funeral by returning. My version was recorded straight off the tv in 2003. Is there an extended version out there?
I'm sure that Wilde could be difficult and moody when he wanted to be. But, it is a tad unfair that people often forget that Bill Owen was not always the easiest person to work with either.
Indeed, clewis100, and some people are always ready to ascribe the meanest motives to actors who are no longer with us and who cannot defend themselves.
Wilde's position on not wanting to overshadow Compo's death doesn't strike me as arrogant - quite the opposite: he wanted to ensure that Compo's death was the centre of attention and the return of Foggy would have been a distraction, as he was a hugely popular character.
In review of all the above comments, in spite of the off camera controversies, he was totally professional and on top of his game during the actual production of each episode. It is a real shame that he was unable to be at Bill Owen's funeral. It is reported that he left the show for the second and final time due to the fact that he had developed a medical condition known as shingles. He announced that his departure would be temporary but he never did return.
sharegood post lots of info is that documentary on youtube
I know this is an old thread but reading about Bill Owen's funeral reminded me of a story I heard about Roberto Clemente's funeral. After Clemente's plane crash they held his funeral in Puerto Rico and a sportscaster (can't remember his name) was giving his eulogy and as he was looking across the chapel and got a quick glimpse of a middle aged man who looked familiar. At the end of the service the sportscaster looked to the rear of the building and saw that the middle aged man was Stan Musial. Stan wanted to honor Clemente but knew announcing he would be there would bring attention off of Clemente so instead showed up quietly.
Don't know the whole story between Bryan Wilde and Bill Owens but there is a way to do things respectfully.