MovieChat Forums > Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? (1973) Discussion > Biggins on 5Live

Biggins on 5Live

posted 13 years ago by tgrrrsss
10 replies | jump to latest

Today I heared an interview with Christopher Biggins on 5Live and he was asked bits about his career and while they missed out WHTTLL they did chat about Porridge which he was more of a regular in.
He said if it's on BBC1 or 2 (Porridge) he gets £1000 a time, and Ronnie Barkers wife, gets far more, however if repeated on Gold they get nothing, due to Equity doing a deal with Sky years ago.
This maybe explains why Bewes keeps going on about BBC repeating it for him, it doesn't mean Bolam can veto repeats of course, and I can't believe he would turn down money for old rope (such good money too).
Either way I found it an interesting thing to learn.

[–] laurence01 13 years ago

They didn't actually get nothing for GOLD. They got a bulk one off payment allowing GOLD to show the programs a certain amount of times.

[–] tgrrrsss 13 years ago

Oh ok, well the way Biggins spoke it suggested they didn't get much, maybe his one off payment was v small, I don't know, only saying what I heared on his interview.

[–] mr360 12 years ago

Rodney Bewes is definitely one angry camper as James Bolam wouldn't sign the waiver to sanction repeats on BBC1 or BBC2, therefore Bewes, Bridget Forsythe and Sheila Fearne are missing out on a potential pay-out.

I find it pathetic why Bolam wouldn't agree to this, I know he is a successful actor that has appeared in countless programmes, but preventing people from earning money is evil.

I can only think that Bolam is ashamed of his role as Terry Collier and dislikes the Likely Lads, or he just plain hates Bewes and still holds a grudge after all these years.

[–] tgrrrsss 12 years ago

They repeated it in full in 1996.
I jsut don't think BBC are interested it's regularly on GOLD - even shows like OFAH are not on BBC1 or 2 so much anymore but are forever on GOLD.

I can't believe Bolam has any rights to veto repeats on BBC1 or 2 it's not his show it's La Frenais and Clements, he was merely an actor on it.
Yeah they'd get a repeat fee if they did so, but seriously I think BBC are simply not interested in showing it, with it - and even a few old Black and Whites on GOLD every now and then there's little reason for them to do so.
Bridget Forsythe still works fairly regularly anyway, Bewes hasn't and thats the rteal problem, he isn't a sucess, he isn't worrying about Sheila or Bridget I don't think, as for Dick Clement an d Ian La Frenais they must be multi millionaires several times over with their writings down the years.

[–] mr360 12 years ago

Good point.

It does seem that it is only Rodney Bewes that is bitter about the possible pay-outs and in a way I don't blame him, especially if he was struggling financially.

Yes indeed it was Clement and La Frenais that wrote the series, but maybe there was a contract involved.
I do remember reading Bewes' autobiography and when the head of BBC sanctioned a meeting with the writers, Bolam and Bewes, Bolam said before he agreed to star in Whatever happened to the Likely Lads, that nobody *beep* on him and was at first reluctant to make the series, Bewes however jumped at the chance.

[–] tgrrrsss 11 years ago

Well it's been shown on BBC4 do you think Rodney got the big pay out hes expecting???

[–] mr360 11 years ago

Part of me hopes so for Rodney's sake... But on the other hand I'd find it funny if the contract only applied to BBC1 and BBC2 showings.

[–] tgrrrsss 11 years ago

I hope so too. But it finally puts to bed his accusations about Bolam vetoing the show being repeated on BBC

[–] tgrrrsss 8 years ago

BBC2 aired the christmas special today - I think it was the last tv episode made.
Wonder if Rodders got his cheque through the post???😉

[–] xmasdaybaby1966 8 years ago

I saw an episode on Drama the other day which led to me finding more episoodes on You Tube but, like BBC 4, none of these outlets existed in 1973 which, you assume was when they drew up contracts and repeats weren't as common place as they are today.