Complete BBC Radio Series

Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?

Available for the first time to the trade in a complete collection. The BBC Radio version of the classic sitcom, starring Rodney Bewes and James Bolam

Dick Clement (Author) Dick Clement is well known for his writing partnership with Ian La Frenais. Together they have created numerous hit television series including The Likely Lads, Porridge, Lovejoy and Auf Wiedersehen, Pet. Ian La Frenais (Author) Ian La Frenais is well known for his writing partnership with Dick Clement. Together they have created numerous hit television series including The Likely Lads, Porridge, Lovejoy and Auf Wiedersehen, Pet.

Thirteen classic BBC radio episodes, starring James Bolam and Rodney Bewes 
 
One of the most popular TV comedies of the Seventies, Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? won a best sitcom BAFTA and attracted an audience of millions before being adapted for radio. 
 
In these 13 episodes, we catch up with Newcastle lads Bob and Terry as they meet by chance after years apart. Now engaged to Thelma, Bob is having pre-wedding nerves; while Terry, demobbed from the Army, is having trouble adjusting to life in civvy street. As they rekindle their friendship, Bob tries to find Terry a date, throws him a surprise party and takes him to the hairdressers to get a new look. In addition, Terry gets some shock news, and helps Bob get ready for his and Thelma’s big day… 
 
Originally lost from the BBC archive, the audio for many of these episodes was recovered by producer Stan Was, the BBC's Archive Treasure Hunt, and a listener to BBC7. 
 
The episodes included are Strangers on a Train, Home is the Hero, Cold Feet, Moving On, I’ll Never Forget Whatshername, Birthday Boy, No Hiding Place, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?, Storm in a Tea Chest, The Old Magic, Count Down, Boys’ Night In and End of an Era.

Dick Clement

BBC Audio

Ronnie Barker

Brian Wilde

Richard Beckinsale

Fulton Mackay

Full Cast

David Jason

12 episodes from the classic prison sitcom

Here is the unforgettable "Fletch", everyone's favourite criminal, making the most of his enforced stay at Her Majesty's Pleasure. 
 
Never a man to shrink from a challenge, even from behind bars, Fletch could manage anything from organising a win on the horses to buying a council flat in Mayfair. Amazing his cell mates and infuriating officialdom, Fletch, the Arthur Daley of penal servitude, always comes out on top. 
 
Starring Ronnie Barker with Brian Wilde, Richard Beckinsale, and Fulton Mackay, here are twelve prize shows from the original television series: 
 
Prisoner and Escort (1 April 1973) 
Norman Stanley Fletcher, a career criminal, and his escorts – soft-hearted Mr Barrowclough and authoritarian Mr Mackay – make the journey on New Year's Eve from London up to Slade Prison in Cumberland. 
 
A Night In (19 September 1974) 
 Godber is moved into Fletch's cell, and confides that he finds it tough each time the door bangs shut. Fletch advises him to think of it as 'a quiet night in': but the trouble is, Godber has 698 more nights to get through. 
 
Heartbreak Hotel (31 October 1975) 
 Godber has an uncharacteristically violent episode after receiving a 'Dear John' letter from his fiancée Denise. Fletcher tries to help him, but Fletch's daughter Ingrid proves more of a consolation. 
 
Disturbing the Peace (7 November 1975) 
 With Mackay away on a course, the prisoners plan to have some fun, but it turns out his replacement, Wainwright, is even worse. His excessive discipline causes a riot, and it's left to Fletcher to sort out the situation. 
 
No Peace For The Wicked (14 November 1975) 
With everyone watching a football match, Fletch attempts to snatch a few precious minutes of peace and quiet, only to suffer constant interruptions, among whom are Mackay and visiting members of the Home Office, who then insist on questioning Fletch about his views on the penal system. 
 
The Harder They Fall (21 November 1975) 
 Godber's been chosen for the boxing team, so naturally everybody wants a bit of a flutter. When rivals Grouty and Billy Moffatt both want to fix the fight different ways, only Fletch looks like coming out the winner. 
 
No Way Out (24 December 1975) 
A planned escape causes all kinds of trouble just before Christmas, and Fletch attempts to spend some valuable time in the infirmary. 
 
The Desperate Hours (24 December 1976) 
Fletcher, Godber, Barrowclough and the governor's secretary are held hostage by a mad prisoner with a homemade gun attempting to escape. 
 
Poetic Justice (25 February 1977) 
Fletch is incensed to discover that he is getting a new cell-mate. To make matters worse, it turns out that the cell-mate is the judge that sentenced him. 
 
Rough Justice (4 March 1977) 
After the judge's watch is stolen, everyone is convinced that Harris is the culprit, and so a kangaroo court is set up in an effort to convict him of the crime. 
 
Pardon Me (11 March 1977) 
Blanco refuses parole after serving a life sentence for a murder he's always claimed he never committed, so Fletch sets up an appeal committee to get him pardoned. 
 
A Test of Character (18 March 1977) 
Fletch is determined to help Godber pass his History O-level, so he has Warren steal the papers, only to discover that Godber doesn't want them. Meanwhile, a debate flares up over a claim of Warren's that, at a certain scale, the nearest star from the Sun would be in Johannesburg.

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