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Thursday 30 May 2019

Soap




I see another TV soap opera star has passed away. My favourite character from the early days of TV soap opera was Ida Scrummit, the dragon of the Street. I well remember the episode where she laid into Alf Nibbs after the lard factory burned to the ground and disturbing rumours began to circulate around the pub. What a drama that was.

Alf – It weren’t all bad what wi’ lard factory burnin’ down like that. Summat ‘ad to be done.

Ida – Wot d’yer mean Alf Nibbs? Why did summat ‘av to be done I’d like ter know.

Alf – Some of it were ‘orse lard.

Ida – ‘Orse lard? Where’d yer get that idea. They dunna make lard from ‘orses.

Alf – I know wot I know.

Ida – An’ yer can keep it t’ yerself cause nobody else wants ter know it. ‘Orse lard indeed.

Aye they don’t make soaps like that these days. Gritty, true to life drama about real lives lived by real folk.

4 comments:

Doonhamer said...

Not loik soap now where ornery white scum live in property worth millions financed purely by selling a few oranges or cheap dresses da'an thu ma'aket.
The Chinese are still the invisible minority. Why don't they claim ra'acism?
Too busy making a useful living maybe.
I like the chinese, and all their varied nationalities. Well, all the ones I have ever met.
Systemic racism in the broadcasting media.
Nah. Not possible.

Sam Vega said...

My favourite was when Jack Nibbs - no, not Alf, his half brother,you remember - him that disappeared for a while and then took up with that fancy-woman above the bookies. Well, anyway, that episode where Ida was going on at him for being a lazy so-and-so, so he decided to paint that big wall behind the back of Ida's place. And after he had painted it, we just watched the paint dry for the rest of the episode. Must have been a good twenty-odd minutes, just the paint drying on the wall, and the camera not moving or anything, and no sound or anything else happening.

That was absolutely brilliant. Golden age of British TV, if you ask me. I tried finding it on that You Tube thing, but you can't get it any more. Pity. Absolute classic.

Scrobs. said...

Aye, 'appen!

It were tough in them days, an' lard were a sort of grey drug sold at 't corner shop by our Maggie!

She were a grand lass, always ready wi' a packet of five (fags, not the other things), an' quite a lass for the lads on 'Stout Night' at 't Rovers!

Emily Nugent told me, after eighteen pints of 'Old Bastard' - 6.5% ABV), that Maggie 'ad more chums in the district than that Ken Barlow!

Well! I could have gone to the foot of the stairs, then realised we lived in a bungalow...

Alf Nibbs was a paint seller too, Sam, an' while taking a two-to-one wi' Cynthia Teeth in 't back room, he were caught at it by his brother, who reduced the odds by one an' made 'im the laughing stock in 't snug!

Aye, them were good days, especially when Maggie told oos we could see her take off her clouts if Harold Wilson wanted 'er to...

Aye, 'appen...

A K Haart said...

Doonhamer - isn't that the one where they often talk in a hoarse whisper and look threatening all the time? Good point about Chinese people although I only see a few glimpses when I'm looking for something else.

Sam - that rings a bell. Didn't somebody bring it out on Betamax? It's an interesting idea too Imagine a type of paint you could use to paint the TV screen, after which you sit back and watch it dry. It would be formulated to peel off afterwards so repeats are no problem.

Scrobs - aye it were tough in them days and that reminds me of the four Yorkshiremen sketch. Must look that up.