More Than Likely
Published 2026-07-31 13:44:39
Book info
- Authors
- Year 2019
- Genre Memoir
- Format Ebook
- Pages 304
Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais's unique writing partnership has lasted over fifty years. After creating the characters of Bob and Terry, factory hands from the north-east of England, in The Likely Lads and Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?, their reputation as great screenwriters was secured. Their acclaimed careers have included writing, directing and producing iconic TV programmes like Porridge, Auf Wiedersehen, Pet and Lovejoy. Their feature films include Otley, The Commitments and Still Crazy. Along the way, they have had unforgettable encounters with movie stars like Richard Burton, Ava Gardner, Marlon Brando, Michael Caine and Sean Connery - not to mention with stellar performers as varied as Billy Connolly, George Best, Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, Ronnie Wood and Tracey Ullman.
Naturally, Dick and Ian's dual memoir is told with flair and immense humour. It is also choc-a-bloc with unexpected happenings, rogues and rock stars, prima donnas, plots and panic.
Thoughts
My Jimmy Nail obsession is continuing to widen and spread, and after watching Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, the next obvious step was to read the joint memoir of the writing duo who created that show. I was hoping for lots of inside gossip and snippets about a show that's already starting to mean quite a lot to me.
Unfortunately, AWP only gets one chapter. We learn briefly how the show came into being, and how Jimmy Nail was so excited about becoming a 'real actor' that his behaviour got terrible.
It was agreed that I should have a word. I told Jimmy that as much as we loved our character, the series would survive without him. We could easily contrive a situation where Oz is killed in a work-related accident; a crane perhaps, or an excavator: perfectly plausible on a building site and a potent, dramatic twist to that week's episode. Jimmy was genuinely shocked and his behaviour rapidly improved.
The gossip is good! There's just not enough of it.
That section was written by Ian, as he and Dick alternate chapters and stories. It's a good structure for a dual memoir. When I read the Gavin & Stacey memoir recently, it was written as though Ruth Jones and James Corden were having a conversation on the page, one of them bold, the other not. It could get a bit confusing who was talking, so this sidesteps any of those problems.
The stories are excellent, funny, and well written, but I think some went over my head a little. I don't know half the people being referenced, although the ones I do know are good: Bill Nighy, Michael Crawford, Ronnie Barker. All come with moving or surprising anecdotes attached, such as discussing the origins of Porridge sitting next to Pan's People in the BBC canteen.
If you have a long history with these writers and their work, I think the book will mean a lot more to you. For me, it was a bit of a glimpse at a very distant life with only the occasional chapter I could cling on to. Auf Wiedersehen, Pet was a port in the storm, in that sense, making it doubly disappointing it was only one chapter. For the excellent writing (what else would you expect), it's a 3 out of 5, but I can't go higher because the subject matter didn't grab me as I had hoped it would.
Rating: 3 / 5
