Steptoe and Son Ride Again

The great duo of Harry H Corbett and Wilfred Brambell never failed to make me laugh. Whether some of the comedy is lost in time and translation - both the series and the films possess a good deal of London humour, west London in particular.

Diana Dors' character makes only a brief appearance near the start of the film. It's when she pulls Harold onto her bed after offering him both her dead husband's clothes (and then herself!), that it's revealed that her old man is only freshly deceased beside them!

The return trip from York put paid to poor old Hercules the horse. Two hundred miles and three days on the road would tire any horse so a replacement is needed. Unfortunately Harold gets conned at Southall (horse) market and Frankie Barrett - brilliantly played with menace by Henry Woolfe - fleeces him for his cash and sells him a blind greyhound instead! Barrett fleeces him again later in the film but I won't spoil it. Let's just say his embezzlement became more ambitious!

Look out for the location shots of White City stadium. It was one of the biggest stadiums in the UK, was built for the London Olympics of 1908 and hosted all manner of sports including speedway, greyhounds and rugby league (in the 1930s, being the home of the short-lived London Highfield) before being torn down in the mid-1980s.

The script is terrific; it's laugh out loud funny, and both characters are totally in character, another flaw with spin off movies. The dialogue is punchy and caustic, but it's the multitude of hilarious moments, that makes this so good, my third choice would be Albert snaring his neighbour, second would be Harold taunting his father with the mannequin's head, but the best bit is the coffin scene, who on Earth wouldn't laugh out loud.

It's a favourite film of mine, that stands the test of time. It's a joy from start to finish.