316 Oh No It's Selwyn Froggitt

First  viewed  :  Uncertain

I  never  watched  this  regularly, possibly  just  the  once, though  I  realised  it  was  very  popular  from  all  the  "Magic !"  quoting  in  the  playground.

"Oh  No  It's  Selwyn  Froggitt "  was  created  by  Roy  Clarke  but  after  the  pilot  in  1974  ( which  was  filmed  very  near  to   where  I   would  come  to  live  in  Leeds )  he  handed  over  to  Alan  Plater. Bill  Maynard  played  the  titular  character  ,  a  spectacularly  stupid  but  irrepressible   council  labourer  with  delusions  of  self-improvement. He  manages  to  get  on  the  committee  of  the  local  working  men's  club  where  he  is  tolerated  for  his  willingness  to  do  the  donkey  work  though  never  very  competently.  The  part  I  remember  is  him   suggesting   they  organise  "  a  disco  !  - with  records... and  everything"  to  which  his  "mate"  Clive  ( professional  Welshman  Richard  Davies )  replied  with  withering  scorn " A  disco  with  records ! That's  original  !"  

The  series  ran  for  three  seasons   in  1976-77  and  was  tremendously  popular. Yorkshire  then  unaccountably  went  for  a  major  re-vamp  ditching  all  the  regular  cast  bar  Selwyn  himself. It  was  re-named  "Selwyn "  and  sank  like  a  stone, lasting  only  one  season.