Billy Bunter Of Greyfriars School [1961] 4/4

[@rubyreddress1]

Nice memories I used to watch these in the 50s on a Saturday afternoon around 5 0 clock happy days thanks.🙂

[@betaman7988]

9:00 reminds me of a Harry Enfield sketch in the long pauses between statements but very well done for 1961

[@diverguy3556]

Well this is exactly the sort of thing Harry Enfield was parodying.

[@johnsmith-rs2vk]

Oh Lord ! It's Quelch .

[@MalcolmBrown-z5o]

Gerald Campion was in fact 29 years old when he played the Fat Owl.

[@MrLorenzovanmatterho]

I read the Bunter books as a kid at primary school and they didn't really appeal to me but I then stumbled across a collection of the old Magnet comics in reprint and I was hooked. Jennings and William Brown were all very well but they didn't go on their hols to the South Seas and shoot cannibals as the Famous Five did. No wonder George Orwell had an issue with them although in fairness with Singh we have an equal, heroic non-white character who is neither the comic relief nor noble savage, just as we have boys of every nationality and persuasion at the school. It's a shame we never got to see the Greyfriars chums cope with the 50s, embracing rock and roll, the space race and (heavens forbid) girls! etc This is a great series within the confines of its' budget and technology, to see Coker and Quelch etc in the flesh. Melvyn Hayes especially interesting in terms of his character, so different as Skinner than his later roles.

[@tonysuffolk]

Excellent comment. I agree with all you say. Watched "Bunter" in the 50s on my dad's Pye 12 inch TV.

[@anonUK]

He was 39 when he acted this! His accent is pre-war posh (think Bertie Wooster), while the other boys have less antiquated accents for the time.

[@peterbuckley265]

WALLY SOUNDS JUST LIKE STAN LAUREL !!!.

[@railway-share3820]

29.

[@Virini]

@@railway-share3820 He was 29 when the show started. This episode was from the final season

[@tonyguest1673]

The introduction sounds like Portsmouth by Mike Oldfied.

[@pamos1949]

Curious, for the series' theme music was the 'Portsmouth' part from Vaughan Williams 'British Sea Songs'.

[@AlexAlexon3897]

Loved it! So well-cast. But just realized how much the theme music sounds like Telstar - and it must've been written earlier. So was Joe Meek a Bunter-watcher?

[@johntaylor3450]

As stated by Tony Guest below, the music is actually 'Portsmouth', a traditional song. Mike Oldfield's instrumental version was a big hit in 1976.

[@audioonly2952]

The BBC no longer has this episode. Is it known what happened to the 16mm copy, and where it is today?

[@Spondonman]

Audio Only In 2002 it passed to Campion's widow Sue, in France

[@paulwilliams8306]

Wonderful classic stuff!

[@davemidgley7974]

@8:55 How does Bunter know which room number Wally is in?

[@railway-share3820]

The maid tells him.

[@davemidgley7974]

So she does! Thanks

[@MegaJackpot180]

also the original Boba Fett Jeremy Bulloch

[@MrKaywyn]

Neat.

[@farokudahitam]

When Billy Bunter grew up he changed his name to Boris Johnson.