The Country Party - Starring Peter Barkworth

[@deborahrobertson8606]

I was 16 when this was broadcast. People are so insulting about the 1970's -I suppose because of the industrial upheaval - endless strikes etc. But, the culture was so much finer than today. (Apart from the architectural vandalism which was horrific). Popular music and television were superb - unmatched by anything today. Just for an hour or so I can go back and immerse myself in genuine excellence, something we took so much for granted then. Thank you.

[@Blonde_Somnambulist]

Totally agree 👍

[@janicaribeiro6350]

100%

[@sharoncox4776]

Well said. Oh if only we could go back to those days!! TV brilliant with only 3 channels as well!

[@janicaribeiro6350]

@@sharoncox4776 I know ! And now 300 odd channels and nothing to watch !

[@theresmore2learn516]

Wonderfully said! I despise American tv and I thank God for the BBC and KZbin taking us back to a more gentle way!

[@lesleyromani]

Great to watch Peter Barkworth after all these years. Thank you!

[@Cortinaman63]

Stuart Fanning: Thank you so much for this, Peter Barkworth was a family friend, so I remember both him, and also Joshua Le Touzel (David) who was at my Stage School, with much affection, great being able to see this again, after all those years, and brings back such fond memories of two fine fellow Actors, I had the pleasure of knowing.

[@barbarapalmer8224]

Peter Barķworth has lovely smile as well as being a great actor..

[@ange9663]

Great thank you, anything Peter Barkworth is in is worth watching superb actor. ❤️

[@suevans6436]

Very well put together performance, wonderful to see so many long forgotten faces and the superb Peter Barkworth. Thank you so much.

[@rogermassey8844]

Well written and well acted. Very enjoyable! An interesting time capsule but with some universal truths.

[@sheargillsparkie9588]

I’ve watched Saturday Party and the whole series of Telford’s Change, absolutely scintillating. Peter Barkworth was an amazing actor and many others of his time. They seem to capture the Englishness of what was becoming an ever changing world in their time.

[@DrLauraJoseph]

You must also watch Late Starter if you loved those

[@sheargillsparkie9588]

@@DrLauraJoseph thoroughly enjoyed Late Starter, his character was like a fish out of water. The ending was bit bizarre, not seeing the growing attention of one individual to whom he becomes indebted. Again, superb acting.

[@nikkytek4552]

Well said.

[@celiabeverton4514]

Always like Peter Barkworth so cool and charming, great times the 70’s

[@david11978]

Superb acting, I remember watching it when it was first shown.Thank you.

[@ZefZerg]

Many thanks KZbin for helping to highlight and preserve the quality of British television,and given us the opportunity to view episodes that I for one have never seen before 👌🏾

[@DavidDavid-kl4ru]

Marvelous. Fascinating insight into a lost world

[@TenTenJ]

At least Britain can hold onto their culture, americas ravaged by manipulative dribble.

[@DevonDandy]

Those were the days when the duration of a television play is not shoe horned into the straight jacket of a schedule slot. Once again this brilliant cast carry it off.

[@judeirwin2222]

You meant “ strait jacket”, not “straight jacket”. I wish the Brits would learn their own language. Strait means narrow or constrained. Straight means direct, in a line between two points, even.

[@judeirwin2222]

@@catrionarobertson9919 anyone who has visited the UK recently will be laughing. The British did have manners once upon a time. Now most are dim, blighted and numb to everything, oppressed by the inequalities of their sullen, hopeless society, suspicious of strangers, angry at anyone who is slightly different from themselves and yearning for a shot of their lost Imperial wealth and greatness. Arrogant - because which True Brit does not believe he or she is superior to all others, and resentful that they are fading into inconsequentiality in a world that has passed them by. Condemned by their own stupidity and self-harming isolation through Brexit, theirs is a dying culture. Violence, crime, child poverty. Zero hours contracts, wages marooned in the 1980s, falling house prices. A shrinking economy. Long live happy Britain and its smiling, polite, kind people. Doomed and dying. But keep up the pretence of your specialness. It's all you have left.

[@RiaLake]

@@catrionarobertson9919 I wouldn't generalise regarding good manners and everyone can learn. Lol.

[@DevonDandy]

@@judeirwin2222 I am mortified,,humbled, by your superior knowledge, How can KZbin function without being policed by some one of your superiority

[@Crystalquartz964]

@@judeirwin2222 How clever of you, delighted to read your superior comment

[@jow6845]

This was good - it’s held up very well.

[@colleendaumen136]

Brilliant play... also see Saturday Party with the same cast, both are excellent!

[@brianhavern1127]

I've watched them both. Couldn't agree more. Both excellent.

[@sheargillsparkie9588]

This was the sequel. Just as enjoyable.

[@myotheraccountonothe]

Brilliant acting. Thank you for posting 😊

[@GradKat]

How could I have forgotten Peter Barkworth? He was on the telly all the time when I was young. Fabulous actor with a beautiful plummy voice. It’s a shame the quality of this recording is poor, but it’s still very enjoyable for all that.

[@None-zc5vg]

Most of the '70s t.v. material was recorded on tape, so the blurred images you see now nearly 50 years later are all you're ever going to get.

[@2msvalkyrie529]

Seems a bit of a prat here ?

[@eshaibraheem4218]

@GradKat: Yes, he's attractive, isn't he? Before six-pack abs became de rigeur.

[@JJ21210]

@GradKat, I think you meant to write, "Thank you, uploader, for making this available; if not for you, I wouldn't be able to see this." It's indescribably rude of you to complain about the quality of the transfer for something that was taped from TV almost 50 years ago. It's incredibly rude of you to be anything other than grateful to someone who has gone to the trouble of uploading this so others can enjoy it. Please don't ever be rude again. Thanks.

[@mattdavies7398]

​@@2msvalkyrie529 It's acting, love.

[@MrTang-qo9wm]

Peter Barkworth could accomplish more standing still for several seconds than most other actors could do in two hours. Amazingly subtle and beautiful.

[@ange9663]

Sublime x

[@carlstigliano4804]

Unfortunately with this material, he was forced to.

[@JudithRandall-vz1zk]

Nicely said. And I agree.

[@englishweather9763]

a delight to watch, times when everything was so much more tasteful than today.

[@jasonchambers4495]

Black and White Minstrel show was on. Not such great times.

[@JJ21210]

Please don't make the mistake of glorifying the past. Every era has its pluses and minuses; the big minuses of past eras were amped-up racism and sexism -- life was pretty crummy for about 70% of the population.

[@TenTenJ]

@@JJ21210 has it improved?

[@twinkle3026]

This series was originally screened on British tv back in the late 1970's, but i was too young to be able to take interest in it at the time, but now i have luckily found this Gem on KZbin, i am really enjoying watching it. I noticed the two very young Birds of a feather working in the kitchen! (Pauline Quirke and Linda Robson) who both went on to greater things! ...... Incidentally, Peter's character gave us a glimpse into the future, when he was conversing with the unconventional couple as he said to them, "until we have telephones with televisions attached to them, we cannot see who we are booking in!" Many thanks for resurrecting this wonderful blast from the past for me! xxxxx

[@Ian-xm5on]

Twinkle - did you notice too, the poe faced looking woman? She played the part of the Meldrew's neighbour in "One foot in the grave!" I recognised quite a few other actors.

[@marshhen]

These are a fascinating time capsule. I was only 8 years old at this moment but I feel a very strange nostalgia for this culture of my parents.

[@dryflyman7121]

This reminded me of just how repulsive smoking in restaurants was. Great play, love Peter Barkworth.

[@benjaminclasper9355]

I wish people would stop complaining always about having perfect quality with watching because you can’t have ever watched old video tapes if you expect the quality to always be as good as modern video and KZbin quality and it is from 1977 after all what do you expect And about the number code at the top it doesn’t bother me really at all and it’s interesting to see aswell and it’s just because of it being a bbc copy too.

[@maxinejacobson4006]

Thoroughly enjoyed this. Love the “stuffy middle class” theme, at least you can understand them.

[@marymary5494]

Thank you for uploading. 👌💕

[@steverhodesvideos6244]

Amazing. Thanks for posting.

[@Ian-xm5on]

Superb. Thank you. ☺ The skill of the actors doing things and talking at the same time is impressive. Each person played their part!

[@crystalawen]

What a strange comment ; that’s what actors do

[@MrYorickJenkins]

Mick McGathy Jack Jones-that takes me back! Names on everyone's lips in 1977. Utterly forgotten now. How many people under 40 years old knows or cares who they were? Vanity, vanity all is vanity.That bit of trivia from me aside, an excellent play, well acted, very sad and very true to life.

[@HookBeak_66]

Reminded me of my catering days, which was always hectic. Nice to see Pauline Quirke(18) & Linda Robson(19) as waitresses they'd later go on to perform, in the sitcom 'Birds of a Feather'. It must be difficult to find that people, you've had for ages as staff : Both are thieves & one's a drunk.

[@simonbath]

thanks for this first class noursihment

[@amsbestunderstanding1646]

Good story. Life is something that unfolds while we're making other plans.... not sure who said that, but it's very often true.

[@sharonjones873]

John Lennon

[@finolaomurchu8217]

The pregnant girlfriend meeting wife, I was not expecting that. Then I see the actor who played the vicar is called Colin Farrell. Very enjoyable.☘️

[@harmoniabalanza]

For anyone who thinks this about "nothing": So much in here that reveals little chippings away at the fabric of society. at 39:00 the wife agrees to split up a property that was an integrated traditional farm so she can get more $$. The publisher laughs at a joke made by his author uneasily and a little too much, knowing that he himself doesn't really understand the joke and hoping the author doesn't cut into his profits. The "loyal" employees are cheats. The ex-wife is a piece of work, unsupportive, completely oblivious to why Richard gave up his money grubbing profession in the city. And when her daughter tries so hard to bring her parents back together she even asks "why is it so important to you?" Say what??? The young gate crashers don't even appreciate how he goes to extra trouble to accommodate them. Bottom line--the dissatisfaction and mean spiritedness of spoiled people who don't give a thing to anyone and think the world owes them everything they want. Sad all around, and our protagonist is just trying to have a decent life that doesn't rob or insult anyone. Then comes a subtle change and we see a touch of the warm humane in various people. A very human story well told.

[@globallove]

i want the whole thing (and the Saturday Party) annotated like this. i pick up on some of it

[@roelienpostma2367]

Well described! Eloquent!

[@AntPDC]

A relief to see no performative hugging, high-fives and perpetual neuroses and emotional incontinence.

[@thadtuiol1717]

A relief to see a slice of England before it became so Americanised

[@charlesachurch7265]

Superb drama.

[@kimbozw1808]

thanks for posting. been searching for a while. mark shivas production.

[@melaniewalker5226]

It's nice to see the guests know how to use a knife and fork.

[@PeterShieldsukcatstripey]

Fascinating to go inside the lives of the middle classes. Richard was a tremendous and selfless host.

[@ria1636]

Definitely needs new staff! Thank you for the two, very enjoyable uploads.

[@Mick_Harrison]

Brilliant!

[@Chahlie]

Love the ending! :)

[@clareshaughnessy2745]

Ha! Linda Robson and Pauline Quirk in the Kitchen! I’ll keep an eye out for Dorian

[@electricleg207]

She's up stairs in one of the bedrooms .

[@Bible5771]

The opening scene looks like the vicarage in Miss Marple’s the Murder at the vicarage

[@Lakeslover1]

I loved it !

[@Bambisgf77]

This was aired the year I was born. A curious look into life across the pond at that time.

[@JJ21210]

Pssst: Nobody says "across the pond."

[@juliet7703]

Nice twist at the end..

[@jujulionesselsa1416]

I feel like I am there with them. "If Only"

[@dee4174]

What goes on in the kitchen is enough to put one offeating out! The wairtress with the cold and the vegetables on the floor! 😂

[@FrederickBowdler]

Great camera work 😊

[@jackiecampbell7903]

Great drama!

[@swanvictor887]

as a film maker myself, my only regret about past film is that 16mm never lasts as well as 35mm, but of course, TV Budgets could not stretch to full-frame stock sadly. I hope one day, perhaps using new technology, in the future, every 70s film shot on 16mm can be not just restored but brought up to modern standards and colourized, as it was shot: I'm sure this could be done one day, although the costs of course, would be questionable. The videotape studio scenes from the 70s, still look ok, thanks to the quality of the equipment used, even back in those days!

[@ZefZerg]

And again thank you KZbin!

[@nickwalter9630]

Touch of the Fawlty Towers about all this.

[@Seaprincess6077]

Didn't his menu sound FABULOUS! Proper going-out-to-dinner-best-frock food not the sort of twiddled morseld we get nowadays.

[@lb2505]

love it

[@swanvictor887]

Good Lord! Mrs. Warbouys! AND Pauleen Quirk & Linda Robson! Were they conjoined twins lol.

[@benjaminclasper9355]

The scene at 43:40 the scene when outside couple come in, does anyone get the feeling a lot of the other people dining at the restaurant are staring them down judgemental stares as if they’ve never seen anyone in different clothing from theirs. The woman in the background at 44:05 definitely shows that I think in the blue dress staring daggers at them , it’s like saying to her “Oi you keep your nose out of other people’s business and affairs and get on with your own.” It’s also like “what the heck are you staring at eh?”

[@roslynaubrey7766]

Great, but why that timer???

[@paulgarrod1066]

Peter Barkworth was a great actor (Telford's Change) but a great pity about the needless intrusive timer

[@roslynaubrey7766]

I so agree and so glad someone said so! What was the point of it?

[@larkatmic]

Ahhh. The slower paced and quiet pause of 1970s TV storytelling and broadcasting. It sure beats the ear assaulting rushed abrasive ness and degenerate dark story content of today.

[@thadtuiol1717]

From a time when half the country wasn't Americanised ADHD iphone doomscrollers.

[@gardenroom65]

He lives in Folkestone

[@mungomuff9716]

The Vicker has a passing resemblance to David Walliams..

[@kattydover6356]

The pubs were great though!!

[@Sunny25611]

I wish I could watch this movie but I can’t because of the flashing numbers on it. Thank you for uploading I’ll try to find it another way ❤

[@robyn203]

Yes I had that problem too but solved it by covering it up with some material draped over the corner of the screen.

[@adamssoraya7505]

Just ignore it

[@melaniewalker5226]

​@@robyn203 😂

[@rounz1]

@@adamssoraya7505 For real. I was so engrossed in the story I forgot it was there.

[@mattdavies7398]

Sunny, you're like a character in the play.

[@darrendodd6674]

It seems that Ted is now getting success with his tomatoes and, as a result, has moved away from the dreaded tomatoe chutney to more of life's delicate perks. He's definitely made progress.

[@clareshaughnessy2745]

Ah, but that was just the weather. Not enough sun that summer to ripen ‘em.

[@thadtuiol1717]

@@clareshaughnessy2745 Nonsense, the summer of '76 was famous for being incredibly hot and sunny!

[@clareshaughnessy2745]

@@thadtuiol1717 lol, that’s true actually!!!

[@ria1636]

Tomato. Lol

[@bronwynbrown2693]

Don't no what the nomber going around on the screen ,

[@bronwynbrown2693]

I loved the 1970 80s 90, dont like 200 it crap ,all cards no cash pay on ph ,extra, no ,and love the movie,s and sures, in those times, keep coming thank,s 😊

[@lindabiggs3905]

Mrs Warboys, one foot in the grave,,

[@dilly1863]

One Foot in the Grave stars Janine Duvitski, Angus Deayton, Annette Crosbie, Richard Wilson!

[@ppotter]

@@dilly1863 and Doreen Mantle as Mrs Warboyes.

[@stephenwitherington879]

At around 45.00, PB informs two who have reservations that they are inappropriately dressed. This reminds me of a 'stuffy' US restaurant, some years ago, which adopted the same policy. Funny, isn't it, that, when Clint Eastwood turned up in his jeans, the proprietors found nothing wrong! Perhaps Clint has 'restaurant presence', unless, of course, he pointed his Magnum 45 (the most powerful handgun in the world) straight at them. That'd do it!

[@thadtuiol1717]

Standards matter. Unless you want the whole world to resemble a Florida Walmart

[@stephenwitherington879]

@thadtuiol1717 My point, as you are well aware, is how two-faced the majority of people are. That's right, if a movie star, billionaire, statesman, & so on turned up at Barkworth's place, or any other establishment, it would be she'll be right & no worries. It's called picking & choosing, in direct opposition to the logical approach 'all or none'. It isn't an issue of standards, quite simply the capacity to be sufficiently influenced by some but not by others. It's called discrimination.

[@benjaminclasper9355]

I wonder how some of the wives at the restaurant got lumbered with some of those husbands in the first place. 🙂

[@rosemarywilliams9969]

😮So this was middle class... interesting!

[@thadtuiol1717]

Yes, back when we still had one.

[@fraseredk7433]

Is that Arthur Daley?

[@pornlove99]

No... Sh1t hed

[@fraseredk7433]

@@pornlove99 i was referring to Mr Jones not Richard. Passing resemblance

[@rosemarywilliams9969]

🤢 that's sick server girl with the nose blowing... this is why I say a protection prayer with every meal if I eat out🙏

[@petewoodroffemusic]

Everyone has a public school accent and uses upper class language (apart from the servants ofcourse!)

[@missiontent111]

All of these plays from this period featured endless drinking of alcohol.

[@AntPDC]

Nowadays it's hard "recreational" drugs and Big Pharma-prescribed mass-medication dulling the natural senses of children and adults. ADHD my bottom: the USA is now Ritalin Nation. Cheers!

[@benjaminclasper9355]

And Susan never said she wanted someone to keep her in horses and clothing everything else as you said you old hazbeen.

[@mikemyers8064]

👍🏻

[@thadtuiol1717]

This just shows how bad native-born British service industry workers were during the 70s. Thankfully, we then had mass immigration and now we have lots of great waiters, cooks and bartenders.

[@cindersmolloy6584]

An indictment of a man being too good and too accommodating. He is taken advantage of by practically everyone through his weakness. Very well portayed and could easily have been overdone. Now at a srage where he has to start again from scratch with a child he may not have planned.

[@abcmyrie]

19:32

[@pmullins1495]

This grass is growing too s l o w l y.

[@TenTenJ]

Did you watch The Saturday Party? It’s kind of the part one of this play. And if you had watched that, this entire second play would be fascinating.

[@2msvalkyrie529]

Oh ! A St Georges flag in opening scene . Wouldn't be allowed by BBC today . Not " diverse " enough and might offend new Britons..

[@carolthomas8528]

Maybe it’s to celebrate Shakespeare’s birthday.

[@JJ21210]

Yes, be snide about diversity (which is the hallmark of Nature) -- that really shows you in a great light.

[@mattdavies7398]

Msvalkyrie, don't be a prig.

[@2msvalkyrie529]

Why are you upset.? You know it's true...? Look at the fuss about Keir Starmer giving a speech with Union Jack in background..?!?

[@AntPDC]

Have these women no respect for male privacy, and shameless springing of "surprises" as part of their instinctive manipulations?

[@TenTenJ]

Male privacy? Are you referring to having an affair while one is married? It was a surprise birthday party so how would she know?

[@keithnaylor1981]

Wow another classic play, best stick something annoying and distracting on the screen!

[@electrictofumuffins6384]

What a collection of cnuts. They're so desperate for fools gold and meanwhile trach the only thing they have of real value. Very good production. Thank you.

[@deegeraghty9426]

What a miserable man! Had everything, had nothing.

[@crystalawen]

‘You’re a reed’ ...!

[@paulgrieve7031]

Shades of Fawlty what!

[@chrisrainbow2393]

Supurb

[@suzyp7178]

For the price of a duck.

[@benjaminclasper9355]

Gosh the daughter Emma in the story seems very much kind of jumping the gun especially the fact that she arranged this dinner at her father’s restaurant in the country without much permission from the rest of the family and without her mother knowing and she’s got a sarcastic kind of classy cheekiness about her and just very kind of an adult thinking that she’s the arranger for all of this and kind of vivacious in a manipulative sort of way tricking with her mother, and as well did the thought not strike any of the family members especially the children that their father may have divorced and that he had remarried in a way it is Richard’s fault I think partly with him to blame just that he must have been desperate to be in a relationship with another woman but then again it should be a free country for him shouldn’t it as he had divorced anyway previously from his wife Jane but then it’s understandable on one hand why seeing his new wife there would be a shock and the family would be disappointed and as well I would have thought that Richard would have informed Jane or Emma that his current wife would perhaps visit later on and join them and it doesn’t seem much of a family occasion by the end of the play with Richard’s new wife dropping by like that and nothings mentioned about Richard’s new wife really for most of the play before as if they really didn’t know that much before even though they left each other I would have thought they could have stayed in contact with each other with telephoning each other perhaps.

[@Sharon-vq3bf]

Richard did not divorce or remarry. The last scene with Jane indicated that they would be in touch with lawyers.

[@anthonymee2599]

A middle class 1970s borefest Hoorah!!!!!

[@Bevity]

Indeed, but sometimes an old borefest is comforting.

[@andersdottir1111]

What are you doing here. Be off with you.

[@soniavadnjal7553]

@@Bevity nothing with Peter Barkworth in it is boring.

[@Bevity]

@@soniavadnjal7553 I was just saying in general ...

[@Louise_xxx]

You're the uneducated bore!!😂😂😂

[@IwasBlueb4]

What a stupid story...all about nothing..

[@twinkle3026]

If you read between the lines and you look behind the facade, you'll find there is a lot going on. x

[@harmoniabalanza]

If you actually paid attention to the dialogue you'd see it's very much about something. But obviously something you know nothing about and of which you can't see the importance. Ho hum. But if you are older than 30, I feel very sorry for you.

[@capesofwraith]

A slice of life then.

[@normabyde4766]

@@harmoniabalanza. Being much older than 30, this play is entirely reminiscent of the ‘ dining out’ huge dinking ( and driving) ethos of those days.

[@normabyde4766]

Linda Robson and Pauline Quirke in early roles.