I recently bought this on DVD for the simple reason I actually remembered watching it as a boy fifty years ago (that's half a century, makes a girl think), and even remembered one of the gags. When cook (my favourite character back then) says she is making a dinner of 'bubble and squeak' (a traditional British dish made from boiled potatoes and cabbage, the French don't have a monopoly on haut cuisine, you know), Rustless replies "That''s probably what I'll be doing after I've eaten it."
What amazes me now is how 'naughty' some of the humour was. I can only assume my parents didn't know what the programme was really like, or didn't think I would understand the humour (which was actually true). At one point Badger the bulter is exploring a secret passage at Chrome Hall and we hear a crashing noise; Rustless' secretary Bates screams "He may have gone over an abyss!" Rustless: "Gone for a what?"
The two series are actually quite different, apart from the second moving to colour. The first features sketches by Eric Idle, John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Graeme Gard and Bill Oddie, who would soon be busy as Pythons and Goodies. This meant they weren't available for the second series which was mostly written by Barker himself as 'Gerald Wiley'.
As much as I enjoy Ronnie Barker as a comedy actor, I have to say I don't feel the second series is as funny as the first. In the first series the humour is quite sharp, in the second there is too much descending into farce and chaos as a way to round off the shows, and a lot of cheap laughs at the expense of Effie the maid's breasts. And as always with Barker's solo work, such as 'Futtock's End' and 'By The Sea', I find myself chuckling in anticipation of hearty laughs which never arrive.
It's good to see these again, they revive pleasant memories, and Barker as Rustless is as memorable as Fletch and Arkwright. There is just a notable quality control problem here.
5 Reviews
"Ah, there you are"
ShadeGrenade1 March 2009
Warning: Spoilers
This was Ronnie Barker's second sitcom ( his first being the comedy anthology series 'The Ronnie Barker Playhouse' ). It cast him as 'Lord Rustless', the doddery old buffoon ( based on the comedian Fred Emney ) who lives at Chrome Hall, grows mustard and cress for a living, and seems to be fond of women and having a tipple. His staff includes the pompous butler 'Badger' ( Frank Gatliff ), a toothless Cook ( Mary Baxter ), the spinster secretary 'Mildred Bates' ( Josephine Tewson ), the 'between-floors parlour maid' Effie ( Moira Foot ), and a 100 year-old gardener called 'Dithers' ( an unrecognisable David Jason ). Effie never spoke ( only whispered inaudibly ), while Dithers' dialogue was pure Worzel Gummidge-style gobble-de-gook.
Ronnie later described 'Rustless' as his second favourite character, the first being 'Fletcher' of 'Porridge'.
The show was the creation of Alan Owen, and grew out of an episode of 'Playhouse' broadcast on 10/4/68 entitled 'Ah, There You Are'. Owen was unavailable to write the series, so the job went to Alan Ayckbourn ( under the name 'Peter Caulfield' ), later to become acclaimed as one of Britain's finest playwrights.
The show was ground breaking in two notable respects; firstly, Lord Rustless' habit of addressing the audience directly ( a device later known as 'breaking the fourth wall' ), and the interruption of the plot with sketches ( some by Ronnie himself under his 'Gerald Wiley' alias ), many of which would be remade for 'The Two Ronnies'. The second season had a different theme each week, such as 'Law', 'Cooking', 'Do-It-Yourself', and 'Music', with Rustless trying his hand at each but failing dismally.
Two series were made in all. Having viewed these recently, I found much to enjoy, even though it had not stood up as well as I had hoped. The sketches were the best part of the programme, standing out like raisins in an undercooked scone.
Ronnie stayed with L.W.T. for 'Six Dates With Barker', and then it was off to the B.B.C. for 'The Two Ronnies', 'Seven Of One', 'Porridge', and 'Open All Hours', every one a classic.
But the end of 'Hark At Barker' did not mean the end of Lord Rustless. Ronnie resurrected him - and his staff - for 'His Lordship Entertains' in 1972. It was an altogether different show; the sketches were gone, Ronnie wrote the scripts himself, reformatting the concept so that Chrome Hall was now a country hotel. There was location filming, and other characters got to interact with Rustless and co. Ronnie later described it as 'Fawlty Towers Mark One'. Not a trace of 'Entertains' survives in the B.B.C. archives, which is indeed unfortunate as it is the better show. Luckily, the scripts are to be found in Ronnie's book 'All I Ever Wrote'.
Ronnie later described 'Rustless' as his second favourite character, the first being 'Fletcher' of 'Porridge'.
The show was the creation of Alan Owen, and grew out of an episode of 'Playhouse' broadcast on 10/4/68 entitled 'Ah, There You Are'. Owen was unavailable to write the series, so the job went to Alan Ayckbourn ( under the name 'Peter Caulfield' ), later to become acclaimed as one of Britain's finest playwrights.
The show was ground breaking in two notable respects; firstly, Lord Rustless' habit of addressing the audience directly ( a device later known as 'breaking the fourth wall' ), and the interruption of the plot with sketches ( some by Ronnie himself under his 'Gerald Wiley' alias ), many of which would be remade for 'The Two Ronnies'. The second season had a different theme each week, such as 'Law', 'Cooking', 'Do-It-Yourself', and 'Music', with Rustless trying his hand at each but failing dismally.
Two series were made in all. Having viewed these recently, I found much to enjoy, even though it had not stood up as well as I had hoped. The sketches were the best part of the programme, standing out like raisins in an undercooked scone.
Ronnie stayed with L.W.T. for 'Six Dates With Barker', and then it was off to the B.B.C. for 'The Two Ronnies', 'Seven Of One', 'Porridge', and 'Open All Hours', every one a classic.
But the end of 'Hark At Barker' did not mean the end of Lord Rustless. Ronnie resurrected him - and his staff - for 'His Lordship Entertains' in 1972. It was an altogether different show; the sketches were gone, Ronnie wrote the scripts himself, reformatting the concept so that Chrome Hall was now a country hotel. There was location filming, and other characters got to interact with Rustless and co. Ronnie later described it as 'Fawlty Towers Mark One'. Not a trace of 'Entertains' survives in the B.B.C. archives, which is indeed unfortunate as it is the better show. Luckily, the scripts are to be found in Ronnie's book 'All I Ever Wrote'.
It left me broken-hearted.
Sinafter19 August 2020
I only recently discovered this series and without significant expectation I have thoroughly enjoyed it. With good writing Ronnie Barker is always a treat and Alan Ayckbourn delivers alongside a host of well known contributors including Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie.
In each episode the opinionated Lord Rustless (Barker) educates viewers on a different topic from his country house, supported by his staff, all of whom make welcome contributions. There are also additional sketches that are separate from the central narrative, some of which are very good and each programme is introduced by Barker in the newsreader style that he carried forward to The Two Ronnies.
Lord Rustless is hilarious and the reason that I mentioned that this series has left me broken-hearted is because I read that the impressive cast were given the chance to make a sit-com playing the same roles (His Lordship Entertains) in 1972 but that most of the episodes are lost. Many other 1960s and 1970s comedies are entirely missing and I find it very sad, however Hark at Barker is still with us and it is a bit of a gem!
In each episode the opinionated Lord Rustless (Barker) educates viewers on a different topic from his country house, supported by his staff, all of whom make welcome contributions. There are also additional sketches that are separate from the central narrative, some of which are very good and each programme is introduced by Barker in the newsreader style that he carried forward to The Two Ronnies.
Lord Rustless is hilarious and the reason that I mentioned that this series has left me broken-hearted is because I read that the impressive cast were given the chance to make a sit-com playing the same roles (His Lordship Entertains) in 1972 but that most of the episodes are lost. Many other 1960s and 1970s comedies are entirely missing and I find it very sad, however Hark at Barker is still with us and it is a bit of a gem!
''Good evening!''
Rabical-9120 November 2018
Warning: Spoilers
By the end of the '60's, Ronnie Barker had rose to national prominence thanks to appearances on 'Six More Faces Of Jim' and The Frost Report'. He later got his own ITV sitcom entitled 'The Ronnie Barker Playhouse' ( much of which sadly does not exist in the archives now ), the success of which led to the creation of this LWT show, 'Hark At Barker', which cast him as Lord Rustless, a lecherous, brandy supping, cigar smoking old buffoon who lives in Chrome Hall with his domestic staff who include frumpy secretary Mildred Bates ( Josephine Tewson ), the grumpy and toothless cook ( Mary Baxter ), silent between floors maid Effie ( Moira Foot ), snobbish butler Bagder ( Frank Gatliff ) and the appropriately named Dithers ( David Jason ), Rustless' clumsy octogenarian gardener.
The show essentially was a sitcom, though slapstick comedy sketches were interspersed. It does have to be said, however, that this show was far from Barker's best work.
Esteemed British playwright Alan Ayckbourn supplied the scripts, under the pen name Peter Caulfield. The show did break new ground however with the inclusion of scenes which had Rustless acknowledge the presence of the audience. Breaking the fourth wall is commonplace these days in comedies but back then it was not heard of. It was also notable for giving regular exposure to David Jason, who apart from appearances on 'Do Not Adjust Your Set' was still relatively unknown to viewers by this point.
Worth watching alone for the talent of the cast but overall comedy was few and far between in 'Hark At Barker'. The show ended after its second series so Barker could do another show for LWT, the superior 'Six Dates With Barker'. The characters later moved to the BBC for the show's sequel, 'His Lordship Entertains', which Barker wrote himself under the name Jonathan Cobbald. The sketches were dropped and the show took a more traditional sitcom approach by having Rustless open up Chrome Hall as a hotel. It was marginally better to the earlier show though sadly only one episode of it exists today.
The show essentially was a sitcom, though slapstick comedy sketches were interspersed. It does have to be said, however, that this show was far from Barker's best work.
Esteemed British playwright Alan Ayckbourn supplied the scripts, under the pen name Peter Caulfield. The show did break new ground however with the inclusion of scenes which had Rustless acknowledge the presence of the audience. Breaking the fourth wall is commonplace these days in comedies but back then it was not heard of. It was also notable for giving regular exposure to David Jason, who apart from appearances on 'Do Not Adjust Your Set' was still relatively unknown to viewers by this point.
Worth watching alone for the talent of the cast but overall comedy was few and far between in 'Hark At Barker'. The show ended after its second series so Barker could do another show for LWT, the superior 'Six Dates With Barker'. The characters later moved to the BBC for the show's sequel, 'His Lordship Entertains', which Barker wrote himself under the name Jonathan Cobbald. The sketches were dropped and the show took a more traditional sitcom approach by having Rustless open up Chrome Hall as a hotel. It was marginally better to the earlier show though sadly only one episode of it exists today.
Forgotten classic Barker that hints at future wonders.
it001k030611 January 2009
Well done Network for releasing the Ronnie Barker Collection on DVD - an amalgamation of two series of 'Hark at Barker' (from 1969 and 1970) and the 1971 series 'Six Dates with Barker'. Obviously, the age shows, the first series being in black and white, and the whole thing having a modest budget and yet someone as classy as Ronni Barker can always make something special happen. Barker was a legend of British comedy, not to mention a great actor, and, despite the very 70s feel to the humour, this is as strong today as ever. The series focuses on Barker as Lord Rustless, a doddery old gasbag, every bit as comedic and well observed as his later, more famous characters such as Norman Stanley Fletcher and Arkwright the Shopkeeper. He is ably backed up by an impressive comedy army including Josephine Tewson, David Jason and Ronnie Corbett - all hinting at future glories as each of these actors joins Barker in some of his finest moments of the 70s and 80s. Also, watch out for Michael Palin, Valerie Leon, and Christopher Timothy. Note should also be made of sterling regular performances from Frank Gatliff as the butler and Mary Baxter as the cook, joined in series two by the gorgeous Moira Foot as Effie the maid. Scripts are contributed by none other than Barker himself and members of both Monty Python and The Goodies. Indeed, many of the shows provide prototype versions of many greater successes. Each show sees Lord Rustless pontificating on any number of issues, interspersed with sketches in the Two Ronnies style and showcasing Barker's great comic acting. Like other British TV comedy greats - such as David Jason and Peter Kay - Barker can take on a variety of roles and become a completely different person. His personas in this show are each as different and effective as Jason is in varied roles such as Delboy, Granville, Pa Larkin and Frost and Kay is as Brian Potter, Max the Bouncer and Geraldine McQueen. Ronnie Barker was a legend - it's as simple as that, and whilst this series is not as well remembered as his work in 'The Two Ronnies', 'Porridge' or 'Open All Hours', it remains a solid piece of classic comedy entertainment. In it's rarity it is a special treat for all Barker fans. Check it out.
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