Last of the Summer Wine (TV Series) The Changing Face of Rural Blamire (1975) User Reviews

Back to work

[keysam-02610 · 8/10 · 22 June 2022]

Much to Clegg & Compo's bemusement Blamire decides he wants a job and drags them with him.

After an initial encounter with a snotty receptionist in some bland office (where Clegg is unexpectedly assertive, indeed quite hostile - not that she doesn't deserve it) they end up in the clutches of the owner of "Shiny Glow". Everything about this product & its owner is clearly a con, although unless he's making his (commission only) sales team buy the product, I'm not entirely sure what the angle is.

Nevertheless the trio go off to try to flog this dreadful bit of chemical waste and the funniest part is probably after Blamire gets a face full of it and it turns him green. Back in the cafe, with Blamire unaware of how he looks, he inadvertently startles Ivy out of her newly acquired spiritual serenity!

It's quite an entertaining episode but the job storyline is probably more depressing than anything else, especially right at the end when a fair few probably rather desperate men are waiting to see the con artist bloke who has set up under another company name. Blamire leaves in disgust, knowing the truth.

Finally Blamire gets some funny lines.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 7/10 · 31 January 2023]

Feeling that they have too much time on their hands, Compo, Cleggy and Blamire seek employment, as door to door salesmen with Shinyglow products.

I thought this was quite a funny watch, some nice one liners, and all of the characters put to good use. It was really nice to see Blamire being used in a conical way, Bates was an excellent actor, but was always overlooked when it came to the funny lines, Compo got the best deal at this stage.

Several laughs throughout this one, I thought the scene with the van was funny, then the face.

Gerald James who plays Oswald Green really does steal the show as the dodgy Welsh entrepreneur and businessman, you could just imagine him having a case packed ready, with tools and essentials, should a problem arise.

I love the idea that companies like ShinyGlow existed, selling door to door, it's hard to imagine now.

7/10.

Spray on tan

[Prismark10 · 6/10 · 4 June 2016]

As in the previous episode where there was a cameo star turn by the lollipop man, this time actor Gerald James plays dodgy Welsh entrepreneur Oswald Green. When it comes to chemicals it is between ShinyGlow Products and ICI.

Blamire decides the trio needs something to do as they have too much free time in their hands. So ShinyGlow hires them to sale some kind of degreaser door to door.

Problem is some of it is accidentally sprayed on Blamire's face which turns his skin some kind of multicoloured oily grunge.

The show is stolen by the actor playing Oswald Green and for probably one of the few times in the show Michael Bates gets to display his comic chops in the series. Just look at his face when he realises what it has been turned into.