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Yus My Dear: The Complete First Series (TV)
R2 - United Kingdom - Network Review written by and copyright: Paul Lewis (25th May 2009). |
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The Show
 
A vehicle for the gruff-voiced comic actor Arthur Mullard and Queenie Watts, Yus My Dear (LWT, 1976-7) was a spin-off from LWT’s popular situation comedy Romany Jones (1972-5). Romany Jones had focused on the character of Bert Jones (played by Dad’s Army star James ‘Private Walker’ Beck); Mullard and Watts played Wally and Lily Briggs, inhabitants of the same gypsy caravan site on which Bert Jones lived. Yus My Dear focuses on Wally and Lily, who have been relocated to a council house following the news that their caravan site has been marked for ‘redevelopment’ by the council. They are joined by Wally’s brother Benny (Mike Reid), who makes Wally and Lily’s lives difficult with his constant attempts to part bricklayer Wally from his money. 
The series was written by Ronald Chesney and Ronald Wolfe, creators of The Rag Trade (BBC, 1961-3), the Freddie Frinton and Thora Hird sitcom Meet the Wife (BBC, 1963-6) and On the Buses (LWT, 1969-73); in fact, the characters of Wally and Lily Briggs also made an appearance in the film Holiday On the Buses (Bryan Izzard, 1973). Immediately prior to working on Yus My Dear, Chesney and Wolfe created the sitcom Don’t Drink the Water (LWT, 1974), which featured the adventures of On the Buses’ Blakey (Stephen Lewis) as he moves to Spain with his sister Dorothy (Pat Coombs). Both Don’t Drink the Water and Yus My Dear have very poor critical reputations, thanks to their focus on saucy seaside postcard-type humour, although the latter was very successful in terms of audience ratings. Where in Romany Jones the Wattses were the uncouth comic foil to James Beck’s Bert Jones and his wife Betty (Jo Rowbottom) – where Mullard’s vulgar behaviour and lack of hygiene was a source for disgust to the younger couple – Yus My Dear has a weaker comic effect due to its loss of the more civilised couple of the pairing. Mike Reid is effective as Benny, but he doesn’t provide a contrast to the lifestyles of Lily and Wally – aside from his playboy aspirations, which come to the fore in ‘Be My Guest’, in which Benny convinces Wally and Lily to indulge in a meal at a fancy restaurant. 
The series’ title comes from Mullard’s catchphrase ‘Yus, my dear’; the title is integrated into the show’s theme tune, sung by Mullard: ‘Yus, my dear. Don’t tell her “No”, just tell her “Yus, my dear”. Then you’ll be as cosy as two bugs on a rug, two birds on a tree. Just take it from me son the secret to true harmony is “Yus, my dear”’. As with most of Chesney and Wolfe’s scripts of the late-1960s and 1970s, the humour is crude and vulgar, finding a strong outlet in Mike Reid’s persona: during one episode, Benny catches Lil hiding the housekeeping money in her bra. Lil tells Benny that she’s putting the money where no-one will be able to get hold of it. ‘Don’t put it down there, Lil: half the town’ll get their ‘ands on it’, Benny tells her. 
Episodes: 1. ‘Brother Benny’ 2. ‘Three’s Company’ 3. ‘The Set Up’ 4. ‘Be My Guest’ 5. ‘The New Look’ 6. ‘Foggy Night’
Video
The episodes are presented in their original broadcast ratio of 4:3; the break bumpers are intact, but curiously the LWT frontcaps are absent. Picture quality is very good for a 1970s VT-shot series. The image is sharp and clear. 
Audio
The DVD contains a two-channel mono track. This is clear throughout all of the episodes. There are no subtitles.
Extras
No extra features are included.
Overall
Yus My Dear has a reputation as one of the worst British situation comedies. Although the series is undoubtedly crude and often goes for ‘cheap’ laughs, its reputation is largely negative hyperbole: there are numerous sitcoms that are far worse than Yus My Dear, including several homegrown series that are currently being shown on mainstream channels in the UK. Although Mike Reid’s acting is still a little ‘rough around the edges’, Queenie Watts is great as Lily. Nevertheless, the series runs out of steam very quickly, with the last few episodes simply repeating the conflicts and situations established in the first two or three episodes: Benny tries to come up with a plan to fleece Wally; Benny flirts with Lil but is knocked back; Wally is chastised by Lil for displaying sexual interest in another woman. Although by no means one of the worst sitcoms ever produced in the UK, Yus My Dear is clearly not one of the best either. Nevertheless, this middle-of-the-road series is often amusing, largely thanks to the performances of the lead actors. For more information, please visit the homepage of Network DVD.
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