The Secret Diary/Growing Pains of Adrian Mole.

[yesitsme]

I had a day off yesterday.  It was lovely outside.  We could have done anything.  Took the kids to the park, visited friends or gone for a meal but instead we lay on the settee and started watching Adrian Moles on Youtube.

Despite some shonkey, clunked together acting and LuLu being fucking appalling it still really holds up.

We still laughed at it, eldest came in just as yer Adrian was talking about how many sperms he had in his testes so we squirmed a little just liek our folks would have done but overall I think it's a pretty under acknowledged show.

And it was on ITV too.

Do any other Metro readers still like Adrian Mole?  Mark your letters 'My thing has grown bigger'.

[Shit Good Nose]

I liked Mole, but in book form I always preferred the "other one" - Growing Pains of a Teenager or summat?  Its baser comedy appealed to me more at the time, especially as I was obsessed with Round the Bend (probably the greatest show ITV has ever made in any genre) around the same time. 

But in TV form I always preferred Mole - remember the Growing Pains show being a bit shit.

BUT I've not read or watched either since they were first on TV, so I am relying on distant memory.

[Gurke and Hare]

I liked Mole, but in book form I always preferred the "other one" - Growing Pains of a Teenager or summat?

Diary of a Teenage Health Freak?

Apparently, he'd be 50 this year, so Radio 4 are doing a new series of it, which sounds barely distinguishable from the series they did first time round to me but there you go.

[Shit Good Nose]

Diary of a Teenage Health Freak?

Apparently, he'd be 50 this year, so Radio 4 are doing a new series of it, which sounds barely distinguishable from the series they did first time round to me but there you go.

That's the bunny.


Wasn't there a middle-aged Mole show a few years ago?  Yes - The Cappuccino Years, which I never saw.

[Ignatius_S]

re: Diary of a Teenage Health Freak - the C4 series was adapted by Danny Peacock, who I think also played the main character's dad.

That's the bunny.

Wasn't there a middle-aged Mole show a few years ago?  Yes - The Cappuccino Years, which I never saw.

Aye, that's right - I caught a couple of episodes when it was repeated quite a while after the first broadcast and was pleasantly surprised.

[popcorn]

I think the books are some of the greatest things in civilisation. People say they're not as good when he's older, but I love how he ages in real time, providing a running commentary on the shifting Britain. Some of my biggest laughs ever are from those books, like Adrian being obsessed with his girlfriend's wrists, and her later saying "You never look at my wrists any more." Or the correspondence about Mr Swan. There were so my wonderful, humane touches too, like Adrian and another girlfriend eating watermelon together in the bath.

I never properly saw either of the TV series - I foggily remember the Cappuccino Years one being sort of fine. But I used to work with the brother of the guy who played Adrian in the first series, and he had nothing but bad things to say about it, because it had ruined his brother's life.

[Gulftastic]

I was and am a massive fan of the books, and was a bit disappointed with the TV series. None of them have captured it for me. I'm not sure if they ever could.

I've grown up with Mole, being only a couple of years younger than him. I was very upset when Sue Townsend died, as obviously that would stop.

[popcorn]

I love the entire swan episode from Weapons of Mass Destruction so much I edited all the relevant passages into one lump for everyone to enjoy. This really is one of the things that has made me laugh the most in my entire life. https://pastebin.com/VZCuWvHv

[Small Man Big Horse]

The first book caused me to get a massive erection when I was reading it at school once. Can't remember which part, but jesus, it was the kind of hard on that could lift a desk up in the air, and which I haven't been capable of for about twenty years.

[Mobius]

Loved them. Felt very grown up as a youth, reading someone's private thoughts. And measuring my willy.

Such a wonderful world, really feels like another time now..

In my head Pandora Braithwaite is Big Suze.

[yesitsme]

Loved them. Felt very grown up as a youth, reading someone's private thoughts. And measuring my willy.

Such a wonderful world, really feels like another time now..

In my head Pandora Braithwaite is Big Suze.

Nah mate, she's Darcy Bussell.

When I was a lad I would have been a couple of years behind Adrian and the gang at school and obviously would have fancied a crack at Pandora.  Watching it now is it wrong to STILL find her horny?

If I watched it fresh as an adult obviously I'd be more in to Mrs Braithwaite but I still look at her as an adult although I am now probably older than her character was.

Similar thing when I see old photos from school.  I still fancy the girls I fancied then (probably still would if I met them as adults) but what a confusing situation.

Simultaneously too young for her ever to consider letting me touch the lace on her mother's underslip and now to old to even find Stick Insect attractive.

[jobotic]

Wonderful books, all of them. His unrequited love for Pandora a bit too on the nose sometimes.

Didn't really watch the series, didn't realise there'd been more than one. isn't the first book on Radio 4 at the moment?

[Gurke and Hare]

isn't the first book on Radio 4 at the moment?

Why yes, it is.

Just my luck.

[jobotic]

Oops, sorry.

[Glebe]

Watched both series on YouTube a few years back, very nostalgic. Both series were directed by Peter Sasdy, who helmed a few Hammer Horrors. Nice to see Beryl Reid pop up as Grandma on occasion. Could be wrong, but I believe there may be a music video for Ian Dury's great theme tune, but I can't find it online. Oh, and the ever-beautiful Julie Walters is particularly lovely here (in addition to being a cracking actress).

[Lost Oliver]

I love the entire swan episode from Weapons of Mass Destruction so much I edited all the relevant passages into one lump for everyone to enjoy. This really is one of the things that has made me laugh the most in my entire life. https://pastebin.com/VZCuWvHv

Popcorn, this is wonderful. Thank you! I've often tried to explain to people why Gielgud et al was so funny and I'm pleased someone else loved it as much as me.

I love all the books. A brilliant mixture of humour, pathos and more humour. I did think about rereading them all in order but I'm not sure if the earlier ones would have the same effect, what do yous lot think? And on the subject of Townsend, what else from her canon is worth a go? I picked up 'Rebuilding Coventry' only last week but haven't started it yet.

[Ignatius_S]

...I never properly saw either of the TV series - I foggily remember the Cappuccino Years one being sort of fine. But I used to work with the brother of the guy who played Adrian in the first series, and he had nothing but bad things to say about it, because it had ruined his brother's life.

As I say, I only saw a couple of the Cappuccino Years but thought it seemed pretty good – far more than I expected.

The earlier Thames series were excellent. Personally, I thought the way that material was adapted was handled very well – for example, there's a diary entry about Adrian coming home from school early and goes to bad in shock after seeing his father acting out instructions whilst watching young children's programme; in the series, the instruction is pretending to be an acorn growing into an oak tree, which might have been the same as the book., The way it's handled in the series is George realises he's been caught but makes a pathetic attempt to explain before deflecting with what Adrian is doing home so early. That's going to lose something – or possibly, all – in my telling but it was a passage in the book that I found hilarious but they came up with something that worked better in terms of the medium, but was just as funny but for another reason.

Also, the cast was incredible – it was the first thing that I saw Steven Macintosh in and he's been a favourite actor ever since. Stephen Moore is another fave and thought he was outstanding as George.

Also, really liked Bill Fraser in it – I think it was might have been his final role (if not, it was close) and although I would have liked him to be around for longer, thought it was fitting that it was a great role in a hugely received show.

Re:   Gian Sammarco, who played Adrian in the series, jacked in acting and became a nurse. My memory might be playing tricks but I seem to recall a sneering comment about that, which I responded to as it seemed to me that it was an example being a highly successful child actor, who wasn't able to make the transition to adult acting for various reasons (e.g. being typecast). Also, nursing as a career is one that I think most people would say is a valuable one.

Also, in the 1980s there was West End musical of Adrian Mole and the star, Simon Schatzberger will be very familiar to some for this advert: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKb3J9mctlo

A while ago, there was an attempt (which I assume was successful) of changing the way actors are paid for adverts. IIRC, what was being proposed was more payment frontloaded (i.e. more money upfront) but repeat fees were being slashed considerably. Unsurprisingly, big name actors were going to do better out of this arrangement, but others were going to be paid less overall. In some news stories about this, Schatzberger was interviewed because he was a good case in point – because his Yellow Pages advert was shown a lot and was brought back more than once, he did very nicely out of it but would have made a lot less of the changes. 

A while ago – maybe the last time Mole was discussed – I had a look at his credits and Schatzberger had been Band of Brothers.

Back to the 1980s, he appeared in a CITV show, Your Mother Wouldn't Like it, playing a lead in a recurring sketch 'Wimp in Action'... written by Sue Townsend.

...Could be wrong, but I believe there may be a music video for Ian Dury's great theme tune, but I can't find it online...

There was definitely a music video – the song was released as a single.

Just checked and a ropey copy is on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvBwXDLXgtc

[justin_bennett]

The first time I ever heard the Manics doing From Despair To Where (and subsequently), it always reminded me of Profoundly In Love With Pandora.

Just me then...

[Glebe]

There was definitely a music video – the song was released as a single.

Just checked and a ropey copy is on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvBwXDLXgtc

Nice one, cheer Ignatius! The last time I checked there was only a fan-made video using clips from the show... only ever saw a little bit of that video, somehow used to I think  - and I know this sounds mental - that maybe Roger McGough did the song before I knew it was Ian Dury, because I somehow thought it was Roger McGough in the video (don't ask... maybe the glasses?)! I thought the guy in drag was Stephen Fry at first (and that Cliff Richard was in the video at the end... that taping is surely going into a Cliff vid, right?).

[popcorn]

Popcorn, this is wonderful. Thank you! I've often tried to explain to people why Gielgud et al was so funny and I'm pleased someone else loved it as much as me.

Glad someone else appreciates it. The way Adrian's letter is written so it can be read either way reduces me to hysterics:

There is no Mr Swan. The swan in question cannot be dignified by the prefix 'Mr'. He is a mute, a creature not a man. He cannot be talked to or reasoned with, because he is in fact a wild animal.

[Better Midlands]

In my head Pandora Braithwaite is Big Suze.

Yes!