Delighted to see the criminally under-rated Derek Deadman getting decent screen-time as Rankin in this episode. The guy was absolutely made for comedy but terribly under-used. One of those very few comic actors who doesn't have to do anything to get you smiling and ready to laugh. He just had that perfect 'comic presence' whether it was in Benny Hill, Dick Emery, Reggie Perrin, Never The Twain, or movies like Time Bandits, Brazil or Morons From Outer Space. A face you always recognised but who's name you always forgot. RIP funny man.
I actually have a bit of a sad theory: Thinking about being a bandsman was actually just a coping mechanism, but then maybe he was focusing too hard on it and then it went too far and eventually he ended up here.
One joke in the series took three years to reach its payoff. In what seems like a throwaway joke in "Medical" from Series 1, MO Squadron Leader Baker's incompetent assistant, Rankin, tells his superior that he wants to be a bandsman after watching the band at RAF Skelton assemble for rehearsal; Baker just groans, "Oh, shut up." In "Crisis" from Series 5, Rankin returns as a psychiatric patient at RAF Druidswater, still harbouring ambitions of being a bandsman and eventually threatening to jump off a window ledge if he can't be a musician. Jakey forces Marsh to give him 32/6 to buy a trombone for Rankin... who, inevitably, is a Dreadful Musician.
I love the way that the group captain is totally clueless and oblivious that Cpl Marsh is a total twit and pulls the wool over his eyes all the time.🇦🇺
I resent that. I’m totally sane, and I’ve been a member of BB and been in BB bands pretty much all my life. I’m in my early 40s and have been involved since I was 6. The tune that the bugle band was playing is called St George. It’s not actually an official BB bugle march. It’s from a guy called Drum Major Joseph Winter who was ex army during World War One. He went on to work for Henry Potters Of Aldershot Musical Supplies. He composed multiple Bugle marches during his time in the trenches. Very prolific composer and also with Flute tunes. Back during the first world war Bugle Bands were commonplace in the British Army. But afterwards they veered away from Bugles in the many army corps of drums in favour of the B- Flat flutes. They seem to forget their own history these days, because many Army guys see the Bugle as something that should only be used for calls instead of marches. There’s a kind of snobbery that exists within the Corps Of Drums. Only a few exceptions still exist. The Royal Marines and The Rifles, who both spécialisé in Bugle Marches. But even then..... they’re mostly military band and bugle marches, rather than pure drum and bugle like you hear in this clip from the BB band. I’m proud to have served in the BB and even Sir Alex Ferguson will tell people the same thing. That he enjoyed his time within the BB. Baden Powell started off as a BB leader before starting the Scouts....... but not many Scouts want to acknowledge that little fact. He was friends with the founder of the BB Sir William Alexander Smith. Who was an honorary colonel in the Lanarkshire Rifles Volunteers. Powell originally wrote the book Scouting For Boys, specifically for the Boys’ Brigade. For use in their Scouting activities. Many BB Boys gave their lives during WW1. The 16th Battalion HLI (Highland Light Infantry) was made up entirely from ex or serving BB members from the Tyneside area. And the 16th HLI was the City Of Glasgow Regiment. A huge chunk of them wiped out on the first day of the Somme offensive. Some still had the bolt covers on their rifles when they were killed. Their bodies thrown into one vast crater with the rifles being used to mark the spot once the crater had been filled in. Also another Regiment with BB members was the 13th Battalion The Rifles Brigade. Mostly made up from lads within the London area. Again....... a huge chunk of their numbers wiped out at the Somme on the first day of the offensive. Many of the men in my family have been connected to the BB over the 140 years of it’s existence.
@@lordeden2732 To be fair to Karl Howman, he was a great comedy actor in his own rights (like when he did Brush Strokes) but it was always going to be impossible replacing Robert Lindsey. But, overall, Series 5 was poor as a whole irrespective of Howman.
Actually,whilst this was filmed in the 70s, it's actually set during the 50s, a period where Psychiatric Care was only really just coming out of infancy. It would not be until the Early 70s that Psychiatric Care would reach it's Preteens before flourishing into Adulthood in the Early 21st Century. Also, you can see the differences in approach of care; Marsh's protocol is to sneer, mock and intimidate Rankin, pretty much more or less just lock him up and leave him to die because he serves no benefit to Society. Many of the Medical Officers, on the other hand, as well as the Lads's, approach is to attempt to cure Rankin using what scientific Methods they have at hand. Why, the expression on the Anex MO's face regarding Marsh's "jests" practically screams, if he were not an Officer of the RAF and would it not risk his Commission, possibly even his Carer, he might very well call Marsh a "Ignorant, Illiterate Bastard" and knock his block off!
@@Biggles2498 Officers unjforms were taylored and other ranks were chucked at them and if they fitted stores /quarternmaster had clearly made a mistake.
![โอ้เธอช่าง... - บี้เดอะสกา ft. ต๋อง เทวัญ (Prod. by ป๋าเพชร) [Official MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/zbWhiLFmVL0/mqdefault.jpg)
Delighted to see the criminally under-rated Derek Deadman getting decent screen-time as Rankin in this episode. The guy was absolutely made for comedy but terribly under-used. One of those very few comic actors who doesn't have to do anything to get you smiling and ready to laugh. He just had that perfect 'comic presence' whether it was in Benny Hill, Dick Emery, Reggie Perrin, Never The Twain, or movies like Time Bandits, Brazil or Morons From Outer Space. A face you always recognised but who's name you always forgot. RIP funny man.
Hehe, his lovely cheeky lil face as he exits the cubical 😄
Poor Rankin, a harmless fellow who should have been given a job in the band, etc. Great actor in Never the Twain!
I actually have a bit of a sad theory:
Thinking about being a bandsman was actually just a coping mechanism, but then maybe he was focusing too hard on it and then it went too far and eventually he ended up here.
A pity they don't make comedies like that any more. I often wonder where the cast are now.
17:05 love the way he says "you're on a charge" just for laughing. He'd be at home in today's police force.
i played Green sleeves on my trombone for my grade 3 exam when i was a sprightly 13 year old and played years ever since xxx
helen m
300/10 for that :)
One joke in the series took three years to reach its payoff. In what seems like a throwaway joke in "Medical" from Series 1, MO Squadron Leader Baker's incompetent assistant, Rankin, tells his superior that he wants to be a bandsman after watching the band at RAF Skelton assemble for rehearsal; Baker just groans, "Oh, shut up."
In "Crisis" from Series 5, Rankin returns as a psychiatric patient at RAF Druidswater, still harbouring ambitions of being a bandsman and eventually threatening to jump off a window ledge if he can't be a musician. Jakey forces Marsh to give him 32/6 to buy a trombone for Rankin... who, inevitably, is a Dreadful Musician.
Basket weaving! Lol! I still use this expression! Lol
And well done to the Boys’ Brigade!
When I was in the RN I knew 2 blokes who had been on the short basket weaving course at Netley.
Probably what let to the unfortunate term basket case.
"I want to be a bandsman!"
I love the way that the group captain is totally clueless and oblivious that Cpl Marsh is a total twit and pulls the wool over his eyes all the time.🇦🇺
16:53 "EEG 16 farrrrrsan volts fru d brain". Always wondered.
Good old mic boom at 23:28
Yeah. Happened in the Shootist. Shit happens.
Is that a staybrite badge on Marsh's beret?And I would think Rankin was going for an ECT session!
EEG. Electroencephalogram. A diagnostic tool. Not the barbarism that is electroconvulsive therapy!
Rankin looks the most sane person in that band!
I resent that. I’m totally sane, and I’ve been a member of BB and been in BB bands pretty much all my life. I’m in my early 40s and have been involved since I was 6. The tune that the bugle band was playing is called St George. It’s not actually an official BB bugle march. It’s from a guy called Drum Major Joseph Winter who was ex army during World War One. He went on to work for Henry Potters Of Aldershot Musical Supplies. He composed multiple Bugle marches during his time in the trenches. Very prolific composer and also with Flute tunes. Back during the first world war Bugle Bands were commonplace in the British Army. But afterwards they veered away from Bugles in the many army corps of drums in favour of the B- Flat flutes. They seem to forget their own history these days, because many Army guys see the Bugle as something that should only be used for calls instead of marches. There’s a kind of snobbery that exists within the Corps Of Drums. Only a few exceptions still exist. The Royal Marines and The Rifles, who both spécialisé in Bugle Marches. But even then..... they’re mostly military band and bugle marches, rather than pure drum and bugle like you hear in this clip from the BB band. I’m proud to have served in the BB and even Sir Alex Ferguson will tell people the same thing. That he enjoyed his time within the BB. Baden Powell started off as a BB leader before starting the Scouts....... but not many Scouts want to acknowledge that little fact. He was friends with the founder of the BB Sir William Alexander Smith. Who was an honorary colonel in the Lanarkshire Rifles Volunteers. Powell originally wrote the book Scouting For Boys, specifically for the Boys’ Brigade. For use in their Scouting activities. Many BB Boys gave their lives during WW1. The 16th Battalion HLI (Highland Light Infantry) was made up entirely from ex or serving BB members from the Tyneside area. And the 16th HLI was the City Of Glasgow Regiment. A huge chunk of them wiped out on the first day of the Somme offensive. Some still had the bolt covers on their rifles when they were killed. Their bodies thrown into one vast crater with the rifles being used to mark the spot once the crater had been filled in. Also another Regiment with BB members was the 13th Battalion The Rifles Brigade. Mostly made up from lads within the London area. Again....... a huge chunk of their numbers wiped out at the Somme on the first day of the offensive. Many of the men in my family have been connected to the BB over the 140 years of it’s existence.
21:43 Like how Richardson almost gets his line wrong.
Don't know how many episodes back they made the switch, but Robert Lindsay has been replaced by Karl Howman in the Jakey Smith role.
Karl Howman came in as Smiffy at the start of series 5.
@Philip R: Cheers, thanks for the info. Howman was almost similar to Lindsay in the role, speech and appearance-wise so he was a good replacement.
No he was not !
He was a Blo~ody awful jakey should never have recast the part!@@neilforbes416
@Lord Eden: You'd have preferred the Jakey(Three-f Smith) character be written out, then?
@@lordeden2732 To be fair to Karl Howman, he was a great comedy actor in his own rights (like when he did Brush Strokes) but it was always going to be impossible replacing Robert Lindsey. But, overall, Series 5 was poor as a whole irrespective of Howman.
Wasnt as good when Robert Lindsay left
💜👍💜👍
Gives some idea as to what they thought of mental health issues back in the 70's. Something to laugh about. If only a tuba could fix it....
It's only TV, does what Dr Who thinks tell us what we all thought about Daleks too?
Actually,whilst this was filmed in the 70s, it's actually set during the 50s, a period where Psychiatric Care was only really just coming out of infancy. It would not be until the Early 70s that Psychiatric Care would reach it's Preteens before flourishing into Adulthood in the Early 21st Century.
Also, you can see the differences in approach of care; Marsh's protocol is to sneer, mock and intimidate Rankin, pretty much more or less just lock him up and leave him to die because he serves no benefit to Society. Many of the Medical Officers, on the other hand, as well as the Lads's, approach is to attempt to cure Rankin using what scientific Methods they have at hand.
Why, the expression on the Anex MO's face regarding Marsh's "jests" practically screams, if he were not an Officer of the RAF and would it not risk his Commission, possibly even his Carer, he might very well call Marsh a "Ignorant, Illiterate Bastard" and knock his block off!
@@flashstudiosguy hj jjnj😊. 😅😅 hi😅hi😅 hhvb😅vvvhh😅h😅hbh
If National Service comes in,the Psychiatric Service in the Forces will be overwhelmed!
Thought it was a trombone?
Wouldn't someone with mental health problems be given a medical discharge?
Eventually if the psychiatrist at RAF Wroughton decided you were not faking it!
PTSD unknown then probably still being referred to as lack of moral fibre?
un-fuckin'-believeable
Not if you worked at RAF Wroughton!
This was a GOOD episode
What a bad thing it is that there is one cap badge for airmen and another for officers. Snobism!
Robert Stallard you obviously did some service!
The Uniform was smarter and less itchy for Officers too ! (As with other Services )
@@Biggles2498 Officers unjforms were taylored and other ranks were chucked at them and if they fitted stores /quarternmaster had clearly made a mistake.
In the Army, other ranks were issued metal cap badges Officer had embroidered badges on their barets.
You're obviously ex service? 🙄