Page 1 of Steptoe & Son - The Christmas Specials

Hi..

I don`t know if anyone here has been collecting the Steptoe DVD`s, but today I have recieved the final disc in the collection.

This DVD contains the 2 Christmas specials from 1973 & 1974.

A word of warning, the company that made these discs have royally screwed up with this release.

The 2 episodes that they have used are the CUT versions.

So, this is more a word of warning :/ (if anyone is thinking of getting this)

Cheers,
Mark :)

How frustrating! I collected the whole set on VHS and re-watched them many times over. Superb. And I once had the privilege to have a few beers with Alan Simpson who was v. impressed with my Steptoe knowledge... :D


....worth emailing the distributor. >:(

Roobarb`s and the Mausoleum Club are afire with this news. 2Entertain will be aware of the situation. ;)

J Mark Oates

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May We Remind Patrons That
The Seating On The Right Hand Side Of The Auditorium
Has Been Designated A No-Smoking Area.
Your Co-operation Is Appreciated

And I once had the privilege to have a few beers with Alan Simpson who was v. impressed with my Steptoe knowledge...

Cool....The best comedy writers ever!

Love their Hancock shows too

Cheers,
Mark :)

Seen one of the two specials on TV before. Thought it held together quite well despite the premise being acustomed to half-hour sitcom length. There are some really touching scenes when Harold meets his wife-to-be. Think she`s a stripper or something. Mike Reid has a bit-part playing himself I recall.

Open the door for Mr Muckle!

That`s the first film, rather than one of the specials. They`re OK but not a patch on the series - Albert comes across more in these than on TV as an absolute b*stard out to ruin Harold`s life to ensure his own future.

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Jay: So you`re the man who didn`t know if he had a pimple or a boil!

Homer: It was a gummy bear.

This item was edited on Wednesday, 7th November 2007, 12:42

Oh, right. Think I`m getting my wires crossed. Don`t think I`ve seen the specials.

Open the door for Mr Muckle!

Does that mean that the Christmas Specials in the Complete Steptoe and Son boxset are the cut versions too? I was thinking of buying this as a Christmas pressie for my stepdad, but is it perhaps worth hanging on until the full versions are issued?

Btw, are the cuts substantial?



I didn`t ask to be born...especially not in Essex!

As I understand it, there are around 3 minutes edited from the 1973 special, while the 1974 one is complete. It would seem a version edited for a repeat in the 1980s (to fill a shorter slot) was used.

Yep, the cuts are also present in the otherwise `complete` boxset. Shame, I saw this in HMV and it looked quite nice.

It`s doubtful whether the full versions will be issued TBH, maybe if 2¦e receive enough complaints but they`ve been fobbing off queries with `best available version` answers so far which is rubbish - even UK Gold have broadcast the unedited version.

I`d be tempted to take the hit and buy the set anyway because the series really is superb stuff, but I guess it depends on how familiar you are with the episodes - the casual viewer probably wouldn`t notice, but the fans... ooh, the fans are up in arms.

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Jay: So you`re the man who didn`t know if he had a pimple or a boil!

Homer: It was a gummy bear.

This item was edited on Friday, 9th November 2007, 09:55

I did contact 2E/BBC over these edits & the reply back was basically saying that the master for the 1973 episode had suffered damage (yeah right) & that was the reason the shorter edited version had been used.

I personally don`t buy that excuse as the full version has been shown on UKgold & released on VHS.

I presume that it`s (in reality) a mistake but they are not admitting it :/