Ruth Jones to play Hattie Jacques‎ for BBC4

Thanks, Angel, for reminding me of this.
I intend to watch.
I will be intrigued to see Aidan Turner playing the part of Hattie Jacques's young lover John Schofield.
I also read an interview in which Robin Le Mesurier, her son, said that Ruth Jones had 'captured' his mother perfectly.
Looking forward to it.

Also noticed some rather canny casting - Marcia Warren as Esma Cannon and Graham Fellowes as Eric Sykes.
Aidan Turner is back to his hairless smooth face.

 

When is Hattie on?

Scrap that the titles says Wednesday at 9pm 

I've set the V+ box to record it. I'm hoping it's going to be good.

I fancy watching this too.
Saw the limited "Unforgettable..." on Hattie not so long ago and was reminded that there was so much more to her than being the 'fat funny lady'.  Everyone seemed to speak highly of her, but that John Schofield was her heartbreaker.  I imagine, if done well, this could be quite a poignant programme.

I'll be watching this tonight.
Advance reports are good.
It will be a pleasure to see Ruth Jones.
I used to think she was brilliant in Nighty Night.
This is a side to her acting skills which will be new to most viewers, but as mentioned earlier Robin, a son of Hattie Jacques and John Le Mesurier, has said that her performance is admirable.

It's also going to be interesting to see Aidan Turner as the young lover.

Tonight? or next week?

It's on tonight, Moonbeams.

thanks Yogi, I shall park his nibbs upstairs and watch Hattie by oneself.

Tonight Moonbeam , BBC 4 , 9pm.


clashes with the footy.

Good plan.

Looking forward to watching Hattie! 

I was just saying earlier there are a few good programmes and films on tonight and on freeview.. Highlander, Pulp fiction, and I am Legend as well.

You watching? 

Charmer.

Watched a bit of it, but it didn't hold my interest for long  

Well, I watched it.
I thought it was very good indeed.
What a very strange story.
Truly strange relationships.
Not sure how to describe it.
Hattie and John (Le Mesurier) were extraordinarily courteous to each other.
They communicated so politely.  Yet somehow the sort of emotions we would expect did not seem to be present. Or did I read it wrongly?

An extraordinary relationship!



I met John Le Mesurier in Judi Dench's dressing room in 1968.
At the time I had no idea of what had happened in his private life.
I lived through that period, watched both of them on television and in film, and yet was not aware of these happenings.


I may comment again later. I am still digesting this rather odd story.

Such a restrained display of emotions from people who make their livings from being dramatic.
Excellent performances I thought.
The extreme courtesy from Robert Bathurst as John, and yet with the tiniest indications he was able to convey his feelings.
But such extraordinary relationships!!!

Cruel I thought.

She didn't know where John was going to go on This Is Your Life - he was quite considered in retrospect 

As promised by the previews vair good indeed! Trebles all round!

Brisket you seem to have led such a interesting life...write  a book  

I agree about their marriage, they seemed like polite flatmates rather than a couple.

Very polite flatmates, but great friends, and not really living as a hubby and wife.

But i found the set up odd.

Interesting though....trails off.....

Hardly a taxing effort.

I watched it, not a great fan of Ruth Jones but she played the part of Hattie quite well. They definately had a strange relationship, and didnt Joan go on to have an affair with Tony Hancock and John accepted that too? Or i am i getting that wrong?

I've been watching it this morning. I thought it was well written and acted.
What a strange relationship Hattie and John Le Lesurier had.
Skylark, you are quite right, John Le Mesurier did marry Joan and took her back after she had an affair with Hancock.

Thanks Yogi, he was a very tolerant man!

According to Wiki, Hattie put down john's "calculated vagueness" to the very strong cigarettes he smoked.

Ah, Joe, that would explain a lot

That is a great description.

I've been reflecting on this again today.
I thought it was very good.
It is the facts of the story which amazed me.
Excellent performances all round I thought. Even Eamonn Andrews was given accurate inflections by Lewis MacLeod.
All the leads were good, but I thought Robert Bathurst was exceptionally good as
John Le Mesurier.

I've just watched this and thought it was very good   couldn't help feeling what a drip John Le Mesurier was but at the same time you couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

it was brilliantly acted  and I really enjoyed watching it 

Yeah, Iknow what you mean, Pengy - but at the same time I thought it was more a case of him being sooooooooooo laid back and open minded too. I want to describe him as rakish but that's not the right word.  Permissive, maybe but with a sense of commitment...?
Bohemian but with middle class trappings, style and appearance?

'Calculated vagueness' is a good description as I don't think he came across as distant or uninvolved.

I dunno!  It's driving me to distraction trying to find the right words

Anyhooo.... I thought Robert Bathurst played him just right;  nicely understated.
Ruth was good too; good casting to have Marcia Warren play quirky Esma Cannon (who obviously wasn't as scatty as she's portrayed in films).

Not sure what I thought about the production - a bit dark perhaps?  But as the script mainly dwelt on Hatttie's disasterous relationship with Schofield I suppose other aspects of her life were shown purely to 'set the scene' so to speak.

I've seen a programme on Hancock which detailed some of the Joan/John/Tony merry-go-round but again, it was more aimed towards Hancock....Joan and John Le Mes were played as minor roles.

I *think* I enjoyed it but I'm not sure it sated my expectations.

Really pissed off that I missed it.    Will try and get it on catchup.

It's repeated on Sunday at 00:20, Starbug.  Set your recorder/Sky+

Aidan Turner and Ruth Jones


Aidan Turner

Brisket, I get the impression you may like Aidan Turner.

Yogi, I can't possibly imagine what on earth gave you that idea.
....................
.........oh alright then, you may have a point.

couldn't help feeling what a drip John Le Mesurier was
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Really ? ...... I felt so sorry for the poor sod. I could have strangled John Schofield  when he had John Le Mesurier's belongings shifted up to the spare room whilst he was romping downstairs with Hattie what a bastard!!! ..... but she payed the price eventually .... He buggered off with someone else  ... leopard / spots,  & all that

 I remember as a very young girl watching Sykes. I never really knew anything about Hattie's personal life. What an eye opener! ....... Anyway, great bit of TV for a change ..... I really enjoyed it ..... Very well played by Ruth Jones, I thought

Such a restrained display of emotions from people who make their livings from being dramatic.
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Yes, indeed .... very strange isn't it

isn't that also what I said in the whole sentence rather than the partial section you quoted?