By the Sea
Encyclopedia
By the Sea is a 1982 BBC
film starring The Two Ronnies
, and written by Ronnie Barker
under the pseudonym
s "Dave Huggett and Larry Keith".
coast in "Tiddly Cove", actually the coast between Bournemouth
and Swanage
. Ronnie Barker was a keen collector of saucy seaside postcards, and published several books of them. The humour of By the Sea was very much based on the colourful style of these. The film is notable for being completely free of speech, with the score by Ronnie Hazlehurst
and various sound effects in their place. The humour is instead entirely visual, and relies on comic stereotypes (the old randy general, the busty girl, the cheeky schoolboy, etc.). It was the follow-up to another Two Ronnies film, The Picnic
, featuring the same characters.
Before it was shown, the BBC commissioned producer Alan J.W. Bell, the director of Last of the Summer Wine
, to improve the film. No scenes were re-shot, but he re-structured the film and commissioned Ronnie Hazlehurst to write an original music score. To add comic effect, the film was also slightly speeded-up.
The 55 minute film was shown on BBC 1 at Easter 1982, but has rarely been repeated, although in recent times it has been shown several times by ITV3
, who currently hold the rights to the Two Ronnies library. A limited VHS release of By The Sea and The Picnic was available in 1990 and deleted in 1994. A DVD release has yet to happen.
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
film starring The Two Ronnies
The Two Ronnies
The Two Ronnies is a British sketch show that aired on BBC1 from 1971 to 1987. It featured the double act of Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett, the "Two Ronnies" of the title.-Origins:...
, and written by Ronnie Barker
Ronnie Barker
Ronald William George "Ronnie" Barker, OBE was a British actor, comedian, writer, critic, broadcaster and businessman...
under the pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
s "Dave Huggett and Larry Keith".
Introduction
The film followed the extended family of "The General", played by Barker, as they went on an eventful seaside holiday. It was set on the DorsetDorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
coast in "Tiddly Cove", actually the coast between Bournemouth
Bournemouth
Bournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...
and Swanage
Swanage
Swanage is a coastal town and civil parish in the south east of Dorset, England. It is situated at the eastern end of the Isle of Purbeck, approximately 10 km south of Poole and 40 km east of Dorchester. The parish has a population of 10,124 . Nearby are Ballard Down and Old Harry Rocks,...
. Ronnie Barker was a keen collector of saucy seaside postcards, and published several books of them. The humour of By the Sea was very much based on the colourful style of these. The film is notable for being completely free of speech, with the score by Ronnie Hazlehurst
Ronnie Hazlehurst
Ronald "Ronnie" Hazlehurst was an English composer and conductor who, having joined the BBC in 1961, became its Light Entertainment Musical Director....
and various sound effects in their place. The humour is instead entirely visual, and relies on comic stereotypes (the old randy general, the busty girl, the cheeky schoolboy, etc.). It was the follow-up to another Two Ronnies film, The Picnic
The Picnic
The Picnic , is a 1976 BBC film starring The Two Ronnies, and written by Ronnie Barker under the pseudonyms "Dave Huggett and Larry Keith".-Introduction:...
, featuring the same characters.
Before it was shown, the BBC commissioned producer Alan J.W. Bell, the director of Last of the Summer Wine
Last of the Summer Wine
Last of the Summer Wine is a British sitcom written by Roy Clarke that was broadcast on BBC One. Last of the Summer Wine premiered as an episode of Comedy Playhouse on 4 January 1973 and the first series of episodes followed on 12 November 1973. From 1983 to 2010, Alan J. W. Bell produced and...
, to improve the film. No scenes were re-shot, but he re-structured the film and commissioned Ronnie Hazlehurst to write an original music score. To add comic effect, the film was also slightly speeded-up.
The 55 minute film was shown on BBC 1 at Easter 1982, but has rarely been repeated, although in recent times it has been shown several times by ITV3
ITV3
ITV3 is an entertainment television channel in the United Kingdom that is owned by ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of ITV plc. The channel was launched on 1 November 2004. ITV3 is the second largest UK multi-channel, second only to ITV2.-History:...
, who currently hold the rights to the Two Ronnies library. A limited VHS release of By The Sea and The Picnic was available in 1990 and deleted in 1994. A DVD release has yet to happen.