Recently Hilda Ogden died. Hilda who I hear you say?

[Inspire]

Recently Hilda Ogden died. Hilda who I hear you say?

Gerry Carter

 

 

Well, you won’t be British and middle aged if you are asking that question. During her 1970s and 1980s heyday June Alexander – better known as Hilda Ogden, a stalwart of Coronation Street that is the longest running soap opera in the world – was almost as recognizable as the Queen of England.

 

“Hilda” died last month and many – myself included – went online to remind ourselves watching YouTube clips of the great days of a fine TV program more than a soap opera. When she left the show – that has run continuously since the early 1960s – 20 million Britons tuned in to watch.

 

Her performances and those of many other characters in the show were brilliant. The scripts were often masterpieces providing a window into British culture and thinking. The show is popular to this day though I have moved onto other things.

 

When I left the UK in the 1980s I often asked relatives to bring out videotapes of the show to watch in Bangkok. A little piece of my home country that I missed.

 

Other UK soaps were quite good too though they lacked the appeal for me. I travelled the world for a bit. The Australian ones were not bad, quite watchable. US ones seemed a bit melodramatic for my taste while the ones in Brazil – with the largest audiences imaginable – presented the lives of the rich and famous rather than the ordinary folk I was used to. Nothing compared to “Corry”.

 

So what of the soaps in Thailand?

 

Nothing lasts more than one season but one could be forgiven for thinking that this is not true. For the characters are always the same and the scenarios all but identical.

 

Wealthy people behaving badly. The down trodden heroine who eventually gets her handsome man despite the mean and vindictive rival who does everything to trap her beloved in her wicked web. The concerned mums and dads with fake grey in their hair spouting banal predictable nonsense. The stereotypical lady boys, gays and sundry hangers-on (including unlucky in love fat people and subservient maids) all chip in with their interminable drivel. Why is the policeman always so well turned out and so honest? The twangy noises…UGH!!!! Get me out of here.

 

Full story: http://www.inspirepattaya.com/lifestyle/recently-hilda-ogden-died-hilda-hear-say/

 

 

 

-- © Copyright Inspire Pattaya 2016-11-12

[bannork]

You can see Hilda Ogdens in every Thai village. Usually they can be found in the mornings exchanging gossip with fellow housewives about events however small over the last 24 hours. They usually lower their voices when the gossip is especially juicy, ie Yai Daeng had to borrow 2,000 baht to cover her gambling debts.

Coronation Street- the dire music  and views of dreadfully grim terraced houses at the beginning go a long way to explaining why there are so many English people living in Thailand.

 

[piersbeckett]

Well, there you have it, from the horse's mouth; if you just sensed that Thai soaps were complete crap, you know now that there's nothing wrong with your senses! 

 

RIP Hilda

[mackemray]

She's Jean Alexander and was a real lady, playing the part of Hilda Ogden who was the complete opposite of herself.

[NoshowJones]

Could you ever have imagined June Alexander or Bill Roache turning up on Eastenders playing different characters?

I was watching Prisoner Cell Block H, and who pops up but Harold Bishop from Neighbours, then also the

actress who played Harolds wife, playing different characters of course.

[yardrunner]

Perhaps the longest running soap opera on TV but not the longest running soap opera in the world, have you never heard of the Archers that has been running on UK Radio since the early 50s

[jeab1980]

I watch coronation Streetand that eastend  thing once each and you tell thai there tv series are bad. Other thing iI see is that dancing thing strictly another rubish thing. Maybe it'sa culture thing i l i  like thai (as you call them) soaps. But think Englishones rubish. 

[bannork]

Like a funeral march, only it's a funeral that has gone on for nearly 56 years and  over 9,000 episodes. Pull the plug someone please!

[oldlakey]

1 hour ago, jeab1980 said:

I watch coronation Streetand that eastend  thing once each and you tell thai there tv series are bad. Other thing iI see is that dancing thing strictly another rubish thing. Maybe it'sa culture thing i l i  like thai (as you call them) soaps. But think Englishones rubish. 

A few words to the wise old cock regarding soaps

Its not what we call them, thats the name they are actually known as and referred to as

Of course Soaps is only a shortened version of their full name which is Soap Operas

I would explain that to you normally but unfortunately I find my patience is not limitless today so you are just out of luck

Before I move on I do have a few words of comfort for you concerning Strickly Come Dancing, and they are that I concur with your sentiments wholeheartedly  on aforementioned offal

As for the rest of you Stan in his armchair recovering from the window cleaning ? and Hilda admiring the Muriel on the wall over the tiled fireplace, possible a set of flying ducks ? Oh the memories 

She brought something else to Last of the summer wine as Auntie Wainwright, gave Clegg nightmares but what didn't

 

[Dumbastheycome]

I am amazed that she  still lived. I was a teenager when I first saw  "Hilda" on  Coro St. And I am no spring chicken  now!

To prove the point I still remember  Ena  and Minnie in the  Cosy. lol.

I am no  follower of soaps in general but I have to admit  the  longevity of Coronation Street  is probably unique in that it has created a multi generational venue  for  actors and viewers.

Despite that I still more vividly remember the American spoof series Soap which provided  some  insight  into the fact  that some  Americans do possess a real sense of humour.

[oldlakey]

On 11/12/2016 at 2:13 PM, bannork said:

You can see Hilda Ogdens in every Thai village. Usually they can be found in the mornings exchanging gossip with fellow housewives about events however small over the last 24 hours. They usually lower their voices when the gossip is especially juicy, ie Yai Daeng had to borrow 2,000 baht to cover her gambling debts.

Coronation Street- the dire music  and views of dreadfully grim terraced houses at the beginning go a long way to explaining why there are so many English people living in Thailand.

 

Two up, two down back to back, outside privy, tin bath hung on the wall, whats your beef mate

[bannork]

6 minutes ago, oldlakey said:

Two up, two down back to back, outside privy, tin bath hung on the wall, whats your beef mate

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njG7p6CSbCU

Eh up, we ad outside privy when i wus a lad, froze in winter,. ad to pour boiling water on it fore sitting on throne.It's nowt special but my beef is working class urban life in the UK is so booooooring . Trapped in dull terraced streets or housing estates with a tiny garden and weather that keeps you indoors for six months a year they actually make soap operas about it with characters viewers follow. 

John was right, the peasants are doped with religion .sex and TV.

 

[oldlakey]

5 minutes ago, bannork said:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njG7p6CSbCU

Eh up, we ad outside privy when i wus a lad, froze in winter,. ad to pour boiling water on it fore sitting on throne.It's nowt special but my beef is working class urban life in the UK is so booooooring . Trapped in dull terraced streets or housing estates with a tiny garden and weather that keeps you indoors for six months a year they actually make soap operas about it with characters viewers follow. 

John was right, the peasants are doped with religion .sex and TV.

 

55555555555555

I see, unless you went slumming it quite often you appear to be the same as me, you weren't born with a silver spoon in your mouth

I think you have taken my post too seriously though squire

My advice would be to lighten up a tad, considering what this thread is concerned with

Soaps, simply pleasures, just entertain for some, at times I found the odd soap quite riviting, not Crossroads or Eldorado though 555555555

As an aside John was the best of the fab four by some distance in my humble opinion

Working class hero not my favourite by any means

I cant really remember much about the original drummer, I cant be bothered to Google it either as he was history before they became what they became

The weather never kept me indoors for six months of the year I had a coat, hat and shoes 555555

Mind you my parents kept me in a time or two 555555

[bannork]

Glad we agree about John,  never mind the soaps.. Sorry to hear you were riveted to the odd one at times, it must have been quite  painful when they finished .

Regarding upbringing, yer wuz lucky havin coat, ,hat an shuz. I ad one shoe but it waz a hand me down with a loose sole from me Uncle Arthur after e got laid off from  council following  lawnmower accident in  park in Hull. Never mind, my teachers  told uz a bit of sufferin iz good fer yer, builds up character as well as calluses on yer feet.

[oldlakey]

I like your post

It reminds me of Hovis

I too had an Uncle Arthur, got a deserved clip around the ear hole once when he caught me on his allotment

Never got to Hull landed at Grimsby a time or two when we had a good trip fishing out of Lowestoft

If Hull was anything like Grimsby then you and Uncle Arthur have got my sympathy 

I did once see Ipswich town beat Hull City 5-4 at Portman road thats was 66-67 I think, I remember Hull had Chilton, Wagstaff and Houghton in their forward line they were something else great days

I must keep this on topic 55555 so I will mention the soaps, I eventually came to terms with the changes over the years

Apart from the fact I never really got over Mike Reid leaving Eastenders

Anyway enough of this frivolity I am casting you adrift

 

Goodnight to you

 

[gandalf12]

The writer must have a terrible life if he watched replays of that program. Probably better to chew his own leg off than watch that show.

[Cuchulainn]

Its JEAN Alexander. Try and get her name right instead of writing and printing your own personalistic crap.

 

A great actress.  RIP

[bannork]

16 hours ago, oldlakey said:

I like your post

It reminds me of Hovis

I too had an Uncle Arthur, got a deserved clip around the ear hole once when he caught me on his allotment

Never got to Hull landed at Grimsby a time or two when we had a good trip fishing out of Lowestoft

If Hull was anything like Grimsby then you and Uncle Arthur have got my sympathy 

I did once see Ipswich town beat Hull City 5-4 at Portman road thats was 66-67 I think, I remember Hull had Chilton, Wagstaff and Houghton in their forward line they were something else great days

I must keep this on topic 55555 so I will mention the soaps, I eventually came to terms with the changes over the years

Apart from the fact I never really got over Mike Reid leaving Eastenders

Anyway enough of this frivolity I am casting you adrift

 

Goodnight to you

 

I saw Chris Chilton , Ken Wagstaff and  Ken Houghton many a time as a nipper with my dad. The Tigers were in the Third Division then so crowds were small, meaning it was easy to stand behind the goal. Exciting times for a kid, mother was a physiotherapist at Hull Royal Infirmary so she'd come home and tell us gossip about the players, who moaned, who could stand pain etc.

Back to the soaps, I once worked at BT with a woman who ringed all the TV soaps in her Daily Mirror with either a red or green circle from 5.30 pm to 10.00 pm. Red meant mustn't be missed whilst green meant voluntary viewing but should do so if nothing else lined up. There was usually 15 mins set aside for a toilet or supper break. The next day the whole morning was taken up with discussion of the previous night's viewing ( we were definitely under-worked  and overstaffed in our department). I left the UK soon after that, life just didn't seem real somehow.

 

[oldlakey]

6 hours ago, bannork said:

I saw Chris Chilton , Ken Wagstaff and  Ken Houghton many a time as a nipper with my dad. The Tigers were in the Third Division then so crowds were small, meaning it was easy to stand behind the goal. Exciting times for a kid, mother was a physiotherapist at Hull Royal Infirmary so she'd come home and tell us gossip about the players, who moaned, who could stand pain etc.

Back to the soaps, I once worked at BT with a woman who ringed all the TV soaps in her Daily Mirror with either a red or green circle from 5.30 pm to 10.00 pm. Red meant mustn't be missed whilst green meant voluntary viewing but should do so if nothing else lined up. There was usually 15 mins set aside for a toilet or supper break. The next day the whole morning was taken up with discussion of the previous night's viewing ( we were definitely under-worked  and overstaffed in our department). I left the UK soon after that, life just didn't seem real somehow.

 

Yes old cock, where the soaps are concerned I was not that addicted but I will admit I did get to quite like a few of the characters as the actors  / actresses might not exactly have been hollywood superstars but they were accomplished at their profession

As for the footy

Hull City were promoted around the mid sixties to the second division, so the 5-4 match was definitely in the second division, and anybody who ever saw them play would understand why they got promoted

It was the old second division because Ipswich left the Third division south around the mid fifties and never returned

If its any consolation the Tigers have had the best of it since then after a few ups and downs over the years

My vote for the 3 best football matches ever are

1 Ipswich town 6 Man Utd 0 plus Ipswich missed 3 penalties

2 Ipswich town 5 Hull City 4 nobody deserved to lose

3 England 4 Germany 2  thanks to Boris but who cares 5555555

[bannork]

I admired Ken Barlow in Coronation Street for his portrayal of a complete nonentity, never has a character been duller either on the screen or in real life. And there is something utterly English about the name Ken, it suggests reliability and dependency- ( is that you Ken?) -good at putting out the fire last thing at night, he probably wears a cardigan and sets money aside for Xmas etc. I liked the name so much  a street dog I picked up  I named Ken in the hope he would portray the same dogged loyalty but alas he wasn't so reliable.

 He once jumped out of the passenger window front seat of my Commer van when travelling  at approx 60 mph on the M4. Knowing his volatile temperament I had tied him to the door handle before setting off,  but still it was a shock to see man's best friend  swinging in midstream  somewhere between the two Swindon turn offs as it were , his ears pinned back. After that I tried to calm him down by putting on Coronation Street the same time as I gave him his dinner of chicken bones and dog biscuits, but Ken Barlow's placid performance didn't impress him. Refusing to sink into a life of domestic regularity, he broke out from the student life we enjoyed at the time of unwashed dishes and tide marks round the communal bath to return to freedom on council estates foraging in bins. 

They should make a soap opera about the life of a dog, often more interesting than their master's life.

[Paul Catton]

3 hours ago, bannork said:

I admired Ken Barlow in Coronation Street for his portrayal of a complete nonentity, never has a character been duller either on the screen or in real life.

Ken Barlow,  the character, wasn't being dull when on a few occasions he was chasing after Wendy Crozier's morning glory behind Deidre's back, in tit for tat infidelities.

William Roache , the actor, sure didn't find his life dull and boring, being subjected to more than a lengthy witch hunt, the fallout of the "Saville" enquiry and a rush to condemn all based on spurious historic allegations.

Its always the quiet ones.

[stament]

very miserable character from corrie, glad I am not Stan lol

[Paul Catton]

46 minutes ago, stament said:

very miserable character from corrie, glad I am not Stan lol

Glad your not Stan as well, Bernard Youens (actor) died over 30 years ago.

[oldlakey]

Ken Barlow dependable  on screen and with a lot of fortitude as himself William Roach in the real world

Tying a retarded dog to a vehicle door, any vehicle, including a Commer van with the window open  NO COMMENT

Feeding a dog chicken bones  NO COMMENT

Happy days

[Paul Catton]

10 hours ago, oldlakey said:

Ken Barlow dependable  on screen and with a lot of fortitude as himself William Roach in the real world

Tying a retarded dog to a vehicle door, any vehicle, including a Commer van with the window open  NO COMMENT

Feeding a dog chicken bones  NO COMMENT

Happy days

Of course NO COMMENT to fantasist hyperbole statements trolling for a catch. 

 

[bannork]

9 hours ago, oldlakey said:

Ken Barlow dependable  on screen and with a lot of fortitude as himself William Roach in the real world

Tying a retarded dog to a vehicle door, any vehicle, including a Commer van with the window open  NO COMMENT

Feeding a dog chicken bones  NO COMMENT

Happy days

lakey me old mate, Ken ( the dog) not Ken Barlow,was not retarded, he was bright, too bright. He had to be tied in the van otherwise he'd tear open the parcels in the back of the van  I was paid to deliver.  I tied him to the door or window  handle because like most dogs he loved to sniff the fresh air as we hurtled along at at a steady 60 mph. He soon recovered from his mid air flight. As for chicken bones- this is back in the early 70s- nobody knew anything about  a dog's diet then, you just fed it what you could and he loved bones of course.

As for Ken Roach's fortitude- I apologize for knowing nothing about the Saville link.etc. I left the UK and all its news behind in 1992.it's only with the internet now I can follow the 'news'.  speaking of which it looks like the Tigers are heading for the drop once again.

[oldlakey]

2 hours ago, bannork said:

lakey me old mate, Ken ( the dog) not Ken Barlow,was not retarded, he was bright, too bright. He had to be tied in the van otherwise he'd tear open the parcels in the back of the van  I was paid to deliver.  I tied him to the door or window  handle because like most dogs he loved to sniff the fresh air as we hurtled along at at a steady 60 mph. He soon recovered from his mid air flight. As for chicken bones- this is back in the early 70s- nobody knew anything about  a dog's diet then, you just fed it what you could and he loved bones of course.

As for Ken Roach's fortitude- I apologize for knowing nothing about the Saville link.etc. I left the UK and all its news behind in 1992.it's only with the internet now I can follow the 'news'.  speaking of which it looks like the Tigers are heading for the drop once again.

Yes yes old cock no problem

As far as the Tigers are concerned it wont be terminal, unless of course Albert is involved

[stament]

On 16 November 2016 at 6:14 AM, Paul Catton said:

Glad your not Stan as well, Bernard Youens (actor) died over 30 years ago.

I know that, it was my failed attempt at humour....