Following the transmission of the pilot episode in 1974, Terry Dwyer of the Leicester Mercury compared the character to Frank Spencer from the BBC1 sitcom Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em, commenting "he's another one-man disaster area, but unlike Frank has no feelings of inadequacy – just the reverse in fact. There's nothing he can not do and it was the exuberance and unshakeable optimism of the character that made last night's ITV comedy a lot of fun". [36] During broadcast of the second series, Chris Watson of the Western Daily Press praised Maynard's performance but criticised the "inconsistent scripts and rather obvious humour", commenting "the amiable buffon Selwyn Froggitt is currently the most popular character on TV, and that is a telling indictment of the current choice". [37] Celia Andrews of the Western Daily Press praised "the touch of naivete" in Maynard's performance, describing Froggitt as "a sort of human Aunt Sally meeting life's slings and arrows with a maniacal laugh." [38] a b c d e f g h Maynard, Bill; Sheard, John (1997). Stand Up... And Be Counted (1sted.). Breedon Books. ISBN 1-85983-080-3 . Retrieved 9 April 2021. Maynard was working as an assistant buyer for a Leicester clothes wholesaler when he met Muriel Linnett. They married in 1949 and had a son and a daughter. He worked in local repertory companies and then went to Butlins holiday camp, Skegness, where he met the comedy actor Terry Scott. In 1955 the two of them appeared on TV in Great Scott, It’s Maynard. After this he had his own comedy and music show, Mostly Maynard, which lasted five episodes. Yorkshire Tyne Tees Television, which produced the show, remained silent, perhaps so as not to offend the ITV schedulers. Maynard had no such compunction. His involvement in Heartbeat ended in 2000, but he played Greengrass again in The Royal in 2003. Arkwright’s lust for Gladys was, Baron felt, a healthy repudiation of the idea that men idolise only slim women. “There are millions of big ladies out there married to men who think they’re wonderful,” she said. Some years after Barker’s death, the show’s other star, David Jason, headlined a revival – Still Open All Hours (2013-16) – which led to a return for Baron’s skilful comedic creation.

Born Lilian Ridgway in Urmston, Manchester, to Cyril, an interior decorator, and his wife, Lilian (nee Hawthorn), she started studying ballet aged four and attended Flixton girls’ high school as well as the Royal Academy of Dance. At 15, she said, “I realised there was so little room at the top in ballet, and being determined to get to the top I took up singing.” As a result, she began performing in pantomime at the Liverpool Empire, learning comic timing by watching from the wings every night. If Open All Hours ensured that she was a welcome fixture for the family audience, then Baron’s run as the cheery Auntie Mabel in the much loved and hugely successful BBC educational programme Come Outside (1993-97) meant that she became a firm favourite with children. Mabel, piloting a polka dotted light aeroplane (a Slingsby T67 Firefly) and accompanied by her dog Pippin, would discover how various everyday things worked for the benefit of the young audience. Dwyer, Terry (30 September 1974). "In mint condition". Leicester Mercury: 2 . Retrieved 4 March 2023. After three series, the show looked to have ended, but a further series was made in 1980 in which Selwyn took charge of a failing holiday camp. This series titled this time just 'Selwyn', featured only Maynard from the original cast. 'Selwyn' was not popular and plans for a return series were scrapped.On stage she proved adept in musicals including Little Me (Prince of Wales, 1984-85), Stepping Out (Duke of York’s, 1985-86) and Follies (Shaftesbury theatre, 1987-89), in which she gave a showstopping rendition of Who’s That Woman as an ageing but still glamorous hoofer proving she’s still got it with light-footedness, expert tap, cussed verve and sassy elan. Like I said, 'Oh No, It's Selwyn Froggitt' grew out of a pilot, the same series of pilots which saw the birth of 'Rising Damp'. Selwyn Froggitt from the fictional Yorkshire village of Scarsdale is one of life's idiots. He has too much energy and too much time on his hands and cannot go through a day in life without messing something up. He works as a labourer and lives at home with his overbearing mother ( Megs Jenkins from 'Worzel Gummidge' ) and his brother Maurice. Romance was on the scene when Maurice started dating the lovely Vera Parkinson ( played first by Rosemary Martin, then by Lynda Baron )

In the fourth and final series, the format of the show changed radically. This version of the programme, retitled Selwyn, featured only Maynard from the earlier series and had Froggitt become entertainments officer under the supervision of manager Mervyn Price ( Bernard Gallagher) at the seedy Paradise Valley Holiday Camp. [2] Cast [ edit ] Selwyn was a deeply jovial man who has somehow deluded himself into thinking that he can fix anything. Unfortunately, the reverse was true.Cornell, Paul; Day, Martin; Topping, Keith (1996). The Guinness Book of Classic British TV. Guinness. ISBN 9780851126289. Man Child Selwyn, well meaning but a walking disaster area, creates mayhem despite the best of intentions and goodwill. In total, 29 episodes of Oh No It's Selwyn Froggitt, including 7 under the title Selwyn, were produced.

Gibson, Enid (16 July 1976). "Top Marx for Rosemary". Grimsby Evening Telegraph: 11 . Retrieved 3 March 2023. The series was filmed in Skelmanthorpe, a West Yorkshire village at the foot of the Pennines between Huddersfield and Barnsley. Johns, Victor (12 March 1977). "The new role that fits the bill - even though it's a big surprise". Liverpool Echo: 7 . Retrieved 3 March 2023. Watching as an adult, its hard to miss the bleakness of the show though. Looking at it post Eighties it shows a narrow way of life and outlook, peopled with characters of limited horizons. The Pilot Episode shows why some characters were wisely changed: The office characters (with their sexual overtones)wisely discarded, the Mother greatly softened and the homosexual suggestions of the older brother removed with the introduction of a girlfriend. Looking at this episode the Family seem like a bunch of genetic misfits. Selwyn should be a sad case, a socially inept, stupid middle aged man with no love life(ever) but Maynard, as stated, saves this situation remarkably. Finally released on DVD is a series I found hilarious as a child. This and 'Some Mothers'and 'The Goodies' were the height of comedy for an 8 year old (I caught the repeats).Smyllie, Patricia (1 June 1977). "A Wheelchair Winner – That's Selwyn". Daily Mirror . Retrieved 3 June 2020. Hildred, Stafford (9 January 1981). "Bill's boss is no accident". Sandwell Evening Mail: 22 . Retrieved 3 March 2023. a b Marlow, Lee (30 March 2018). " 'I made 31 films, most were rubbish': Bill Maynard in his own hilarious words". Leicestershire Live . Retrieved 1 June 2020. Boothroyd, David. "Results of Byelections in the 1983-87 Parliament". United Kingdom Election Results. Archived from the original on 5 April 2018 . Retrieved 9 March 2016. In later years, it was suggested that during the production of series 3, White (the creator of the show) protested that Maynard kept changing his scripts too much, thus embittering the relationship between the two and so a planned fourth series was cancelled. White revealed details of the dispute which ended the series in a 2014 newspaper interview [1]. Graham White published a sequel novel entitled "The Gaffer's Guerillas" which takes the story into the present day [2].

a b c Wakelin, Adam (30 March 2018). "Named after wine gums, a fortune squandered – Things you never knew about Heartbeat actor Bill Maynard". Leicestershire Live . Retrieved 1 June 2020. The Gaffer is an ITV situation comedy series of the early 1980s, that starred Bill Maynard and was written by businessman Graham White. It was made for the ITV network by Yorkshire Television. McFarlane, Brian (16 May 2016). The Encyclopedia of British Film: Fourth edition. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9781526111968– via Google Books.

Gibson, Enid (7 March 1977). "Megs stays mum". Derby Evening Telegraph: 5 . Retrieved 3 March 2023. Hildred, Stafford (26 September 1976). "Not much fun from Selwyn this time..." Birmingham Evening Mail: 2 . Retrieved 3 March 2023. Local Pride awards honoured 'caring and amazing people' ". Bridlington Free Press. 5 November 2009 . Retrieved 12 January 2011. In later life, Maynard was mobility impaired, usually using a mobility scooter or wheelchair, having suffered from multiple strokes. He died in hospital on 30 March 2018, not long after falling and breaking his hip. [1] Filmography [ edit ] Film [ edit ] Year Froggitt (brilliantly played by veteran comic Bill Maynard) is a hopelessly incompetent labourer in the Public Works department of the Scarsdale town council. Huge of body but tiny of intellect, Froggitt is equally inept whether he's digging a ditch for a water line, wiring a building, or fixing the plumbing. More than one house has burnt to the ground (or exploded outright) after Froggitt made the repairs.