Mr. Aitch

Interesting snippet from the Clement/La Frenais book "More Than Likely" that I have just started reading, about Harry H Corbett.

I think most know that the H (stands for Hennyfing) was a complete fabrication by Harry to distinguish him from Sooty's "hand", but it went awry one time when he was up for an OBE, but somebody forgot to include the H in his name and it went to Harry Corbett, much to his surprise and delight.

But I digress. So, "Mister Aitch" was an idea of Harry's he wanted our heroes to write; BUT Harry interfered with the storyline so many times, it became a mess. They walked away from it and the series died on its arse after the first episodes and it seems they have all been wiped, so we won't be able to judge for ourselves.

And it seems Mr HH Corbett is not the only one who will not leave it to the experts - they follow that up when they were summoned to Hollywood to work on Will Smith's "Amulet", and much the same happened there. From what I can gather, it is still "in production", some 10 years later owing to Smith's interference.

I'm not normally a pedant - well, not much - but when people pronounce "aitch" as "haitch" I want to kill them.

Makes my blood boil too.

Another Aitch used to post on here.
He was an actor that appeared in lots of old series including The Sweeney.

There's audio I uploaded for an episode of Mr Aitch on YouTube now.

Excellent, will have a listen to it later. Have the BBC got a copy btw? Maybe it's something you could sell to them, after their benighted stupidity in destroying them, along with many others. Although if C&L didn't write it I wouldn't expect much. Pretty much everything they wrote in their prime is very worth watching. (or listening to).

Quote: Hercules Grytpype Thynne @ 11th September 2021, 11:17 AM

to distinguish him from Sooty's "hand", but it went awry one time when he was up for an OBE, but somebody forgot to include the H in his name and it went to Harry Corbett, much to his surprise and delight.

View original

An absurdly ridiculous story but apparently true.

Quote: Alfred J Kipper @ 9th May 2023, 10:35 AM

Have the BBC got a copy btw? Maybe it's something you could sell to them, after their benighted stupidity in destroying them, along with many others.

View original

It was a Rediffusion series, not BBC. The owner would therefore be Archbuild, which is now handled by the BFI.

(And it's not a new find, sadly.)

Oh, but I thought the article I read said they were lost due to the BBC's wiping policy of the time. ? I'll have to find it again. I just like to watch anything with him in, even sub par films I find to be watchable with his appearance in them (such as Ladies Who Do), he was even the shining star of the one Carry On film he did, (even against a top KW shift, and possibly second only to KW for the whole series) and probably stole the show in the magnificent Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins. Wonderfully expressive actor.

I've provided it to Kaleidoscope. It was an ABC TV programme, but this one may have been worse than most in the series, as the writer was not one of the usual ones. It isn't very funny, and would probably not get broadcast now, due to the Chinese references.
My father taped it, and I found it among the tape reels after he died. He actually worked for ABC TV at Teddington Lock, but it is an off-air recording, complete with adverts and Peyton Place mentions.

Okay thanks for info Mr Pickle. And very interesting to hear your Dad worked at Teddington Lock Studios, home of the great Benny Hill ofcourse, so I bet he has a story or two to tell there. I told my single story on here yonks ago when I was working around there (surveying on the grounds at the time of the conversion of the old hospital into flats) and didn't even know it was the site of Benny's runarounds with Hill's Angels until a labourer pointed out the tree to me in the middle which had a preservation order on it, the very tree he used to chase them around. What an unexpected joy that was. 😊

Quote: Epickle @ 10th May 2023, 10:43 AM

I've provided it to Kaleidoscope. It was an ABC TV programme, but this one may have been worse than most in the series, as the writer was not one of the usual ones. It isn't very funny, and would probably not get broadcast now, due to the Chinese references.
My father taped it, and I found it among the tape reels after he died. He actually worked for ABC TV at Teddington Lock, but it is an off-air recording, complete with adverts and Peyton Place mentions.

View original

I'd loved to see that, if only for the adverts. Are you up to transferring it to DVD/digital and uploading it to You Tube?

It is on YouTube already:
https://youtu.be/4G_swmt55NU

Quote: Epickle @ 13th May 2023, 11:51 AM

It is on YouTube already:
https://youtu.be/4G_swmt55NU

View original

Ah, thank you. But I thought it was a video

I did state it was audio.

I know, but I was clutching at straws