More fun and frolics with T.V.'s cheekiest gang.
Barney, a one-man band, is being harassed at every turn by a policeman, who keeps moving him on no matter where he plays. Chased into the street where the Double Deckers have their junkyard, Tiger gives him refuge.
Barney ( who wears clothes similar to those worn by Tommy Steele in 'Half A Sixpence ) is soon entertaining the gang with his act, throwing in a few quick changes of costumes ( including a Chinese impersonation that probably would not be allowed on television today ) and dancing clearly inspired by Donald O'Connor's 'Make 'Em Laugh' from 'Singing In The Rain'.
The gang love him, except for Doughnut, who thinks he has taken his place in the Double Deckers.
Barney tells Tiger he must leave as he has to 'play before the Queen'. In reality, he is performing outside the Palladium during a Royal Command Performance. The policeman shows up ( funny how the bobby seems to find Barney no matter where he goes ) and the chase is on again...
The underrated Julian Chagrin ( remember him as 'Maxie Grease' in 'The Goodies' episode 'Superstar'? No? How about 'Jennings', the murderous vaudeville entertainer from 'The Avengers' escapade 'Look, Stop Me If You've Heard This One, But There Were These Two Fellers'. ) guest-stars as 'Barney', a man so enormously talented you wonder why he never made it big on Hughie Green's 'Opportunity Knocks'. He does not get many lines in Glyn Jones' script, and its a good thing as we then would have got less of his physical comedy. The man is like a human rubber band.
His farewell scene to Tiger is touching, and yes I'm about to trot my favourite cliché out one more time - 'it could not possibly be made now'. Though paedophilia was a concern then - as now - and ads warning kids about talking to strange men were plentiful on '70's kids' television, there was none of the mass hysteria of the sort whipped up by today's publicity-hungry tabloids. We can be 100% certain that Tiger is safe in Barney's company.
The finale is a gem of wish-fulfillment. Helping him flee from the long arm of the law, the Double Deckers get Barney past the security men and onto the stage of the Palladium, where his act ( with help from the D.D.'s dressed in top hats and tails ) goes down a storm with Her Majesty. Ahhh.
The whole programme is a product of a totally different era. I caught a few minutes of a kids' programme recently and was dismayed to hear farting jokes. How sad that children are being encouraged to want to become adults as quickly as possible. Someone should point out to them that you are a long time grown-up, and that there's no going back.
Funniest moment - Barney's one-man band song, specially written for the show by Ivor Slaney and Glyn Jones.
Barney, a one-man band, is being harassed at every turn by a policeman, who keeps moving him on no matter where he plays. Chased into the street where the Double Deckers have their junkyard, Tiger gives him refuge.
Barney ( who wears clothes similar to those worn by Tommy Steele in 'Half A Sixpence ) is soon entertaining the gang with his act, throwing in a few quick changes of costumes ( including a Chinese impersonation that probably would not be allowed on television today ) and dancing clearly inspired by Donald O'Connor's 'Make 'Em Laugh' from 'Singing In The Rain'.
The gang love him, except for Doughnut, who thinks he has taken his place in the Double Deckers.
Barney tells Tiger he must leave as he has to 'play before the Queen'. In reality, he is performing outside the Palladium during a Royal Command Performance. The policeman shows up ( funny how the bobby seems to find Barney no matter where he goes ) and the chase is on again...
The underrated Julian Chagrin ( remember him as 'Maxie Grease' in 'The Goodies' episode 'Superstar'? No? How about 'Jennings', the murderous vaudeville entertainer from 'The Avengers' escapade 'Look, Stop Me If You've Heard This One, But There Were These Two Fellers'. ) guest-stars as 'Barney', a man so enormously talented you wonder why he never made it big on Hughie Green's 'Opportunity Knocks'. He does not get many lines in Glyn Jones' script, and its a good thing as we then would have got less of his physical comedy. The man is like a human rubber band.
His farewell scene to Tiger is touching, and yes I'm about to trot my favourite cliché out one more time - 'it could not possibly be made now'. Though paedophilia was a concern then - as now - and ads warning kids about talking to strange men were plentiful on '70's kids' television, there was none of the mass hysteria of the sort whipped up by today's publicity-hungry tabloids. We can be 100% certain that Tiger is safe in Barney's company.
The finale is a gem of wish-fulfillment. Helping him flee from the long arm of the law, the Double Deckers get Barney past the security men and onto the stage of the Palladium, where his act ( with help from the D.D.'s dressed in top hats and tails ) goes down a storm with Her Majesty. Ahhh.
The whole programme is a product of a totally different era. I caught a few minutes of a kids' programme recently and was dismayed to hear farting jokes. How sad that children are being encouraged to want to become adults as quickly as possible. Someone should point out to them that you are a long time grown-up, and that there's no going back.
Funniest moment - Barney's one-man band song, specially written for the show by Ivor Slaney and Glyn Jones.