User Reviews

I once heard Galton and Simpson discussing this episode and they said it had always been a problem getting leading actors to appear in Steptoe as Harry H. Corbett and Wilfred Brambell were such powerful performers other actors were afraid of being acted off the screen. However, Leonard Rossiter and J.G. Devlin were in the same league and this made it a cracking half-hour of brilliantly acted comedy. It was like watching a half-hour stage play with it becoming clear that the two escaped prisoners enjoyed a more comfortable life than the Steptoes. The claustrophobia of the Steptoe's main room was just as heavy as that in any prison cell. Brilliant!

At least three sitcoms have borrowed the plot of 'The Desperate Hours' ( 1955 ) - 'Citizen Smith', 'Porridge' and, of course, 'Steptoe & Son'. In the classic Humphrey Bogart film, escaped convicts take over a house, and once the owners have stopped fearing them gradually come to understand their point of view. This, the final episode of Season 7, is probably the best of the comedy versions. It is winter, and Harold and Albert are not only cold but hungry. Two men on the run from Wormwood Scrubs - Johnny ( Leonard Rossiter ) and Frank ( J.G. Devlin ) - appear, demanding food and transport. The Steptoes do not even have a shilling for the electricity meter. Johnny hands over his cigarettes, saying: "You'd be better off in prison!".

As the convicts talk about themselves, Harold empathises with Johnny, while his father does the same with Frank. The two men are like mirror images of the Steptoes. Harold even expresses a wish to go with Johnny. Galton and Simpson's writing is, as you'd expect, first-rate, and the cast - particularly Rossiter - outstanding. It is said that this programme secured him the role of 'Rigsby' in 'Rising Damp' ( a role played on stage originally by Wilfred Brambell ). Paul Merton chose this for his 'Perfect Night In' on B.B.C.-2 a few years back. It would be on my list too.

Irish actor J.G. Devlin's other credits include 'Man In A Suitcase' and 'The Alf Garnett Saga' movie. Corbet Woodall, heard on the radio, cropped up in 'The Goodies' an awful lot as a typically B.B.C. newsreader. The disc jockey we hear is the late Tommy Vance.

Funniest moment - Albert handing over the only food in the larder. That morning's porridge and some stale bread and cheese. "You can always scrape the green bits off!".