Charlie Drake

[Mickey]

"Hallo my darlings!!".

"Charles Drake casual labourer of Weybridge...

A total of 980 jobs between 1945-1965!!.

I have been re-watching Charlie Drake in The Worker television series on dvd recently which originally ran on British television in several series over a period of about 5 years in two separate seasons.

Season 1 1965-1966 filmed in b&w
Season 2 1969-1970 filmed in b&w with some episodes filmed in colour
Season 3 1978 filmed in colour and included as part of 'Bruce Forsyth's Big Night' shown on a Saturday evening in the autumn & winter of 1978.
Plus along with a Christmas special 1970.

Every episode starts the same with Charlie going in to his local 'Labour Exchange' (re-named the Job Centre for the last 40 years) to see Mr.Pugh the official who works behind the desk and after an exchange of 'chat' between both of them which usually involves Mr.Pugh pulling Charlie up over the office counter by his jacket and talking in to Charlie's face after Mr.Pugh loses his temper with Charlie (yet again for losing his previous job) Charlie is then sent off to another job by Mr.Pugh after he has calmed down.

Charlie "Mr. Poooooooo". Henry McGee "Pugh!". Charlie "Phewwwwwooooooooooooooo..."

"Wots up?. Wots ever up?"

***Charlie Drake was a diminutive popular British comedian between the 1950s-1970s mainly of the 'slapstick' variety of comedy.***

[Mickey]

The opening theme song sung by Charlie.

"I wakes up every morning when the clock strikes eight i'm always punctual and never ever late
with a nice cup of tea and alittle round of toast the Sporting Life and the Winning Post
I gets all nice and tidy and toddles off to work I do the best I can
cos I'm only doing what a bloke should do cos I'm only a working man..."

Mickey

[Mickey]

The closing theme song sung by Charlie.

"I gets home in the evening close on 6 O'clock strong as a elephant and steady as a rock
I has a piece of haddock and kicks off both my shoes and settles in the corner with the Daily News
I listens to the wireless then toddles off to bed I did the best I can
cos I'm only doing what a bloke should do cos I'm only a working man
yes I'm only doing what a bloke should do...
cos I'm only a working man..."

Mickey

[Hatfield Shed]

My introduction to the concept of illicit substances was a sketch featuring Charlie Drake smoking 'shunt', which I think was made from dehydrated railway tickets.

I thought the character he portrayed was a joke, but on taking some casual jobs in local industries during school holidays - as you very easily could in those days, I could crush shredded wheat into the packet as well as anyone - realised that the UK shop floor workforce of the time actually harboured many such specimens.

[Kestrel]

In the 50s I lived next to a woman, a Mrs Schofield, who worked at Jacob's in Liverpool and every Wednesday she would come home with a 'bag of brokes'. They were broken chocolate CLUB biscuits that had been rejected on the production line. CLUB biscuits have been a favourite ever since.

In the 70s when we were on strike at Plessey during the 3 day weeks, we were on picket duty outside the side gate which happened to be opposite the production line of Crawford's Biscuits. The windows were open and we were kept well fed by the women in there. They supplied the crackers, we supplied the cheese.

[rockinjohn]

Hi Mickey just found this link.charlie was a very underated R&R singer, witness his attempts,we had very few good R&R vocalist in the UK @ the time,Charlie was a comic genius with his immaculate timing,Jim Davidson paid homage which he may have regretted by casting Charlie in the panto Sindrella which has to be watched to be believed.

[Mickey]

Charlie was very popular in Britain back in the 1950s & 1960s especially with many youngsters and the British public has a whole plus he also made a small number of comedy records which were also popular as well during the late 1950s & early 1960s. In his television programme The Worker (shown 1965-66 & 1969-1970) on a few occasions he reminds me of a southern region fireman when he's wearing his bib & braces overalls & jacket topped off with a old flat cap and I could just picture old Charlie with a firing shovel in his hand 'pushing a bit of coal forward' on the footplate of a Maunsell U class 2-6-0 standing on Guildford shed in 1965.

[manna]

G'Day Gents

My sister, received a Charlie Drake record for Christmas one year (1961/2) titled 'My Boomerang won't come back'. That got played to death, I bet my sister still has it somewhere.

And the night Charlie got thrown through the window and knocked out, we were watching, (It was live TV) it was strange as everybody was expecting him to stand up and say his catch phrase, 'Hello my Darlings' but it didn't happen. Bet that's on You Tube, some where.

manna

[strang steel]

Yes I remember watching that episode, and wondering why the programme just ended without any further appearance. It was all live in those days, so when someone suffers a serious injury during the show there is nothing the director can do about it, except roll the credits.

Everything became clear with newspaper reports a few days later.

https://youtu.be/QL_WKGKZKXc