Then and Now: The Newcastle street where TV Likely Lad…

Then and Now: The Newcastle street where TV Likely Lad Terry Collier took his driving test

We've been marking the 50th anniversary of the classic television sitcom Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads?

First broadcast on BBC1 in January 1973 - and a sequel to the original 1960s black and white offering The Likely Lads - the two series and a Christmas special would run though until the end of 1974. Brilliantly written by Whitley Bay-born Ian La Frenais and his sidekick Dick Clement, the rebooted show - now in colour - told of the escapades of two lifelong pals Terry Collier (played by James Bolam) and Bob Ferris (played by Rodney Bewes) now approaching middle age, mourning their lost youth, and doing their best to adapt to the rapidly changing decade that was the 1970s.

Whatever Happened To... was a runaway success, drawing in 27 million viewers across the UK at its peak. The show also had - and retains today - a special affection for people in our part of the world. Despite Bolam actually hailing from Sunderland and Bewes from West Yorkshire, the series was set on Tyneside, with many of the outdoor scenes captured on location in Newcastle and Northumberland.

The iconic title sequence, with its emotive theme song Highly Likely, showed early 1970s Newcastle under transformation. And many of the classic episodes themselves employed Tyneside locations. We recently recalled the Northumberland pub that featured in The Great Race, and the Tyneside street from where Terry and Bob set off on their ill-advised bike ride in the same episode. And we stepped back to the area in Ouseburn where a section of the title sequence was filmed. In each instance, it's been interesting to revisit the location 50 years after the show was filmed and find out what's there today.

Cartington Terrace, Heaton, Newcastle (Google)

The features have sparked plenty of interest. This particular location appeared in the show's Christmas special. Broadcast on December 24, 1974, it was the last episode ever made, following the earlier 26 episodes aired across two series.

James Bolam as Terry Collier in Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads? (BBC)

Rodney Bewes and Brigit Forsyth as Bob and Thelma in Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads? (BBC)

In it, we see Terry taking his driving test and becoming a taxi driver. He ends up ferrying Bob and his wife Thelma (played by Brigit Forsyth) to a fancy-dress Christmas party after which all manner of comedy action takes place. For those interested is such television trivia, Terry was in fact filmed taking his test in Cartington Terrace, Heaton, which remains much the same half a century later.

We'll revisit more Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads? locations in coming weeks and months.

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