Pâté and Chips

An early appearance from the late Tony Haygarth who plays one of Compo's nephew, Chip. The first time I recollect seeing the actor was in an episode of Boys from the Blackstuff.

Chip arrives in a van with his wife and a pack of kids, seven of them but I am not sure Chip knows how many kids he has. The trio are due to go to a stately home. Chip knows when Compo is not at home that they will be in Sid's café. Ivy takes time out from arguing to mollycoddle the kids, she tells Chip's wife that they did not have children.

Blamire is not too keen on looking after the kids but over a pint the trio talk about their love life or the lack of it. Maybe Blamire was just too married to the army and wanting an army pension.

In the stately home Compo gets into predictable mischief and makes a nuisance for himself with Chip's pet dog that embarrasses Blamie.

This was an episode with some character development and it was a shame we never got to see more of Chip and his family again. I also noticed that the opening of the episode had very grimy buildings, it looks more like an small industrial Yorkshire town than the rural idyll of later years.