On Friday, January 22, 2010, at 04:28 AM, Bobby wrote:
>
> Listening to the episodes that she appeared in, I have nothing against
> the late Thora Hird. She seemed like a very charming and nice woman,
> but the problem was she was far too nice and far too polite to be on a
> thoroughly cutthroat game like JAM. she never spoke unless it was her
> turn, she never challenged anybody because she didn't wish to interrupt
> anybody.
>
> so essentially, someone who doesn't want to play the game shouldn't
> have been asked to be on the show in the first place.
Although she didn't challenge, it's not true she never spoke unless it
was her turn - she did talk quite a lot on the shows. (a few examples
below)
I reckon those two shows are the best of that season - one was excerpted
on the TV doco they did a few years ago, and is also on one of the
Classic CDs - and Thora made a unique contribution that was very very
funny. It would have been absurd to have had her back as a regular, but
to say she shouldn't have been on the show at all? Don't agree. She
played the game in a unique style and added a lot of humour to two quite
distinctive shows.
NICHOLAS PARSONS: Clement Freud has challenged.
CLEMENT FREUD: Repetition.
NP: What of?
CF: You said my four times.
NP: Yes he did...
THORA HIRD: Can't you give somebody a question on mind your own business?
CF: Knees are something I know quite a lot about because I had a knee
transplant. One of the very first ones when doctors discovered that my
left knee was in exactly the position in which my right one should have
been. And after fairly lengthy consul...
BUZZ
NP: Peter Jones has challenged.
PETER JONES: Why didn't you just move over?
TH: Mr Chairman doesn't it surprise you that when you've got intelligent
gentlemen like this that nobody on this programme has said if there
weren't knees there's nothing you could have upped Mother Brown with,
and nothing to sit on if you're a woman?
NP: Derek Nimmo's challenged.
DEREK NIMMO: Willies, we've gone back to doing away with flies again!
Repetition!
NP: A repetition? Of what?
TH: Mr Chairman...
NP: Oh yes Thora, nice to hear from you.
TH: Yes well no it's just in case, you know, it's just in case anybody
thinks I've dropped off! I was just sitting here thinking what a shame!
He pressed the button when I was doing about flies because I was going
to tell about flies on pants.
NP: Well Peter Jones got some more points including the one for speaking
when the whistle went. He's increased his lead over Derek Nimmo, and
Clement Third, Freud, Clement third, third, Clement Freud is still in
third place and Thora Hird has got one point.
TH: I know that! Because they never stop talking, do they?
NP: No, they never stop talking! I think you're so charming the way you
come and sit on the programme and listen to them so sweetly!
TH: I came here today! I've let somebody else press my button and I
could have caused a bit of trouble about that you know.