Steptoe & Son

A friend of mine loaned me his box set of this series.

I love Sanford & Son, so I figured I’d like this.

While I do like Steptoe & Son, I find the tone much different. It seems to be very dark. The first episode nearly broke my heart when Harold realizes he is stuck in his lot in life as a rag and bone man and nothing will allow him to get out of it.

One of the biggest differences, I see is with Sanford & Son, you know Fred and Lamont live in the ghetto, but they don’t seem poor. The house is dirty but it’s not really.

On Steptoe and Son, you feel the poverty. When Harold and Albert go over the bills they can’t pay you feel their deseperation. It’s almost more drama than comedy

You can actually feel the dirt and surroundings when you watch. Maybe it’s also cause the DVDs are all in black and white, that makes it seem more gritty.

Anyone else watch this show? What did you think?

They used to repeat it on TV in the UK when I was growing up (80s/90s). I thought it was ok - my Dad loved it (I think he watched it when it was first shown).

I always loved Harold’s voice, for some reason.

Quite dark, yes, but I think that’s fairly common in British comedy.

I used to watch it as a kid in the 70s. Dark not only for the poverty but also for the way the father bullied/manipulated his son. It was not too apparent to me at the time though.

I loved Steptoe & Son. The one where Harold brings home the “What the Butler Saw” machine is some of the funniest TV ever made. Priceless.

Dirty? I thought he was very clean.