Auf Wiedersehen Pet – Au Revoir – Christmas 2004
Following the end of series four in much the same way as the original series had come to an end after two series, fans of the show wondered what next.
By now another cast member had failing health, so it was decided that there should be one last fling. Two one hour episodes were commissioned linked together as a mini series. Pat Roach was now suffering from cancer, but never the less hoped to appear in the episodes. However his failing health got the better of him and he died in July 2004.
The two episodes were shot in July – August 2004 in Bangkok and Chiang Mai and broadcast later the same year as part of BBC1’s Christmas schedule.
Summary
In a tribute to Pat Roach there is a touching scene, in which Dennis reads a letter from Bomber to the rest of the group whilst they are all dining in a restaurant, the letter explains his reasons for not having joined them. The group lift their glasses and drink a toast; “To Bomber!”.
The remaining six, still working for the British Embassy (as they were in series four) are posted to a British Embassy somewhere in central Africa that is about to be overrun by rioters. Most of them manage to escape uninjured, except for Oz who sustains a painful injury to the rectum protecting a female staff member (while they are having sex) from a bomb.
The fun moves on to Laos and later Thailand, where Barry’s Russian ex-wife turns up to announce that she is carrying his child following a brief “reconciliation”.
Barry finds himself kidnapped and held by guerrillas in a village in Laos. When the others follow they are also captured, but Dennis has an idea (inspired by the film The Bridge on the River Kwai) of working for the villagers to prevent the guerrillas from moving them on.
Escape comes when they are able to steal the guerrilla leader’s satellite phone and send a call for help. It turns out that the man who set them up to the guerillas was actually Neville’s corrupt handler, Tarquin Pearce (from Series 4). Deprived of their hostages, the guerrillas decide to kidnap him instead.
In the final scenes Dennis, Neville and Oz ask the embassy to give them an assignment in a nice peaceful country – and find themselves heading back to Germany once more. When Neville is asked what Brenda said to him before he boarded the ferry, he replied that she said “Auf wiedersehen… pet.” Following a dedication to Pat Roach, the closing credits of the final episode are accompanied by the opening theme tune from Series 1.
Clips
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Cast
Tim Healy
Kevin Whately
Jimmy Nail
Timothy Spall
Christopher Fairbank
Noel Clarke
Details
Channel: BBC1
Written By:
Franc Roddam
Ian La Frenais
Dick Clement
Original Transmission Dates: 28th – 29th December 2004
Merchandising
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