Auf Wiedersehen, Pet is ranked by many as one of the greatest British TV shows of all time – and yet, it was almost axed by ITV after just one series.
Sitcom star Kevin Whately, who played family man Neville, has revealed that the show was nearly canned by ITV after bosses at the broadcaster took against its stars and decided the show was “a turkey”.
Auf Wiedersehen, Pet launched the careers of young stars Timothy Spall, Tim Healy and Whately when it aired in 1983, following a group of British builders who begin work on site in Düsseldorf. It ran for two seasons before returning for two more seasons in 2003.
Speaking about the show’s success, Whately said that the cast were treated like rock stars in the North East. “The audience up there thought of us as one of them,” he told The Telegraph in an interview on Tuesday (16 June).
“So when we were out, it was very much, ‘Hey boys, come and have a pint.’ It was like being in a rock band.”
However, bosses at ITV weren’t particularly happy with their partying antics, Whately claimed.
“When we came back to the studio, the powers that be at ITV hated us because we were covered in cement dust and being loud in the bar,” he continued. “They thought we were a complete rabble, so they told Dick Clement [the writer] ‘finish it, it’s a turkey, we don’t want it, wrap it up and give it an ending.’
“But within three weeks of it going out, it had become a massive hit. It took them ages to get us all back together to film a second series.”
The Independent has contacted ITV for comment.
During its first series, Auf Wiedersehen, Pet brought in weekly audiences of around 14 million and received critical acclaim.
In 2015, the comedy-drama was voted the best ITV show of all time by Radio Times readers. It topped the poll’s results, and was closely followed by Thunderbirds and Coronation Street.
After finding fame with Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, Whately landed the role of Detective Sergeant Robert Lewis in ITV’s Inspector Morse, starring in the show for 13 years before reprising the role in Lewis.
He was joined by controversial actor Laurence Fox – who in recent years has become a right-wing commentator – in the spin-off, acting alongside Fox for nine years.
When asked by The Telegraph whether he was still in touch with Fox, Whately said that he spoke to him on the phone last year but hasn’t “seen him for a couple of years”.
“I’m not a fan of his politics,” he said, adding that they would discuss their political beliefs on set. “We did, and because he knew that I was a bit of a Lefty, I thought he just said things to wind me up. I loved Laurence.
“He was good fun to work with and he was a very, very good actor. But his life took over. It’s a great shame for the acting industry.”
