In May 2009,
Peter Sallis (Clegg) revealed that the programme was nearly cancelled before it had even started, when
Bill Owen (Compo) who was very left-wing and
Michael Bates who was very right-wing started having a heated and vigorous argument about their different political affiliations, over dinner when they first met. Producer
James Gilbert read them the riot act and told them that unless they agreed to differ, and not to argue about politics, he was going to cancel the project. Owen and Bates meekly agreed and never discussed politics again.
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