Never Mind the Quality, Feel the Width (1967–1971) User Reviews

Not as un-pc as sometimes painted

[gbrack · 7/10 · 27 December 2006]

It's hard to describe to those who didn't see it, but "Never Mind the Quality" ought still to be viewable today. The large audiences it got may indicate that it had a broad appeal that is unlikely for a destructive or biased programme (though not impossible, as the big audiences for "Love thy neighbour" may prove). I think the reason is that while a lot of the humour arose from one lead being Catholic and the other Jewish, there was very little negativity. The two characters tried to understand each other's viewpoints, but they genuinely couldn't do so. It was puzzlement rather than dislike that drove misunderstandings. For example, in one episode Manny is unable to understand why his partner is so concerned about looking after a plaster statuette of the Virgin Mary; he doesn't want to be irreverent, he just takes the view that there are thousands of them on sale and if it breaks you just buy another one.

Hard to realise it's nearly 40 years since these were made.

Culture Clash

[screenman · 8/10 · 22 September 2010]

Ah, what a Great place Britain once used to be. You could create a sit-com about a pair of Catholic and Jewish tailors, sending-up in a light-hearted and uncritical way, all of their bizarre religious nuances. And - correct me if I'm wrong - the parts were played by Catholic and Jewish actors, so there really was no conflict of ethnic interests.

The initial show featured the Jewish Partner advertising unsuccessfully for a fellow Jew, but finding that his only respondent was Catholic. Of course the Catholic pretended to be Jewish in order to get the job. By the time his deceit was exposed, he had proved his worth in work.

Today; this programme couldn't be made. Why? because a small but obnoxiously-virulent band of self-righteous bigots with no sense of humour whatsoever, mean to suppress any kind of inter-ethnic lampooning, however good natured it may be. You can be sure that if this show were given contemporary screening, both Catholics and Jews would be perfectly happy with the way their Thespian alter-egos each represented their respective beliefs. Yet a storm of politically-correct fury would arise from these others, steadfastly insisting that they understood Jewish and Catholic feelings better than the ethnic groups themselves, and presuming to represent their best interests without the least consultation.

I once rebuked some simpleton on IMDb who complained that the songs in 'Oliver' were 'anti-Semitic'. Yes; that's the same 'Oliver' written by Jewish Lionel Bart, performed by Jewish Ron Moody, playing a good-natured Jewish Fagin! As I live and breath; these people hatch out of eggs.

You'll only see this series on old videos now, I suspect. But if you get the chance, give them a go. Catholicism and Judaism haven't changed much since the 1960's, and neither have the jokes - when the bigots are not listening.