why oh why

[neilold12]

does albert go to a chinese restraunt and say the food is terrible ('happy returns' i think) and then say he's going to have a good blowout on chinese food in the episode 'siege of steptoe street'???? Also in that episode how come the have tins of frogs legs and snails?? not the sort of thing they'd eat, especially Albert!

[bob]

Good spot

I don't know the answer but I would guess it is one of the following :

1. Ray and Alan didn't take good care of continuity (They never previously had to). Hancock is fully of continuity as well as Kenneth Williams appearing each week as a different character.

or

2. Albert is a contrary old bugger who would say anything he thought Harold wouldn't like to hear !!

I prefer number 2 myself.

Welcome to the forum

[PhilGlass]

Im with Bob. If Albert loved Chinese he would deliberately say he didn't just to get on Harold's bristols... as for the tins, Steptoe the Kleptoe probably half inched them and they were the easiest ones to get...

[Dirty Old Yank]

It's true that strict adherence to continuity wasn't a Steptoe strong suit but I'm glad Ray and Alan weren't slavish to the idea.
Permits a little elbow room for the imagination
And take away!

[PhilGlass]

It's only pretend...

[bob]

It's only pretend...

That's what the wife says !!!

[spikespark]

As childish and contrary as Albert is, even if he loved Chinese food he could claim he doesn't like it, if he wants to annoy Harold.

It's also possible his tastes changed a bit as time went on and Chinese food became less 'foreign'.

As for the tins, in The Seige of Steptoe Street we do see he likes some fancy stuff-- grouse, etc. Also, we know Harold likes to try to be 'sophisticated,' who knows, maybe he got asparagus tips and escargot to try and impress some girl. Both Steptoes seem to have an affinity for sophisticated stuff at times (I love when Albert claimed he was making Harold pate en croute in Robbery With Violence), which makes it all the more funny when juxtaposed with their disgusting personal habits and general dump of a house.

I also like the theory that Albert may have just shoplifted the tins -- "Steptoe the Kleptoe," after all.

[Dirty Old Yank]

Welcome Spikespark, you’re just what the forum needs, new blood .

There's no question Albert’s palate wasn’t put off by "foreign", he brought home curry that ponged blocks away.
But...who brings home cold snails to impress a bird? Other than another bird. Albert got the tin below discount .
I never found the Steptoe’s home a “general dump”, what with antiques in every direction, including a bear that seemed to grow exponentially with each season. Do you have any favorite set props? Its already been examined in other topics but...I’d love one of the original skeletons or a set of Albert’s false teeth .
Better still, Harold’s copy of “Fanny Hill” .

[spikespark]

Thanks for the welcome, DOY! I am looking forward to talking to some people who share my love of the Steptoes.

That's true, Albert probably got those tins of escargot on a special. Harold should thank his lucky stars that they ate the contents when they did-- otherwise, he'd have been getting snails for his tea, or worse, cos they'd be cold-- lunch, one day. It amuses me to imagine the day to day life of the Steptoes beyond the glimpses we got to see in the episodes.

It is hard to decide on a favourite Steptoe prop! The enormous stuffed bear and the skeleton definitely are iconic. But I have a soft spot for Harold's Number 9 bus, too. I also really love the tiger skin beside Harold's bed, shown in A Winter's Tale.

I often have thought about the items in the Steptoe house, too, and just how much were dross vs. antiques. They do seem to have some pieces that would be worth something. Albert seems to generally be a hoarder, so he treasures the crap along with the good stuff. I love how he wants to latch on to every item Harold brings in, to add to the 'collection'.

ETA: By 'general dump' I meant more that it was often referred to as being in need of a lot of repairs-- Albert's floor being riddled with woodworm so Harold's attempt to fit the bathtub was doomed, all the leaks when Harold was complaining about the flyover in "Without Prejudice," and so on.

[Dirty Old Yank]

I’ve tried escargot only once. A girlfriend dragged me to a proper French restaurant and she insisted I try one of her garlic snails. I did, after which I smiled politely...what else is there to say? It’s a snail innit. Thought myself a right ponce when I smelled the cork, and as the waiter walked away, she leaned forward and whispered, “....You did it perfectly.” I accidentally wondered aloud, “Did what?!” We couldn’t stop laughing and got chucked out, hey ho .

[spikespark]

Ha ha! She sounds as if she was a girlfriend with a sense of humour, at least, if she was laughing too.

[Dirty Old Yank]

I didn’t mean to suggest “general dump” was inappropriate and thinking back now on those early b/w episodes, I realize you’re absolutely right, that kitchen was pretty grim. But in later colour episodes the place wasn’t all that bad, maybe it just appeals to my baser pack-rat instincts. I’ve often thought their home deserved a spread in Architectural Digest but nobody needs 4000 false hampsteads lying around, that’s more like Police Gazette .
Come to think of it, I don't know what a grouse looks like either . Worse than tinned asparagus tips must be brussels sprouts, or worse still, mustard greens...blech!

[spikespark]

I didn’t mean to suggest “general dump” was inappropriate and thinking back now on those early b/w episodes, I realize you’re absolutely right, that kitchen was pretty grim. But in later colour episodes the place wasn’t all that bad, maybe it just appeals to my baser pack-rat instincts. I’ve often thought their home deserved a spread in Architectural Digest but nobody needs 4000 false hampsteads lying around, that’s more like Police Gazette .
Come to think of it, I don't know what a grouse looks like either . Worse than tinned asparagus tips must be brussels sprouts, or worse still, mustard greens...blech!

No worries! Yes, in the last two seasons, the house does actually look as if it is slightly less dilapidated-- I like to assume that's because they did use some of the money from their scheme in Without Prejudice to make needed repairs. One detail from the films I noticed was they suddenly acquired an indoor khazi!

As Albert starts to describe to Harold before receiving the death-glare and trailing off, a grouse is a small bird, related to a pheasant but without the long tail. Sometimes they are called 'partridges'.

[Dirty Old Yank]

One detail from the films I noticed was they suddenly acquired an indoor khazi!

And in the Ajax adverts, they acquired a stainless steel sink and a refridgerator that fell off a lorry.
"...Finders keepers." The residue Albert left in the bath, horizontal lines as the water receded, it’s like a cross section of a tree! Those baths would estimate Albert’s age more accurately than carbon dating ever could .
Have you seen the Ajax adverts? They're really quite funny .

[spikespark]

One detail from the films I noticed was they suddenly acquired an indoor khazi!

And in the Ajax adverts, they acquired a stainless steel sink and a refridgerator that fell off a lorry.
"...Finders keepers." The residue Albert left in the bath, horizontal lines as the water receded, it’s like a cross section of a tree! Those baths would estimate Albert’s age more accurately than carbon dating ever could .
Have you seen the Ajax adverts? They're really quite funny .

Yes! I love Harold's smirk as he mutters 'finders, keepers' after Albert points out the fridge fell off the back off a lorry.

It was a stroke of genius to use them as spokespeople for any kind of cleaning product. I also love when Harold cheerfully touts the various wonders of the Ajax products and then growls to Albert that they need to use both on him. It's said very quickly and I didn't catch it the first time I watched the clip.

By the Ajax days they have moved up in the world with their indoor bath and khazi, the final step in their skyward climb is the Kenco Coffee advert where they're in a penthouse with a lovely art collection!