Charles Endell Esq.

theduke · Charles Endell Esq.

Hi, reading Iain Cuthbertson's obituary yesterday spurred me to look for some clips from "Charles Endell Esq." Found this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dn8QPO8G8js (sorry, I don't know how to embed it

, maybe someone could fix that?)

Its a cool little film, notable towards the end for some late 70's shots of Buchanan Street (with the strange bird-like sculpture that used to be there, next to Fraser's), the Suspension Bridge over the Clyde, Anderston Bus Station, Cadogan Street, and below the Dalriada block at the Anderston Centre. There's also an area that I didn't recognise right at the end, maybe the Gorbals?

I don't really remember watching the programme, which was shown on STV in the late 70's although I do remember the Charlie Endell character being in "Budgie", which was re-run on Channel 4 in the summer of 1987 on Friday nights (preceded by "The Last Resort" [Jonathon Ross' first show] and followed by "Randall and Hopkirk (deceased)". Funny the things you remember

Fjord

Cheers for that Duke I watched it as a kid and had forgotten just how bad that theme tune was.... so bad in fact it's a classic as theme tunes go.

Looking at that clip I see a lot of similarities between this and the 1980's tv series Minder starring George Cole as Arthur Daley even down to the camel hair coat and cigar. In fact I go as far to say the scriptwriters ripped Endel Esq off.

Couldn't identify the areas towards the end but the opening frames show a very different Glasgow Central station at night before it was refurbished in the mid 1980's.
In the scene where he talks to the CID fella (Phill McCall) the yellow Ford Cortina parked in the background was the old carriage driveway that exited through the archway onto the top of Hope Street at Waterloo St. Shops now stand on this location.

james73

Thanks for the link. I have no memory of this show at all.

Fjord is right about the Arthur Daley rip off, definitely looks like he was the
"inspiration" for Minder. Central Station is unrecognisable - I don't remember
those railings between the platforms and concourse. A far cry from how it
looks today. Might be interesting to see more of it - there's quite a few locations
shown in that short clip.

Oh aye, the theme tune - "titty bum bum, titty bum bum..."

James H

Charlie Endell

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks that Budgie (the programme) was the inspiration for Minder. As one of Iain Cuthbertson's obituaries commented, Budgie was a 'comedy drama' before the term was invented. It didn't really strike me first time round when I watched it on Channel 4 in the '80s but it became blindingly obvious when I watched both series of Budgie on DVD.

Thanks for the link to Charles Endell, Esquire. My vague memories of this are Iain Cuthbertson having a white American car and Tony Osoba (although having watched the excerpt I now remember that he wore a corset).

Some great shots in Central Station; I do remember the carriageway exiting Hope St. at Waterloo St.

To finish with a piece of pedantry, if the detective played by Phil McCall really knew 'Charlie Endell', he would have called him by his 'real' name Angus McIntyre ('Charlie' changed his name to evade the clutches of an American gangster by the name of King Jorgensen* - he burned down King's casino after being thrown out). I was intrigued that Tony Osoba introduced himself as Hamish McIntyre. I suppose it's down to Charles Endell, Esquire having a different writer to Budgie (which was written by the late, great Keith Waterhouse and Willis Hall).

*I might not have King's surname correct but I can't be bothered sticking the DVD on to find out - I think he was played by David Bauer.

schiehallion

Fjord

Did they not do away with those barriers due to a major ticket scam that Mr Endell Esquire would have been proud of. It was deemed cheaper to let the punters travel for free with the open station system.

schiehallion

Fjord

dickyhart

found a really badly put together website dedicatted to Budgie and CEE, its quite crap, but i found this amusing.

go for it charlie!!, have a listen

http://www.poeticmyth.org.uk/The%...les%20Endell%20Esqdonotchange.htm