Dick Clement couldn’t work out a Havana plot for Auf Wiedersehen, Pet – until he met the British Ambassador to Cuba
Sequels are often a disaster. Ian La Frenais and I were distinctly wary when Franc Roddam and Jimmy Nail approached us, wanting to revisit Auf Wiedersehen, Pet after an interval of 16 years. Two things hooked us. All the cast members were keen to reprise their roles and the core idea was irresistible: to dismantle the Middlesborough Transporter Bridge and relocate it in Arizona to provide an Indian tribe better access to their casino. We signed on. During shooting, the word got around that the bridge was about to be pulled down and demonstrators reacted in fury with a sign: ‘Save our bridge’. It’s still there. Happily, the series got a great welcome from the critics. One of them said the cast ‘took to their roles like ducks to Newcastle Brown’. Near the end of shooting, Alan Yentob approached Ian and asked where the next series would be set. His...
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