I saw it and thought it was honest, unabashed and at times touching. Clearly old Bernie knew his number was up and wanted to put a few things straight . He spoke directly to the viewer almost as a last rites/confession type thing. He was basically getting everything ready for his passing and wanted to do so as honestly as he could . I thought the St Peter thing was good where he said he had "done nothing wrong" . I assume that was to put right all the "racism" slurs etc that had dogged him all his life .Choosing his own coffin was a little sad but done with tact .
It's funny..well it would be he was a comedian! but I can remember him on the TV programme called the comedians circa 1972 or thereabouts and then lots more TV exposure later on all channels . I laughed at him when I was a kid , before everyone started to dissect comedy routines and tried to find something other than humour in them and I found I was still laughing all those years later .
He was as I said a very funny man , who appealed to the working classes , talked their talk and showed them the funny side of life . Sure some of the jokes might ..well did involve digs or pokes at religion and race but that was because in 70s Britain people were trying to get used to a "new england " <sorry Billy!>
The people were finding their ways of life changing, the cultures changing and seeing a new Britain emerging . Quite a lot of people were fearful of this sudden change , this was because a lot of people who remembered the old empire as was couldn't understand why and how all the power that was once held was slowly being given back . There was a lot of fear about what soon became known as "the enemy within" not for any reason of aggression or anything like that but simply a total lack of understanding as to what was happening and why it was happening. People were getting used to new languages, customs and cultures and just as is always the case people inwardly fear change and Britain was changing .
Comedians like Bernie and others saw this fear and in some way helped people to understand and come to terms with these changes through humour .
In this day and age all of that would clearly be seen as racism and I suppose it was but I also think in some ways it helped to remove any fears or worries and made the new Britain accessible and understandable to all . Obviously people will disagree , that's how people are and I'm merely trying to explain what it felt like for me as a young-ling growing up in the 70s I watched many comedians and TV progs which were very very risky .. Things like "mind your language, love thy neighbour and even the black and white minstrel show have now all in one way or another been seen as racist or anti Semitic or something . I regularly watched programmes where women were always shown as token "dolly birds" with no other purpose other than to provide eye candy and to make sexist jokes about .
Thing was ..shock horror !. they WERE funny ! and its easy to see why . Comedy doesn't exist unless it's poking fun at someone whether they be Irish, Jewish, short, fat, bald, poor , rich , handicapped , whatever.. We laugh at them because the writer is overstepping the mark and saying things we wouldn't want to say . Take for example Lenny Bruce the American comedian . He did similar things about Jewish and Polish people and they persecuted him to death !literally !.Incidentally if you havent seen the movie "lenny" watch it , 'tis excellent .
Then it all changed and the 80s "anarchic" comedians jumped on board and changed the whole face of comedy and worked with a whole new "acceptable" type of comedy . which was no mean feat as they had bugger all material to work from ..although hippies and students got a bit of a pasting as far as I can remember !
It is obvious that these early comedians would never get away with the things they did in this day and age but honestly folks these 70s comedians were very very funny , brave and ground breaking in many ways . We knew no better in those days so we laughed the whole PC thing didn't exist and in many ways ignorance was a lot better as it's got a bit crazy now and it is at a stage where we cant write something funny about things just in case it causes offence to someone.. but the whole purpose of comedy has always been about causing offence in a light-hearted way and that's why we laugh !.
As far as causing offence or upsetting people etc.. was concerned I think in his own mind Bernie went to his grave with a clean conscience . He made the average "watneys red barrell" ,players number 6 working man's life more fun through his humour. He did say that he "was a racist" in the programme and said who he didn't like ( kind of included everyone!) but y'know I'm not sure if he thought that was just a final risky thing to say to wind people up and silence the haters .
So off shuffles his mortal coil and I think he went to the pearly gates with a clean conscience fully prepared to defend himself and the way he lived his life . I'm pretty sure he got in too !after all it was all just comedy when all said and done and he is probably having a brew with all colours, and races up there with his old comedy buddies and of course still making someone laugh .
RIP
