Stan Hey

Television and film writer Stan Hey was resonspible for some very excellent and memorable scripts throughout the first two seasons of Auf Wiedersehen, pet.  Stan very kindly agreed to an interview with us, where we take a closer look in to what is involved in producing the wonderful stories that we all still enjoy today...

Hi Stan, great to talk to you.  How did you first get involved with Auf Wiedershen, Pet?

I did a comedy pilot, called 'A Cut Above' for Witzend, Dick & Ian's company in 1982. We recorded it in Birmingham on the Sunday that England declared war on Argentina so the audience wasn't in a laughing mood. The pilot was shown but not made into a series - still, Tracy Ulman, who was in it, and Allan McKeown, Witzend's boss, met on the set and the rest is marital history. Later in the year, McKeown called me over for lunch one Saturday. He showed me a rough tape of 'Auf' which was still being shot. Dick and Ian were running out of time to complete the series and he asked me to join in. I'd liked what I'd seen on the tape - it was fresh, down-to-earth and funny.

I wrote one episode - Ep.5 'Home Thoughts From Abroad', which they liked. And then about a month later they needed another, Ep. 13 'When the Boat Goes Out', which I wrote in four days, working over a Bank Holiday weekend!

Starting with the first series, where the episodes where by and large stand alone stories, were you given a brief to follow or a free reign over what you wrote?

The episodes were pretty much stand alone, but there was a thread running through them towards the point when the Lads would have to leave Germany. On Ep.5, they just asked me to come up with a story for Bomber, who hadn't had one yet. On Ep.13, I had to round off all the romances, decide what the lads might be doing and close the series. The Dennis/Dagmar stuff and the hut burning down were just ideas I came up with at the time. Dick & Ian were in California. So I had a pretty free hand in what I wrote.

Which character did you find the most difficult to write for and why?

Bomber. He had very little background apart from this 'Gentle Giant' image. That's why Ep.5 was needed, so I got the idea of his daughter missing him and running away to see him, while he was on his way back home to find out where she was - the idea of her being in the hut with Wayne was a hoot. The episode just helped flesh Bomber out a bit more. Moxey was always a bit of a problem too, but I made up the bit about him having been an arsonist (albeit a comic one) which gave several clues as to why he was such a loner.

During the second series, there was one long consistent story.  Did that make the job of writing episodes harder, and did you have to liase more fully with Dick and Ian?

There was more collaboration and planning on the second series. I spent six days in southern Spain with Dick & Ian, Martin McKeand the producer, and Roger Bamford the main director. We checked out locations, talked about ideas and found the 'The Office', the real life pub for all the denizens of the Costa del Crime. They didn't seem to mind us being there - I think most of them were bored out of their brains. By the time we came back, we had the Ally Fraser set-up and a series plan for the episodes in England and those in Spain. I did three set in the country house, and one set in Spain.

Who is your favourite character and why?

Couldn't decide between Oz and Barry really - they were both great to write for, because they were unintentionally funny characters, Oz being a lout and an insensitive sort, Barry being a 'radish', who harboured his little dreams.

Which, from your AWP episodes, do you feel is your best work?

I think Ep.13 worked out best, perhaps because I worked on it so intensely over such a short period of time. It was packed with action too and I was able to get the blood donor routine in for Oz, and also keep people guessing about Dennis and Dagmar and Neville's tattoo. The lads presented me with a 'This is Your Life' style binder with the script and Polaroid photos as a thanks for doing it all so quickly.

To what reason would you attribute the huge success of Auf Wiedersehen Pet?

I think the characters attracted people, as funny but real types. The set-up was also credible with so many people on the dole and looking for work wherever they could find it. I always thought it was like 'Boys from the Blackstuff' with laughs really.

Are there any plots or stories that you had in mind to use for the lads that never actually made it?

I can't remember not using anything. We had to scratch around a lot in the second series, as you could probably tell. Doing 26 episodes wouldn't be contemplated now because of the cost and the risk of failure. It's also a huge demand on writers and actors to make something that long.

What has been your impressions of the latest series on BBC 1?

I mostly liked it. I thought the lads were as good as ever, and it was both funny and poignant seeing them as older characters. I wasn't entirely convinced by the Transporter Bridge plot, or the Jeffrey Archer/Jonathan Aitken character, but it moved along well and the Arizona stuff was spectacular.

Did you feel the characters where true to their original performances?

They were mostly true. I found it a bit hard to take Barry as a rich bloke, but it was a good twist in the end. I liked Oz's 'maturity' and Neville's mid-life crisis with young girls. The key to 'Auf' was always that the Lads would be down or in a mess but would somehow survive. At times they seemed to be almost too 'sad' and downbeat in this but came through eventually. Their journey is what the drama is all about.

Which series did you think worked better, and why?

I couldn't say really. I liked the first series in Germany because it was completely fresh and original. We struggled for 'squalor' and 'captivity' in the Spanish series, which were always essential ingredients for the humour. It was always a bit hard to make out they were having a tough time in Spain, with the sun and the beer flowing. Some of those problems showed up in the last series - the Arizona valleys were so peaceful and beautiful, but at least they recreated 'The Hut'.

Where you surprised to hear that the series was returning after such a long gap?

A little surprised, though I'd heard on the grapevine that Dick & Ian wanted to get their revenge on ITV for cancelling their 'Full Stretch' series after just one run. I think that technically, the programme 'licence' expired after 15 years, so as soon as it had, they could take it to the BBC - and it's worked out really well for all concerned. Good series, great viewing figures.

Bryan Pringle, who played Arthur Pringle, who died recently, was probably one of the ebst supporting characters in the series, bar Ally Fraser.  The 'anti-chemistry' between Arthur and the lads was wonderful to watch, and just seemed to flow very naturally.  Was it as straight forward to write this dialogue?

'Arthur' was a great character to write - he was a bit like Basil Fawlty running a village pub. Part snob, part Nazi, and Pringle had such a great face - always reminded me of Hitler a bit actually. The Lads always needed an enemy to rub against. And we've all met landlords like that. I did the episode were the lads walled up his door - and some blokes did it in real life a few weeks later to  landlord who'd pissed them off. I also brought Kevin Lloyd in as the Country & Western plumber - which in turn set up Jimmy Nail's first singing performance. Incidentally, in the C&W club one of the 'cow-girls' is Gina McKee, a Geordie, now famous for 'Our Friends in the North' and 'The Forsyth Saga'.

If you were asked to contribute to a further series of AWP, would you be prepared to do so?

If asked, I wouldn't think twice. It would be like meeting old friends again. But I don't think I will be. They'll only do six episodes at a time, and Dick & Ian probably need the money (only joking).

And finally Stan, what are you currently working on?

I've just sent a film script in to HBO in America about Marvin Gaye living in England for a short while in the 80s. I'm also doing a two-part 'Legal Thriller' type drama for an independent company. So we'll see what happens.

With very special thanks to Stan Hey.  Photo © BBCi

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