Auf Wiedersehen, Pet (1983)

Plot: Seven British construction workers escape Britain's ever-growing dole queues and travel to Germany to work on a site in Düsseldorf. Follow their trials and tribulations of working away from home and away from the women they left behind.

Original Title: Auf Wiedersehen, Pet

Writer: Ian La Frenais , Dick Clement , Franc Roddam

Type: tv series

Year: 1983

Genres: Comedy, Drama

Cast: Richard Mitchley , Juan Maria Almonte , Danielle Davison , Timothy Spall , Jimmy Nail , Tim Healy , Kevin Whately , Christopher Fairbank , Pat Roach , Gary Holton , Julia Tobin , Noel Clarke , Bill Paterson , Ray Knight , Lesley Saint-John , James Booth , Peter Birch , Val McLane , Alexander Hanson , Branka Katic , Brigitte Kahn , Bill Nighy , Javier Alcina , Madelaine Newton , Emily Bruni , Catherine Whately , Melanie Hill , Gordon Tootoosis , Michael Sheard , Bryan Pringle , Caroline Harker , Clive Russell , Josefina Gabrielle , John Bowler , Zoë Eeles , Caroline Hutchison , Dragan Micanovic , James Bate , Sandra James-Young , Michael Angelis , John Kazek , Ying Tong John , Georgina Lightning , Joseph Long , Michael Elphick , Su Elliot , Ricardo Montez , Alan Igbon , Ian Embleton , David Cheung

Runtimes: 60

Countries: United Kingdom

Languages: English , Turkish , German , Russian , Spanish , Albanian , Serbian

Color Info: Color

Aspect Ratio: 1.78 : 1 (2002-)

Sound Mix: Mono , Stereo

Rating: 8.5

Votes: 3859

Year: 1983

Akas: Öl, kvinnor och tegel (Sweden) , Vi ses i Havanna (Sweden) , Прощайте, привычки (Soviet Union, Russian title) , Näkemiin vaan, muru (Finland) , Vi ses i Arizona (Sweden)

Production Companies: Central Independent Television , Witzend Productions , British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) , Ziji Productions

Distributors: British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) , Finnkino , ITV - Independent Television , Men & Motors

Synopsis: In the first series, Dennis Patterson (Tim Healy), Neville Hope (Kevin Whately), and "Oz" Ozbourne (Jimmy Nail) leave Newcastle to go and find work in Dusseldorf, Germany. They sign up with the German authorities but because they are late arriving at the construction site due to Oz's wreck of a car, they are told by gaffer Herr Grunwald (Michael Sheard) that they have to join cockney carpenter Wayne Norris (Gary Holton), and fellow brickie "Bomber" Busbridge (Pat Roach) from Bristol in one of the wooden huts and stay there while they work. Electrician Barry Taylor (Timothy Spall) from Birmingham, and plasterer Albert Moxey (Christopher Fairbank) from Liverpool later join them, the latter is later revealed to be an arsonist on the run from the law after he set fire to his boss' hut for victimization.In the second series, two years has passed, and Thatcher's Britain has still made it hard for the gang to find work. Oz and Barry have done a stint re-building in the Falklands in the aftermath of the war, Bomber has turned to wrestling, Dennis has got himself in debt with a shady Newcastle businessman called Ally Fraser (Bill Paterson) who he has to work for in order to pay it off, and Neville is a stay at home dad. Barry is the only one who is doing well for himself after saving his money from Germany and the Falklands, and after meeting a woman called Hazel (Melanie Hill), he has bought his own house ready to movie in to with her and get married. He contacts the gang to join him to help him with the house, and after they do, Dennis has another job offer for them - to do some work for Ally Fraser - first on a manor in the countryside then to build him a swimming pool at his villa in Spain.In the third series, fifteen years has passed since their job in Spain, and times are tough and desperate for some. Dennis is now a taxi driver, Neville's has his own business but is going through a mid-life crisis while struggling with the VAT, Moxey is a caterer for a gangster in his home city, and Bomber's health isn't too good. Along with Barry, who's now a successful businessman with a Russian wife, they all reunite for Oz's funeral. But are shocked when they discover he isn't actually dead, only an excuse to get them all together again. Oz has been in prison and during that time helped a disgraced politician, Jeffrey Grainger (Bill Nighty) get by, and now he wants him and his team to pull down the Middlesborough transporter bridge so that a new estate can made, and they will make a big profit from it. It isn't long before Oz realises that Grainger has conned him, and desperate to salvage something, Oz advertises it on the internet about a bridge for sale, and luckily a Native American community in Arizona are interested.

Certificates: Australia:PG , Australia:M::(some episodes) , Finland:K-11 , United Kingdom:15

Other Companies: Anvil Post Production , Iberfilm

Number of Seasons: 5

Seasons:

Series Years: 1983-2004

Creator: Franc Roddam