Auf Wiedersehen, Pet
The adventures of a gang of British workmen abroad combine black and white humour with moments of drama, poignancy, and drunkenness. In series 1, the lads head to Germany seeking work and are thrown together by virtue of shared nationality and a run-down wooden hut. The story follows the lads' relationships with women, Germans, and one another, and their attempts at passing the time away from home, saving money, and ordering food in a German curry house. The series ends with new employment legislation forcing some of the Brits having to choose between the UK and their new-found pleasures abroad. Two years later the gang are reunited for a second series, in which they travel to Wolverhampton to rebuild both the "magnificent seven" and Barry's home for his impending marriage. A further offer of work sees the lads head to a Derbyshire stately home in need of refurbishment. Here they fall foul of an irritable pub landlord, suspicious locals, a less than enlightened employer and the Inland Revenue. Finally, they are packed off to Spain as illegal workers for Tyneside villain Ally Fraser, and they fall under the unwelcome spotlight of tabloid publicity. Despite this, they still manage to indulge in some serious drinking practice AND complete the building work.
- 1983-2004
- 5 seasons
- Comedy, Drama
The adventures of a gang of British workmen abroad combine black and white humour with moments of drama, poignancy, and drunkenness. In series 1, the lads head to Germany seeking work and are thrown together by virtue of shared nationality and a run-down wooden hut. The story follows the lads' relationships with women, Germans, and one another, and their attempts at passing the time away from home, saving money, and ordering food in a German curry house. The series ends with new employment legislation forcing some of the Brits having to choose between the UK and their new-found pleasures abroad. Two years later the gang are reunited for a second series, in which they travel to Wolverhampton to rebuild both the "magnificent seven" and Barry's home for his impending marriage. A further offer of work sees the lads head to a Derbyshire stately home in need of refurbishment. Here they fall foul of an irritable pub landlord, suspicious locals, a less than enlightened employer and the Inland Revenue. Finally, they are packed off to Spain as illegal workers for Tyneside villain Ally Fraser, and they fall under the unwelcome spotlight of tabloid publicity. Despite this, they still manage to indulge in some serious drinking practice AND complete the building work.
Season 1 Episode Guide
13 Episodes 1983 - 1984
Episode 1
If I Were a Carpenter
51 mins
Geordies Dennis,Oz and Neville travel to Dusseldorf for brick-laying work,meeting along the way Barry,a motor-bike riding electrician from Wolverhampton. They refuse to give cheeky carpenter Wayne a lift in Oz's car but it breaks down on the autobahn and Wayne goes whizzing past them,having hitched a ride in a lorry. On the site they meet West country man Bomber but there is only work for two brickies so Neville claims to be a carpenter. However he has an accident with the saw and decides to return to England. A night on the tiles soon changes his mind when he wakes up to find he has acquired a tattoo that states 'Lotte',the night before.
Episode 2
Who Won the War Anyway?
51 mins
Neville is about to be sacked for his lying but becomes a hero when he raises the alarm after seeing an unexploded bomb,unearthed by the diggers. He befriends Helmut Fischer,a German co-worker,and meets his family,the father having fought against Neville's father in the war. Oz's tactless remarks about the British winning the war land him in trouble and he is dismissed but the Germans actually go on strike in order for him to be reinstated. Liverpudlian Moxey joins the work-force and is welcomed with open arms because he is the only one of them who owns a darts board.
Episode 3
The Girls They Left Behind
50 mins
Oz's wife Marjorie learns of her husband's whereabouts from Dennis's wife and writes to ask for money. Oz,unhappy that she tracked him down,returns the letter as Not Known at This Address. When the wages belatedly arrive Dennis and Oz go to watch Sunderland F.C. play a football match and Oz gets drunk,ending up on the plane back to Newcastle with the Sunderland fans. On hearing this the others send his wages to Newcastle. He is not amused because he has returned to Germany and he and the money have passed each other on the way.
Episode 4
Suspicion
50 mins
Everybody is suspect when Neville's money and Oz's watch go missing. Wayne is flush but then he did win money from the others at cards and buys German girlfriend Ingrid a necklace. Later Ingrid meets and befriends Neville and gives him the necklace and he is prime suspect after being seen leaving a pawn-shop (where he took the necklace to get money to send to his wife.) Oz hatches a plan to stain a 100 Deutsche Mark note and catch the culprit but the thief does not take the bait and the lads fail to identify them.
Episode 5
Home Thoughts from Abroad
50 mins
Bomber hears from his wife that their teen-aged daughter Tracy has run away from home so he returns to Bristol to look for her, though in the mean time she turns up in Dusseldorf and the lads hide her in their hut whilst they alert Bomber to return. She tries it on with Wayne but,after he has turned her down,admits she does it for the attention. Later Neville is discovered moon-lighting at the local Indian restaurant.
Episode 6
The Accused
51 mins
Neville is arrested and charged with assault after a woman he walked home from a club is beaten up but the British and German workmen all join in to raise the money for his bail before his wife Brenda flies out to see why he did not phone her. Dennis remembers that the girl had a big row with her boyfriend and he and Helmut track down the real culprit,proving Neville's innocence - though he is still at pains to keep his tattoo from Brenda.
Episode 7
Private Lives
50 mins
With his divorce proceedings underway Dennis is dating Dagmar from the site office and he takes her to spend the night at the Intercontinental hotel. Meanwhile Barry and Wayne chat up two Swedish air hostesses whom they plan to meet at the hotel but Oz plays a trick on them by ringing the hotel and leaving a message for the pair to go to room 612. Here they meet,not the Swedish girls as expected but a young couple who accuse them of being robbers and Dennis has to sort things out.
Episode 8
The Fugitive
50 mins
On their way to a fishing trip some of the workers pick up a young lad called Colin who is hitch-hiking. He tells them that he is a student,sleeping rough so they persuade him to come back to the site and ask for a job. He is,however,very secretive and eventually they discover why. He is an army deserter wanted by the military police for going AWOL. Eventually he is arrested,as is Barry because he has been trying to grow a beard and his appearance makes the police think he is a tramp.
Episode 9
The Alien
50 mins
The lads reluctantly bail out Magowan,a violent Irish worker jailed for fighting and reluctantly allow him to move in with them after he has been thrown out of his hostel. They are forming a darts team but do not want him to join though they are too scared to tell him,especially after he has assaulted Neville for asking for his bail money back. However,when Neville sees the boss,Herr Grunwald,at a porn cinema,the lads coerce him into sacking Magowan and getting rid of him for good.
Episode 10
Last Rites
51 mins
Oz has developed a side line in selling pornographic videos. When a friend of Dennis's, Hedley Irwin, dies, Oz plans to smuggle the videos in Hedley's coffin as it is returned to England. However it transpires that Hedley was kicked out of the army for selling supplies to the Russians and his family do not want to accept his remains. As a result the coffin is cremated in Germany - with Oz's videos inside it.
Episode 11
The Lovers
50 mins
Oz finds love with a tasty German girl by the name of Uli after Wayne makes him out as being a rich tycoon's son. But it turns out he isn't the only one being dishonest. Meanwhile Barry comes up with an idea to make the hut more homely.
Episode 12
Love and Other Four-Letter Words
51 mins
Dennis's wife announces that she is coming over to Germany - what will it mean for his divorce, and his relationship with Dagmar? Oz wonders about the power of reincarnation, and Wayne falls in love with a woman, not just into her bed.
Episode 13
When the Boat Goes Out
51 mins
Work on the site ends with a bang as Barry's bike explodes, demolishing the hut and destroying most of the lads' possessions. As the smoke subsides, the crew decides who will stay on in Germany and who will head for home
