Hogg's Back (TV Series 1975– ) Poster

(1975– )

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6/10
Big Breadwinner Hogg
ShadeGrenade9 September 2006
Warning: Spoilers
'Hogg's Back' was an I.T.V. children's comedy series which starred the late Derek Royle ( best remembered these days for playing 'Mr.Leeman' in 'The Kipper & The Corpse' episode of Fawlty Towers' ) as Dr.Hogg, an incompetent country quack brought out of retirement to administer the needs of a quiet country village.

Stammering, twitching and fumbling like a terminal piles sufferer, Hogg caused chaos wherever he went. You definitely wouldn't want him at your bedside with a thermometer. Royle was an acrobat in his younger days, and the ability served him in good stead here.

The scripts were by the late Michael Pertwee, who wrote classic comedy movies such as 'Laughter In Paradise'. 'Hogg's Back' was far from his best work, but I suspect if released on D.V.D. now would outshine many modern comedies for sheer belly laughs.

Jacki Piper, who played Hogg's secretary Pearl, left mid-way through Season 1, to be replaced by Wendy Richard. In Season 2, Pat Coombs joined the cast as Hogg's housekeeper.
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4/10
A waste of time
Leofwine_draca15 October 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Having just finished the entire run of HOGG'S BACK, I can safely say that this is a TV series best forgotten. The first series is by far the most interesting, a mild rip-off of SOME MOTHERS DO 'AVE 'EM with some good pratfalls occasionally. Spirits are further lifted by the bright and sparky presence of Jacki Piper and later Wendy Richard as the secretary characters. Sadly, the show gets worse and worse as it goes on, Hogg himself descending into a bumbling mess and the humour strictly of the schoolboy variety. The second series is virtually unwatchable despite Pat Coombs showing up as the new receptionist.
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1/10
All that glitters is not gold ...
dragothic21 November 2016
I Love much of the 1970s TV, that being the decade of my childhood, so it was quite a nice surprise to see something from that era that i'd somehow i'd managed to miss. Maybe i made myself forget it on purpose.

Sadly, the 'main' actors display little comic ability or timing, and they struggle to do even the slight humour that's presumably expected, and i find watching this quickly tiring, The acting is wooden, which combined with the bland script, and dull characters all make it this a disappointment, maybe it'll improve as the series progresses and cameo actors come and go, but i doubt it, even as a child i doubt that i would bother with this.

Maybe stronger leads actors would help, these kind of shows need strong leads, and although the main actors were reasonably well known at their time, they certainly weren't 'A' list, or even 'B' list, so they weren't confident enough as leads to carry the viewers attention, which is where this show fails, if a stronger central character was available, maybe then, it would be fun watching the maelstrom ensue around him, but here, it's hard to tell the difference between the scenery and actors.

The talented Michael Pertwee however has brought several staples to our screens, so I imagine he was able to get more well known names (at that time) to sign up for this show than what the poor script actually deserves. The production seems nice enough, and looks remarkably well for it's vintage, but as a hardcore UK 70s TV fan, even i would call this a Christmas turkey.

I do like the fact that it's a little time capsule of a TV era that i (wrongly) thought i had a reasonably decent knowledge of, and i just found myself waiting for familiar actors of my childhood to appear, but i won't be bothering watching for them. Conclusion, very poor indeed.
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8/10
Very funny show!
Yonilikka-2223 February 2017
Warning: Spoilers
It amuses me to see other reviewers complaining about this show's so-called 'schoolboy humour'. That was intentional. It was aimed at children!

One of the few good things about television nowadays is that you can tune into an archive channel, such as 'Talking Pictures T. V.', and be unexpectedly confronted by something you've not seen in years. It can be simultaneously exciting and disconcerting. Last year, Michael Pertwee's children's sitcom 'Hogg's Back' got its first airing since its original transmission back in the mid-70's. This popular show starred the late Derek Royle as 'Dr. Hogg', a useless G. P. called out of retirement who causes havoc wherever he goes, a sort of geriatric Frank Spencer. Jacki Piper played his receptionist originally, then Wendy Richard, and finally Pat Coombs. Gordon Rollings made occasional appearances as an undertaker, with Robert Dorning as a pompous retired Colonel. The show was as slapstick as is possible to get, with Royle ( an acrobat in his younger days ) tripping, stumbling and lurching all over the place.

Of course, some people will not to be too thrilled to see it again, while others who missed it the first time will judge it by today's standards and turn up their noses at it. Well, all I can say is, in an era when Miranda Hart falling over repeatedly is regarded as the ultimate in side-splitting hilarity ( it isn't ), give me 'Hogg's Back' every time. The country village setting and use of established character actors made this for me a pleasure to watch recently, and I hope it isn't too long before it is shown again. If only 'Bright's Boffins' still existed in the archives, it could be repeated and then I would be very happy indeed!
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