Steptoe and Son Ride Again

Steptoe and Son Ride Again

Company type	Film
Industry	Motion picture
Founded	1973
Founder	Peter Sykes (director), Ray Galton and Alan Simpson (screenwriters)
Products	Comedy drama film

Steptoe and Son Ride Again—also titled Steptoe & Son Ride Again—is a 1973 British comedy drama motion picture directed by Peter Sykes and featuring performances by Wilfrid Brambell and Harry H. Corbett. The screenplay was crafted by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson.

This film acts as a spin-off derived from the BBC's comedic television series Steptoe and Son (1962–1974), which revolves around the lives of a father-and-son team working as rag-and-bone dealers. It functions as a continuation following the 1972 release Steptoe and Son.

Plot

Following the retirement of their horse Hercules due to lameness, the Steptoes aim to purchase a replacement using Albert’s savings of £80, keeping £9 aside for unforeseen expenses. Harold returns intoxicated from Southall Market accompanied by Hercules the Second, a visually impaired racing greyhound he acquired from local criminal Frankie Barrow for £80 plus an additional £200 owed. Harold plans to nourish the dog with expensive foods such as eggs and steak.

To repay their debt, they liquidate belongings to place one last wager on the greyhound, which ultimately loses. Albert then discloses he holds a life insurance policy valued at £1,000. Harold concocts a plan to fraudulently claim this money by simulating Albert’s death using a dummy and an inebriated physician who mistakenly pronounces Albert deceased. Upon bringing home a coffin and gravestone, Albert becomes alarmed.

When gangsters arrive to collect their dues, Harold intimidates them by asserting that the insurance payout will settle the debt. Friends organize an elaborate funeral, resulting in an unexpectedly large wake hosted by the Steptoes. The coffin is filled with scrap metal while Albert conceals himself upstairs.

Upon arrival of Mr Russell from the insurance company, Harold discovers that the payout is designated for Albert’s former lover from 1949 residing in Malaya. Albert confesses he never updated the beneficiary information. During transport to the cemetery, Harold attempts to revive Albert inside the coffin but is rendered unconscious; mourners proceed without him. After escaping from the hospital, Harold reaches the cemetery but accidentally damages a gravestone. Albert awakens, causing everyone to flee in fear.

Back at home, they find a clause permitting Harold to claim £876 if Albert’s mistress marries. They settle their debts and acquire a new horse along with riding equipment. Nevertheless, Harold invests the remaining funds into partial ownership of a racehorse co-owned by H.M. Queen, much to Albert’s dissatisfaction.

Cast

• Wilfrid Brambell as Albert Steptoe
• Harry H. Corbett as Harold Steptoe
• Diana Dors as woman in flat
• Milo O'Shea as Dr. Popplewell
• Bill Maynard as George
• Neil McCarthy as Lennie
• Yootha Joyce as Freda, Lennie's wife
• George Tovey as Percy
• Olga Lowe as Rita, Percy's wife
• Sam Kydd as Claude
• Joyce Hemson as Flo, Claude's wife
• Henry Woolf as Frankie Barrow
• Geoffrey Bayldon as vicar
• Frank Thornton as Mr. Russell
• Richard Davies as butcher
• Stewart Bevan as vet
• Peter Brayham as chicken/pigeon keeper (uncredited)

Production

The movie included appearances by the then state-owned company, Pickfords Removals. Scenes depicting greyhound racing were captured at White City Stadium, while the training sequences took place in Acton Park.

Reception

The Monthly Film Bulletin observed that although the film preserved elements characteristic of the original series, it lacked its nuanced humor and cleverness, replacing Galton and Simpson's sharp script with broad British comedy reliant on coarse jokes. Despite these drawbacks, Milo O'Shea provided moments of comic relief, and director Peter Sykes delivered an energetic finale.

The Radio Times Guide to Films assigned a rating of 2 out of 5 stars, criticizing the stretched storyline and the disappearance of the original television series' subtle father-son relationship. The guide described the screenplay as weak with humor that was excessively crude.

Leslie Halliwell characterized the sequel as "even cruder and more out of character" than the initial Steptoe film.