Stealing a model Concorde from a display in Mr.Shadrach's window, Billy is having the time of his life in the shopping mall pretending to be a pilot when he hears his name called. His old friend Colin Westmacott has become a guitar-playing hippie who rejoices in the new name of 'Slug', and, with his sexy girlfriend 'Fifty-Five', plans on going to a commune in Cornwall. He invites Billy to come along. Thinking that a new life of unlimited free love awaits, Billy agrees. But first there's the problem of what to do with his new friends. Billy smuggles Slug into his bedroom, whilst installing 'Fifty-Five' in his dad's television repair van. Unbeknowest to him, Slug smuggles the girl in through the window. Billy tells his parents he plans on becoming a hippie, and they hit the roof...
Sooner or later, hippies were bound to turn up in 'Billy Liar'. 'Slug' is played by Simon Rouse, better known these days as 'D.C.I. Jack Meadows' from 'The Bill'. Its quite a good episode, actually. For the first time, Mr.Fisher is faced with a young man even more rebellious than his son. There's no sense of the hippies being out to con anyone, which was the case in many '70's sitcoms to feature them. But then these were largely written by middle-aged men. The source of the humour here is Mr.Fisher's narrow-mindedness.
The fact that 'Slug' refers to his girl by a number is odd. Its the very kind of depersonalisation the hippie movement were dead against. What's even more strange is that 'Fifty-Five' ( Pam Scotcher ) doesn't seem to mind.
Funniest moment - Billy imagining himself as a hippie pop star!
Sooner or later, hippies were bound to turn up in 'Billy Liar'. 'Slug' is played by Simon Rouse, better known these days as 'D.C.I. Jack Meadows' from 'The Bill'. Its quite a good episode, actually. For the first time, Mr.Fisher is faced with a young man even more rebellious than his son. There's no sense of the hippies being out to con anyone, which was the case in many '70's sitcoms to feature them. But then these were largely written by middle-aged men. The source of the humour here is Mr.Fisher's narrow-mindedness.
The fact that 'Slug' refers to his girl by a number is odd. Its the very kind of depersonalisation the hippie movement were dead against. What's even more strange is that 'Fifty-Five' ( Pam Scotcher ) doesn't seem to mind.
Funniest moment - Billy imagining himself as a hippie pop star!