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Billy's father. Geoffrey uses the word "bloody" in his sentences so often it has lost all meaning. Geoffrey has been a successful garage owner who also works in the removal business so his family live middle-class lives despite his working-class background. Geoffrey has a short temper, but otherwise
280:
Billy is 19, and living with parents Alice and
Geoffrey, and his grandmother, Florence Boothroyd. Billy lies compulsively to everyone he comes across, whether it is by claiming that his father is a retired naval captain/cobbler, or telling his parents that Arthur's mother has broken her leg. Billy
357:
Liz is described as a scruffy girl in need of a new skirt, but she's the one who truly understands Billy and the only one in which he's genuinely interested. Before her appearance in the play, Billy pretends he does not have much interest in her, but it is clear when she appears that he is still
327:
Billy's best friend. Arthur works at
Shadrack & Duxbury with Billy. When we first see Arthur and Billy together in Act 1, they adopt thick northern accents and engage in buffoonery, imitating their elders. Despite this tomfoolery, Arthur's mood towards Billy changes in Act 3. Arthur does not
138:
819:. However, given that Billy Liar was written in 1959 when Keith Waterhouse was 30 years old, and that he died in 2009, in the absence of any evidence of a time-machine among his effects, a conscious parody appears to be a particularly ludicrous post-hoc rationalisation.
348:
Rita is 17, is short, but comes across as a "hard lass". She is engaged to Billy, and has a habit of mimicking Billy every time he offers an excuse for her missing engagement ring. Unbeknown to her, it is on
Barbara's finger. Rita appears in Acts 2 and
318:
upstairs. Florence falls ill in Act 2 and is taken upstairs. By Act 3, she has died. She likely has a form of dementia because of her strange behaviour throughout the book. Her age is either 80 or 81 years old, and she was born in
281:
works as a clerk for undertakers
Shadrack & Duxbury. He is engaged to two girls and in love with a third, and he constantly refers to a vague job offer writing scripts in London for comedian "Danny Boon".
340:. Barbara is prudish, always eating oranges, and harbours dreams of living with Billy in a cottage in Devon, with "little Billy and little Barbara". She finds out about other girlfriends later in the play.
813:
It has been suggested that a local newspaper columnist parodied in both the book and the film bears a remarkable resemblance to the late-life Keith
Waterhouse himself, when he was ensconced at the
514:, although the first series was released on Region 2 DVD in August 2006. The second series was released in March 2007. The complete series was released on 07/05/2018.
289:
Billy's mother. She rarely sits down in the play, constantly working hard to keep the house tidy and look after her husband, her mother, and Billy.
380:. The action took place on a single set combining the living-room, hallway, and porch of the Fisher household. The first production opened in the
604:
256:
The semi-comical story is about
William Fisher, a working-class 19-year-old living with his parents in the fictional town of Stradhoughton in
306:
Billy's grandmother, Alice's mother. She is ignored by her family and never seen as a loved character until the end. Florence talks to the
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rarely shows emotion. Relations between
Geoffrey and Billy have broken down, providing the story's main source of conflict.
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as Billy. The series was scripted by the play's writers, Waterhouse and Hall, and the action was updated to the 1970s.
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The series was shown on the Seven
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The play is set in one
Saturday: Act 1 in the morning, Act 2 in the early evening, and Act 3 at night.
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in the title role. It has since been produced all over the world, and has become a favourite with
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reprised his West End role as Billy's father. Other regular cast members included
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253:. The work has inspired and been featured in a number of popular songs.
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649: in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
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792:" is also the title of a song that Billy co-writes in the novel.
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There is also an acoustic folk/punk singer from
Scotland called
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more than her own family, and is always drinking tea out of a
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as Barbara. Several new girlfriends were also introduced.
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In 1960, the novel's author, Keith Waterhouse, co-wrote a
799:"Billy Dreamer" character is based loosely on Billy Liar.
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groups. The play was adapted for the Irish stage as
562:. The book was by well-known British sitcom writers
58:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
758:sampled some lines from the movie in their song "
429:left the cast in the West End play, as Billy and
1220:
777:, although most of it is based on the video for
856:"Fifty years on, Billy Liar has not grown old"
945:
467:The novel was also used as the basis for a
1125:The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner
952:
938:
136:
904:magazine article by Nick Johnstone, 2000.
709:Learn how and when to remove this message
118:Learn how and when to remove this message
722:Waterhouse later wrote a sequel called
1221:
853:
742:" is the title of the second track of
510:in Ireland in 1982. It has never been
433:as Liz, one of his three girlfriends.
241:that was later adapted into a play, a
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773:contains scenes based on scenes from
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506:in Canada in 1975–1976, and shown on
647:adding citations to reliable sources
618:
456:
56:adding citations to reliable sources
27:
959:
570:, and the music and lyrics were by
13:
14:
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1244:Novels set in fictional countries
1234:British novels adapted into films
1160:Saturday Night and Sunday Morning
911:
887:Entry for Hugh Leonard, Liam Liar
623:
589:An American adaptation entitled
517:
32:
854:Keenan, John (11 August 2009).
810:took inspiration from the book.
634:needs additional citations for
43:needs additional citations for
893:
804:William, It Was Really Nothing
765:The music video for the song "
417:The 1963 film was directed by
362:
260:. Bored by his job as a lowly
16:1959 novel by Keith Waterhouse
1:
840:
832:, the fantasist character in
367:
271:
767:The Importance of Being Idle
745:Her Majesty the Decemberists
542:and, in her West End debut,
495:as Billy's grandmother, and
7:
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425:, who played the part when
21:Billy Liar (disambiguation)
10:
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1259:Novels by Keith Waterhouse
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460:
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1174:Serjeant Musgrave's Dance
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546:. The cast also included
532:musical (entitled simply
473:London Weekend Television
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1097:The Divine and the Decay
437:played Mrs. Fisher, and
1249:Novels set in Yorkshire
788:The title of the song "
475:in 1973–1974, starring
406:
374:three-act stage version
725:Billy Liar on the Moon
528:In 1974, a successful
463:Billy Liar (TV series)
277:William "Billy" Fisher
223:Billy Liar on the Moon
1254:Michael Joseph books
1203:Kitchen sink realism
1104:Emergence from Chaos
836:'s 1939 short story.
643:improve this article
314:. She keeps pots of
52:improve this article
19:For other uses, see
1229:1959 British novels
883:"Irish Playography"
760:You're in a Bad Way
441:played Mr. Fisher.
237:is a 1959 novel by
132:
1181:This Sporting Life
1132:Look Back in Anger
615:In popular culture
585:American TV series
303:Florence Boothroyd
130:
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607:aired briefly on
457:British TV series
413:Billy Liar (film)
358:smitten with her.
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198:978-0-14-001783-0
176:Publication place
128:
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1198:British New Wave
1118:A Kind of Loving
1056:Keith Waterhouse
1006:Michael Hastings
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597:Steve Guttenberg
540:Michael Crawford
481:George A. Cooper
453:also had roles.
451:Leonard Rossiter
419:John Schlesinger
328:appear in Act 2.
239:Keith Waterhouse
218:Followed by
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152:Keith Waterhouse
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524:Billy (musical)
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439:Wilfred Pickles
435:Mona Washbourne
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384:of London with
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336:One of Billy's
324:Arthur Crabtree
294:Geoffrey Fisher
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184:Media type
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912:External links
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568:Ian La Frenais
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504:CBC Television
461:Main article:
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431:Julie Christie
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922:the Musical (
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663:
660: –
659:
655:
654:Find sources:
648:
644:
638:
637:
632:This section
630:
626:
621:
620:
612:
610:
606:
605:James Gallery
602:
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595:and starring
594:
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582:
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572:film composer
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560:Lockwood West
557:
556:Bryan Pringle
553:
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541:
537:
536:
531:
525:
518:Stage musical
515:
513:
509:
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498:
494:
491:as Shadrack,
490:
489:Colin Jeavons
486:
482:
478:
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454:
452:
448:
447:Finlay Currie
444:
440:
436:
432:
428:
427:Albert Finney
424:
423:Tom Courtenay
421:and featured
420:
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386:Albert Finney
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142:First edition
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83:
79:
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72:
69: –
68:
64:
63:Find sources:
57:
53:
47:
46:
41:This article
39:
35:
30:
29:
26:
22:
1208:The Movement
1179:
1172:
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1158:
1151:
1146:The Outsider
1144:
1137:
1130:
1116:
1109:
1102:
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1088:
1082:
1081:
1066:Colin Wilson
1041:David Storey
1026:John Osborne
1021:Bill Hopkins
1011:Thomas Hinde
991:Stan Barstow
960:
924:Broadway.com
923:
918:
899:
895:
886:
877:
865:. Retrieved
861:The Guardian
859:
849:
830:Walter Mitty
814:
782:
774:
743:
723:
705:
696:
686:
679:
672:
665:
658:"Billy Liar"
653:
641:Please help
636:verification
633:
590:
588:
564:Dick Clement
552:Avis Bunnage
544:Elaine Paige
533:
527:
501:
485:Pamela Vezey
466:
443:Rodney Bewes
416:
402:
398:Hugh Leonard
393:
371:
286:Alice Fisher
255:
233:
232:
231:
221:
114:
105:
95:
88:
81:
74:
67:"Billy Liar"
62:
50:Please help
45:verification
42:
25:
1090:Declaration
1001:John Braine
996:Edward Bond
790:Twisterella
497:Sally Watts
378:Willis Hall
363:Adaptations
131:Billy Liar
1223:Categories
1083:Billy Liar
986:John Arden
971:Associated
867:4 November
841:References
816:Daily Mail
808:The Smiths
802:The song "
775:Billy Liar
740:Billy Liar
733:Billy Liar
669:newspapers
601:Peggy Pope
575:John Barry
538:) starred
493:May Warden
487:as Alice,
477:Jeff Rawle
368:Stage play
272:Characters
266:undertaker
234:Billy Liar
78:newspapers
1139:Lucky Jim
1075:Key works
1051:John Wain
779:the Kinks
699:July 2021
611:in 1979.
579:Don Black
548:Gay Soper
400:in 1976.
394:Liam Liar
308:sideboard
258:Yorkshire
251:TV series
166:Publisher
926:article)
824:See also
530:West End
471:made by
382:West End
338:fiancees
312:pint pot
212:16230170
158:Language
108:May 2013
1191:Related
973:writers
683:scholar
390:amateur
333:Barbara
319:August.
264:for an
247:musical
161:English
92:scholar
919:Billy!
769:" by
685:
678:
671:
664:
656:
603:, and
469:sitcom
449:, and
249:and a
225:
148:Author
94:
87:
80:
73:
65:
1167:Saved
901:Uncut
806:" by
771:Oasis
690:JSTOR
676:books
592:Billy
535:Billy
512:rerun
508:RTÉ 2
376:with
262:clerk
187:Print
99:JSTOR
85:books
869:2021
795:The
662:news
577:and
566:and
558:and
407:Film
345:Rita
245:, a
243:film
206:OCLC
193:ISBN
71:news
748:by
645:by
609:CBS
396:by
354:Liz
54:by
1225::
885:.
858:.
781:'
762:".
599:,
554:,
550:,
445:,
349:3.
1127:"
1123:"
953:e
946:t
939:v
889:.
871:.
785:.
752:.
738:"
735:.
728:.
712:)
706:(
701:)
697:(
687:·
680:·
673:·
666:·
639:.
121:)
115:(
110:)
106:(
96:·
89:·
82:·
75:·
48:.
23:.
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