The depressing ending of much-loved 80s comedy Hi-de-Hi!

For those of a certain age, the knockabout 80s sitcom ‘Hi-de-Hi!’ was a Sunday night ritual. Mining a seam of nostalgia for grown-ups old enough to remember the golden era of the British holiday camp – though kids loved the show too – its cast of sometimes hapless but always entertaining ‘Yellowcoats’ provided a comforting end to the weekend.

Until the very last episode. At which point things took a turn for the deeply depressing.

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Penned by comedy legends Jimmy Perry and David Croft (Perry died aged 83 only last month), it was inspired by Perry’s experiences after he was demobbed from the army, and took a job as a red coat at Butlins in Pwllheli, North Wales.

Their show centred on the staff of the fictional Maplins holiday camp, founded by the mythical Joe Maplin, a benevolent, patriarchal figure who was never actually depicted in the show. The legion of staff were skippered by full-time camp compere and part-time spiv Ted Bovis, played by Paul Shane. Among the principal players were Ted’s camp comedian sidekick Spike (Jeffrey Holland), entertainment manager Jeffrey Fairbrother (Simon Cadell), pompous chief Yellowcoat Gladys Pugh (Ruth Madoc), chalet cleaner Peggy (Su Pollard) and bickering, snobbish dance instructors Yvonne and Barry (Diane Holland and Barry Howard). But there was a bulging support cast too, all with detailed back stories, featuring roles for the likes of ‘Carry On’ legend Kenneth Connor and Gavin Richards (aka Terry from EastEnders).

And it was all great fun; knobbly knees competitions, pie-eating contests, gurning, ballroom dancing, cabaret acts, fish and chips provided a backdrop to the behind-the-scenes comedy – and sometimes drama. But rather than ending on a note of positivity on January 30, 1988, it instead turned unnecessarily sour at the final curtain, perhaps a reaction from Perry and Croft at the changing values in British society, as post-war notions of togetherness and pulling together were replaced with the ruthless individualism and widespread privatisation which emerged in the 80s.

Delivered with a callous, grinning harshness by pervy camp controller Alec Foster (played by Ewan Hooper), and based on the advice of faceless ‘business efficiency experts’, in the final episode of its ninth series, the news that Maplins is ‘going up market’ and becoming a chain of ‘holiday leisure centres’ comes as a body blow to the staff, nearly all of whom had agreed just moments before the announcement to return for another season. Instead, all the Yellowcoats were being sacked.

The news seemed especially cruel as for the whole nine series, chalet cleaner Peggy, thwarted by her own working class roots, had dreamed of becoming a Yellowcoat, a position mostly held by the more middle class members of staff. She finally achieves it, after another Yellowcoat is taken ill. She even suffers an emotional breakdown, ending up in hospital after a single day on the job because she is so excited. She had ploughed through the class barrier, only to have her yellow blazer taken away from her.

Ever the professional, Ted and team keep their upper lips stiff, and see the campers off with the usual rousing chorus of ‘Goodnight Campers’, not revealing that this is their final curtain call.

As the Yellowcoats all board a coach, only Peggy remains, happy that at least she’s still got a job cleaning under the new regime. Racing after them, yelling ‘Hi-de-hi!’, she turns and wanders alone back into the empty camp.

“We’ve seen the best of it Spike,” says Ted, smoking a final woodbine at the poolside. “They’ll all be going abroad now. And they’ll get the sun. But without you and me, they won’t have the fun.”

“It’s the wind of change, Ted,” replies Spike, the camp looking cloudy and bleak.

After 58 episodes, it was, as they say, a real bummer.