3 hours Ago By Gemma Jones
British classic sitcoms are often remembered for their iconic catchphrases and the BBC 's Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em was no different - except there was one "memorable" phrase which was never actually used in the 1970's show. The sitcom, which followed the antics of accident-prone Frank Spencer , played by Michael Crawford, and his long-suffering wife Betty, played by Michele Dotrice, had some classic sayings - from “Everybody out!” to “Who loves ya, baby?” and “Who knows the secret of the Black Magic box?” But one particular favourite was "Ooh, Betty!" Despite popular opinion, Frank never actually said his popular character catchphrase anywhere in the show. A longer version of the phrase - "Ooh, Betty, the baby/cat's done a whoopsie on the carpet" - was also never said.
TV Tropes' trivia page explained that rather than the catchphrase being coined on the BBC comedy, it had was actually seemingly invented by the impressionist Mike Yarwood. This gets lampshaded in the 2016 Sports Relief skit, where the adult Jessica mentions doing a whoopsie on the carpet when she was a baby, and Frank is pretty sure it never happened. Speaking about taking on the lovable role of Frank, actor Michael Crawford wrote in his memoir: “I had never dreamed of being an actor.
.. it was almost as if the profession had chosen me.
One job always seemed to lead to another. “The role had a huge impact on my life ‐ my career was completely reborn ‐ but it also carried the double-edged sword of public recognition and what proved to be an almost indelible public image of me as a disaster-prone nincompoop." He continued: "Some Mothers hadn’t paid much, but it had given me professional success and more public recognition than I’d ever imagined possible, even during the years of making Hollywood films.
” Crawford was reportedly paid £1,000 per episode during the first series, rising to £12,500 for the final instalment, a 1978 Christmas Special. Crawford ‐ already an international star of stage and screen ‐ became a household name for his portrayal of Frank, later hitting the entertainment heights in stage shows such as Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera. Such fame, however, can have its drawbacks.
He once said: “The role took over my professional and personal life ‐ and my family’s as well. I found life starting to imitate art ‐ it seemed there was no escape from Frank Spencer.”.
