The 11th November 2013 marked the 30th anniversary of the very first ‘Auf Wiedersehen, Pet’ episode to air - ‘If I were a Carpenter’. 10,806,000 viewers tuned in to ITV at 9pm on Friday 11th November 1983 gaining a respectable 21% of the total viewing audience. 30 years on, it’s still as popular as ever holding up to repeat viewing which is testament to the quality of writing, acting and directing of this cult television drama / comedy series.
During the final 30 days leading to this very special anniversary we’ve examined each BECO set building in isolation together with many additional key structures and features which collectively convince us the series was filmed on German soil.
To date, research has revealed very little documented record exists of what Britain’s most famous televised building site would have looked like on Elstree Studios back lot in 1983 prior to its demolition making way for a new outdoor film set that would similarly form the centrepiece to another of Britain’s most popular television drama programmes of all time - ‘EastEnders’.
By analysing digital ordinance survey information, local and environmental context, sun patterns and frame by frame footage it is possible to piece together the various components of the Auf Wiedersehen, Pet film set and recreate ‘the bigger picture’.
To coincide with this special anniversary, this artist’s impression below (image 55) offers a never before seen aerial view of the ‘BECO Building Site’ at Elstree Studios as it would have looked in 1983. As identified, set buildings #1 to #5 dominate the image, together with the ‘Turks Hut’, ‘Amenities Hut’, ‘Hut B’ and the 'Liebherr Crane' in addition to assorted trailers and building materials set within the context of residential Borehamwood.
- IMAGE 55: Artists impression of Auf Weidersehen, Pet's 'BECO Building Site' circa 1983. Illustration by Andrew C Patrick
- Auf Pet - BECO Building Site - Fact 30, Image 55.jpg (276.17 KiB) Viewed 22020 times
