The Main Chance: We’re The Bosses Now (ITV 11 Jul 1975)

In We’re The Bosses Now David is seriously considering a partnership with Andrew Retford but there are more than a few things to iron out first. Number one on the list being that David takes 50% of Retford’s business and keeps all of the London business to himself. What David really wants is office space in Retford’s practice and his name on the door. David of course gets his own way, by the end of the episode David and Andrew have opened new premises – not partners but sharing resources.

Meanwhile the bosses of Shelborough Engineering are trying to ward off a possible strike. Their men want a 30% pay increase but there is a twist when they choose to buy up shares in the company, using pension fund money, rather than striking. The intention being to mount a take over bid.

Relationship wise Inge has basically moved in with David and there is a great moment where she is going through some old filing and discovers some snapshots of Laura which she promptly tears up and throws away.

Bernard Kay, who plays George Dyson, had previously appeared in the first two episodes of season two as the schoolteacher who married David’s ex-wife Julia. He tangled with David over access rights to his children and the fact that he was going to be sending them to a non-private school. Here he is the mild mannered accounting manager who has sunk his savings into a deposit on a house and is then hugely worried that he is going to lose it all if the share buy up goes wrong.

Walter, Margaret and Henry don’t appear in this episode but there is mention of Clegg being on a case for private detective Peter Jarratt.

classic quotes
“Your mother is a charming and intelligent hostess Andrew but I don’t negotiate partnership terms with anybody’s mother. “

“Oh we are not partners, we just share offices. When the gravy comes in we keep a very tight grip on our separate spoons.”

production details
UK / ITV – Yorkshire / 1×50 minute episode / Broadcast Friday 11 July 1975 at 9.00pm

Writer: John Batt / Production Design: Mike Long / Director: Derek Bennett

Series: The Main Chance Season 4 Episode 12

cast
John Stride as David Main
Gary Bond as Andrew Retford
Sharon Mughan as Inge Lindstrom
Ingrid Hafner as Laura Granton
Kathleen Byron as Amanda Retford
William Russell as Arnold Galbraith
Michael Culver as Roger Lockhart
Peter Miles as Arthur Wainwright
Roger Booth as Magnus Tait
Bernard Kay as George Dyson
Christine Early as Receptionist
John Welsh as Sir Stephen Kirwin