Rita, Sue and Bob too

[BeachBlondey]

As a Happy Valley fan, I was surprised to find out that the actors who played Nev and Clare in Happy Valley, were actually in two main roles of the Rita, Sue and Bob too film from the 80s.

It's made me think about that old film again, and I'm actually shocked that it was made at all.

There is some discussion online today about the film, and most comments are along the lines of "great film", "a British Classic", and so forth.

The plot (for those who haven't seen it), is centered around a fully grown married man, who seduces grooms two 15 year old school girls and engages in lots of sex with them, mainly in his car (iirc).

How the hell was this okay, to put this out as a comedy, even back then? And how can the majority of people who remember the film, still think it's a great British classic?

Jerry Lee Lewis married his 14 year old cousin, yet people still sing his song.

The stage play was axed, as it was deemed inappropriate. I think for me, it's the way Rita and Sue are portrayed. They are excited and happy to shag the older man. There are no highlights as to grooming, or the girls being exploited. It very much has a vibe of "no problem, we're all grown up's here" except they are not - they are 15 and still school kids.

I love Michael Jacksons music, and still listen to it, despite believing that he was guilty of what he was accused of. I think you can separate the two.

I've not seen it but it sounds important and needs to be talked about. Just last night dds friend left work early in tears as a bored, middle aged man with wife and kids was coming on to her at work. She's barely 15.

The author wrote it as a kind of expose of what was routinely happening to teenage girls.

I was 15 in 1984. I knew a number of girls my age who were with much older men. It wasn't seen as grooming it was just the way things were. Same as getting served alcohol in pubs underage no id fake or otherwise and buying fags openly again no id required.

This sort of film changed attitudes but it definitely reflected how things were see at the time.

But that very much was the 80s. As another poster pointed out it was pretty normal to have much older boyfriends. We were getting drunk in pubs from 15. Nobody batted an eyelid if a man groped your boobs or your arse. Grooming was something you did to hairy dogs. Films like that just really highlight how life was back then.

It was a shit film then and still is.

In my school in the early 90s I still remember my PE teacher commenting on the size of my bottom when I was in year 8 and then the dirty bastard slapped it. He used to ask me to come sit on his knee in front of the other kids and if I didn’t he’d shame me saying I was making him upset and how all the others want me to do it.

RB&S is based on real life. It happened, it still happens.

Plenty of people, mainly women who were a bit older did think it was very wrong. But the men with power did not.

Northern noir. Things like that actually did happen in Bradford in that era. Reflection on life at the time. Not everyone has the best start

This. One of the girls had an appalling home life with alcoholic abusive parents. And the middle aged man wasn’t the only person abusing the girls, as the Rochdale abuse cases illustrated years later.

I guess it depended where you lived and what circles you moved in I was a teen in the 80,s and I certainly knew girls in my Catholic ( incidentally) high school.who had boyfriends that were quite a bit older than them although I never did ,but the author based it on her own life experiences so.whilst I don't think it was viewed as normal ,it might have been normal to her.

Yes this. It wasn’t just meant as a comedy, it was based on the writer’s own life experiences, growing up on an estate like the girls lived on.
It’s a comment on what life was like there.

one of my all time favourite films.

It wasn't normal and it wasn't OK to the vast majority. It was shocking then and a revelation to some that this was happening.

Absolutely and it got worse.

But it was normal then. In a middle England ruralish school there were still men picking up 4th and 5th years down the lane from school, everyone knew who the girls were and, most of the men in a small community.

it was the girls that were looked down on and left to deal with the consequences (pregnancy/abortion) very rarely they did leave their wives - I know of one who married eventually and are still together, she's 50 ish and he's in his 80s

We were all drinking in pubs from 15/16 though, fake ids that were never checked and shops would sell fags and alcohol without asking age. 6th form PE consisted of snooker or darts in the pub with teachers present.

The stage play was axed, as it was deemed inappropriate. I think for me, it's the way Rita and Sue are portrayed. They are excited and happy to shag the older man. There are no highlights as to grooming, or the girls being exploited. It very much has a vibe of "no problem, we're all grown up's here" except they are not - they are 15 and still school kids.

Whatever the media likes to tell us there are plenty of girls aged 15 who are happy and excited to be having sex with older men. They might not understand, know, or care if it's inappropriate or if they've been groomed, raped or abused but they will still be having sex with older men because they will feel loved, wanted, grown up, sophisticated. Todays teens may be fully switched on to inequality in relationships, or to inappropriate behaviour but that won't stop some from still doing it.

We can be thankful that this is not 'the norm' (and never was) and relieved that teenagers are more aware but we can't pretend it still doesn't happen on an alarmingly regular basis.

It reflects a time and attitude towards young women who dressed and acted provocatively. I don’t honestly think society has moved on much. We all talk about it and condone it but young women still dress and act provocatively but men’s behaviour in response to this is now questioned rather than applauded.
Nothing has really changed only who is ultimately blamed if the woman decides she didn’t/doesn’t want sex. Thirty yrs ago is was always the woman, now it is always the man.
I spent a lot of time discussing and debating this whole issue with my teenage son. I’m glad to say he accepts that he will be blamed regardless of who initiates sex. He talks a lot about how he sometimes feels very intimidated by predatory women he knows. He’s a good looking lad and attracts attention but has no time for some of the boys in his year who take advantage of girls who are so drunk or drugged up to consent to sex. He will actively ensure that his female friends are not at risk when on a night out.
I think as mothers we have to get past the embarrassment of spelling it out to our sons that they are at risk of being accused of rape regardless of consent. And that young women today know far more than Rita and Sue about consent.

My best friend and I were 16 in 1988 and we used to hang around the town centre a lot with this older bloke. I wouldn’t say he was grooming us - it was my friend and I who were taking advantage of him and using him for lifts. He moved on to another friend and used to give her lifts home to the next town. Her mum made him a cake to thank him!

I think we may all have been as daft as each other….

Some men will always take advantage….they know there’s no chance of having a proper relationship so they look for vulnerable women (of all ages) who might need something from them in return for sex/a relationship.

No, I'm not saying that at all. I'm shocked that this was seen as ok, and normal in 1987 - for a married man to be having sex with 15 year old's.

Seriously?? Please come back when you understand the purpose of art.

That's how it often works, though — you feel flattered to have been chosen because it obviously shows how mature you are, powerful because of the effect your newly-maturing body can have on adult men, excited to be doing something as grown-up as having sex, proud of having access to a guy with a car and the nice things an adult salary can buy, thrilled by the intensity of the sexual sensations, and so on. Girls don't do it because it feels bad.

This wasn't unusual I'm of a that era and men did seek out young girls and it was seen as some sort of achievement to have an older boyfriend.

A girl I was friends with left school at 16 and married a 30 year old and it was celebrated!

@nokidshere I don't think you can say that it's not normal and never was. These things actually did happen, they are some peoples 'normal'. Not saying its right or I condone it but it is life.