Auf Wiedersehen, Pet convention: Stars appear at St. James’ Park

Stars of Auf Wiedersehen, Pet were greeted with cheers as they made a guest appearance on the pitch today at Newcastle United’s St James’ Park.

Tim Healy and Kevin Whately are in town this weekend for a fan convention to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the classic comedy-drama.

Almost 50,000 fans cheered as the Geordie pair – who played Dennis and Nev – were introduced onto the pitch before Newcastle’s game against Hull.

However perhaps tellingly there was no sign of Jimmy Nail at St James’ Park, who is not expected to appear at the convention.

Auf Wiedersehen, Pet has a close association with the football club.

During an FA Cup match, Newcastle fans embraced the show when it was first broadcast in 1983 by taunting Liverpool supporters with chants of “Oz is harder than Yosser!”, a reference to a character from Alan Bleasdale’s drama Boys From the Blackstuff, another 80s drama reacting to the early years of Thatcherism.

In the show, Dennis, Neville and Oz where all huge Newcastle fans – despite Oz’s second-hand car displaying a Sunderland sticker in the first episode – and were desperate to read the papers in Düsseldorf for the previous day’s football results.

Healy and Whately will join other members of the cast and crew, including writers Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, at a celebration at the Hilton Hotel in Gateshead.

Some fans were disgruntled last week when they received an email from the event’s organisers prohibiting them from approaching the cast, and implying that there only “may” be an opportunity for photographs and autographs.

Setting out the “rules” for the sold out event, fans were told: “Our celebrity guests are here to meet up with old friends and to have a good night out so please don’t approach any of them during the filming.”

The restrictions imposed by the filming came as a surprise to fans who were only informed this week that the convention was being recorded for a Sunday for Sammy fundraising DVD, to be released later this year.

A Q&A session this afternoon at the Tyneside Cinema with writers Clement, La Frenais, and director Roger Bamford was also recorded for the DVD, which is being directed by Geoff Wonfor.