Waiting for Godot occasionally played tramps in their films. "The hat-passing game in "Waiting For Godot" and Lucky's inability to think without his hat on are two obvious Beckett derivations from Laurel and Hardy – a substitution of form for essence, covering for reality", wrote Gerald Mast in "The Comic Mind: Comedy and the Movies". Their "blather", which indicated Hiberno-English idioms, indicated that they are both Irish. Vladimir stands through most of the play whereas Estragon sits down numerous times and even dozes off. "Estragon is inert and Vladimir restless." Vladimir looks at the sky and muses on religious or philosophical matters. Estragon
Ronald Pickup for Godot" by Samuel Beckett opposite Sir Ian McKellen (Estragon), Patrick Stewart (Vladimir) and also Simon Callow (Pozzo). The tour opened in Malvern, Worcestershire before travelling to Milton Keynes, Brighton, Bath, Norwich, Edinburgh and Newcastle; its run at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket was extended due to demand. In 1973, he appeared as a forger in "The Day of the Jackal". The following year he was seen in Ken Russell's film "Mahler", and also appeared in "Joseph Andrews" in 1977. Pickup played one of the Prussian agents conspiring to blow up the Houses of Parliament in "The Thirty Nine Steps" (1978).