I don't know if it was entirely the same- the Thames version was made in a small studio without an audience, and the BBC version was in a big studio with an audience, that's a significnant change for starters.
Yes, the Thames version felt more like we were eavesdropping on an improvosed 'muck about' and was far more intimate than the BBC series, which I found rather hamfisted in places and a bit too much in yer face.
Yes, I would agree there. The BBC had a lot more control over their version and insisted on having an audience present, something which Kenny was never comfortable with.
Dissatisfaction with the BBC way of working was a factor in his eventual decision to give up doing television work - the presence of an audience definitely took a lot of the intimacy out of the BBC series.