Old Time Buddy

Present day 1997, legendary Hong Kong actor Tse Yuen (Francis Ng) is to receive an achievement award. On a live broadcast interview he calls out his former friend Lee Kei (Gallen Lo) to show up at the film studio that night so that he can share his award with him. Lee Kei who happens to be passing by an electronic store sees his interview.

In 1964 Tse Yuen is an unambitious young man who lives in his family multi dwelled apartment. Each day before work he spies on Ah Jan, the herbal tea shop girl he has been in love with for a long time. He works as an inefficient dim sum waiter who is only able to hold on to his job because his boss's fat daughter likes him. She sexually harasses him daily, not wanting to offend her advances he has to climb out a window and down a fire escape to get off work each day. One day he sees a young man near the pier that he thinks is about to commit suicide, wanting to save him the two fall into the harbor. The man who was only picking up a racing ticket turns out to be his former classmate Lee Kei.

Lee Kei is a smart aleck who doesn't like hard labor and has a kind heart. Due to his kindness he gives up a job opportunity to someone more in need. His unemployed situation causes him to be evicted from the room he is renting. However, luck is on his side as that same day he encounters Yuen again and gets Yuen to take him in. Soon Yuen starts to regret running into Kei again as he thinks Kei is trying to steal Ah Jan and after following Kei's advice on how to bluntly reject his boss's fat daughter he is fired from his job. But when Kei helps set him up on a date with Ah Jan he is glad he took in Kei.

While searching for a job Kei encounters a man that tells him, he is a talent scout and that if he pays him $10HKD he will make him a movie star. After giving money to the talent scout the man disappears, a few days later he encounters the man again who doesn't remember Kei and tells Kei the same con. Kei chases the man home and finds out the con man is also a tenant of the Tse family. The con man turns out to have actual connections to the film studios and gets Kei and Yuen jobs as film extras when he is unable to repay the $10 he conned from Kei.

At the film studio, the two meet famous idols Cheng Po-chu (Maggie Cheung Ho-yee) and Siu Fong-fong (Jessica Hsuan). Kei and Yuen do not have good impressions of them as Yuen thinks Fong-fong is a stuck up spoiled movie star, while Kei thinks Po-chu is a dumb jinx since something bad always happens to him when she is around him. Their first day working at the film studio is disastrous. due to their inexperience as actors they accidentally destroy a movie set and is forced to work at the studio until the damages have been repaid.

When Yuen's relationship with Ah Jan begins to turn serious, her father finds out and forbids them from seeing each other again. In order to marry Ah Jan, Yuen begins to work hard, working multiple jobs, by day at the film studio and at night at a food stall so he can save up money to marry Ah Jan. Suddenly because of Ah Jan's father's gambling debt she has to flee Hong Kong which leaves Yuen heartbroken. He uses his grief in his acting and starts getting lead roles which leads him to becoming a movie star. While Yuen's star is rising, Kei is at a standstill in his movie career due to him being selective of his roles.[2]

Old Time Buddy was a rating success, spawning the sequel Old Time Buddy - To Catch a Thief and inspiring the theatrical film Those Were the Days starring Natalis Chan. Maggie Cheung Ho-yee was praised of her uncanny resemblance to Connie Chan. Gallen Lo also received praises for his spot on impression of Lui Kei and won his first TVB Anniversary Award for Best Actor.

• Official website (in Chinese)