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Dom Robinson reviews
The Complete First Series
- Cert:
- Cat.no: 37115 00823
- Running time: 650 minutes
- Year: 1983
- Pressing: 2002
- Region(s): 2, PAL
- Chapters: 91 plus extras
- Sound: Dolby Digital 2.0 (Mono)
- Languages: English
- Subtitles: English
- Fullscreen: 4:3
- 16:9-Enhanced: No
- Macrovision: Yes
- Disc Format: 4 * DVD 9
- Price: £44.99
- Extras: Audio commentary on first episode, Trivia Notes, Filmographies,Stills Gallery
Directors:
- Roger Bamford and Baz Taylor
Producer:
- Martin McKeand
Screenplay:
- Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais
Cast:
- Dennis Paterson: Tim Healy
Oz Osbourne: Jimmy Nail
Neville Hope: Kevin Whately
Barry Taylor: Timothy Spall
Albert Moxey: Christopher Fairbank
Wayne Norris: Gary Holton
Brian ‘Bomber’ Busbridge: Pat Roach
Brenda Hope: Julia Tobin
Christa: Lysette Anthony
Tracey Busbridge: Lucinda Edmonds
Marjorie Osbourne: Su Elliot
Magowan: Michael Elphick
Vera Patterson: Caroline Hutchinson
Neville has trouble finding his sea legs.
“Dearest Brenda, we are now at sea. I stood on deck andwatched the coast of England disappear into the distant mist. Who knows whatlies ahead. A better future for us, that is my fervent hope. Well, there’s nomore room for anything else, except to say I love you and miss you. YourNeville.”
The first words spoken by family man Neville (Kevin Whately) as he writes a letter to his wife (Julia Tobin) and begins hisferry trip overseas to Germany with the rest of the boys, foreman Dennis(Tim Healy), loutish Oz (Jimmy Nail), the fat Brummie for whomlife never works out, Barry (Timothy Spall), care-free Moxey (Christopher Fairbank)girl-mad Wayne (Gary Holton) and thoughtful Bomber (Pat Roach),in a series so cleverly scripted by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais,that as well as writing the 2002 return for the series, which ended the daybefore this review went online, they’ve also performed uncredited scriptdoctoring for Hollywood films like The Rock, adding in one-linersfrom time to time.
This boxset contains all thirteen episodes from the first series, each onehaving individual storylines compared to the third, most recent, series whichcentres itself on one idea, but whatever the setting, which is largely superfluousto the main action, we’re presented with a show that it very entertaining, butis just an excuse to show seven men all pissing about abroad for no particularreason. I’m quite surprised ITV didn’t take the chance to repeat series 1 and 2before BBC showed the latest one.
This first series also includes cameos from the always-gorgeous LysetteAnthony and the once-talented Michael Elphick, who both worked togetheron the mildly entertaining 80s BBC sitcom Three Up, Two Down, alongsideManchild‘s Ray Burdis. It also features the lads taking a trip to abrothel, so it shows recycled ideas can work nearly 20 years on.
The episodes on this DVD are :
1. If I Were A Carpenter
2. Who Won The War Anyway?
3. The Girls They Left Behind
4. Suspicion
5. Home Thoughts From Abroad
6. The Accused
7. Private Lives8. The Fugitive
9. The Alien
10. Last Rites
11. The Lovers
12. Love And Other Four-Letter Words
13. When The Boat Goes Out
“Barry Sheene” arrives on site.
There’s no complaints with the picture. Shot on video in 4:3, it looks clearand quite free of defects, albeit a little on the dark side. The sound is inmono, but it’s not a series that relies on special FX and the classic themetune, Joe Fagin‘s That’s Livin’ Alright, comes across perfectlyclearly.
The rest of the DVD’s presentation isn’t much to shout about. The only majorextra is an audio commentary for the first episode from the writers, whilefilmographies, stills galleries and trivia about the show is strewn acrossall four discs, when it should easily have fitted on one of them and would’vesaved plenty of disc swapping. I know you can buy all four DVDs individually, butit makes sense to go for the boxset, hence why the extras should be kept together.
The menus are static and silent, but with some music and motion used as anintro and between the menus. There are 7 chapters to each episode, making 91in total and subtitles come in English only.
One annoying thing is that while you can flick through the chapters, you can’tchoose which time during the programme you want to skip to, thanks to Carlton.Why disable such a useful feature?
The lads enjoy a Friday night oot gambling.
PICTURE QUALITY
SOUND QUALITY
EXTRAS
OVERALL
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.