653 Six Into One : The Prisoner File

First  viewed : 16  January  1984

I  won't  dwell  on  this  one  long  because  we've  covered  most  of  the  ground  already.

The  infamous  final  episode  of  The  Prisoner  was  broadcast  on  16  January  1984  and  immediately  followed  by  a  documentary  programme  about  the  series . It  was  presented  in  an  appropriately  surreal  fashion  by  one  Saul  Reichlin ( ? ) a  Number  Two  figure  who  looked  disturbingly  like  disgraced  Tory  MP  Neil  Hamilton.*  However  it  did  manage  to  round  up  all  the  key  players  for  an  absorbing  insight  into  the  making  of  the  series  and  make  a  decent  attempt  at  explaining  its  meaning.

Although  Reichlin  and  many  of  the  interviewees  repeatedly  mentioned  that  Patrick  McGoohan  was  difficult  to  work  with, he  seemed  affable  enough  in  discussing  the  series  on  camera.  What  came  across  was  that  the  series  thrived  on  the  tension  between  himself  and  story  editor  George  Markstein. Markstein  was  quite  clear  that  Number  Six  was  John  Drake  and  saw  it  as  an  adventure  series   while  McGoohan  wanted  to make  it  an  allegory  and  explore  open  ended  philosophical  questions.

Alexis  Kanner  appeared  in  a  children's  playground  beneath  a  graffiti'ed  slogan  "Grenada"  ( effectively  dating  the documentary )  although  his  actual  contribution  was  quite  straightforward.

*Funnily  enough,  Hamilton  himself  would  first  come  to  public  attention  a  few  weeks  later  in  the  Panorama   programme    Maggie's  Militant  Tendency  featuring  new  Tory  MPs  whose  views  were  rather  out  there.

652 The Fight For The Settle-Carlisle

First  viewed : 16  January  1984

This  was  a  half-hour  documentary  on  what  became  a  major  issue  in  1983, the  proposed  closure  of  the  railway  line  between  Settle  and  Carlisle. The  line  was  built  by  the  Midland  Railway  in  the  1870s  as  a  result  of  commercial  rivalry  and  was  a  triumph  of  Victorian  engineering. It  also  provided  a  very  scenic  journey  as  it  snaked  through  the  sparsely  populated  Yorkshire  Dales  and  Eden  Valley.

The  line  had  experienced  a  long  decline  beginning  with  the  merging  of  railway  companies  in  1923. Beeching  suggested  the  removal  of  passenger  services  and  although  this  was  not  actioned, most  of  the  intermediate  stations  were  closed  in  1970  and  a  restricted  service  of  two  trains  a  day  in  each  direction  applied. From  1974  though,  special  Dalesrail  services  were  introduced  using  the  little  stations  to  promote  the  line  to  ramblers  and  ultimately  this  helped  to  save  the  line. In  the  early  eighties,  British  Rail  announced  that  it  thought  the  cost  of  repairing  the  viaducts  particularly  at  Ribblehead   was  too  prohibitive  to  keep  the  line  open. A  pressure  group  the  Friends  of  the  Settle-Carlisle  Line  was  created  to  resist  the  idea

In  1984, closure  notices  went  up  with  the  intention  of  ceasing  services  when  the  current  timetable  ceased  in  February. The  programme  was  made  with  that  deadline  in  mind.

My  interest  in  railways  had  lain  pretty  dormant  since  the  unwelcome  discovery back  in  1979  that  14  year  olds  were  expected  to  pay  full  fare  on  the  trains. This  re-awakened  it  and,  having  bought  a  Young  Person's  Railcard  as  soon  as  I  got  my  grant  to  facilitate  visits  home   ( with  bags  of  washing  of  course ) , I  took  a  trip  along  the  line  on  Saturday  28th  January  1984. I  can't  say  it  was  all  that  thrilling. It  was  a  lousy  day  with  a  lot  of  misty  rain  obscuring  the  views.  I  recall  visiting  Carlisle  Castle  and  Cathedral  and  moseying  around  the  latter's  bookshop. I  didn't  feel  it  was  worth  waiting  around  for  the  one  going  back  to  Leeds  at  5pm  as  the  route  would  be  in  darkness  so  I  came  back  via  the  alternative  Lancaster  route, an  attractive  journey  in  itself.

As  things  turned  out , the  line  got  a  stay  of  execution and  in  1989  was  reprieved  altogether,  a  decision  for  which  a  certain  Mr  Portillo  likes  to  claim  the  credit. As  covered  in  a  separate  blog  I  used  the  line  frequently  in  1992-3  for  walking  The  Settle-Carlisle  Way.

651 The Thorn Birds

First  viewed  :  7  January  1984

BBC  One's  screening  of  this  US  miniseries was  very  controversial  with  many  critics  seeing  it  as  a  watershed  cultural  moment. Garbage  like  Triangle  and  The  Borgias  could  be  excused  as  not  having  turned  out  as  well  as  hoped  but  in  the  case  of  The  Thorn  Birds , Michael  Grade  saw  the  finished  product  and  purchased  it  as  a  ratings  buster. The  Beeb's  reputation  has  never  been  quite  the  same  since.

Colleen  McCullough's  novel  is  airport  trash  so  at  least  you  could  say  this  was  a  faithful  adaptation . It  concerns  a priest  Ralph  de  Bricassart  exiled  to  a  remote  parish  in  Australia  ministering  to  a  large   Catholic  family  the  Clearys. The  father  is  only  a  blacksmith  but  he  has  a  very  wealthy  sister  Mary  who  wants  to  share  her  sins  with  Ralph  but  not  in  the  confessional  booth. For  his  part,  Ralph  is  more  interested  in  the  Cleary's  only  daughter  Meggie. Mary  reacts  to  his  spurning  by  making  a  huge  bequest  to  the  church  which  leads  to  Ralph  becoming  a  cardinal  but  that  doesn't  stop  him  bonking  Meggie.

The  shortcomings  of  the  plot  were  vastly  exacerbated  by  the  casting. Richard  Chamberlain  was  nearly  50  and  utterly  unconvincing  as  the  young  priest.  Venerable  actress  Barbara  Stanwyck,   who  played  Mary,  was  pushing  80  and  her  attempted  seduction  scenes  with  Ralph  threatened  to  bring  up  your  dinner. Jean  Simmons  as  the  Cleary  mum  was  getting  pregnant  at  55.  Rachel  Ward  was  a  suitable  age  for  Meggie  but  a  diabolical  actress. There  were  one  or  two  decent  performances  from  Bryan  Brown  as  Meggie's  cuckolded  husband  and  Christopher  Plummer  as  Ralph's  Vatican  mentor  but  nothing  could  save  this  from  being  risible  melodrama .

Unfortunately,  it  was  very  popular and,  as  we  shall  see,  spawned  a  host  of  imitations  for  the  rest  of  the  decade.

650 Only Fools and Horses

First  viewed : Uncertain

Like  many  people,  I  didn't  see  this  from  the  word  go. Though  I've  seen  the  chandelier  clip  - the  show's  earliest  highlight  - umpteen  times  I  don't  think  I  was  watching  when  the  episode  was  first  broadcast. Looking  through  the  episode  synopses,  the  first  one  I  can  definitely  recall  watching  is  the  Christmas  Day  special  in  1983  by  which  time  three  series  had  been  aired.

Famously,  Only  Fools  and  Horses  had  a  troubled  inception,  Despite  the  success  of  Citizen  Smith  , John  Sullivan  had  difficulty  getting  a  new  series  commissioned  and  it  was  only  the  success  of  Minder  on  the  other  channel  that  got  his  proposal  for  a  series  about   a  pair  of  brothers  involved  in  dodgy  trading  in  London  the  green  light.  Reliable  player  David  Jason  and  Nicholas  Lyndhurst,  who'd  recently  established  himself  as  a  comic  talent  on  Butterflies  were  signed  up  as  the  Trotter  brothers  Del  and  Rodney . Minder  proved  a  mixed  blessing  as  the   first  two  seasons  were  perceived  as  a  pale  imitation  and  were  only  moderately  popular. It  was  only  when  they  were  re-broadcast  in  the  summer  of  1983  as  a  warm-up  for  the  third  series  that  autumn  that  the  ratings  started  perking  up.

The  Christmas  special  was  notable  for  featuring  the  only  appearance  of  the  boys'  absentee  father  Reg, still  a  rogue  who  tries  to  con  Del  that  he's  illegitimate .  It  was  also  the  final  appearance  of  Lennard  Pearce  as  Grandad  , the  third  member  of  the  core  trio. Because  of  his  failing  health,  his  part in  the  forthcoming  series  had  been  reduced  so  the  substitution  of   his not  previously  mentioned  Uncle  Albert  ( Buster  Merryfield ) was  accomplished  fairly  quickly.

It  was  from  that  point  that  I  started  watching  regularly  and  for  me  the  show  had  its  peak  in  1985-6  as  the  supporting  cast , including  Roger  Lloyd  Pack  as  the  gloriously  stupid  Trigger. ,expanded  and  the  storylines  got  more  ambitious. I  particularly  liked  the  one  where  the  guys  get  taken  hostage  in  a  supermarket  by  a  young  gunman. When  he  dozes  off,   Rodney   creeps  up  on  him  but  uses  the  opportunity  to  grab  his  packet  of  fags  rather  than  the  pistol.

During  the  filming  of  the  fifth  series  in  1986   Jason  indicated  a  wish  to  move  on  and  the  show  went  on  a  hiatus  with  only  Christmas  special  episodes  in  1987  and  1988. In  the  latter  Del  fatefully  meets  a  woman  called  Raquel.

Many  people  would  cite  the  arrival  of  "the  girls"  as  the  point  of  no  return  for  the  series. I'd  go  half  way  with  that. Lyndhurst  was  pushing  30  by  1989 . He couldn't  go  on  playing  the  gormless  teenager  much  longer. He  had  to  be  allowed  to  mature  and  giving  him   a  steady  girlfriend  was  an  effective  device  to  achieve  that. Gwyneth  Strong  as  Cassandra  was  a  likable  addition  to  the  cast.

Besides , the  first  season  to  feature  her  was  a  strong  one. Sullivan  had  been  granted  his  wish  to  have  a  shorter  season  of   six  50  minute  episodes  and  these   showcased  a  more  political  edge  as  Del  self-consciously  adopted  the  trappings   of  the  yuppie  age  and  Rodney  tried  to  fit  into  Cassandra's  middle  class  milieu. It  featured  most  viewer's  favourite  moment  when  Del  falls  through  the  bar  at   a  yuppie  club  and  my  own  favourite  episode  with  the  inflatable  dolls  that  really  do  blow  up  , a  rather  daring  storyline  for  a  pre-watershed  show.

For  me  the  series  "jumped  the  shark"  in  the  1989  Christmas  special  by  reintroducing  Raquel  and  making  her  a  regular  character. Tessa  Peake-Jones  is  a  decent  actress  but  she  had  no  comic  timing  and  her  limitations  were  cruelly  exposed  in  scenes  with  Jason  and  Lyndhurst. There  was  no  good  reason  for  Del  to  settle  down  either ; his  dodgy  lady friends   had  provided  a  rich  source  of  humour  in  previous  seasons  and  with  Rodney  now  able  to  cast  a  more  sceptical  eye   on  Del's  enterprises  Raquel  wasn't  needed  as  a  critic. There  had  been  good  sense  in  keeping  Mrs  Mainwaring  and  Mrs  Daley  off  screen; Sullivan  failed  to  appreciate  that   and  so  the  seventh  and  final  season in  1991 was  burdened  with  this  inert  piece  of  baggage,  sat  on  the  couch  with  a  stupid  smirk,  trying  not  to  corpse  as  the  others  performed  around  her.

I  remember  in  particular  the  fourth  episode  where  the  occasional  character, bent  copper  Slater  ( Jim  Broadbent  )  returns  and  turns  out  to  be  Raquel's  ex-husband. Broadbent's  a  great  actor  but  I  never  felt  Slater  added  much  on  his  previous  appearances  and  the  whole  episode  was  barren  of  laughs  from  start  to  finish. Sullivan  had  turned  the  show  into  a  soap  opera  and  I  remember  dinner  table  conversations  at  work  lamenting  how  much  it  had  deteriorated.

After  that  season  ended  with  Del  becoming  a  father, the  series  continued  as  Christmas  specials  which  had  their  moments   but  the  law  of  diminishing  returns  set  in. The  1991 two-parter  sent  the  brothers  to  Miami  which  was  no  doubt  good  fun  for  them  but  the  story  was  overblown  and  laboured. The  1992  one  concerning  Del's  fake  spring  water  was  much  better. From  the  synopsis  it  looked  like  I  opted  out  of  the  1993  episode.

Two  years  went  by  without  a  visit  to  the  Trotters  and  then  there  was  a  three  parter  over   Christmas  1996. This  provided  the  last  great  comic  moment   of  the  series  when  the  brothers  disturb  a  mugging  dressed  as  Batman  and  Robin  but  even  so  it  felt  leaden  and  Jason  was  now  evidently  too  old  for  the  role. I  might  have  missed  the  middle  one. The  last  one  ended  with  the  Trotters  finally  becoming  millionaires  in  a  contrived  way.

That  was  intended  to  bring  the  series  to  a  close  but  it  was  revived  for  three  more  Christmas  specials  beginning  in  2001. The  subsequent  two  were  actually  filmed  at  the  same  time  but  held  over. Merryfield  had  died  in  the  meantime  so  the  first  one  opened  with  his  funeral. I  watched  the  first  quarter  of  an  hour  which  was  dreadful  and  that  was  it  for  me. A  year  after  the  final  episode  it  was  voted  Britain's  Best  Sitcom. I  ignored  both  spin-off  series.

Sullivan's  death  in  2011  would  appear  to  be  the  final  curtain  for  the  series.
 




  

649 Once Upon A Murder

First  viewed : 18  December  1983

Some  Christmas  holiday  viewing   now  and  this  superior  US  mini-series  was  broadcast  in  three  parts  over  consecutive  nights  on  ITV.  It  was  an  adaptation  of  Stuart  Woods'  novel  Chiefs   and  broadcast  under  that  name   in  the  US. ITV  re-branded  it  presumably  finding  the  original  title  a  little  prosaic.

The  series  follows  the  development  of  a  fictional  small  town  Delano  through  three  generations  of  its  police  chiefs  observed  by  town  patriarch  Hugh  Holmes  ( Charlton  Heston  in  moustache  and  toupee ) . The  town  becomes  very  prosperous  but  has  one  small  problem. It's  home  to  a  Gacy-like  serial  killer  in  lone  wolf  farmer  Foxy  Funderburke  ( Keith  Carradine )  whose  killing  spree  spans  over  decades. Apart  from  Carradine  who  was  nominated  for  an  Emmy  , the  dominant  performance  comes  from  Brad  Davis  as  the  "middle" police  chief  Sunny  Butts  who  gets  the  job  because  he's  a  war  hero. However  he's  also  a  violent  racist  and  sex  pest  and  Davis  is  marvellously  unhinged  in  the  role. The  rest  of  the  series  just  drops  a  notch  when  he  exits.    

648 Royal Film Premiere - Never Say Never Again

First  viewed ; 14  December  1983

This  is  another  programme  I  recall  watching  at  my  hall  of  residence. Never  Say  Never  Again was  an  unofficial  Bond  film  which  saw  Sean  Connery  return  to  the  role  although,  as  far  as  the  plot  goes , it's  a  re-hash  of  Thunderball  which  is  of  course  in  the  canon. It's  OK , the  only  outstanding  feature  is  the  performance  of  Austrian  actor  Klaus  Maria  Brandauer  as  the  villain.

The  premiere  was  notable  for  the  performance  of  TV  historian  Michael  Wood  as  the  host. Out  of   his  comfort  zone , Wood  combined  ineptitude  with  stating  the  obvious  - " well, crowds  are  now  arriving, as  we  wait  for,er, Prince  Andrew  to  come"  and  toe-curling  fawning  at  the  stars, reminding  us  that  he  was  a  Bond  fan   at  every  opportunity. His  interviewing  skills  were  particularly  bad,  asking  the  actors  if  they  enjoyed  playing  their  roles  for  instance. My  favourite  was  when  he  said  to  beautiful  Barbara  Carrera  "Let's  now  see  a  clip  of  your  climactic  moment " .

All  this  was  mercilessly  heckled  by  the  assorted  students in  the  junior common  room  which  is  why  it's  stuck  in  my  mind. I  don't  remember  Wood  getting  a  similar  gig  again.

647 After The Day After

First  viewed : 10  December  1983

I  made  a  decision  at  the  start  of  this  blog  not  to  cover  films  including  TV  movies  but  in  the  case  of  The  Day  After  there  was  a  discussion  programme  straight  after  it  was  broadcast    and  it  doesn't  make  sense  to  cover  that  without  some  word  on  the  film  itself. The  film  concerned  the  after-effects  of  a  nuclear war  focussing  on  a  small  town  in  Kansas  where  the  director  of  a  university  hospital  played  by  Jason  Robards  tries  to  cope  with  aiding  the  survivors  and  gradually  realises  it's  hopeless  as  he  too  succumbs  to  radiation  sickness. It's  bleak  enough  but  still  somewhat  sanitised  for  the  American  TV  audience  especially  compared  to  the  British  take  on  the  same  subject  matter  some  nine  months  later.

ITV  scored  a   coup  by  getting  the  Secretary  of  State  for  Defence, Michael  Heseltine in  for  a  debate  on  the  issues  raised  immediately  afterwards. It  was  getting  quite  late  so  I  only  watched  the  first  few  minutes. I  do  recall  Heseltine  and  the  CND  representative  ( it  wasn't  Kent )  getting  bogged  down  in  an  argument  over  whether  one  of  the  characters  had  survived  the  explosion  or  not. It  seemed  quite  surreal  that  the  man  in  charge  of  our  national  security  should  let  himself  get   embroiled  in  a  debate  better  suited  to  Screen  Test.  Once  that  was  sorted  out  and  the  well-worn  pros  and  cons  of  unilateral  vs  multilateral  disarmament  started to  receive  their  umpteenth  airing,  I  went  to  bed.