Brookside Brookside

[James from London]

This is kind of Brookside-adjacent: a fairly long but really excellent article commemorating 25 years of The Royle Family:

The Royle Family at 25

25 years after it first aired, the Royle Family is a landmark of popular working-class culture on screen — the inventive masterpiece of its brilliant but troubled creator, Caroline Aherne.

tribunemag.co.uk

 

[Spells & Karma]

Episodes 166 -170
30 May - 13 June 1984​

Following Heather’s stony cold hosting of Michelle and Terry, I thought that would be it for a while. Just a handful of episodes later, though, here we are with Michelle sharing a house with Heather, switching places with Rose who is now staying at Number 10 with the Jacksons.

On paper, it all looks a little contrived, but this is early Brookside. ‘T’s have been crossed and ‘I’s dotted.

The situation came about by Heather returning from her two week course feeling very unwell, only for Rose to read a home medicine book (the Eighties version of Dr. Google) and deduce that Heather has German measles (“Did she break out in little swastikas?”, quipped George). With this being risky for pregnancy, Marie quickly takes charge and invites Rose to stay while “volunteering" Michelle to make the swap (Michelle is out at the time and returns home to find her bags already packed).

It really is great to see the Jacksons back. Number 10 has been represented entirely by Michelle (and Terry) for quite some time now, and I’ve missed them. Which is something I really didn’t think I’d say back when they first arrived. Marie and George are actually favourites of mine now and I find myself already saddened knowing that their time on the Close is limited. Anna Keaveney sometimes only has to say the simplest of lines to make me grin.

Heather comments to Michelle that Marie has a heart of gold beneath the tough exterior, and that’s an angle I’ve found fascinating here. As soon as Marie started organising the situation and making kind offers, I found myself feeling suspicious, waiting for the other shoe to drop and Marie to reveal something that’s in it for her gain. Not getting this (at least so far) was anti-climactic and endearing a the same time. A cynical part of me feels she might be building up to asking Heather for a reference for the private school she craves for the boys, or is getting Michelle accustomed to being out of the house which gives her and George more leverage. But perhaps I’m doing Marie a huge disservice and Heather is right after all. Whatever the case, it’s great fun to watch.

Back to picking up the earlier “frosty Heather” scenes with Michelle, though, I’ve absolutely loved the relationship between these two in this situation they both find themselves through no choice of their own. There’s a real understanding between the two of them, and this has made me realise that they have much in common, from a desire for independence to a weariness at those with whom they share homes on a more permanent basis.

I like that Michelle has been helpful without being pushy, and in turn Heather has been receptive to the help offered. It also seemed that Heather encouraging Michelle’s dream of taking up a beauty course to better herself was empowering for Michelle. Further deepening their bond, Michelle went as far as shooing letchy Barry from Heather’s bedroom by saying Heather had impotence-causing mumps (instead of the simple virus she’d just been informed about by the doctor). I find myself hoping for more scenes between the two of them.

Amanda Burton, by the way, convinces at being absolutely wiped-out and germ-ridden while still radiating a poised glamour. Not even the snotty tissues next to her bed can take away her charms.

It’s been a big couple of weeks for the Grants, with Sheila and Bobby flying to Benidorm where Sheila still struggles to be alone with Bobby thanks annoying hangers-on Ken and Doreen. It’s wonderful to see the location work. One of the Brookie books I read recently mentioned how efficiently cast and crew deal with this compared with its mostly-studio-bound peers, because they all work on location permanently anyway. This really comes across on-screen. It feels special and colourful, but it doesn’t feel like an EVENT in the way, say, Crossroads’ Venice episodes did just a few months earlier (even though the Venice episodes had only one or two short location scenes with dialogue, while Sheila and Bobby have pages and pages of dialogue to deliver while dealing with the crowds). The end result is that this genuinely feels like a holiday for the characters, rather than a jolly for cast and crew.

Yes, the crowded market and beach scenes have meant some gawping tourists in the background, evidently fully aware of the cameras. But not as much as you’d think, and it’s easy to mentally tune out because of the magnetic performances and dialogue (and even those I noticed, I was able to kind of justify, since people do tend to people-watch when they’re passing the time anyway).

There’s a terrific moment shortly after Sheila has broken the baby news to Bobby and he’s had a little time to process it. They both jokingly decide they can’t wait to break the news to Ken and Doreen and start sprinting along the beach. Bobby trips and crashes face-first into the sand and Sheila bursts out laughing. It looks so real I’m still not sure if Ricky tripped and crashed and Sue burst out laughing and it was kept in. It’s certainly a highlight and a wonderfully natural-feeling joyous moment that felt much needed after Sheila’s angst and Bobby’s initial shock over the news.

Back home at Number 5, there’s been great fun with Damon trying to be alone with Linda (who looks just like a number of girls I used to see around my high school), while Karen and Barry relish in ruining his fun by staying at home. It’s great. There’s a kind of spiteful sibling element to it, with them clearly enjoying Damon’s torture, but there’s also a sense that there’s at least a little responsibility to what they’re doing by making sure young Damon doesn’t get carried away and make Sheila an expectant grandmother as well as an expectant mother.

Alan’s out of hospital, but the most fun there has been Harry taking the opportunity to read Alan’s Joy Of Sex books while tidying up the place, and taking crafty swigs of Alan’s booze while pouring it down the sink under Edna’s orders. Funnier still was the moment where Edna snatched a tumbler full of whisky from Alan and, after a moment of vacant consideration she downed it.

Annabelle’s back as well, and with Paul acting suspiciously she immediately decided to play detective, being immediately caught by Paul lingering with intent outside his tailor’s shop (where, in a fascinating moment, he’d been speaking to this neutral party about his almost-affair, which reminded me of those scenes where a character goes to a shrink in order to tell the audience what would be out of character for them to tell another).

Naturally, Paul immediately went into the denial defensive while poor Annabelle hurts (though she did have an almost-surprising moment speaking to Heather, though not quite as candidly as Paul had spoken to his tailor). He gives her the silent treatment, hides behind his newspaper and keeps right on storming out. It's painful and tragic, but not without its great lines, such as Paul suggesting that if Annabelle is to successfully carry out surveillance on him she should dress as “a barrow boy. Or a gypsy selling lucky white heather”. Oh - the mental images. I felt guilty being amused.

 

[Spells & Karma]

This is kind of Brookside-adjacent: a fairly long but really excellent article commemorating 25 years of The Royle Family:

What a magnificent article.

I've always felt I've missed out by never having watched a single episode of The Royle Family. Blame it on me watching hardly any TV between the mid-Nineties and the mid-Noughties, but something about it also just didn't appeal at the time (I couldn't tell you what, though).

Apart from its obvious Brookside connections, some of the references in that article have made me feel suddenly quite keen to watch. I watched The Family a few years ago and was hooked.

Oh - I've just found the thread on it, and you even mention TRC connection there. Now I feel even sillier for still not having watched it.

 

[James from London]

I've always felt I've missed out by never having watched a single episode of The Royle Family.

Nor I have of The Royle Family.

The last time I finished '80s Brookside, I then re-watched The Royal Family as a kind of sequel, and it worked really well. It almost felt like it could be the same family years later, albeit in a parallel universe twice-removed where Damon didn't die, he just turned into Ralf Little and forgot to age. During some of the long silences between Jim and Barbara (Tomlinson and Johnston's new characters) that that article describes, I could almost hear echoes of Bobby and Sheila's big bust-ups from years earlier.

 

[James from London]

I'm a sucker for an oral history, but this is lovely:

Carrot crush for all! An oral history of The Royle Family and its ‘gloriously mundane genius’

How did Caroline Aherne’s show about a northern working class family who barely left their house become a hit, blazing a trail for The Office, Gavin and Stacey and Gogglebox? Its stars and makers reveal all

www.theguardian.com

 

[Spells & Karma]

The last time I finished '80s Brookside, I then re-watched The Royal Family as a kind of sequel, and it worked really well. It almost felt like it could be the same family years later, albeit in a parallel universe twice-removed where Damon didn't die, he just turned into Ralf Little and forgot to age.

That sounds perfect. I wouldn't mind trying it myself.

I'm a sucker for an oral history, but this is lovely:

It is. I can feel the warmth coming across in it and the cast were obviously all very fond of each other.

Loved Ricky's observation about his and Sue's working styles:

It’s like oil and water. She’s really established – drama school and theatre. Me, I haven’t got a bloody clue!

 

[Spells & Karma]

Incidentally, I just took a peek to see if The Royle Family is streaming anywhere. It's on iPlayer but it says "available for 1 month".

The part of me with FOMO thought I should take the plunge NOW... just in case it's not available down the line. But I also fear that watching TRF and Brookside at the same time might somehow diminish both. Tempting though it is, I suspect I'll wait until I'm ready to check out of Brookside, even though it will be some time.

 

[James from London]

Loved Ricky's observation about his and Sue's working styles

Yeah, it sounds very similar to the dynamic between Angie and Den on Enders: the technically experienced, theatrically trained actress opposite the raw unpolished actor, and possibly even Val and Gary on Knots. (Ted Shackeford has described how JvA always "knew where she wanted to go" in a scene while he would just react instinctively to whatever she was doing.) And you could say there was a different yet similar clash of acting styles between Stephanie Beacham and Charlton Heston on The Colbys. Funny how they were all happening at the same time.

 

[Spells & Karma]

Yeah, it sounds very similar to the dynamic between Angie and Den on Enders: the technically experienced, theatrically trained actress opposite the raw unpolished actor, and possibly even Val and Gary on Knots. (Ted Shackeford has described how JvA always "knew where she wanted to go" in a scene while he would just react instinctively to whatever she was doing.) And you could say there was a different yet similar clash of acting styles between Stephanie Beacham and Charlton Heston on The Colbys. Funny how they were all happening at the same time.

Ooh yes. I'd quite possibly never have joined those dots to see the similarities, but now you point it out it's striking.

 

[Spells & Karma]

Episodes 171 - 180
19 June - 18 July 1984​

Twenty months in, and Brookside has just seen its first wedding (at least, the first one where the couple made it to the end of the ceremony). There’s also been a returning former resident and a significant departure. And all of these have been part of one storyline as Samantha returned and agreed to marry Alan before both jetted off for the job he’d just been offered in Kuwait. Yes: the Partridges have literally flown away.

Certainly at this pace, it has felt quite sudden and fast-moving. But then that’s partly the point of the storyline: It’s alluded to that both recognise that life is short and that they miss one another when they’re apart; Alan's character has frequently dallied with the surreal anyway. Besides, the job offer added time sensitivity that made a reasonable on-screen substitute for the ticking clock of an expiring contract, an actor moving on, writers reaching a dead end with a character, a need for change or whatever else might be behind the exit.

Plenty of Sturm und Drang was added to this last hurrah, with Alan relapsing into alcoholic drinking on seeing Sam fending off rowdy young men while working at the International Garden Festival, almost getting himself arrested back on the Close before Sam swooped in to take responsibility for him. Then some déjà vu when Sam was late to the register office and couldn’t quite bring herself to say she will. Cue Sheila semi-comically muttering “Oh my God” under her breath and End Of Part One.

While it’s unlikely I’ll ever claim Alan as a Brookside favourite, it’s nice that he got a good send-off, and that the tone of his final scenes were mostly upbeat and celebratory. Sam being brought back in to give some closure was also a perfect little detail. And the impromptu street party was delightful: Bobby clapping his hands as he introduced the idea, saying he was off to “get the pasting table” evoked memories of similar celebrations I experienced growing up.

I also liked how the community is working here. There’s less wariness and class politics than was seen at earlier such gatherings (the party the Grants threw over that first Christmas or New Year some eighteen months earlier springs to mind). People seem easier with one another now, but there’s still a naturalism to it. There are occasional cuts that seem almost random because we see characters making small talk, saying how they’re enjoying their drink or whatever. At one point see Gordon and Rose looking intently at a bunch of flowers and apparently discussing something relating to it. It’s probably the kind of thing you’d see if you took home video of a street party. There’s no navel gazing or significant exposition. Nor are there any histrionics between residents. It’s simply a bunch of people who happen to live near one another doing their thing.

The natural touches extend to the logistics. Without a generous landlady to contribute drinks to the proceedings, we see Terry going round tapping everyone for money so he can go off and buy bevvies (I particularly enjoyed the irony of Edna Cross donating the money she’d won from her bet with Marie over whether or not Samantha would go through with the wedding). I found it fascinating to simply people watch as all this was happening.

There are nice revealing little snippets of character everywhere you look. From Harry Cross being stingy with his donation to Annabelle’s excitement over attending her very first street party as she whisked off to start making sandwiches.

The episode ended with an extremely dramatically-staged tragedy as Karen’s latest boyfriend zoomed too quickly into the Close on his motorbike, colliding with pregnant Sheila. On the one hand, it felt rather unnecessary and stereotypically soapy, but allowing the audience to be part of the street party also allowed the moment to have maximum emotional impact because it was so at odds with the chilled, character-driven minutiae of the gathering. As I write, Sheila and baby are doing well, but there’s the added complication of whether or not to have the amneocentesis which could induce miscarriage because of Sheila’s recent bleeding. This scene features a terrific example of very Twentieth Century “keep the patient in the dark” doctoring as the specialist came to Sheila’s bedside, but took Bobby into the corridor to appraise him of the situation and ask for his decision. Consulting Sheila, it seems, is optional. It’s lucky for her Bobby is a socialist.

Back at the Close, Alan’s impending departure has paved the way for one of the more soapily convenient contrivances yet seen: the Crosses have decided to move next door to the bungalow. I’m sure moving to a home in the same street does happen, but there’s a disproportionally high rate of this occurring in SoapLand, and this feels like another step towards Brookie becoming a more conventional soap.

Of course, all the reasons make good sense: Harry and Edna like the Close and (most of) its residents (even if it’s well-hidden in Harry’s case); with Harry’s angina they recognise that they no longer enjoy the mobility they did even a year before. It’s introduced fairly organically, with son Kevin actually suggesting the bungalow out of concern. Edna is on-board with the idea immediately but Harry isn’t.

Edna, as usual, gets her own way through deception. She tells Harry that Ralph is planning to buy the bungalow, knowing this will goad him. Ralph and his wife were introduced a few episodes back when they caught up with Harry and Edna at the International Garden Festival, just as Gordon Collins bumped into Sam, and Harry is jealous of the close relationship Ralph and Edna share (with good reason, I’d say. It seems rather collusive and based upon bonding over shared secrets kept from Harry’s ears).

This is where it becomes conveniently soapy, though. Heather’s home appeared to be on the market for quite some months with nary a bite, while Alan’s bungalow was snapped up within a day or two. What’s more, even though the bungalow is being vended by an estate agent, Harry made his offer directly to Alan and it seemed as simple as that.

However, there were a few concessions in plot and dialogue that allowed me to buy into it and suspend my disbelief. As well as the Crosses' already-mentioned need for a more accessible home, there have been subtle reminders that bungalows are scarcer and consequently more sought after.

What’s more, Heather commented that house prices on the Close had dipped, something she said was typical with new housing developments in the first couple of years. With the benefit of hindsight, this seemingly offhand titbit goes a long way towards explaining why an upcoming scenario with Harry’s old house actually makes financial sense (though I’m hoping it’s explained just how he can afford to do this).

With disbelief suspended, this proved a fun little series of events. There was Harry’s attempted blackmail of Alan to try and force him to accept a ridiculously low offer. Harry hinted that if the offer wasn’t accepted, Sam might find out all about Liz. Alan called his bluff and sent him packing. Only when Edna lied that Ralph had made a higher offer did Harry grudgingly make a reasonable one… and even then she had to stand guard over him.

continued...​

 

[Spells & Karma]

Episodes 171 - 180
19 June - 18 July 1984
continued​

Then there was Marie ringing the estate agent to find out the bungalow's price and being pleasantly surprised how much it was worth (somewhere round £22k!!). She immediately decided Number 10 was worth twice that, and wasn’t going to let George’s practical input get in the way of her fantasy. Not when her house had an extra storey. George pointed out that bungalows are worth more and besides was detached, Marie countered that detached houses are cold, which is a reason for her to believe her house was worth more than even the Grants. When George mentioned the lower price of Heather’s house which was identical to theirs, Marie scoffed, nodding towards the infamous archway as she reminded him that their home had undergone improvements while Heather’s hadn’t been touched. God love Marie and her flights of fancy.

Jimmy McGovern has given us some winning Marie moments in these latter episodes. Episodes 177-78 alone covered a whole lot of ground.

Over six months on from her barney with Sheila on the Close, there’s still some satisfying resonance. There’s a scene in which downhearted Marie watched George taking Michelle out for a driving lesson, the pair of them giggling, then turned round to see Sheila. Once again, there’s a look between them that suggests a kind of longing to reach out in friendship. Sadness is still the prevailing feeling from their fallout and it still feels unexpected.

Marie has effectively been shown to be someone experiencing a kind of isolation and a sense of exclusion in general. Immediately following the look between Marie and Sheila, Sam came out and acknowledged them, but Marie - further away and so limited to exchanging a friendly wave - felt excluded when Sam ended up in conversation with Sheila, excitedly telling her about her reunion with and impending marriage to Alan, while Marie was left to shuffle back inside alone. This is reinforced further when Marie learns about the wedding from Edna, who has heard it first hand from Alan. Edna persuades Alan to tell Marie himself, but during the conversation Marie realises he has only come because Edna asked him (in a brilliantly real piece of writing, Alan doesn’t realise this significance, so Marie remains alone in her disappointment over the situation even as she tells him how happy she is for him)

This exclusion seems to pervade Marie’s life at the moment. Her ambition to get the boys into public school has been played mostly for laughs up until now, and this held true into the interview with the headmaster, where Marie muttered under her breath when they were presented with an entry test which included French and German (something she’d lied that they’d had practice in). To nobody’s surprise but Marie, they were refused a place.

It’s very in Marie’s tenacious character to refuse to throw in the towel and pay another visit in an attempt to change the headmaster’s mind:

Mr Hume. I was born in the Dingle. My Dad’s idea of a night out was eight pints in the alehouse, an’ then he’d come ‘ome an’ kick hell out of me Mam. That was such good fun it put her in an early grave. Then ‘e cleared off. Left me on me own, with two kid sisters to rear. One o’ them married another no-good, an’ she killed herself a year later. An’ it’s because of that that I’ve got the money to pay these schools’ fees. The women in our family ‘ave given blood so that my kids can walk through your door. They’ve given blood! An’ you are not gonna slam that door in their faces.

Given the headmaster seemed firmly resolute in the school’s decision, Marie’s apparently futile speech felt as uncomfortable as it was exposing. All of which made it even more potent. So strong was this scene, that I could forgive the slightly contrived notion that this changed his immutable mind despite the twins’ glaring failure to pass the entry test (particularly since this convenient triumph for Marie came with the further complication that the only spaces available were for weekly boarders).

Headmaster Mr Hume, by the way, was played by John Burgess, later to return as David Crosbie. He’s note-perfect in these episodes so it’s easy to see why he’d be asked back, albeit some eight years later.

Jimmy Mac has also given us some combative scenes between Bobby and Matty, with the latter arguing with Bobby for not being able to attend Matty’s court appearance due to a crisis at the plant.

I find Matty and Teresa quite frustrating as characters. I understand that they’re representative of those who are hard hit by unemployment and poverty under Thatcher’s Government, but because they’re peripheral characters I find them hard to take sometimes because they’re so quick to play victim. Teresa does a lot of hand-wringing and brow furrowing and “Oh She”ing and asking Sheila for money. Matty feels extremely volatile and almost bipolar and is always getting ruddy cheeked and bawling at Bobby and storming off before coming back with sloped shoulders to apologise under Teresa’s orders.Yes, it’s probably coming from a place of pride with Matty, but he’s still blaming everyone else for his situation when the the decision to work whilst signing on was ultimately his. Still, there’s no denying that the scenes are electric, and it’s no small feat that even as they frustrate, so good is the cast chemistry that I fully feel the depth of this long-term friendship and find myself rooting for them.

 

[Ome]

It’s funny how the memory works. I swear, I always thought George Jackson drew the map of the warehouse for Tommy to both Tommy and Victor. In my head George was played by more than just Tommy, there is a vision of a few of them around a table. Needless to say, I was filled with excitement knowing where this leads. I tried to remember how I would have viewed this in my teen years. Did I know back then that George was been played? I certainly didn’t expect the exit George got!

And on questioning that memory, I always remembered Alan fondly, but feel shocked and a little disappointed with myself because I’m kinda glad he’s gone. I’m thrilled he got the happy ending, I just didn’t enjoy the destructive self he became, I struggled with ‘angry Alan’ this time.

I also, do not remember Rose staying with Heather and as I think about Heather, I seem to draw a blank with her time on the close after Roger. I remember Tom Curzon but can’t remember much else and everything with Nicholas Black, the kids and Rod Corkhill dating Ruth. I’m looking forward to seeing what else pops up with Heather.

I was surprised to see Ralph arrive, somehow I always thought he came after Edna had passed away. The whole back story feels exciting as I watch now, like it really is my first time. I wonder if I dismissed the older characters unless they were arguing or being a nuisance on the close.

Karen and Andrew racing into the close was exciting as that memorable moment took me back. I remember tuning into the omnibus and taping it so I could watch the dramatic scenes over and over. Later, I got hold of another VHS recorder and I remember trying to remix various dramatic moments from Brookie over the years. I had built up a great collection of clips from ‘84 to around early ‘89. With various house moves over the years I lost (or stupidly) threw my cassettes away thinking VHS was a thing of the past.

 

[James from London]

Nor I have of The Royle Family.

I meant The Family, as in I've never watched The Family.

 

[Ome]

I meant The Family, as in I've never watched The Family.

Your comment threw me, but I thought it might have been a typo. I’m constantly battling with typos every time I use my phone. I’m sure it’s confused predictive text to random words.

I’m getting really bogged down with old shows now. As well as doing BROOKIE, I have PRISONER CELL BLOCK H, TALES OF THE UNEXPECTED, THE BILL, classic CORRIE, classic EMMERDALE. I’ve now found MAKING OUT, one show that I only caught little bits of back in the day. I’m only on the first episode and it feels a little bit like CLOCKING OFF, which is exciting enough with the likes of Margi Clark, Shirley Stelfox and lots of other goodie actors. Have you seen it? I’m not sure I’ve seen it mentioned on the forums.

 

[Spells & Karma]

I always remembered Alan fondly, but feel shocked and a little disappointed with myself because I’m kinda glad he’s gone. I’m thrilled he got the happy ending, I just didn’t enjoy the destructive self he became, I struggled with ‘angry Alan’ this time.

While I vaguely remembered there was a Brookie Alan Partridge, it's more through pop culture because of the other Alan Partridge.

It's probably quite plain that I found his outlandishness a really difficult adjustment early on, and then - just as I'd got used to him as a presence - along came Angry Alan. I found it a struggle too, but then I'm also really impressed that it was allowed to go on for as long as it did and for his character to stay as ugly and unlikeable for most of this time. I suppose I was able to rationalise it as something that's meant to be a struggle. Just as the neighbours grew weary of his alcohol-fuelled behaviour and self pity, so did the audience. It left me not quite sure how to feel, and that made it a really subjective experience. If any show was going to be bold enough to show this scenario warts and all, it was Brookie.

I also, do not remember Rose staying with Heather

Likewise. And Rose being there still feels a bit weird to me. In all her scenes, there's part of me that says "wasn't this just meant to be for a few days?". She wasn't even invited at first. I keep waiting for Heather to seize her independence and ask her to leave, but now the pregnancy is showing it seems less and less likely.

I seem to draw a blank with her time on the close after Roger.

The Nick Black storyline was one of the first I remember being really invested in the first time round. It was around the time I came on board as a viewer and so was one of if not the first major arc I experienced. I'm looking forward to rewatching it.

I was surprised to see Ralph arrive, somehow I always thought he came after Edna had passed away.

It was a pleasant surprise to me, too, how everything overlapped. I could never remember meeting Ralph's wife but we even did that in his first episode.

I meant The Family, as in I've never watched The Family.

Aha - thanks.

It's a while since I watched, but I found it a fascinating piece of history, capturing the time and place and attitudes of 1970s working class Britain. And at a time when we weren't overloaded with reality TV, I don't think anything like it had happened before.

Looks like the whole thing is still on YT.

I’m getting really bogged down with old shows now. As well as doing BROOKIE, I have PRISONER CELL BLOCK H, TALES OF THE UNEXPECTED, THE BILL, classic CORRIE, classic EMMERDALE. I’ve now found MAKING OUT

That's a fantastic schedule, Ome. I'm sorely tempted with Prisoner, but I've promised myself that if I do another Aussie drama soon it'll be A Country Practice. Would love to see Tales Of The Unexpected again as well. Some of those terrified me as a kid.

I'm trying to keep it simple by alternating between Brookie and the sitcom Sykes (the latter of which I'm finding far less enjoyable than Brookie). We keep finding excuses to procrastinate until STV releases the next 5 Brookies). God, I wish they'd release 7 or 10 per week as I think we'd be happy to watch a couple of episodes every night.

 

[Spells & Karma]

the other Alan Partridge

Spookily enough, last night I watched a 1998 film which included both Steve Coogan and Dicken Ashworth in the cast.

Dicken only had a small role as a thuggish lorry driver, with a line or two in one scene, but it was still exciting to see him as it's the first time I've spotted him in anything since this rewatch of Brookie.

It was only much, much later in the film that it suddenly dawned on me I was watching a film with the two Alan Partridges, and I actually jolted in my seat. Too bad the two of them never appeared in a scene together.

 

[Spells & Karma]

Episodes 181 - 185
24 July - 7 August 1984​

At this point, George and Marie feel entirely essential to the series. This is why I find it difficult to get my head round what’s about to happen. As with many other characters who were “before my time” as a first time viewer, I didn’t remember either of them other than George’s name in association with the approaching campaign. Now I find myself wondering what on earth I was doing when the series was repeated on satellite/cable in the Nineties. I’m sure I watched them all, but clearly couldn’t have paid much attention at all.

This has been a cracking week for them (by STV count. Or two weeks by original C4 count), and they’ve had some great moments. First came Marie’s hurt feelings after Michelle had dolled her up for a cocktail party associated with Michelle’s course, and tired George returned from work, complimented Michelle on looking great and barely noticed Marie. Pride wounded, Marie cut off her nose to spite her face and sent George and Michelle off to the party alone (Terry also letting Michelle down due to an offer he couldn’t refuse from Tommy McArdle). At a loss, Marie imposed herself on Heather - also tired, looking forward to a rare evening alone and in no mood to entertain neighbours - before going home and sulking. She capped the evening off by giving Michelle a good talking to for having designs on her husband.

The evening’s events showed us facets I love in all the characters: George ranging from obliviously chirpy to perplexed; Michelle insightful and thoughtful (it’s she who tactfully reminds George he hasn’t noticed Marie) and ultimately hurt and angry by Marie’s unfounded accusations. Then there’s Marie.

For some time now, Marie has been an absolute gem and has become a Brookie all-time favourite for me. Her responses in these episodes are fascinating. They stem from her own insecurities but the walls fly up and she’s immediately on the offensive. It’s George’s fault. Or Michelle’s. It’s not clear whether she truly believes Michelle is making overtures, or that her husband is paving the way for an affair with her own sister, but to her it’s certainly at least a possibility. One gets the sense that deep down she fears it’s because she hasn’t been enough for one or both of them.

If it’s getting a bit Freudian here, it’s because Marie is just one of those characters whose psychology is too fascinating to do otherwise. As in so many situations, Marie’s actions today seem informed by her past. She afraid of what might happen. She responds as she does because it’s a reflex to prevent her from being vulnerable. And while it’s outwardly what she is aiming for, inside she’s afraid of being successful and happy.

What I particularly appreciated was that Marie was flying high right before George’s thoughtless-but-unintentional slight. She looked great. She clearly felt good about herself and with eyes sparkling she was anticipating a wonderful night out. And the thing that most excited her was seeing George’s face when he set eyes on her in her frock, coquettish and almost trembling visibly with excitement. She’d invested a lot in her evening out in general and that moment in particular. Her guard was down when George came in which made it the worst possible time for a dose of reality when George was simply George instead of the Prince Charming she’d pre-scripted in her mind. Cinderella wasn’t going to the ball after all, and she was going to make her prince suffer so that he’d know how much she loved him.

What’s great about Marie is that there’s so much that’s internalised. Sometimes it’s to save face: imposing herself on Heather, Marie reframes what’s happened by causally saying how she’d been planning to go out, but simply changed her mind. Later, when George and Michelle come in, Marie stops pacing the floor long enough to drape herself insouciantly on the sofa behind a magazine and pretend she hadn't noticed them return before airily mentioning that she’s been having drinks with Heather.

Sometimes, though, Marie internalises things to spare others’ feelings. There’s a great example of this after the warehouse fire where Marie has been fraught with worry after the news report that a firefighter has been taken to hospital. As time ticks on, she takes George’s cooked dinner out of the oven where it’s keeping warm, peels back the foil and mutters sadly to herself that she hopes he comes home soon so he won’t have to have salad again. In a later scene when George eventually does get home, he asks what’s for dinner and Marie nonchalantly tells him it’s just cheese salad. George, relieved, replies that he’s glad at least it wasn’t another hot dinner ruined, and Marie says nothing but smiles agreeably. It’s a tiny moment - not even a moment really, but something that’s woven in to the fabric of a larger storyline - that allows us to be in on something that nobody but Marie will ever know about.

There’s been some denial along the way: when, after the warehouse fire, Harry reassured Marie that missing George was probably at the pub, she scoffed that he would never do that. And when he got in from the pub, very little criticism came his way.

The relief, forgiveness and making up has given some beautiful George and Marie moments, each of which feels filled with meaning since George had just innocently drawn Tommy McArdle a map to explain how they got the appliances into the entrance of the bonded warehouse filled with goodies now unprotected. When Marie says about Michelle and Terry being happy, George says “So are we”. He plays happily with his guitar, then throws himself on the sofa to join Marie who is lying there. And #184 closes with both of them smiling. It’s a much-needed happy ending for them, and I know I need to treasure that moment of warmth because it might well be the last of its kind for them.

Incidentally, during Marie’s visit to Heather, there’s a terrifically awkward exchange where Marie boasts about Michelle giving her a makeover that afternoon. Heather dutifully says she can see the difference and Marie looks lovely. Marie, having washed off the makeup and changed into her regular clothes, looks at Heather as though she’s stupid and points out that she meant before, not now. Heather clearly doesn’t quite know how to respond and so just smiles and the subject is quickly changed before the phone rings and a relieved Heather dismisses Marie post-haste.

If Heather is distant and reflective when Marie visits, she has a lot on her mind. The divorce continues in real time, with Roger demanding an inventory of their joint assets in order to relieve Heather of 50% of the items in the house. This new step towards closure gave Heather a scene in which she sat in her living room while remembering - via flashback - several scenes in the same setting with Roger: him getting annoyed over assembling shelves; her playfully telling him what a grump she is; and giving him a slap and verbal hell after hearing his phone call to his mistress.

The choice of flashbacks was notable. Put together they cast Roger in a most unflattering light, and Heather as a patient wife who kept smiling through until she could take no more. While it could arguably be seen as the writers or producers somehow diminishing a character whose actor had chosen to leave as soon as his contract was up, it also feels perfectly real since this is the way Heather is remembering Roger as they go through a bitter divorce. I also love that Brookie employs this method of storytelling which feels somehow against British soap convention of the time. I certainly don’t remember Corrie doing this during the Eighties. I can’t even think of a time EastEnders did this in its early days.

Sadly for Heather, Roger didn’t want to take ownership of thick-skinned Rose who is refusing to budge from the house despite Heather telling her yet again that she needs to leave before she’s too pregnant as she has no desire to have a baby round the house. What’s more, it’s getting a bit Single White Female at number 9 with Rose throwing herself at a colleague of Heather who comes round, immediately pushing him into taking her out and - days later - begging him not to go away on necessary business with Heather. If I was Marie I’d be far more wary of pushy, needy bunny boiler Rose than Michelle.

Outside of this side of the Close, we’ve had Karen lying to Bobby in order to have a break in the Lake District with her boyfriend Andrew, who has spent much time lugging Alan’s old boat around the Close owing to a dispute between Harry and Heather over whose drive it should be on (nobody wants it, and it’s given us yet more crisply assertive Heather and more conniving Harry. Both good things).

Meanwhile, Terry and Michelle have split up (another enjoyably scene of dysfunction number 10 style showed them having a disagreement in the living room while Marie and George could be heard arguing volubly upstairs), reacquainted and agreed to move in together following a kind-of-proposal/kind-of-acceptance. At number 5, Bobby and Sheila have papered the baby’s room. I’m sure at least one of the wallpaper strips is upside down, but nobody seems to have noticed.

 

[Ome]

Spookily enough, last night I watched a 1998 film which

Well, that trumps my next comment, but what the hell.

Watching the second episode of MAKING OUT Dicken turned up, but not with Coogan.

Here he is with Melanie Kilburn ( Corrie’s, Eve Elliott and the brilliant Shirley Stelfox who turns up in Brookie before taking residency in Emmerdale Village.

 

[Ome]

It's probably quite plain that I found his outlandishness a really difficult adjustment early on, and then - just as I'd got used to him as a presence - along came Angry Alan. I found it a struggle too, but then I'm also really impressed that it was allowed to go on for as long as it did and for his character to stay as ugly and unlikeable for most of this time. I suppose I was able to rationalise it as something that's meant to be a struggle. Just as the neighbours grew weary of his alcohol-fuelled behaviour and self pity, so did the audience. It left me not quite sure how to feel, and that made it a really subjective experience. If any show was going to be bold enough to show this scenario warts and all, it was Brookie.

Reading that has changed my opinion (gosh, I’m so fickle) of the character.

Would love to see Tales Of The Unexpected again as well. Some of those terrified me as a kid.

I’m curious how I will find some of these from the eyes of an adult.

God, I wish they'd release 7 or 10 per week as I think we'd be happy to watch a couple of episodes every night.

I wished that, but the way things are going with all these old dramas available, I’m glad it’s out of my control. I forgot to mention that. Had TENKO on my planner too and I’m doing all the old TOTP on BBC3.

 

[Spells & Karma]

Episodes 186 - 190
8 - 22 August 1984​

What makes the George Jackson story so chilling is now credible it all seems*. Even twists that on paper could be considered slightly contrived or heightened - George doodling the map or Tommy’s henchman Victor using Barry and Terry as his alibi - add richness and depth to the story as it unfolds onscreen.

The scene with Victor, Barry and Terry was fascinating to me due to the slightly clunky writing around the necessary exposition combined with performances which felt so naturalistic that I bought it all. All three actors were so in the moment with the intense discussion that any shortcomings fell by the wayside and I could believe that Victor was cornered into telling about the warehouse robbery.

The straw that almost broke the camel’s back with this one was Victor babbling about leaving the map that some bloke had drawn in the getaway van. There was just no getting around that this was there to serve the plot, and it felt too obvious. But the payoff some episodes later - when Barry mentioned the map and George realised that Barry knew more than he should - was such a terrifically charged moment I can look back and say I’m glad it was there.

Cliff Howells and Anna Keaveney have been as brilliant as I’d expect, George and Marie treading the line between fighting back and weary resignation that this is yet another example of the world having it in for their family.

One nice element coming from the storyline has been growth for Annabelle. She’s been there every step of the way for the Jacksons, and now she’s posted bail for George, despite the considerable risks involved for her and the family. As the full implications were explained to her by a solicitor friend of the family - right down to her own imprisonment should George abscond and she find herself unable to cover it - it all sounded very ominous indeed.

Characteristically, Paul has scoffed at what she’s doing, and then comes a winning moment where she makes clear to him her motivation:

I didn’t ask to come here, Paul. When you were made redundant and we came here from the Wirral, I came because I thought we had no choice. Cut your cloth and so on. I wasn’t happy here. You’re quite right: we don’t fit in. Oh, I smile at the neighbours and order clothes from their catalogue and so on, but I’d rather be talking to Sonia about her business.

But the thing is, Paul, since things have looked up for you - since you’ve got a new job - have you suggested that we go back there, to the Wirral? You haven’t. So I assume we’re staying here. Well, in that case, this is where my life has got to be. Because I don’t drive off each day like you do and leave it all behind, do I? I’m here, along with great stretches of silence, a large amount of bird song and the neighbours. So if one of those neighbours is in trouble and asks me for help, I’ve got to give it to her, for my sake as much as hers. Does that make it any clearer to you?

It’s a wonderful speech - almost a monologue (but not quite, since Paul interjects to confirm her assumption about staying in the Close is correct) that pulls her scenes recently into sharp contrast. From enjoying dipping a toe into buying at auctions for her friend’s business, to her quiet-but-heartfelt request for Paul to enquire about a company car so she won’t be stuck at home in the day. Her drive to follow her heart feels even more exciting now it’s been given a voice.

Over at number 5, Ken and Doreen Payne have saved the day with the Grants’ upside down wallpaper, but it came at a cost of an evening spent watching a slideshow of their family photos. Ducksie has made a welcome and surprising return with a bubble perm. Gizzmo has taken a bath. Damon has professed his love for Linda then accepted a double date that included EastEnders’ Sharon Watts (so far a blink-and-you’ll-miss-her part with no real dialogue, but I sense she’ll have a bigger role in the next episode or two).

Perhaps the most cheering news this week is the departure of charming parasite Rose. She’s been whisked off by the father of her baby, who exudes an energy that is somewhere between Trevor Jordache and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’s Child Catcher. May the luck of the Irish be with them both.




* Eerily enough, in the midst of me watching this arc unfold, a featured story on the news this week has been about a real-life George Jackson who was eventually freed after a campaign led by his wife. This has left me in no doubt that the storyline is grounded in a terrifying reality.