Give Us A Clue

[Spells & Karma]

Oh Jesus.

I've only watched the first two available episodes of Series Thirteen, and as much as I enjoy the game, the celebrities, the format and the two captains I'm feeling overwhelmed at the prospect of watching another four series with Michael Parkinson. There's no polite way to put this... I cannot BEAR his suffocating, controlling chairmanship.

The more I watch, the more I realise that he simply doesn't get it. He doesn't understand that his "helpful" interruptions - more frequent with each passing episode - are undermining the game.

The second episode made me want to effing SCREAM. Look how Parky verbally steps in and actually takes over the entire second minute of Rosalind Ayres's turn (from around 9.20 below)...

How an artist hasn't held up play to tell him to shut his bloody gob, I don't know. Once he starts "helping", he can't seem to stop. In the example above he keeps on vocally confirming or denying a correct guess before Rosalind has the chance to even nod or shake her head. Then he clearly has a taste for it because he's butts in on Linda Lusardi's turn. And Victor McGuire's. His voice, saying "no, no, no" and correcting them becomes a kind of nightmarish, unwelcome soundtrack on top of the guesses of the team.

The entire POINT of the game is that words are not allowed. Everything must be acted out. So why doesn't he trust any of these professionals to do this without his interference?

I strongly suspect there's an element of self-importance and grandiosity. More and more I'm noticing that the seated players guessing the answers (and especially the women) are looking at PARKINSON to check whether they're guessing correctly or not. It's my guess it's a dynamic he's cultivated because he enjoys this degree of dependence on him. Needs it, even.

He's extremely condescending. The patronising sing-song way he says "verrrry well donnnne" at the end of all the women's rounds as though he's speaking to infants. He might as well just pat them on the arse and be done with it.

Then there's his clear bias. The women get all the "verrrry well donnnne"s, but just listen how eager he is to jump in and chastise Lionel's team at 17 minutes into the video above. He almost trips over his own tongue in panic that he won't get to point out their failing.

Perhaps he lacks the humility to be less vocal and would feel less important (i.e. it would bruise his ego) if his voice wasn't so dominant. Perhaps it's an inflated sense of responsibility as the chair that makes him feel he needs to "fix" things for the less experienced players (even though it's inappropriate to do so). Or perhaps it's because his many years as a chat show host* have required a more directive, hands-on approach that is overkill here. Whatever the case, he's diminished my enjoyment to the point that I almost don't want to watch anymore. I suppose it will be a question of whether I enjoy the good aspects more than I dislike Parky as a chair. And I'm not too sure at the moment.






* To add balance, I'll add that I watched Parky's interview with Kenneth Williams in Parkinson In Australia the other night and loved it. I have another one lined up to watch. So it's not that I can't stand Parky himself (though binge-watching GUAC is starting to make it feel that way). But I can't stand him in Give Us A Clue where he's a square peg in a round hole.

 

[Spells & Karma]

I was browsing through Kenneth Williams's diaries this morning and thought I'd see what he had to say about his GUAC appearances...



Wednesday, 14 November 1979
Hate the idea of going to Teddington for this TV rubbish 'Give Us A Clue'! After a lot of standing about and v. tiresome schoolboy jokes from Spike Milligan, we got under way & I was out by 5 o'c. The performance from company was good. One of the obelisks fell as J.B. kicked it on leaving & I had to stand there holding it up. Miriam said 'Looked as if you were having a pee up the back there...'



Sunday, 5 April 1981
I had forgotten the utter boredom of this programme, 'Give Us A Clue'. Got thro' it all right but only fairly all right.



Friday, 19 June 1987
To Teddington. My team on 'Give Us A Clue' was Simon Williams & Martin Jarvis. No show could be more enjoyable 'cos the people are delightful to be with. Michael Parkinson in the chair & he asked me (as he always does) 'What are you working at?' & I said f**k all.

 

[Spells & Karma]

Making her GUAC debut, Anne Robinson must have wondered what kind of a show she was on. Her two guest teammates - returnees Faith Brown and Sally Anne Howes - lacked any kind of grace at the inevitable thrashing brought about by their own ineptitude.

Going by the banter, Brown seems to be a friend of Parky, which seemed to make her feel entitled to spend two consecutive episodes whining loudly: the boys are getting easier questions; he's cheating; Parky's playing favourites; we got it on the bell, didn't we (turns to audience to add pressure). Ugh. Parky alluded to some combative talk in the dressing room and I can believe it going on how unsporting she was publicly, without seeming to recognise that after numerous appearances she doesn't seem to grasp the game's simple logic, such as what word sounds like another or how to do simple gestures for small words, etc.

Howes wasn't much better. She clearly struggled to keep her mouth shut during her play, and spent each of her two minute performances making constant desperate (and often leading) whining sounds like a dog on the edge of having an accident indoors.

This was one episode where Parky's interference felt almost appropriate, since they were both so clueless, even failing to guess the simplest words during Liza's team and getting ridiculously off-track. Twice, during the game, Parky actually handed them the answer by filling in words they'd missed in one title, and - despite them having no idea when they'd actually been close to guessing correctly - actually said (with four seconds to go) "So it sounds like "Dirty Hotten something". He also gave them the two points for a title they'd only guessed correctly some seconds after the buzzer had gone.

Incidentally, I've noticed a bit of a trend with Liza's team where, after a failed performance, the performer will shout out the title they were trying to act out, meaning it then can't be offered to Lionel's team to guess for a bonus point. It happens with such frequency these days I can't help wonder if it's tactical. Not that Parky always bothers offering it to Lionel's team anyway, in his zeal to tell everyone what he knows.



I realise it sounds like I'm hate-watching at this point, but I am still finding lots to thoroughly enjoy. I mean, Derek Griffiths acting out "Male Stripper" by wiggling about pretending to take off a tiny pair of pants... what's not to love.

Lots of EastEnders appearing. Gillian Taylforth seems almost as regular as Wendy Richard was on Just A Minute, and she's certainly got a flair for it. She seems quite competitive and very focussed, but great fun as well. As previously mentioned, William Boyd was great in his debut, as was The future Right Honourable Lord Cashman in his. Jane Howe seemed to struggle with self-consciousness (somewhere, Ange is cackling in her dressing gown).

Ross Davidson made for an unexpectedly good team with Fraser Hines and Karl Howman. You'd expect them to be a bit laddish, and they were, but enjoyably so. All were obviously in it to win it and during the musical introduction bit had great fun showing off the little shorthands they'd clearly just learnt. Davidson was less enjoyable on his second time out when I spotted that he consistently mouthed each word as he performed it. I'm not sure if this is an unconscious thing or out and out cheating, but it certainly should have been picked up on and stopped.

 

[Spells & Karma]

List of episodes and details of celebs who appeared seem impossible to find for this series. I'm a little surprised it doesn't have a fan-made website somewhere, being a little slice of pop culture of the Seventies and Eighties.

For my own peace of mind, I've chosen to believe there were two series transmitted in 1989. YouTube playlists call the series I'm currently viewing "Give Us A Clue 1989 Part 2", but I think it's safe to assume these are actually a different series from Part 1 since the closing titles have been slightly revamped and zjooshed up a little, with numerous GUAC logos now surrounding the images and lighting up in sequence in perfect time with the beats of the music. I like it.

It's good news with my recent bugbear: Parky's micromanagement of the players. He's toned it right down in this batch of episodes and stays the right side of overbearing.

We're in a good place again, and once again my little GUAC fix is one of the favourite parts of my day.

 

[Spells & Karma]

Into the second playlist of 1989 episodes has slipped an episode clearly belonging to the earlier 1989 run (different opening titles and lyrics; slightly different set, etc.). This has confirmed that Parky does seem to have toned down to a more in keeping style of chairmanship because while he has been perfectly OK in the most recent episodes I've watched, this one episode got my blood pressure right up again with his bias and interference to help the ladies' team.

In this one episode alone he used numerous and blatant tactics to try to keep Lionel's team down: he said the women had a title on the buzzer (they didn't) and then two minutes later got hardline and said the men didn't have their title before the buzzer (they did). He gave the ladies' team a bonus point for being close to correct in the question posed, then offered a bonus to the men thinking they wouldn't know the answer. When asked "Where's our point?" he told them they already had too many.

Still, if the Liza/Parky era of GUAC follows the impending release of the Una/Aspel years it's helpful to know that I can either skip the 1987 and early 1989 episodes altogether or grit my teeth and take solace in knowing the later 1989 run is more watchable.

 

[Spells & Karma]

I've had to drop right off my GUAC viewings as Parkinson's blatant gender bias was just too annoying.

Pacing myself is everything, so I've only watched nine of the thirty seven available 1991 episodes where he's back on early-'89 levels of handing answers to Liza's team while watching Lionel and his team struggle.

Of course, this pales into insignificance alongside the garish abomination that is Timmy Mallett. Still - it's only the occasional episode or two.

Beginning at seventeen-and-a-half minutes, this episode is notable for one round where the women say the word "pussy" more times in two minutes than Mrs Slocombe did in twelve-and-a-half years of Are You Being Served? Most impressive - especially for a twee little daytime show*.



*And note how Parky intervenes to inform them they've "got the third word" while Libby is acting out the second word. He drains out every bit of confusing fun.

 

[Angela Chilling]

In this one episode alone he used numerous and blatant tactics to try to keep Lionel's team down: he said the women had a title on the buzzer (they didn't) and then two minutes later got hardline and said the men didn't have their title before the buzzer (they did). He gave the ladies' team a bonus point for being close to correct in the question posed, then offered a bonus to the men thinking they wouldn't know the answer. When asked "Where's our point?" he told them they already had too many.

I agree with your frustrations regarding Michael Parkinson being in the chair. Give Us a Clue was fluff TV, I don't mean that in a disparaging way, it was just not to be taken seriously as it's just a piece of inconsequential fun. However, because if was fluff TV, it only worked if all the participants take did it seriously by acting out the questions and guessing them as best as they could and if they didn't, the show risked becoming too silly to be watchable.

When Parky didn't act even-handedly it used to completely ruin the show for me because I would question why the celebrities were putting in any real effort if the chair wasn't going to moderate the show fairly. I always thought there was a fine line between the show being a bit of trivial fun and a mindless mess and Parky too often steered it to the wrong side of that line,

 

[Spells & Karma]

because if was fluff TV, it only worked if all the participants take did it seriously by acting out the questions and guessing them as best as they could and if they didn't, the show risked becoming too silly to be watchable.

Absolutely. The struggle is the most fun thing - that moment when a player has guessed the word, but the person doing the mime can't get them to realise it. Or when they're almost there but are unable to correctly guess a word in the middle of the title. All of that goes out of the window with Parky. It feels like he's bored and wants to move it along, but he always seems to do what he can to ensure the women gain as many points as possible. It's unnecessary because Liza is a brilliant player, as are many people who join her team. It's not like they need him jumping in to practically tell them the answer.

When Parky didn't act even-handedly it used to completely ruin the show for me because I would question why the celebrities were putting in any real effort if the chair wasn't going to moderate the show fairly. I always thought there was a fine line between the show being a bit of trivial fun and a mindless mess and Parky too often steered it to the wrong side of that line

Thanks for this. As I'm watching alone, it's really hard to tell if I'm overreacting to it so it's good to know someone else gets a similar kind of feeling.

I don't remember noticing this when I was younger, but then I was probably less inclined to notice undercurrents or these kinds of pattern. It was most unexpected to find such difficulty enjoying Parky in the chair.

 

[Angela Chilling]

Thanks for this. As I'm watching alone, it's really hard to tell if I'm overreacting to it so it's good to know someone else gets a similar kind of feeling.

I don't remember noticing this when I was younger, but then I was probably less inclined to notice undercurrents or these kinds of pattern. It was most unexpected to find such difficulty enjoying Parky in the chair.

I completely forgot about this until I you I saw your comment on it and I remembered how I felt the same back in the day.

Parky generally interfered too much and I remembered thinking that he should just leave the teams to guess the titles and if they didn't that just part of the game. However, whenever the time was running out or the celebrity didn't seem to be making sufficient progress, he would stick his oar in and help them out and he seemed to disproportionately do this for Lisa Goddard's team. I didn't notice your observation that he would also give them points if they came close to getting the titles right but weren't entirely accurate but I can believe this because it was in keeping with his general approach to the show.

I often wondered if Parky felt the show was beneath him so he didn't have to take it seriously. I think at the time his BBC interview show had ended and his move to TV-am had flopped so he just treated the show as a pay cheque and wasn't particularly bothered about doing a good job.

 

[Spells & Karma]

Well, last night I came to the end of GUAC episodes - at least as far as the playlists created on a certain video sharing site go - with the final available 1991 episode.

With the daytime version of the series, my pace has significantly slowed down from the "several episodes a day" pace at which I began devouring the series to just an occasional few episodes here and there. There are several reasons for this, I suspect.

Firstly, life's got a little busier and I've found myself with less spare time to watch TV - certainly during the daytime when I'd usually sneak in a few GUACs (work shifts and other such trivialities permitting).

Secondly the novelty has worn off and I have probably run out of that initial burst of excitement for the series as the familiar kicks in. By virtue of its format, the episodes can be a little "samey" (a comforting factor which is also a key reason the series is so appealing and accessible). They're designed to be watched regularly, but probably not "binge-watched" in the way many viewers consume TV series today. This is no bad thing. While I can occasionally watch some series at quite a pace (my greatest "achievement" in this regard" being devouring almost 1000 episodes' worth of Sons And Daughters in the space of little more than five months), I'm generally an advocate of less being more. Not that GUAC episodes need time to resonate or settle as a powerful drama might, but the adage about familiarity breeding contempt isn't untrue.

The final reason is simply that, as previously mentioned, Parkinson hasn't stopped ranging from irritating to insufferable as chairman and I can only take him in small doses.

Parky generally interfered too much and I remembered thinking that he should just leave the teams to guess the titles and if they didn't that just part of the game. However, whenever the time was running out or the celebrity didn't seem to be making sufficient progress, he would stick his oar in and help them out and he seemed to disproportionately do this for Lisa Goddard's team.

While I've found myself almost always rooting for the men's team to win because of the negative impact Parky's bias has had on Lionel and his team, as the episodes have progressed I've also wondered if the women, too, don't appreciate his interference.

Increasingly as I've watched, I've tried to understand what's going on and concluded that his favouritism may stem from a very condescending belief that the women are somehow less capable than the men. I'd be fascinated to have known what those appearing on the series - especially Lionel and Liza - really thought of his chairmanship.

There appears to be a great deal of warmth between him and Liza and it's plain he's fond of her. It comes across as a two-way thing and she seems, if anything, to appreciate his favouritism. There's certainly no sign of her discouraging him (and there have been female players on the series who have blatantly fallen back on their femininity to appeal to Parky at times in order to get an extra point or two). But then Liza is a professional, and I suspect has good working relationships with her colleagues. If she did resent his interference, I very much doubt it would come across on-screen, and the dynamic between them would probably not be very different even if he didn't interfere. I really wonder what her experience of Parky was as they would have spent a lot of time together.

I must confess I've had questions about Parkinson's attitudes towards women. There's a whole lot of condescension wrapped up as chivalry, but there's also a lot of what would now be considered unacceptable behaviour and comments. Some of this is no doubt simply a sign of the times (and, as I commented in the Una Stubbs era, Aspel made the occasional eyebrow-raising comment about the women's nubile charms). But there's just something I find extremely icky when Parky makes comments about the women's attractiveness or short skirts or whatever, There's also something about the way he gazes adoringly up at the prettier female players as they come up to collect their cards from him that doesn't always sit well with me. And there's also an over-familiarity present with the women sometimes that you don't see with the men. In one of the latter episodes, for example, he called Upstairs Downstairs' Nicola Pagett over mid-charade to offer his unsolicited guidance on how to act something out. In order to whisper in her ear, he stood up and leaned over the desk, putting his hands all over her shoulders, arms and back as he whispered. To me, it looked uncomfortably - and unnecessarily - intimate. Other pieces of the puzzle - such as Parky's infamously awkward grilling of Meg Ryan - only add to the questions I have.

For his part - and to his huge credit - Lionel seems to have relaxed over Parky's interference. I suspect he's accepted that the situation isn't going to change and has decided to make the best of it. In these latter episodes, there's a lot less tut-tutting or under-the-breath comments from him when Parkinson does something to enable Liza's team to win. He continues to enjoy the company of his teammates, with lots of genuine laughter when Kenny Everett or Bernie Winters are larking around. And his team have genuinely thrashed Liza's team now and then, despite all efforts by Parky to scupper them. Revisiting the series has made me realise what a class act Lionel is, how he's shown himself to be the bigger person in what appeared to be a spat with Parkinson, and how much blooming fun he appears to be.




Parkinson aside, the daytime/Liza version of the series has proved in all other regards at least as watchable as the primetime/Una iteration. In many ways even more so: the format is perfected and the shorthands and rules mostly better understood. There are some exuberant guests doing their thing. The set looks great. And the catchy theme song is so perfect and catchy I found myself wishing it had come along many years earlier than it did.

With the Aspel/Una era being released on DVD in its entirety, I'm sure I'll take the plunge soon and invest in a copy, and I'll be back in this thread when I finally get round to watching it. However, I'm on the fence with the Parkinson era. As mentioned, there's a lot in its favour, and one can never have too much of wonderful players like Kenny Everett, Derek Griffiths, Dave Lee Travis, Paula Wilcox or Christopher Biggins (special mention to Thelma Barlow - the best title-guesser in series history. She got almost every title within seconds, leaving me wondering if she'd been rummaging through the cards when nobody was looking). But I fear my blood pressure would be adversely affected if I had to sit through EVERY Parkinson episode.

 

[Spells & Karma]

Oh wait... I can hold my horses. Three new 1991 episodes have just been added to my playlist. Here's hoping there are more to follow!

 

[Angela Chilling]

Revisiting the series has made me realise what a class act Lionel is,

This isn't connected to Give Us A Clue but your comment reminded of my thoughts when I watched the video for Chris Rea's Driving Home For Christmas which was made when the single was re-released in support of the charity Shelter. Lionel, with a bunch of other celebrities, appeared in it and although he was getting on a bit you can't help but notice his enthusiasm and joy at taking part in the project and I guess also at the chance of being in the limelight again. As you say, he was a class act.

 

[Angela Chilling]

Other pieces of the puzzle - such as Parky's infamously awkward grilling of Meg Ryan - only add to the questions I have.

Parky's always spins the interview as Meg Ryan being difficult but I always thought she a bit irritable because of his unnecessarily hostile and badgering approach to her. He behaved similarly when he interview Diana Ross and effectively blamed her for the death of Florence Ballard when they were in the Supremes. I'm not saying I think he has a general problem with women but there have been a few examples when I've not been entirely comfortable with how he has conducted himself with some.

 

[Spells & Karma]

your comment reminded of my thoughts when I watched the video for Chris Rea's Driving Home For Christmas which was made when the single was re-released in support of the charity Shelter.

Oh, that's nice. I couldn't swear to it but I think I've seen that video before.

Lionel, with a bunch of other celebrities, appeared in it

I must confess that Lionel is about the only one I recognise.

although he was getting on a bit you can't help but notice his enthusiasm and joy at taking part in the project and I guess also at the chance of being in the limelight again. As you say, he was a class act.

Absolutely. He has such an exuberance that lights up the screen even in the little glimpses we see of him in the video.

There was something very old school about him, I think. With his background of musical theatre, dance and live TV I've assumed he was probably very disciplined and values professionalism highly. I imagine there would have been very little which would have got in the way of him and a commitment he'd made and he probably took that aspect very seriously. But there's such a sense of fun as well. I've mentioned his cackle a number of times in this thread and I love how much he enjoys being entertained by others on the team as much as he does performing for others. He's a very giving performer. In one of the episodes I watched last night, Liza had a particularly tricky title, and he could be seen applauding her in the background as she returned to her seat having gained a couple of well earned points.

Parky's always spins the interview as Meg Ryan being difficult but I always thought she a bit irritable because of his unnecessarily hostile and badgering approach to her.

I didn't watch the entire show and so I'm missing some context, and of course it's difficult to say what exchanges were made between them before filming began, but it's clear in this clip that - for whatever reason - he's decided not to give her an easy time. I appreciate as an interviewer he sometimes needed to press people beyond their comfort zone, but this didn't look like one of those occasions. It was his show - his territory - and she was a guest who admitted to being nervous. To me it looks like he's being an ungracious host, not doing anything to help his guest feel more comfortable, relaxed and open. As you said, he came across as badgering.

 

[Spells & Karma]

He behaved similarly when he interview Diana Ross and effectively blamed her for the death of Florence Ballard when they were in the Supremes.

Out of curiosity I just watched this 1981 interview and he doesn't come across well at all. He seems very disagreeable from the start, and it doesn't help that he introduces her with what she says is an inaccurate financial sum regarding her signing.

But yes, to move directly from asking about disagreements in The Supremes to speaking about Florence's death as though the two are directly linked is shocking. It feels he has an agenda, and the conversation doesn't seem to flow because he's not interested in the pleasantries but in steering things towards his inflammatory questions. He comes across as quite cold. I was impressed with Diana's grace when faced with such an unpleasant interview. It's only thanks to her responses that it wasn't catastrophic, and I can't help wonder if that's what he would have liked.

I'm sure Diana and Meg know that his conduct doesn't represent the country as a whole, but as a Brit, I can't help feeling a little embarrassed watching these inhospitable interviews.

 

[Angela Chilling]

Out of curiosity I just watched this 1981 interview and he doesn't come across well at all. He seems very disagreeable from the start, and it doesn't help that he introduces her with what she says is an inaccurate financial sum regarding her signing.

But yes, to move directly from asking about disagreements in The Supremes to speaking about Florence's death as though the two are directly linked is shocking. It feels he has an agenda, and the conversation doesn't seem to flow because he's not interested in the pleasantries but in steering things towards his inflammatory questions. He comes across as quite cold. I was impressed with Diana's grace when faced with such an unpleasant interview. It's only thanks to her responses that it wasn't catastrophic, and I can't help wonder if that's what he would have liked.

I'm sure Diana and Meg know that his conduct doesn't represent the country as a whole, but as a Brit, I can't help feeling a little embarrassed watching these inhospitable interviews.

I've not seen the interview since it was first broadcast but I have a clear memory of it. I also remember reading an interview Diana gave to a newspaper afterwards in which she described Parky as being "mean" to her in that interview.

It was Parky's juxtaposition of Florence's death with the internal friction within the group following when Diana became the lead singer which just didn't sit well with me. Implying there was a connection seemed as though he was trying to accuse her of something even though Florence died a few years after she left the group. However, Diana, answered his questions politely, with grace and didn't become particularly defensive but I wouldn't have blamed her if she had become irritable like Meg Ryan did in her interview.

I thought Parky was unprofessional and seemed more intent on making headlines than conducting an informative and entertaining interview and the same was probably true for his interview with Meg Ryan.

 

[Spells & Karma]

I also remember reading an interview Diana gave to a newspaper afterwards in which she described Parky as being "mean" to her in that interview.

Interesting. She hid her frustrations well in the interview and really managed to keep it upbeat, which shows her professionalism. But it shouldn't really be down to the interviewee to work that hard to keep some kind of rapport going throughout the interview.

I thought Parky was unprofessional and seemed more intent on making headlines than conducting an informative and entertaining interview and the same was probably true for his interview with Meg Ryan.

Yes, I think you're right on all counts.

As I mentioned earlier in the thread, I recently watched a lengthy Parky interview with Kenneth Williams and found him fine there (though, to be fair, with Kenny in full flight, all the interviewer needs to do is sit back and let him do his thing).

Parkinson seemed to be a presence during my whole childhood, and seemed to be highly regarded as an interviewer and chat show host. I have little recollection of watching many of his interviews (in fact, I most associate the opening of his TV show with bedtime), but I've always kind of rated him based on his reputation. Based on what I've seen when revisiting GUAC, along with some of these less-successful interviews, I can't help feeling I feel I overrated him.

 

[Spells & Karma]

Having exhausted all the episodes in the playlist created by the person uploading most of the episodes available, I've been delighted this week to notice that new episodes are still being uploaded now and then.

Last week, a three-parter featuring Jimmy and Liza Tarbuck suddenly appeared. I watched the last one a couple of days ago, and this morning another three-parter has landed, this time featuring Derek Griffiths and Susie Blake (and, perhaps best of all, Ross Davidson in a pair of very skimpy shorts).

Watching just a few a week, Parky's tolerable. I did notice in the episode I've just watched he offered a title to the boys after the girls' team timed-out, but then "neglected" to give them the bonus point when they got it right. This is in addition to his usual meddling in the girls' rounds.

In between, I also watched a random 1984 Una Stubbs episode which must have been one of Parky's earliest. This being a Bucks Fizz episode (all four appeared, along with Dana and regular Paul Jones), his overt letching after future Brexiteer Jay Aston was rather nauseating.

 

[Spells & Karma]

Coincidentally, I've been sent an email this morning letting me know it's out on DVD next month...

Having enjoyed the series so much thus far, I'll definitely invest in this one, but I'll wait until there's a good offer on it.

Well, with Network having vanished, I decided it was now or never.

I ordered the series this week and it seems the timing was good since within a day of my order it had increased in price by a tenner. I'm relieved to have bagged a copy and I'm looking forward to diving in (all over again) at some point.