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Classic UK TV
The Great British Sitcom
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<blockquote data-quote="Mel O&#039;Drama" data-source="post: 352121" data-attributes="member: 23"><p>Last night I dived into the first five episodes of my next Britcom:</p><p style="text-align: center"></p> <p style="text-align: center"><img src="https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fartworks.thetvdb.com%2Fbanners%2Fposters%2F77838-2.jpg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=72c92db0d93a87963097616adb56b54552848fb842105f1c1577ab7470f5de50&ipo=images" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="width: 517px" /></p><p></p><p>I have a bit of a mental block about the name of this series and keep confusing it with another father/son-themed ITV sitcom of the era: <em>Don't Wait Up</em>. Whatever I write in the next few posts, I am actually watching <em>Home To Roost</em>.</p><p></p><p>Unlike<em> Mind Your Language</em>, this is one I have heard of, and I can remember watching it sometimes, even if it wasn't a series I remember going out of my way to watch, nor one of which I have any specific memories. For me it fell into the category of a time-filler. I probably watched it by osmosis if someone else in the family had it on, or if it came on in between other programmes.</p><p></p><p>Watching these first episodes hasn't done a great deal to jog my memory... certainly not as far as the episodes themselves go. I know the opening and closing titles quite well and from the first episode last night could hum the tune (a jazzy instrumental version of <em>Consider Yourself</em> from <em>Oliver!</em>) with all its little quirky additional passages, so it's definitely been part of my world at some point.</p><p></p><p>Something I found moderately confusing is that this is a Yorkshire Television production yet seems to be set in London. Compounding this confusion, John Thaw and Reece Dinsdale's accents are difficult to pin down: I picked up frequent traces of Midlands or North West, but only upon listening carefully. Despite the opening credits featuring Tower Bridge, the series so far doesn't have a strong sense of place in the way that many do.</p><p></p><p>All the same, it feels very inviting. Henry's home feels very established and tangible and helping that is an instant familiarity as we walk between rooms. Parts of it resemble Simon Peel's home in <em>Never The Twain,</em> and there are hints of some other sitcoms some of the sets bring to mind. It's also likely that I partly remember it from watching the series almost four decades ago.</p><p></p><p>Eric Chappell has sitcom pedigree, having written for a number of other Yorkshire Television sitcoms prior to this: <em>Duty Free; Only When I Laugh; The Bounder</em> and perhaps most notably <em>Rising Damp</em>. His familiar wry, sardonic writing style is perfectly embodied by John Thaw's equally wry and sardonic Henry, whose singularly unimpressed greeting of his son after many years in the opening scene seems to sum up the entire premise.</p><p></p><p>The series really did hit the ground running with a first episode featuring just three characters - all regulars. In addition to Henry and son Matthew there was nosey cleaner Enid... and she only appeared briefly in a scene or two. The scenes are quite lengthy and verbose and extremely satisfying for their naturalism and lack of sing-song sitcom delivery. At times there's real anger and hurt behind the two men's words, which feels right for the situation. John Thaw's gruff, blustery style makes Henry an instant winner, and Reece Dinsdale does a decent job of matching his intensity. They're really suited to one another and I buy that they're father and son. With his puppy dog eyes and cheeky smile, Reece is like a Smash Hits/Look-In/Just 17 younger version of Thaw himself. Watching this I thought it a little surprising that I don't recall him being in anything since then and I wondered if he was one of those "of their time" actors. But it turns out he's more recently done stints in both <em>Corrie</em> and <em>Emmerdale</em>, so that's obviously down to me not paying attention. </p><p></p><p>Despite the requisite situational aspect of each episode, it feels like a very character-driven series. So far it's a strong start that's been incredibly easy to digest, and I have no hesitation in looking forward to the remaining 24 episodes.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Mel O'Drama, post: 352121, member: 23"] Last night I dived into the first five episodes of my next Britcom: [CENTER] [IMG width="517px"]https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fartworks.thetvdb.com%2Fbanners%2Fposters%2F77838-2.jpg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=72c92db0d93a87963097616adb56b54552848fb842105f1c1577ab7470f5de50&ipo=images[/IMG][/CENTER] I have a bit of a mental block about the name of this series and keep confusing it with another father/son-themed ITV sitcom of the era: [I]Don't Wait Up[/I]. Whatever I write in the next few posts, I am actually watching [I]Home To Roost[/I]. Unlike[I] Mind Your Language[/I], this is one I have heard of, and I can remember watching it sometimes, even if it wasn't a series I remember going out of my way to watch, nor one of which I have any specific memories. For me it fell into the category of a time-filler. I probably watched it by osmosis if someone else in the family had it on, or if it came on in between other programmes. Watching these first episodes hasn't done a great deal to jog my memory... certainly not as far as the episodes themselves go. I know the opening and closing titles quite well and from the first episode last night could hum the tune (a jazzy instrumental version of [I]Consider Yourself[/I] from [I]Oliver![/I]) with all its little quirky additional passages, so it's definitely been part of my world at some point. Something I found moderately confusing is that this is a Yorkshire Television production yet seems to be set in London. Compounding this confusion, John Thaw and Reece Dinsdale's accents are difficult to pin down: I picked up frequent traces of Midlands or North West, but only upon listening carefully. Despite the opening credits featuring Tower Bridge, the series so far doesn't have a strong sense of place in the way that many do. All the same, it feels very inviting. Henry's home feels very established and tangible and helping that is an instant familiarity as we walk between rooms. Parts of it resemble Simon Peel's home in [I]Never The Twain,[/I] and there are hints of some other sitcoms some of the sets bring to mind. It's also likely that I partly remember it from watching the series almost four decades ago. Eric Chappell has sitcom pedigree, having written for a number of other Yorkshire Television sitcoms prior to this: [I]Duty Free; Only When I Laugh; The Bounder[/I] and perhaps most notably [I]Rising Damp[/I]. His familiar wry, sardonic writing style is perfectly embodied by John Thaw's equally wry and sardonic Henry, whose singularly unimpressed greeting of his son after many years in the opening scene seems to sum up the entire premise. The series really did hit the ground running with a first episode featuring just three characters - all regulars. In addition to Henry and son Matthew there was nosey cleaner Enid... and she only appeared briefly in a scene or two. The scenes are quite lengthy and verbose and extremely satisfying for their naturalism and lack of sing-song sitcom delivery. At times there's real anger and hurt behind the two men's words, which feels right for the situation. John Thaw's gruff, blustery style makes Henry an instant winner, and Reece Dinsdale does a decent job of matching his intensity. They're really suited to one another and I buy that they're father and son. With his puppy dog eyes and cheeky smile, Reece is like a Smash Hits/Look-In/Just 17 younger version of Thaw himself. Watching this I thought it a little surprising that I don't recall him being in anything since then and I wondered if he was one of those "of their time" actors. But it turns out he's more recently done stints in both [I]Corrie[/I] and [I]Emmerdale[/I], so that's obviously down to me not paying attention. Despite the requisite situational aspect of each episode, it feels like a very character-driven series. So far it's a strong start that's been incredibly easy to digest, and I have no hesitation in looking forward to the remaining 24 episodes. [/QUOTE]
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