Lovejoy

Excellent series full of humour and wit. Stories well written. Deals with the 'life and times' of an antiques dealer with a problem with commitment except to friends. Terrific supporting cast who play their roles with a joy and bring depth to their characters. Wonderfully interesting stories - I especially enjoyed seeing the 'J. Arthur Rank gong' again after an absence of many years - I hope that it has now found its way into a museum for safe keeping! I wish that a new series would be produced but, and here I compliment the BBC, the production company know when to end a series - that is, while it is still excellent!

This TV series brings back fond memories of the late 80's, early 90's. Happen to have an interest in Antiques but this was completely unnecessary in order to enjoy the series. Lovejoy the Antiques dealer was an interesting combination of amateur Detective, righter of wrongs, incurable romantic/ womaniser (!), and occasional con-man which gave him a slightly dark edge - though he would generally only con other con-men or unsavoury wealthy types with so much money they would hardly notice it. This was a programme which at the time seemed to out-shine all others. The first series in 1986 was separated by a five year gap to 1991 for the second series. It only returned due to huge public demand in the UK. In the end six series were produced though some of the old characters had sadly disappeared by the last series. Why do I think Lovejoy was so good? Because it was refreshingly innocent - there was no 'body count' (well a very occasional murder), lots of good-natured banter between friends and very varied story-lines. Plus Lovejoy seemed to lead a rather enviable life, sometimes struggling financially, other times with a wind-fall but always surrounded by good friends and enjoying the hell out of life. And what country-side - the beautiful green fields and villages of England's East Anglia! There were 71 episodes to enjoy, and it does get repeated here and there - but only a few episodes have been released on VHS. Where Oh where are the DVD's??? If you haven't seen it yet and get a chance to see it - do so - it'll leave you with a feel-good factor you won't forget.

Very few series anymore give me a warm feeling. You know, the feeling you get when you're watching a show that 'feels like home'. Lovejoy was a show like that, it really made me feel comfortable.

Unfortunately, I don't think there will be shows like Lovejoy anymore. There are few newer series that have come close. One of them is Frasier, although they don't make it anymore either. Maybe I should just watch the older series over and over again, shows like Jeeves and Wooster, The Prisoner, Red Dwarf, etc.

I have all the episodes but not in the right order. ( Yes Sad I know)This is a great series about a roguish but lovable antique dealer, a role that Ian McShane was born to play. Apart from Lovejoy my favourite has to be Tinker...What a character. The rest of the regular cast, especially Phyllis Logan is excellent

Having moved from the UK to Asia approximately 10 years ago, I have found myself collecting quality British TV series on DVD, most of which I had grown up with during my school and college days. These are great to while away an hour or so on a Sunday evening when pangs of homesickness occur. Series like Fawlty Towers, Only Fools and Horses, Men Behaving Badly, Auf Weidersehen Pet and of course ... Lovejoy!

These series bring a smile to the face, a fair number of laughs and that warm fuzzy feeling like putting on a pair of comfortable shoes.

I had almost given up hope that Lovejoy would be released on DVD and while back in the UK on a business trip last week, was overjoyed to find that the first three series were already on the shelves (and had been since Spring 2004). I bought all three!

On first impressions, I wasn't all that enamoured with the image quality, as it comes across as quite grainy. This is a shame and can be a little distracting at times (especially during night scenes). By comparison, I had a totally different experience when I purchased the first series of Cheers on DVD with an amazing remastering job done on the image that just takes your breath away. The sound is also a bit touch-and-go and it can be difficult to hear some of the lines being delivered, particularly if the character is facing away from the camera.

The three-part interview with Ian McShane comes across as a little amateurish, although the effort was appreciated.

The real winner though is the show itself. As the series is set in the English countryside, it is fairly devoid of fashion, technology and modern cars. The result is that there's very little to date it. Only the occasional blast of background music gives the game away. At the end of the first episode, I had a smile on my face and a satisfaction that Lovejoy is back in my life.