Underworld

A very random type of TV Show, strangely enough only just viewed, some 25+ years later. Certainly offers nostalgia, James Fleet (Vicar Of Dibley), Mike Reid (Eastenders), Christopher Fairbank (Auf Wiedersehen Pet), and Alun Armstrong (New Tricks) In very different types of roles. Blends Drama, Comedy, Crime, and Thriller Successfully. Not a must watch, but an entertaining show never the less. It is very much a war of feuding family's with James Fleet's character caught in the middle, a Mr. Normal thrust into the unfamiliar, not knowing which way to turn, comic relief and a randomness at every turn. I would suggest watching If Into nostalgia, twists and turns, and a penchant for the random, being a TV fanatic are your thing.

I loved this show and I missed the first episode. The series develops beautifully and the characters are great. I especially liked the 'Cabbie'. It was shown in Australia a few years ago and we have not seen it since. Definitely worth a repeat viewing. The protagonist is quite easy to empathise with, even though he is less than effective. His sister's attitude to situations plays well against her brother. The father/son relationship of the gangsters is fantastic to watch and similar to everyday relationships. The apparent logic of strange situations is hard to argue with and the fact that William and Susan start to behave in line with the gangsters is very well done. Any one know where the DVD is for this one? I would love to have a copy.

One of my favourite ever TV series from the days when Channel 4 (in UK) would present some of the quirkiest television dramas. It's a comedy-thriller which manages at times to be both very funny and at others very thrilling, but is very difficult to categorise in a way which does it justice. Perhaps its greatest strength is that it has a bizarre storyline which keeps taking unpredictable twists so that you can never anticipate what it's going to throw at you next. So you sit there and enjoy the ride.

Trying to describe the plot is a bit futile - basically 2 ordinary boring 40 year old (give or take) siblings get caught up in old- school gangster feuds in suburban London (or wherever it is) - because the switchback journey to its finale is what makes it great viewing.

Excellent acting and script, good character development for some very strange characters, lots of laugh-out-loud one-liners, other moments of carefully built high tension, some very poignant sub- plots - it all comes together very nicely. There are a couple of brutal scenes which now - nearly 20 years later - look fairly dated and unnecessary and some of the gender portrayals are a bit old- fashioned. But these are more reflections of what was acceptable in 1990s TV than anything else.

Never released on DVD as far as I know, but definitely worth revisiting if you can find it - I did, and it was just as good as I remembered from its original TV screening.

Trivia: it was produced by Hat Trick Productions, who also produce the BBC series "Have I Got News For You", which often features one of its founders - Andy Hamilton - as a panelist. Andy was one of the screenwriters for Underworld and makes a couple of uncredited cameo appearances as the neighbour with the flat cap. Some of Underworld's funniest and/or more surreal moments very much reflect the spirit of his contributions to Have I Got News For You.

The excellence of the series lies in the characters, their clashes, and their truly first class portrayals by the cast. The weak and insipid William (James Fleet), a middle aged teacher, is married to flighty young Gilda. Gilda is barely able to read her own tattoos according to William's strong, bitter and brittle sister Susan (Susan Wooldridge - amid A1 performances she manages to stand out), whose own husband left her for another woman. Their lives become entangled with two sets of gangsters. Boss Teddy Middlemass (Alun Armstrong) is tough but trying hard to raise himself to a higher moral and cultural level, an effort despised by his father (Vicar of Dibley's Trevor Peacock). Rival boss Mr Jezzard is a rolled-gold psychopath, whose sadism is lightened only by his love of the theatrical. The second tier of characters are also well drawn and brilliantly brought to life.

Like other reviewers I am immensely frustrated at how this series has been buried. If any old TV series should be re-run it's Underworld.

Liddy Oldroyd's 'Underworld' was absolutely brilliant. We were clever enough to tape most of it when it was shown here, but our tape is severely worn and my whole family would dearly love to get a new copy. Does anyone know if the series was ever issued on video or DVD and if so where I could buy one? All my searching and inquiries have yielded nothing so far. It has to be one of the all-time best series I have ever seen and deserves to be available commercially. The whole cast and all the production crew have done an absolutely superb job. But we want to watch it more - someone, anyone, what's the chance of finding a DVD or video copy?