The Missing Postman

In 'Continental Drifters' Rich Hall declares that it would be impossible to set a road movie in Britain. This series proves that wrong.

Plot Outline:- Clive is a postie who loves his job but is being forced into retirement by new technology. So, after emptying the last postbox at the end of his last day, he suddenly decides not to return to the sorting office to hand in his uniform & bike, but instead decides to deliver the letters himself. So begins an adventure well worth watching , with all the drama, heartache & joy of the best road movies. There is even his having to evade the police trailing him.

With James Bolam perfectly cast as Clive, Alison Steadman as the wife left at home and Jim Carter as the pursuing policeman, there are great performances. These and the excellent script provide a very enjoyable three hours of entertainment. thart rival Easy Rider, Vanishing Point, Thelma & Louise etc. And even if you aren't a road movie lover, this is still a great light drama of the 'Doc Martin', 'Withnail & I' type..

I saw this movie divided into a mini-series a couple of years ago and I absolutely loved it.

The movie's about Clive, who has worked as a postman forever. When he is to be replaced by new technology, he suffers a bit of a black-out. Clive takes his post-bag containing letters for people living all over Britain and gets on his bike to personally deliver them. On his journey he meets people who in different ways affect his life...

What I liked about this movie was that it was such a nice little story about one man's life. It wasn't any sort of hero-movie; like "will Clive be able to change the whole system and get rid of the machines", it was simply a portrait of one man and his life.

I'm German and just love British protections.

The acting, screenplay and plot in this film are just magnificent. Putting it simply, it's a gentle one man's journey to himself. All other characters contribute to his growth along there way - while his wife has to grapple with being left alone to cope but it has a mixed effect on her. Venting her frustration and grief by doing major house renovations, she is forced to reflect on the state of her marriage. Her character's growth is as evident as Clive's own journey. Every character is well drawn and beautifully acted.

I apologize for my substandard English but I just had to express my appreciation of this great little/big movie.

I watched The Missing Postman over 20 years ago, and what a charming slice of English postman life, with the protaganist played by James Bolam, who later was a main cast member of New Tricks. Alison Steadman plays his on-screen wife, and she was famous for The Singing Detective. The Missing Postman played upon the tension between good ol' fashioned human service and cutting edge modern technology.

I wish there was a reboot of this series starring Danny Dyer and Helena Bonham Carter.

I remember it well even though it's been more than 20 years. I'm watching library copy of "When the Boat Comes In" with James Bolam right now. Superb. Those were the days of superior British productions. The Englishers have acting in their blood.

Why can't PBS re-run some of those classic shows instead of peats and repeats and re-repeats of its current programming?

Masterpiece Theater isn't what it used to be, in my opinion. War and Peace, Upstairs, Downstairs, Duchess of Duke Street. I Claudius et al. A Golden era.