When the Boat Comes In

Quite simply, for me , the best TV series ever. The dialect is County Durham mainly, not Tyneside. The scenes and locations totally authentic and now mainly long gone as the North East has moved into its post industrial era. The story line and acting mainly very believable and evocative of a period of our history we would be foolish and poorer to forget. This was how my grandparents lived, only they didn't open a shop. Their sons went to the second war, not the first. The independent spirit of the working people of the northeast is to a great degree intact despite the best efforts of successive Tory (including the coalition)governments to emasculate the area. And the title? I would ask my mam, could I have a certain toy or some sweets. The answer , because her purse was empty, You can have it "When the boat comes in".

I recently purchased the box set of the entire series with some trepidation - it is expensive, especially when NZ dollars have to be converted to British pounds. Half way through the first episode, I said to my husband, "I remember this series as being good, but I hadn't realised just how good it is." Several discs further on, I have had no reason to revise that judgement. The writing is tight, the characters brilliantly conceived, written and portrayed, and the whole thing a great pleasure. The creation of the time and place is faultless. James Bolam - wonderful in everything he does - is superb, as are Susan Jameson, and Jean Heywood as her mother Bella. (It is great to see Bolam and Jameson again in the current 'New Tricks'.) They do NOT make 'em like this any more! This was money well spent.

Thanks to DVD I am now watching this entire series, all the way through for the second time in 3 years. It is difficult to explain to younger people these days, what with CGI and Dolby Sound how much more believable the string and sealing wax era of TV drama was but each time I watch these programs I am more authentically taken back the 1920s Gallowshields than anything I watch nowadays. The writing, the acting, the direction - they are all first class and although James Bolam steals the show, his supporting cast are all fine actors. Personally, I find it hard to think of a better example of acting than Bolam's transformation in the final series from a man down on his luck to a successful businessman. The second episode of that series is probably one of my favourite episodes of them all and a fine example of understated but compelling acting. Until this program I doubt anyone had ever really understood the immense impact that the first world war had on individuals because we are a generation who has been so influenced by the second one. As I reach the end of the fourth series I am always saddened to think that there will be no more. Still, thanks to DVD I'll still be able to watch it all again at some point in the future.

This is a wonderful, well acted and produced saga of an England that many of us knew. I found the interaction between the various social levels, and the fierce determination to make it to the top of their goals in a difficult time and location to be truly believable. It was a well researched vehicle of a time and place that many my not know, but for those who do, it is an honest portrayal of hard times yet with many 'good times' Several folks on my ex-pats Liverpool lists have interest in obtaining the videos/discs. Why oh why can't it be produced in NTSC format. Is there not anyone out there who has some influence to have it reformatted so that those of us in a different 'format' area can enjoy it. We can of course order the DVD's in PAL format but with shipping, rate of exchange, probably duty (because of the number and therefore total cost) and the cost to convert it makes it cost prohibitive. Nita Jones Alexandria, Virginia

I was thrilled to find this series on video at my local library, so I borrowed all copies. I'd been rapt in this series in the late 70's when it was shown on local TV, and again during its many repeats. This is superb television - excellent writing, acting, evocative locations, authentic sets - I could go on!

The characters of the members of the Seaton family are beautifully written and acted, and again, as 25 years ago, I feel that I know them. Jack Ford, played by James Bolam, is a subtle balance of strength and ambition, morality and compassion, but you wouldn't want to cross him! Bolam has a long list of credits to his name, but to me Jack Ford is his finest creation.

The producers brilliantly captured the struggle and destitution and stark inequalities of the post-World War l era in northern England. The Tyne-side accents, the `bonnie lads' and `tirra's' were like music in my ears - (even though I've never left the shores of this fair country!)

It was a pleasure to watch a story unfolding without extreme close-ups or hand-held cameras, which today simply interfere with the story-telling. I enjoy a TV program most when I feel I'm a priveleged, but unseen observer. "When The Boat Comes In" provides this level of enjoyment.