Birds of a Feather

When I heard of the news about the 10th series late last year. I thought please be as funny as the earlier once and I have to say it was. I just watched the latest episode and what a start with great banter between the sisters and still maintaining the charm of the older series. I'm glad they didn't go over board with the script by trying to force laughs that some try to do and kept the original series at the heart of it.

I don't get the mixed reviews it received from critics but that's always going to happen with a show that's been brought back. I don't think they understand that it's meant to be a bit tongue 'n' cheek, lighten up a bit. Anyway I liked it so that's good enough for me.

This program was quite funny when it first came out, and remained so for the first couple of seasons. Two working class London girls, largely uneducated, placed in a firmly middle class geographic area, via the laundered stolen money from their bank robber (oh - ho-ho!!) husbands - now in jail. Add to this a snobby, middle aged female neighbour, who is bordering on nymphomania, and the formula is born. The ideas ran out long ago, but the program still goes on...mostly through interminable re-runs. Let's bury this sit-com right noy! - it is outdated, class war rubbish. Amen.

BOAF was shown briefly on Swedish television and I immediately loved it. Sure, as many other series, it sort of ran out of steam towards the end and certain episodes feel a bit cringe worthy today in their views on certain things, but all in all it's great comedy with hilarious one-liners. The series greatest asset is the chemistry between the main actresses with special praise going to Pauline Quirke and Lesley Joseph as Dorian, the sex crazed neighbour, and Sharon. These two are great together, creating many laughs. Linda Robson is fine for most of the time as Tracey, but she sometimes has a tendency to overact IMHO. The same goes for Alun Lewis as her husband Darryl, but Peter Polycarpou is very good as Sharons husband, greek-cypriot Chris. The Christmas episode "Sailing" is a personal favourite along with "The front" from season 4 where Pauline Quirke and Lesley Joseph are a laugh riot together. But all in all, no episode is really bad (even though the series didn't really hit its stride well into season 2), which actually is an achievement (although "Young guns" from season 2 comes close - it feels really dated today) and many are comedy gems

Birds of a feather was a great sitcom which is very underrated. It ran for 9 years & over 100 episodes yet only one DVD has been released so far. Best actress by far was Pauline Quirke whom was born to play Sharon (I disagree completely with the user above who says she was the worst) Linda & Lesley were also great Lesley especially in support. The best of 'Birds of a Feather' was the first 6 series with the original actors playing Darryl & Chris, their replacements are nowhere near as good (although Chris's replacement actyally played Chris first ironically). Classic episodes such as Dorien singing Madonna's 'Like a Virgin' & Sharon & Tracey going to LA thinking George Hamilton is a relative make this a show to remember & be watched by new generations.

I hope the whole series is released to DVD soon!

Birds of a Feather has just began airing on cable in Australia, so we're getting to see the series right from the beginning again - and it's just as funny as the first time around!

Pauline Quirke and Linda Robson are two wonderful actresses that do a great job with the series. They noticably get better as the series progresses as they get more comfortable with their roles. They do a great job as sisters, and actually come across as being sisters as well!

However, a lot of the real laughs come from Lesley Josephs character, Dorian Green. Recently an episode aired where Sharon (Pauline Quirke) got into the finals of a karaoke contest and got too nervous to sing. Her sister Tracy (Linda Robson) wasn't going to be singing either.

To their surprise, Dorian gets up on stage and sings. Now Dorian is a complete man-eater, and the song she sang was Like a Virgin. It was the funniest thing I've seen in years - especially the part when all you can see are her legs above the crowd!

The husbands are really quite linear and are always doing the same thing - they're really only there to keep the plot moving along at times.

One of the best sitcoms to come out of Britain - and I hope it's put on DVD sometime soon!