Lovejoy

I have very fond memories of this lovely, gentle, fun but exciting series. It was perfect Sunday evening viewing in my house, something all the family could watch. There was the occasional coarse word or double entendre, but that was alright because my parents thought we didn't understand!

It bore little resemblance, however, to the books on which it was based. The Lovejoy series, by author Jonathan Gash, portray a much darker, nastier world, with an appropriatley seedier Lovejoy. The TV series was the sanitised version, but no worse for that. I would, however, encourage any real fans of the series to also read the books, and see the dark side of the antiques world.

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.

Ian McShane stars as an antique dealer who solves problems, crimes and assists all kinds of people, as he is able. Lovejoy does all of that while being as cheeky as he can be. The writing is impeccable, the actors deliver superb performances and the production values are top shelf To watch Lovejoy is to be entertained in exquisite fashion.

Enjoy! Cheers!

I have to credit my Ex-Girlfriend, Wendy for one thing... She broke up with me and forced me to move back in with my mother for a time just in time to catch this series on A&E back in 1995! Ian McShane is possibly one of the finest character actors ever to have a lead in a series, and the writing for this show certainly didn't hurt. Of course, it didn't stay on A&E very long, as they seem to prefer British series based on famous literary sleuths (Holmes, Marple, Poirot, etc.). Nonetheless, for an estranged Doctor Who fan (The local PBS station had just announced it's demise and their intent to cease carrying the series) that was jonesing for a fix of cleverly written British comedic drama, this show was a godsend. The stories were rich and enthralling, the supporting cast was wonderful, and McShane's characterization was brilliant. An honorable rogue with more than his share of brushes with Murphy's law made him so enchanting... More Rockford than Rockford, more Magnum than Magnum, and a gentleman to boot. My only regret is that i have no idea how to acquire NTSC copies of the show. I can only hope they start showing it again on PBS or BBC America some time.

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