Hi-de-Hi!

I get really fed up with sitcoms; you feel you always know what is coming so it ceases to be funny. On the other hand, Hi De Hi, you rarely know what is coming and it's laugh out loud funny. I have just purchased the second set of the series, (series 3 -4)and I am surprised at just how much I am enjoying it all - again. I have nothing but praise for the writers or the actors (or the many unseen crew members) because the entertainment they provide is well worth the wait. The gems that have come from this series and the respect that the actors achieved through it speak for themselves. Croft and Perry created some pure gold some of which shines through Hi De Hi.

When this series first started, I freely admit I was not a fan. On first view, it was not up to their shining glory that is Dads Army. On the other hand, nothing is. I first started to 'got it' with the horse on a horse scene. I laughed and laughed. Since then, it has appeared on repeats and channels like UK Gold. The performance of Simon Cadell is outstanding. Every cast member fits their role like a glove. It grows on one and all I can say is, Well Done Jimmy Perry and David Croft.

Such a great show. Always lots of laughs. Great performances by everyone in the cast. The final scene of the final episode, with Peggy standing in the abandoned camp raising her hands sky high and screaming at the tops of her lungs "Hi-de-Hi!" brought a tear to my eye.

This series (at least any episode featuring the late, great Simon Cadell ) was brilliant. As a barman in one of "Billy's Brothels" at the end of the 60s, I experienced many of the antics first hand. What a trip down memory lane! Like all of Perry / Croft sitcoms, all the characters are strong and all have a share of the funny lines. Great acting, great comedy and an accurate representation of what post war Britain was all about before the advent of cheap packaged holidays to the Costa Somethings. Along with "It ain't half hot Mum" and "Dad's Army", this is classic comedy. Brilliantly observed and the larger than life episodes (for example the horse on horse incident) hilariously acted and produced.

Period comedy piece based on the very successful (but also very cheesy) British Butlins Holiday camp business, which was a large part of the domestic British holiday scene at the time. Most people were broke post WWII so these places filled the holiday need for blue collar workers. The show is hilarious and for me, accurately portrays the often tacky, low brow experience of British holiday camps, which were often compared to Nazi POW camps. All of this is played up to great effect.

This type of show will never, ever be made again, as it is an equal-opportunity insulter. Decidedly non-PC, no minorities, and somewhat over the top misogynistic attitudes. So...not for everyone but if you're not easily offended you'll laugh non-stop.