Where the Heart Is

The first episode raises high hopes that we are going to get interesting stories based around the work of district nurses responding to medical situations and their moral and social consequences. At last, I thought, I can enjoy the delicious Sarah Lancashire in something that is not truly awful ( such as Last Tango in Halifax or the indescribably horrendous Happy Valley ) and with the lovely Pam Ferris involved it might actually be positively good.

But no: what we get is a soap and we pay for our modest pleasures with banal cliché-ridden scripts ( the highest count of "we are always here for you" in any drama I can recall ); dreary, moronic teenagers dominating the screen with their tedious sex-lives; endless homilies about how great it is up north; and rapidly decreasing plausibility with nurses going everywhere in pairs and only dealing with one patient per day.

And those were the good times.

Series 1 is just about watchable due to Lancashire, Ferris, and the rugby sub-plot.

Series 2 takes a dive with the arrival of the ghastly Jacqui but is kept afloat by, again, rugby, Lancashire and Ferris

By series 3 we are heading down the slope at pace with characters being ludicrously transformed into effectively different people unsupported by any dramatic logic; Jacqui, sadly, not being transformed; key plots turning on aspects of business life about whose rudiments the writers are plainly totally ignorant ( as they are about everything: "I was fly-half at Cambridge - I was in the Blues" !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ); and a complete absence of any humour to balance the awfulness.

I bailed out half-way through series 4 for reasons that will become obvious to anyone else who gets that far.

I could say more about why this programme was such a missed opportunity to make something decent out of a reasonable idea and some good resources but, unlike some other reviewers here who have no grasp of the basics of common courtesy, I refuse to engage in massive and ruining spoilers.

'Coronation Street' is a good example of a long-running British drama that has been on United Kingdom TV's longer than any American soap. Other drama series like 'Heartbeat' and 'Ballykissangel' are right up there, and 'Where the Heart Is' is on its way to joining the ranks.

In only its fourth season, WTHI has quickly become one of the favorites. Now the show is popular in Canada, a few networks there have picked up last season to show. Unfortunately WTHI is not shown in the states, but I got my hands on a video taping of the second season. And there is no comparison.

WTHI is a great British dramatic series about real families, real problems, real people and real love in a small Yorkshire town. You can share the lives and loves of sisters-in-law Peggy Snow and Ruth Goddard. Some have called this series "sugar-coated" but don't knock it until you have seen it.

The British must know something we Americans do not, many programs they show are based on real life, not what the ideal kind of person is. Imperfections are not looked upon in the media. I think we should all take a cue. And watch this show if you can, I'd move over to England just to see it if I could.

I thought this show had promise until Jackie came along. That was start of a fast decline into moronic teenage sex and babies without real parents all over the place. Worthy of soap opera status but not much else. Once Peggy dies it gets even worse. Actually by season 4 it was so awful I was skipping through it at a fast pace. Vic was the best of a cast of characters. Everyone else is pretty boring and messed up. I particularly did not like characters just disappearing with no heads up. What happened to Chris? And good grief. All the main characters who can are flaming alcoholics. I believe it's a tie between Jess and Jackie for the worst characters.

I live in the US and have been streaming this wonderful series through the Acorn channel. I'll be finishing Series 8 tonight. Unfortunately, Seasons 9 and 10 aren't available yet...but, something to look forward to.

WTHI is what I call a slice of life show--it's really about the daily lives of the people of Skelthwaite. They look and act like real people. This is so refreshing compared to the (too) high gloss of most American shows (which I almost never watch). I admit it's a little disconcerting when main characters go away (ta, Peg and Vic, Ruth and Simon), although I have to admit I don't miss a few who've gone (Karen, the male nurse whose name I can't even remember).

Try this, you'll like it. And, if you're from the US, you might want to consider watching with subtitles until you get the hang of the Yorkshire accent -- it's summat different from what we're used to hearing.

Other reviews also mentioned the fantastic show Ballykissangel -- I highly recommend that one as well. Also, although a period piece, From Lark Rise to Candleford is equally wonderful in its not-modern setting.

I do like this feel good programme which is great for a Sunday night Prime time between 8pm and 9pm. Although it is a bit of a soap, every episode self contained. At 8.30pm everything is doom and gloom problems abound. However by 8.55pm. all problems have disappeared and everything is fine and dandy. The series is set in the small West Yorkshire fictional town of Skelthwaite. Almost all of the regular cast either work in the local health centre or a toilet roll factory. Almsot all of the regular adult male cast play for the towns rugby club. There has been a complete change of cast since the first series started. The theme song, heard over the opening titles is that this a a great little place to live in and that Home is where the heart is. Unfortunately as all of the original cast have left and regular cast leave all the while it would appear to be where the heart isn't !!