Hallelujah!

Having grown up with this sort of sitcom in the 80's, I jumped at the chance to buy the DVD when I noticed in my local store.

The subject of the "salvation Army" in a sitcom might not seem the obvious choice, but the talents of Thora Hird and the rest of the cast help to make it light and enjoyable, without it becoming too serious.

The series has 7 episodes in it and while they all have there own story, there is a underlying thread which ties the series together nicely.

After watching them again after many years, I was surprised by the amount of references to local places in Yorkshire (I know its where it is set but considering it was broadcast nationally some of the references/jokes will have been lost.)

For anyone who likes spotting people from other shows then this is a must, the cameo by the late Richard Whiteley is superb.

In general, great cast, good stories and plenty of humour, a good traditional comedy

I knew Dame Thora Hird from watching her as Edie Pegden on the long running comedy series, "The Last of the Summer Wine." In the USA, "The Last of the Summer Wine," was a regularly shown series on PBS. I remember picking up the DVD at the bookstore many years back and finally decided to sit and watch it on DVD. I loved Dame Thora Hird as Captain Emily Ridley. She was perfectly cast for the part. Patsy Rowlands played Alice, her right hand and Rosamond Greenwood played Dorothy. I can't figure why Dorothy wasn't always on the series. Hird holds her own and the series as the benevolent matronly lady who wants to help save the world. The series only lasted two seasons with fourteen episodes and a Christmas special. You will enjoy if you watch the series and see familiar faces from British television as well.

Hallelujah is one of those sitcoms that seems to have vanished into the past. From an era when a host of quality sitcoms were created with memorable characters and story lines, Hallelujah does not shine as brightly as some of those great shows, but it does still have a lot going for it. Thora Hird was a magical character actress, a true British institution, and here she delivers some genuinely funny moments, as well as some warmer, sadder ones. Beautifully backed up by Patsy Rowlands, so often one of the Carry on team who had smaller parts, it was great to see her build the character of Alice.

I applaud the creators for making a sitcom about the Salvation Army, not a subject matter many would jump to when creating a situation for laughs. Of the two series I preferred the first, mainly because of the brashness that Rosamund Greenwood brought, a very funny woman that Rhoda Hird bounced off beautifully. The rants of 'silly bitch' so out of place and so funny.

Great opening credits and music, the show has a very good feel good factor, well worth seeing. 7/10.