Stan

I have just finished watching the repeat on BBC4 and I finished with a mixture of tears and laughter. Jim Norton (Bishop Len Brennan from the wonderful Father Ted) was very convincing as Stan although I did notice his Irish accent. The actor playing the younger Stan was just about perfect.

I have been a fan for more years than I care to remember and the whole thing rang very true, even the last scene with someone ringing him up and being invited over. How many great stars kept their entry in the phone book.

I heard some of it on Radio 4 last year and was delighted to see that it would be redone for TV and I was not disappointed.

Please don't let Hollywood anywhere near this, just show this little Gem

A drama we have been waiting for, for so many years. A drama about the "real" Laurel and Hardy. As a fan of the comic duo for many years, I have waited with baited breath for a Hollywood movie of their lives-without any satisfaction. Not one. But then along comes a television drama to set the ball rolling, and hopefully, soon, Hollywood may just listen. This excellent drama, shown on the BBC in the UK, tells the story of Stan Laurel, visiting his friend Oliver Hardy in 1957, sadly on his death bed, having suffered a stroke some months previous. The story follows Stan and Ollie through flashbacks of their career highlights, and shows us the real duo-the ambitious Stan, an opposite of his screen persona, and Ollie, very close to the screen version we all love, eager at the end of the working day for his round of golf. All in all an absolute must for Laurel and Hardy fans worldwide-and Hollywood-we are waiting for the the big screen biopic.

It may be no masterpiece, but this poignant biopic is quite moving. In the recent wake of the Stan & Ollie movie, this take on the story of these two extraordinary gentlemen stands up pretty well. The final scene had me in stitches and tears. Watch it and then stick on some Laurel & Hardy.

I was genuinely excited to watch this, but as soon as old Stan opened his mouth, I knew it was doomed. Why wouldn't the actor at least get close to Stan's accent. At the very least, get young Stan and old Stan to have the same accent. To paint Stan Laurel as an angry man, and to suggest that there was ill feeling towards each other is such a wasted opportunity. Do not watch this if you are a Laurel and Hardy fan, as I am. Watch Stan and Ollie instead, a far better portrayal of the comic legends.

I loved this film. It's exactly what's missing on British TV at the moment: drama of the highest quality. There was no ludicrous plot, smoke, mirrors, explosions or some ridiculous high concept. The drama simply relied on brilliant acting, a wonderful script and superb direction.

Oliver Hardy (the fat one, for those who get the two mixed up) lies ill in bed, hanging on to life after a major stroke. Stan Laurel (not the fat one) is a man suffering under the weight of his own demons. Reluctantly, he comes to visit his ailing best friend - knowing it to be the last time he will ever do so. Together they broach the highs and lows of their shared history and reveal the fascinating story of their friendship and career together.

Jim Norton, playing the older Stan, was a revelation - why is an actor of this quality not doing more leads in more films????? There was also a seamless movement between the two time periods that was not only visually effective but emotionally effective. Neil Brand fills the film with superb detail but it is his handle on the emotional journey that proves the most successful aspect of his writing. By the final scene, this isn't Laurel and Hardy saying farewell, this is simply two best friends saying goodbye. As their final moment together arrives, I even had a tear in my eye - and that's a rare thing for me and TV drama.

True - I could have done with more exteriors and it is odd that Hardy lives in the same house all his life - but I suspect this was a budget thing (I could be wrong, who knows but I'll give them the benefit of the doubt) - and their device of keeping all the memories 'in a studio' and was a brilliant way of making a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

BBC4 have recently come up trumps with this kind of drama - the Kenneth William's biopic was the last thing I saw on this channel which was also good - and long may they continue to do so. Just why aren't the people who make this kind of film not making more for the terrestrial wing of the BBC whose dramas often lack the inventiveness and originality of this kind of work?