When the Boat Comes In

When The Boat Comes In is a gritty Northern drama, set in Newcastle just after the end of the Great War. It follows the trials of Ex-Sergeant Jack Ford and the Seaton family as they struggle with the problems of that time: The aftermath of the war, the great depression of the 1920's, trade union activists and an uncaring society. The characters also spend a lot of time drinking in and out of pubs! The props are good (some must be over 70 years old now) and outdoor shots are cleverly done, capturing the feel of streets and houses of the '20s (definitely no phone boxes or aircraft in the background!) James Bolam is convincing as Jack Ford, a cunning man who has seen ignorance and stupidity in the trenches and finds himself fighting against it in his role of Union boss during the peacetime.

I recently purchased the box set of the entire series with some trepidation - it is expensive, especially when NZ dollars have to be converted to British pounds. Half way through the first episode, I said to my husband, "I remember this series as being good, but I hadn't realised just how good it is." Several discs further on, I have had no reason to revise that judgement. The writing is tight, the characters brilliantly conceived, written and portrayed, and the whole thing a great pleasure. The creation of the time and place is faultless. James Bolam - wonderful in everything he does - is superb, as are Susan Jameson, and Jean Heywood as her mother Bella. (It is great to see Bolam and Jameson again in the current 'New Tricks'.) They do NOT make 'em like this any more! This was money well spent.

One of my favourite TV shows of all time. Not many shows on TV have I set aside time for to make sure the show is never missed. This is one of them - along with Auf Wiedersein Pet, The Good Life, Bouquet of Barbed Wire, The Lovers (with Geoffrey Bubbles Bon Bon!), Not the Nine o'Clock News, The Fast Show, Shine on Harvey Moon and recently, now I live in Canada, the new HBO series Rome.

It was put your feet up time and settle down to a good old epic story of life, with fun, tears, laughter, trauma, love, lost love and love regained. Real.

Tell me its out on DVD please!

James Bolam came into his own as a mature actor, more than ably supported by his then wife Susan Jamieson. They, in turn, were supported by a fine cast of actors playing in roles that were gritty and not so gritty, full of pathos and ranging in ages that enabled all the viewers to identify with the characters and their situations.

I'm not sure what it is about James Bolam, but whatever he's in from "The Likely Lads" right through to "New Tricks" he seems to carry the show.

In this though he's at his best, wheeling & dealing, there isn't a minute that goes by where he isn't on the make - both in money and his love life.

That being said he is being hard pushed by Jean Heywoood who plays the hard and gritty Bella, a woman with the world on her shoulders but most times with a smile on her face and a gin in her hand.

Susan Jameson plays a tough talking socialist (it's quite amazing how often she seems to put on great performances with JB) who you just want to thump and say "stop being so stupid woman!".

I agree with a previous reviewer in that series 4 does rather let the programme down. It does appear that this may have been a case of greedy TV executives trying to squeeze out every last bit of revenue from a hit series. In fact I think "When the boat comes in" would definitely have scored 10/10 if it hadn't been for this.

Surprising then that it hasn't been shown more often on TV - but perhaps they are still making too much money out of the DVD to give people the opportunity of seeing it free again.

However keep listening out for "You shall have a fishy on a little dishy" - you never know

This is a wonderful, well acted and produced saga of an England that many of us knew. I found the interaction between the various social levels, and the fierce determination to make it to the top of their goals in a difficult time and location to be truly believable. It was a well researched vehicle of a time and place that many my not know, but for those who do, it is an honest portrayal of hard times yet with many 'good times' Several folks on my ex-pats Liverpool lists have interest in obtaining the videos/discs. Why oh why can't it be produced in NTSC format. Is there not anyone out there who has some influence to have it reformatted so that those of us in a different 'format' area can enjoy it. We can of course order the DVD's in PAL format but with shipping, rate of exchange, probably duty (because of the number and therefore total cost) and the cost to convert it makes it cost prohibitive. Nita Jones Alexandria, Virginia