Chance in a Million

I never saw this first time round, and don't think I ever remembered that it existed until recently.... I saw the first episode a few weeks back and I only did so to remind myself if I had seen it before..... I hadn't, but I am glad I did....!

I never really enjoyed the typical U. K. sit-com especially at the time of its height in the 70s and 80s...... I found them to be unfunny and ham acted....

But this show was different to the typical sit-coms of the day.... it was very well written, in terms of the clever way those acts of chance that Tom Chance suffered were set up and paid off.... and the two main characters were very well played....

I found of the episodes I have watched so far that although this show has a typical sit-com feel.... but the characters and situations are just very surreal and sometimes very dark......

I enjoyed this in the same way I enjoyed Get Some In, for example, although it might appear to be a typical 80s sit-com it is worth watching to find out for yourself just how different it is from the shows of the time...

I can't think of any one else who could play the main role as well as Simon Callow... either at the time or indeed if there was a remake today..... The lazier programme makers today would likely pick a comedian of some type, whereas this show works better with a good dramatic actor rather than a comedian....

One of the finest British TV comedies. Superb performances from both Callow and the very versatile Brenda Blethyn. Each episode managed to combine the most far-fetched coincidences with beautifully crafted dialogue, resulting in mini masterpieces. Blethyn's portrayal of librarian Alison Little should have dispelled all ideas of them as stuffy old maids! The Library Association really should have signed her up as a recruiter. It just baffles me why this hasn't been released on DVD yet. There are enough examples of the typical weak sort of stuff that passes for sitcoms being produced on DVD - time for some real quality. If there are no recordings in the archives the culprit should be hunted down and forced to watch endless episodes of Sorry.

Quirky isn't really the word for this excellent, if dated, sitcom (I say dated because I'd forgotten how often Brenda Blethyn gets her it off, it was the 80's after all). Brilliant performances from the two leads, Simon Callow & Brenda Blethyn. You can really see the roots of other programmes like One Foot In The Grave etc in this. Currently (May 2022) being shown on BritBox, worth the price alone for this masterpiece.

One of the quirkiest and funniest sitcoms of the 1980s, this series captivates me. The very English middle class awkwardness of the relationship between the two central characters, the array of coincidences which dog poor Tom's life, Tom's bizarre way of speaking,the acting, the music - it's absolute perfection. How I wish they made TV like this nowadays! Captivating telly programmes - including the Beiderbecke Trilogy, Edge Of Darkness, Spitting Image and, of course, Chance In A Million - seemed far more prevalent back in the decade of shoulder pads and brick phones. So glad this is now on DVD, I waited for years!

I was first introduced to this superb little TV sitcom in 1985 when a friend recommended it (cheers Mike). Chance in a Million is not your run of the mill TV sitcom, it is very cleverly written, well acted and a little surreal. I am only surprised that Channel Four in the U.K. haven't seen fit to repeat it. It is far superior to a lot of so called TV comedy produced today. The show's actors, Simon Callow and Brenda Blethyn have moved on to make other TV shows and movies but for me they will both always be remembered for their roles as Tom and Alison. The early episodes were the best and these are the ones I have watched the most. A new series would be very welcome indeed.