One Summer

All my friends are of the same opinion. It affected us all as 14 year olds and at a desperate time in Thatcherite England I think this play gave us all hope and taught us simple but important lessons. I recall John Sim saying something similar in an interview when promoting State od Play. He also said that it made him want to be an actor and David Morrisey (his co-star in SofP) inspired him to go do it. I remember that the clothes were cool for the time and we all wanted Icky's Tacchini tracksuit top.

It is difficult to tell youngsters how bad things were int he early 80's in this country. We all thought we were going to get blown up any minute and nobody had any money.

This 5 part coming-of-age drama had a profound affect on me as a teenager. It was the first screen appearance of David Morrissey, who has since gone on to a fair level of screen success both in the UK and US. Also appearing as the troubled Icky was the brilliant Spencer Leigh, who unfortunately has not had the same success and appears to have appeared in very little since, and nothing in the last 10 years... I can still hum the haunting harmonica theme by Alan Parker.

One Summer was one of the best TV drama's I had the pleasure of watching. As a Young 1980's teenager lad myself, I felt empathy for the characters. Going to school, summer camp, peer problems, teenage angst. I had it, they had it. Their problems were mine. (albeit without their violent moments and the illiteracy). I saw the series twice in full. Once in 1983 when it first aired, then again the following year. Alas, I never saw it again, and since reaching adulthood, I have been trying to find it. Partly I think to relive my youth, but also to recapture the emotional feelings it left me with. The humour, sadness and the graphic images live with me to this day. Tattooed into my memory bank, never to be erased. Dramas of this calibre do not come along too often. Some come and go without a second thought. Not this one. This was wonderful in its writing and acting. Why it has never been shown again (to my knowledge), remains a mystery. This would be a repeat I'd watch again and again.

Very interesting to look back at 1983. I was 21 at that time but I never watched this Our Summer. I only have watched one episode but I can see this series was made in a very modern way. It is filmed in action, raw, and shaky. The story is set in a working class environment. The two protagonist are emotionally neglected by their parents and grow up in bitter poverty. They desperately seek a way out, but sadly they regard education as useless. As young as they are, they carry deep psychological scars which makes them nihilistic, like the young generations did in those days. England is 'famous' for its motion pictures about the working class. Our Summer belongs to the same genre as for instance Ken Loach's socially critical directing style and socialist ideals movies. I can totally relate to the men who experienced England in those days as a young man and wrote their revies here.

I look very much towards the story progress. The two boys are going to meet a gay older person. What will be his influence? I might write about it later.

This and a very young Kenneth Branagh in The Boy In The Bush we're landmark quality one off mini series everyone talked about.