alanbriscoe

Normally the words "ITV sit-com" are enough to strike fear into viewers. However in the past ITV did produce some good comedies and this is one of them. It is not a great one but it was very entertaining and deserves more recognition.

It is one of very few sit-coms to have been set in a school. Like all sit-coms though, the situation isn't that important - the humour comes from the characters and their relationships, although the school setting provides a nice variation from the usual domestic comedies. It follows the travails of a group of extremely mature-looking fifth-formers and their hard-pressed teachers.

The pupils are a motley bunch: the dominant Eric Duffy; tarty Sharon; slow-witted but endearing Dennis; cocky Peter Craven; god-fearing Maureen who has a crush on the teacher; and fantasist Frankie Abbott. They are the nucleus of the "class from Hell" 5C - most of whom silently sit in the background. However they all have hearts of gold and their behaviour is surprisingly good - certainly comparing well to what many real students and teachers experience. They are lovable rogues. All work well from a comic viewpoint with the exception, I feel, of Dennis where the humour seems to rest almost entirely on his stupidity. All the actors are clearly well beyond school age, and could easily have been playing teachers!

Much of the success of the series lies with the staff characters. John Alderton played the central character of Bernard Hedges, teacher of 5C. While apparently mild-mannered, he actually has few problems managing his class and has a good relationship with them. However his indecisiveness and determination to stick up for his pupils often leads him into humorous scrapes.

He has often fractious relationships with the Head Mr. Cromwell (Noel Howlett) and Deputy Doris Ewell (Joan Sanderson). These are tremendous characters and splendidly played. The Head is quite out-of-touch, a misguided liberal, pretentious but capable of engaging in quite juvenile behaviour. Miss Yuell is a haughty disciplinarian whose harsh exterior only relents in the presence of the Head, with whom she is infatuated. Joan Sanderson often played such roles, and always to perfection.

Price (Richard Davies) is another superb figure - a cynical, sarcastic professional Welshman with little affection for teaching but great affection for beer. Again a great acting performance. Finally there is the doddering, ancient Mr. Smith, devoted to his wife and again capable of some very juvenile behaviour, usually in his conflicts with the Head. The interplay between all these is very funny.

However for many viewers the favourite staff member was Mr. Potter, the caretaker (Deryck Guyler). Potter was an ex-soldier, obsessed with the war, with ideas above his station. He as constantly at odds with everyone in the school except the Head. He received his deserved come-uppance regularly in the series.

Obviously the show is of its time, and not just in the fashions such as the remarkably short skirts. Some of the humour might be seen as very innocent in today's more cynical age. The language used was quite strong for its time, but still acceptable to a family audience. It would seem very tame by today's standards. There are some occasions when the show borders on the politically incorrect. However the show stands up much better than many others from that period and the 1970s. For example in one episode an Indian student joins the class. Typically for the time he is played by a white actor and wears stereotypical Indian dress. However he is shown to be intelligent, polite and articulate, with committed parents. His classmates avoid the prejudice of their parents. Liberal ideas generally are given a sympathetic airing, particularly by Hedges. They are though less effectively expressed by the bumbling Head. "I would rather resign than be forceful," is one example.

The show avoided becoming a one-joke, innuendo-laden affair unlike many others. The humour chiefly comes from defective people, defective relationships and defective situations, as most comedy does. The show still lives on, in video format and also on satellite channels. It is well-worth checking out, whether you remember it originally or, like me, are of a younger but curious generation. I feel you will be pleasantly surprised, and satisfactorily entertained.

Another exceptional episode of "Thriller" - one of the best.

Roger Masters (Michael Jayston) is a butler employed by widow Laura Vallance (Nyree Dawn Porter). Unknown to her he has already poisoned his last employer. Immediately he is at odds with the existing maid Betty (Clare Sutcliffe) so he frames her for a theft to get her fired, then brings in his girlfriend Lisa (Janet Key) as her more accommodating replacement. The pair slowly poison Laura, aided by a disgraced doctor (Thorley Walters).

Over time Laura becomes sicker and suspicious as Masters cuts her off from outside contact, particularly with her American friend Hugo (Barry Nelson). He also becomes worried by Masters's refusal to let him see her. Masters starts to realise that he is under pressure and the stage is set for some very fateful decisions...

This riveting story was written by the excellent Terence Feely. The direction by Robert D. Cardona is first class and creates a very tense ambience. The climax is superb. The script also features some very witty dialogue.

There are many fine acting displays. Jayston is marvellous as the spiteful Masters. Behind his terribly correct exterior Masters is aggressive and bullying. Jayston pulls this image off with ease. His nastiness is irresistible to watch. Especially powerful are the scenes with the disgraced doctor, very capably played by Thorley Walters, in which Masters's resentment at his humble origins explodes in the presence of the shambling, alcoholic doctor who has squandered his privileged upbringing. Nyree Dawn Porter is, as always, accomplished as the hapless Laura, and generates real affection for her character. Sadly she virtually disappeared from the screens after this. In the supporting roles there are strong displays by Janet Key, Clare Sutcliffe, and Victor Winding as a very sharp detective.

Definitely an episode to check out - you will not be disappointed!

An absolutely marvellous show, and certainly not just for kids. It details the adventures of Liz and Simon, two teenage children who discover that they can pass through an invisible time barrier into past and future ages. Along the way they are involved in remarkable events, illustrating all sorts of scientific issues, and even meet past and future versions of themselves and their families.

On the surface, it had a lot of things going against it - low budget, primitive special effects and (as a result of technical problems) transmitted in black and white. These factors have probably killed its chances of being re-broadcast but its video release in 1993 allowed a new generation to appreciate it and see how it easily transcended the low production values.

Why is it so good? The biggest factor is utterly superb writing. Throughout stories were written with tremendous care, ensuring continuity. The viewer is always eager for more. The scientific themes covered such as time travel, global warming, the dangers of technology, cloning and unsafe drug experimentation are done with great accuracy - unlike a lot of science fiction - but never become dull or pontificating. The show also explores issues of authority, ambition, surveillance, elitism, betrayal and ethics - no sugar-coated kids' entertainment. Thirty years after the show was made these issues are even more relevant.

However the best quality of the writing is the dialogue, which is often tremendously funny but never risks tipping the show into comedy or making light of the drama involved. The humour is that of ordinary interaction and relationships. One reason why this is possible is the real depth of the characterisations.

Over 26 episodes there is a real opportunity to flesh out the characters. Simon is a rather geeky, bespectacled young man, obsessed with science but aware of its proper uses, and never quite sure how to deal with Liz. Liz is truly unpredictable, emotional, sometimes careless but quite feisty. She also doesn't quite know what she feels about Simon. A possible future is revealed in one story where they meet their future selves and it transpires that they were once engaged before being found to be "incompatible" by a computer test. Their future guises are tremendously entertaining - especially Liz who in one story is a cold-hearted authoritarian scientist and in another a remarkably warm, positive and charming leader of a group of outcast children.

The other characters are very well-drawn. Liz's father, Frank, is aggressive and impulsive. Her mother, Jean, is protective but much more astute. More significant is the enigmatic and often sinister figure of Commander Trainor, a government scientist who is all too eager to manipulate Liz and Simon and about whom we discover some disturbing secrets. Morgan C. Devereaux features in two stories as a brilliant but utterly unprincipled scientist who risks mayhem on those around him in his pursuit of "progress". Each story also has a range of fine ancillary characters - none better than the disturbing clones seen in "The Year Of the Burn-Up" who no have the edge on their human creators due to their devotion to "service" and "authority". Their intrigues against their supposed masters are marvellous viewing.

All the main cast give skilled acting displays - Cheryl Burfield as Liz, Spencer Banks (Simon), Derek Benfield (Frank)and Iris Russell (Jean). Particularly noteworthy are the displays of Denis Quilley as Trainor, John Barron as the odd Devereaux, Mary Preston as the future forms of Liz and David Graham as the future Simon. However it is hard to find fault with any of the guest cast as well.

The show is interesting in other ways. Liz dresses and sometimes acts well below her teenage years, even calling her parents "Mummy" and "Daddy" and wearing pig-tails. Characters regularly use the word "queer" when they mean "strange". The visions of the world in 1990 are rather more apocalyptic and much more scientifically advanced than actually happened, but the risks they point to are still present.

Anybody with an interest in thought-provoking, intelligent but witty entertainment would appreciate this show. A bit of hunting in the second-hand video stores may be the prelude to a lot of satisfied viewing...