G.B.H.

During CoVid-19 lockdown I have re-watched GBH for first time since it was shown in 1991. I had forgotten just how good it is but also realised how relevant it still is today. So many references to things happening now, or one step away! On a personal note my mother appears as an extra in the series, so a double pleasure.

I dont know what it was in the 90's but UK TV produced GBH, Our Friends in the North and Prime Suspect.

My favourite was GBH, it is so substantially long that all characters receive the fleshing out they deserve, some episodes are hard hitting drama, others are on a smaller more personal level and others are out and out hilarious (one commentator mentions the daleks scene which was verging on slapstick in the midst of high drama and yet it worked perfectly).

Simple to follow yet complicated plot, great all round performances cemented by towering contributions from Robert Lynsey and Michael Palin, while the script wears its heart on its sleeve it does not become too sentimental, nor does it lecture.

Perfect television, and criminally unreleased on dvd, Channel 4 would make a packet if they repeated it then released a spec edition.

GBH is an excellent view of the would-be overlords of local government in the UK, using everybody (whether within or without the overlord's grand plan) to achieve the goal of power.

The situation is viewed through the eyes of the elected local government official who is played like a puppet by the would-be power-mongers of the day (pseudo-socialists trying to hijack every situation to make the tory government of the day look ridiculous) regardless of the casualties caused by their actions.

The elected official starts out as a hard character, whose weak spots are exposed by the puppeteers through a relentless barrage of political and psychological attacks, gradually exposing the child within the hard exterior - and ultimately concluding with the deposition of said character - who departs with most of (if not all) of the audience's sympathy.

This is a riot of a screenplay, placing first our hatred, and then our sympathy with main character - often with bizarre & humorous consequences.

This is Alan Bleasdale at his very best - 'GBH' ranks up there with other outstanding drama series such as 'The Singing Detective' and 'Edge of Darkness'. While GBH is a drama it's not all deadly serious - as with real life, 'lighter' situations develop naturally from circumstances that are anything but, yet the situations are so natural, the script so flawless and the performances and the direction so perfect that everything flows together beautifully.

GBH is a very analytical and well observed view of politics, power, and how it affects the people involved.

It's first class - I wish that more TV drama was as good as this!

GBH is a remarkable miniseries: superbly written, directed and acted. The characterisations are especially outstanding, with some of the most genuinely nasty bad guys I've ever seen; though many of the main characters are multi-faceted, and evolve before your eyes as the series unfolds.

In part it's a story about how The Left can be manipulated by the Far Right; in other ways it is a character study, particularly of Palin's character - even if occasionally the comedy sits just a little uneasily with the drama. Given the series' intensity though, it's faintly amazing that they were able to get with some scenes at all.

I do have a few criticisms of GBH. At times it can be painfully slow, with some scenes which are stretched out for minutes, to no real purpose. Also, the eccentric, obnoxious hotel owner is obviously inspired by Basil Fawlty, and his antics get just a little distracting.

I would give GBH about 8.5, but to quote a record review I remember reading (actually it was of an Elvis Costello album, and Costello provides background music to the series), "by the standards of mortal craftsmanship, this is a wondrous thing indeed."