I first saw this at the age of 10 on BBC 1 and was captivated by the gritty working class realism of the production. Based on the book 'A pair of Jesus boots' by Sylvia Sherry the drama is set in the gloomy post war back streets of Liverpool. Rocky O Rourke is a teenage gang leader who wants to be a criminal gang leader like his jailbird brother Joey. This leads to Rocky and his pals taking part in break ins and petty pilfering before getting involved with a local gangland heavy a move that very nearly costs Rocky his life. I can't help but feel that this production was way ahead of it's time and would not be out of place 30 years on.For me it was the groundbreaker that lead to more realistic children's television drama.
