People Like Us

This series was seen in 1978 and is a fine adaptation from a master story teller: R. F. Delderfield. With so many other lesser quality programs from BBC available, the absence of this in dvd format is beyond understanding. Perhaps the department that makes the decision with regard to selecting programs should take a look at releasing this fine series. There are a number of other adaptations from Delderfield on dvd and perhaps the only other that compares is: To Serve Them All My Days. A-Horseman Riding By, Diana, All Over Town, and Come Home Charlie and Face The Music, as well as On The Fiddle are others. With the exception, perhaps, of To Serve Them All My Days none are close to the quality of People Like us.

This is a fantastic series I saw on TV when I was living in Ireland. As far as I can remember, it concentrated on the first part of Delderfield's (equally good) novel "The Dreaming Suburb", which was the first of the two-part "Avenue"-series. Long after I had forgotten the title of the series, and before reading the novel(s), I saw some pictures of an actor who had played the rakish grocer Carver, and discovered he was called John Duttine. After that, I simply browsed through his filmography and rediscovered the name of the TV-adaptation as well! Apart from young Carver, who by marrying Italian grocer's daughter Maria soon becomes a ruthless businessman, the story is about a number of families living in a rapidly-changing London suburb. This is high-quality soap-opera that simply MUST be released on DVD. It's a crying shame that it has been forgotten even by TV buffs.

Such a brilliant series! But where can you find this? Someone must have it recorded on video or something, I've been searching high and low for years.