Sorry!

The theme tune to 'Sorry!' is quite exceptional. It was originally written for a soap opera about 'Sloane Rangers', the trust funded and upwardly mobile sect of London society that saw fit to dress country style in town and vice-versa. This series didn't make it to our screens but the signature music suited the premise of 'Sorry!' very well as the cyclical nature of the melody is a wonderful illustration of Timothy Lumsden's frustrating life. A slightly reggae influenced rhythm section chugs and pumps away as the melody is played on a sophisticatedly urban sounding electric piano with punctuation from what is either a wah-wah guitar or a synthesizer. The horns are obviously performed by the same musicians that did 'Pigeon Street' and the first 'Only Fools and Horses' theme tune. Ronnie Hazlehurst's typically classy arrangement is a good example of this man's devotion to his work although I don't know if he actually wrote the thing, I expect he did.

The show it's self was a very popular vehicle for Ronnie Corbett and it's interesting mixture of pathos and comedy was typical of the output of the BBC which, at this time, was the greatest television production company that has ever been known.

I passed on this little gem the first time around but now I'm older, I am really enjoying it.

Another reviewer put it best for me... "Not too keen at the time, but looking back, a little masterpiece."

And that's exactly how I feel about this. Mind you, I still hate the opening credits and theme song. Just awful, both then and now!

As a youngster, I loved listening to Ronnie Corbett's monologues in 'The Two Ronnies'. This for me was the best bit of the show. He'd be telling an anecdote or a joke and get endlessly sidetracked into other areas of conversation. It was a hilarious and masterful comedy routine. It looked ad-libbed but every utterance was very carefully written and rehearsed.

This series is almost like those monologues as a youthful Ronnie Corbett gets the lions share of the lines and the rest of the cast show up with the intention of sidetracking him from what he wants to do!

The main character is a 41-year-old man still living at home with his domineering mum and submissive father. Although his life hasn't turned out the way he thought it would, he's pretty upbeat about his lot and stumbles onwards and upwards through a series of unoriginal challenges. There's nothing inspirational or groundbreaking about this British comedy... just lots of gentle humor.

If you like Ronnie Corbett or nostalgic British comedy, you could do a lot worse than re-visit this charming program. Would you believe that this program ran for SEVEN years?

Ronnie Corbett's oft-criticised solo project SORRY! was never one of my favourite comedies as a youngster, but in retrospect it's quirky, quietly charming, nicely acted and often amusing. It's not laugh-out-loud stuff but neither is it the 'cosy' comedy some people accuse it of being - in fact, some episodes, like the one where Timothy (Corbett) wishes he'd never been born (and, courtesy of an extended dream sequence, sees what his world would be like had that been the case) or the intricate spoof on Patrick McGoohan's sixties psychedelic drama THE PRISONER in the episode where Timothy plans to get married, indicate that SORRY! was in fact a lone outpost of eccentric British surrealism that just happened to be shown during prime-time on BBC1. Almost everyone remembers the infectious theme tune and the wine bar neon graphics that went with it, it's just a shame the same level of respect has not yet been afforded to the series as a whole.

Sorry! was one of the best comedies of the 80`s! I dont think a lot of 41 year old men could play Timothy Lumsden as well as Ronnie Corbett! Just when you think Timothy is finally getting away from his mother...she`s there! The best thing is that Barbara Lott who played Timothy`s Mother was trying so hard to stop laughing in some episodes!!! Usually 80`s comedies wear a little thin now. I only watched Sorry! today and I was in fits of laughter! I now have the complete set of Sorry! and now my children love it as much as me!!!

The premise of Sorry shares a lot of ground with The Prisoner: A man is kept, against his will, by forces who want to monitor and control his every move and all aspects of his life. Except that instead of a British government agent, it's a downtrodden librarian and instead of a cabal of shadowy extra-government forces, it's his mum.

In one episode,the bars crashing shut motif from The Prisoner is referenced in Sorry so the writers definitely drew a lot of inspiration from the Sixties show. Overall, an amusing sitcom that benefits from terrific central performances and not a creepy weather balloon in sight.