Metal Mickey

What do you do after being the drummer in the Monkees? Produce an 80's comedy with a robot as the central character. Microcomputers, digital watches, everything that's so dated now that was so exciting then. Metal Mickey was exciting to my young mind. A talking robot on TV. I didn't understand special effects or voice coders. But unlike my old BBC microcomputer Metal Mickey is not obsolete. It has the look of a 1980's show, a children's show where the budget has gone on the radio controlled robot but with Irene Handel and Michael Stainton this remains a classic. As well as a nostalgia trip to the beginning of the 80's.

The set up is a robot living in suburbia in Englands at th beginning of the 80's. He's the center of the show and too much the center at the cost of the script which is its main problem. But like My Family, a BBC sitcom, its balanced by using some really fine actors. Seeing it again it does lose a bit in now knowing that the glitzy robot is all voice coder and twiddling on a remote control. Would have been better if it was written for a slightly older audience.

I loved this program. My whole family watched it. I loved the nickname "Bootface", it became my mum's nickname. ha ha I wish it was available on DVD I'd buy it now. Wish it was on the telly now. :) It wasn't meant to be a serious program. It was a kids program and it was entertaining. It was funny. I used to think Gary Shail was cute. I wanted my own Metal Mickey. It was just a cool program about a family in London who had a robot. Irene Handl was funny and entertaining. Mickey was a light hearted, friendly robot who tried to help around the house but ended up creating havoc instead.He was a five foot rotund silver robot who had red eyes, blue ears and a multitude of coloured lights on his chest, which also contained a glowing red heart.

I can't argue with Rob Taylor - Metal Mickey was, let's face it, a pile of rubbish. But, to be fair, it was so bad, it was laughably bad.

Metal Mickey didn't only have one of '80s Comedy's most bizarre title characters, but the criminally underrated Michael Stainton and the stupendously talented (and critically acclaimed) Irene Handl in its' ranks. The latter did not appear at all in series 3, and her appearances became increasingly sporadic in the closing stages of the final series' run, but the first two series (in which she was the show's main attraction besides Mickey himself), were enjoyable, harmless fun. Mickey summoning aliens, Mickey sending people back in time, Mickey bringing chaos to situations where this word had never existed before, Mickey spouting his catchphrases "Boogie Boogie" and "My Little Fruitbat"... wow, even as I think about it twenty years on, those memories of my younger life come flooding back.

Rubbish? Undoubtedly.

Suicidally catastropohic? No way!!

A sitcom type of show similar to Basil Brush or Rentaghost. Mickey's vocoder voice is sometimes difficult to listen to, and the cast ham it up for laughs. One to two risqué gags can be found, referencing breasts, gynaecology and other innuendo, but generally its good clean fun. Some jokes now - references to British Leyland, Margaret Thatcher etc, have dated the show, but these are few. Irene Handle is great but sadly seems confined to a handful of catch phrases.

Most of the episodes are very samey, but mickey has an undeniable charm for a robot actor. Mickey Dolenz from the Monkees produced the show, but did not name Metal Mickey.

First series is available on DVD in the UK (went on sale in Feb 2008)

I stumbled on this one as I was looking up Me & My Girl, (currently being shown on weekday avo's here) and I was immediately taken back some 20 odd years. Memories of coming home from school and blobbing out in front of the telly, watching Ollie Ohlson's latest offerings. Any kiwis out there remember "Keep Cool 'Till 'After School'"? Anyway, how dare *anyone* diss Metal Mickey, he was *cool*!!!!! "Metal Mickey, dumm dum dum de dum Metal Mickey, dumm dum dum de dum." :-)