Civvies

So my big brother lent me this on DVD I've never heard or seen it before so looked interesting on the cover but when I started watching it I thought it was a pile of s##t my dad was in the army for along time and he got along just fine in "civvy" street don't waist your time with this one if your ex forces

I sat up once a week every week to watch this show with my brother. We were addicted to it. My brother was only 15 at the time and he was so enamoured with the programme he decided to join the army and become a para. This he did and thoroughly enjoyed himself! We used to be allowed to sit in the front room and watch each episode in peace without the other siblings annoying us! We were never sure where the story was going but we guessed that at some point there was going to be a bit of double crossing and that Frank would get stitched up. My brother missed the final episode as he was out but he made me tape it for him and then guarded the video with his life until he could watch it. Maybe it was our age and we were young and impressionable but i can honestly say that I haven't enjoyed a BBC serial as much as this one and I do not understand why the BBC have never released it on VHS or DVD ( or repeated it )!

In the early 90s Lynda La Plante was hot property thanks to Prime Suspect and prolific as she is as a write, this was her BBC TV debut as a writer.

La Plante admitted that her research showed that the life of the ex servicemen does not tend to be a happy one with some entering the life of crime, addiction, prison, break up in marriages and so this may not be destined to end up as happy ever after.

The series is about a group of ex-paratroopers who enter the world of private security whilst being tempted by a gangster played by Peter O'Toole with a mock cockney accent to do a shady job.

There are constant flashbacks to a pub explosion in Belfast which has left a legacy behind.

This series was the first time people saw Jason Isaacs and we have a heartfelt performance from Peter Howitt who plays a wounded colleague of the gang.

I'm beginning to believe that 1992 could be the nadir of British television. We seemed to have been bombarded with a whole heap of leaden paced anti-establishment "drama" and Civvies is possibly the worst.

There's terrible over-acting from all concerned. Jason Issacs looks more like Prince Barin in "Flash Gordon" and Peter O'Toole isn't an East End gangster. O'Toole is a brilliant actor, the best of his generation and cruelly denied an Oscar but he's no cockney gangster. No one comes across as convincing in any way, and the "action" and fight scenes are so poorly done. Is this from the same country that gave us "The Sweeny", "The Professionals" and "Target"? La Plante's script will have you believe that all ex-army soldiers are psychopathic time bombs waiting to go off in civilian life. The cop show "Between the Lines" stuck the knife in to the police and "Civvies" tries to do the same for the army. TV producers and networks back then just seemed to hate any government organisation and so gave us these shows. Have they forgotten that these people are responsible for saving lives and protecting their safety?

Civvies is an excellent, gripping drama about a groups of ex-paratroopers who leave army life to start a security firm. The 6 parts revolve around the bombing of a pub when they were in Belfast.

Jason Isaacs plays Frank Dillon, a real anti-hero, who has to deal with life in civilian (civvies) clothes.

There are also notable performances by Peter O'Toole and Peter Howitt (from UK TV Show Bread - the first "Joey").