I was sufficiently old enough to have a memory of this show when it would have first aired. I do not. So, this review is on the basis of watching a forty year old programme for the first time after many years of improved production across the board in TV series. My estimate being that a standard episode shown today on a terrestrial/linear network would probably cost as much as one of the entire two of the series that were made of Travelling Man.
The back story is well detailed on Imdb so I will not bother writing further on that. Whether it was only intended to be a two series run is unknown, but the final episode is a conclusion of sorts.
Lomax, 'Max', (Leigh Lawson) the apparently wrongly convicted ex cop is a travelling man by virtue of his post custodial life being a canal barge as he seeks to both clear his name and find his son who left home after feeling betrayed by his father when he was convicted.
Each week Max finds himself involved in some local matter that requires his ex cop nous to solve whatever crime or event that Max finds in his path. Some of these storylines are poorly crafted and would sit well with the incredulity that you would expect of a soap opera narrative.
In the second series, which builds on the story arc at the back of series one, there are some repeating characters who are brought together for the finale in a reasonably well storyboarded approach. In particular John Bird, as a mafioso type, has some good chemistry with Max and is one of the stand outs of this programme.
But it is the quality of the supporting cast that at times reduces the viewing experience. The programme was filmed in and around Manchester but often suggests episodes are based in London and other areas. The former in particular leads to some accents that would sit will with Dickensian London. This distracts. Also, as much as some actors were well established on stage and television and provide solid performances, others read their lines as if from a teleprompter offering little emotion which jars on the ears.
Both series - thirteen episodes in total - appear written by Roger Marshall who provides some decent one liners that Lawson clearly enjoys delivering. But overall the language use, with plenty of urbanisms, is 'cod'.
A nice museum piece but nothing more.
