MrJRGO

(See my review for the first series). The show is currently running every Monday night, 10pm, on the UK's Talking Pictures (Freeview Channel 81).

Back in 1980, the second series started airing less than four months after the first finished, probably to capitalise on its success and to not allow the BBC's Juliet Bravo to take all the limelight. Anybody who was worried that they were rushing the next series out would most likely have been relieved that it was better than the first, fleshing out the characters a little more, particularly our heroine Detective Inspector Maggie Forbes.

I can say that Jill Gascoine's portrayal of the embattled Detective Inspector is truly exceptional and although I was quite young at the time, I'm sure she didn't get the recognition she deserved. The pressure on her must have been immense and yet it doesn't show one bit. She manages to find a perfect portrayal of a woman doing a hard job in tough conditions whilst also showing her to be a mother and a human being. Some of this was down to the quality of writing and the excellent support she got from the cast, but plaudits must go to the late Jill Gascoine.

Regarding the second series, I'm pleased to say we see the more memorable opening credits with the faster music that the first series missed out on. Perhaps there is a little more polish to the second series, the writers and the cast feeling more confident and comfortable in their work. The stories are interesting and keep you hooked from start to finish, bearing in mind that these episodes are an hour long with two short advert breaks. If my attention wanders, it's brief, and I'm often engrossed until the final credits start running, leaving me looking forward to the next week.

The second series strikes a good balance between presenting Maggie at work and in her private life, although the two are often linked. It does a good job of showing the human side of our leading lady, plus some interesting but minor development of other major characters. For instance, it's becoming clear that the chill between Maggie and Detective Inspector Bob Croft is thawing as well as the fact that her teenage son is doing some growing up.

It goes without saying that some episodes are stronger than others with my personal favourites being 'Something Blue', 'Decoy', 'Menaces', 'Chance' and 'Shame', with the episode 'Hammer' being the one that didn't click for me. Always interesting as well, as you often get when watching old TV shows, is seeing the familiar faces popping up in roles, quite often before they were famous. The second series has more than its fair share of these.

That's now seventeen Mondays on the trot that I have tuned in at 10pm and my desire to continue watching 'The Gentle Touch' is still unabated. I hope to watch all 56 episodes on this one a week basis and I'm finding it thoroughly enjoyable.

Series 3 will start at 10pm on Monday (5th October 2020), Freeview, Ch81 Talking Pictures. It's not too late to start following the show. There are still 39 episodes to come.

Series 1 - 8/10 Series 2 - 9/10

As of June 8th, Talking Pictures (Ch 81 Freeview) have been running 'The Gentle Touch' from the very start, one episode a week, at 10pm every Monday. I know they've run the whole series on at least two occasions before but that was even later in the evening and was every weekday. This time, we can watch it on a weekly basis, at a reasonable time, as it was originally shown in the early 1980s.

The first thing to notice with the inaugural series is that the opening credits were different and the music was slower, somewhat more eerie, almost despairing. A shorter series than the following four, it did a good job of introducing us to the main protagonist, Detective Inspector Maggie Forbes, played by the late Jill Gascoine. And was it coincidence that a year after we elected our first female Prime Minister in the UK, the lead character in 'The Gentle Touch' was called Maggie? Did that give her toughness more authenticity in the eyes of the British public?

You have to remember that Jill Gascoine was in the vanguard for TV actresses as no other cop show had had a female lead. In fact, I don't think many TV shows had had a female lead. Remember, this was prime time Friday night TV when there were only three channels to watch. Viewing figures would have been very high and people would have been talking about it in the pubs the next night. There would have been a great deal of pressure on her to pull it off, and to say she handled it with aplomb is a colossal understatement.

The first series begins by pulling no punches when Maggie Forbes' husband, disgruntled with life in the force, is gunned down during a robbery half way through the first episode. You're expecting him to be a main cast member but his cruel sacrifice then allows the show to tackle issues such as single parenthood or frees up Maggie for some romantic interludes, one of which takes place in the weakest episode of the series, Rogue.

My take on The Gentle Touch, Series 1, is that it was well written and appeared to give a true to life depiction of police work. Slower and more thought provoking than 'The Sweeney', the title 'The Gentle Touch' belied the fact that it could be a tough cop drama and Detective Inspector Maggie Forbes was no shrinking violet when it came to expressing her opinion, especially with her arrogant, chauvinistic, Detective Inspector colleague Bob Croft (Brian Gwaspari), who she clearly dislikes from the off.

I don't recollect a whole lot of accompanying music throughout the show, giving a more realistic touch in my opinion. This is aided with occasional insights into Maggie's home life with her son and her father.

Also good to see future Casualty star Derek Thompson as Detective Sergeant Jimmy Fenton, playing him a bit cocky and with a proclivity for winding up potential suspects. William Marlowe's authoritative Detective Chief Inspector Russell pops up occasionally in this series, but we will see far more of him in later series.

It's also hard not to notice how the show strongly highlights the then prevalent attitudes in British society towards race, gender and sexuality. It is amazing to think that this was prime time TV and how far we have come in the last four decades.

It's always interesting as well, when watching old shows, to see other familiar faces pop up. Some who were known at the time and some who were yet to become famous, there's a few here.

Overall, an enjoyable return to 1980s British television and I look forward to the rerun of the second series starting tomorrow (27th July 2020).

RIP Jill Gascoine

Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) agrees to take on the role of winter caretaker for the isolated Overlook Hotel in the Colorado mountains, along with his wife Wendy (Shelley Duvall) and psychically gifted son Danny (Danny Lloyd). But will Jack regret his eagerness to take the role, especially after hearing of a former caretaker's murderous spree and the fact that the hotel was built on a Native Indian burial ground.

I've read many Stephen King novels and I've seen many of the film adaptations of his books and I can wholeheartedly concur that the novels are better. As it happens, I haven't read 'The Shining' so I can't compare it to the film but I can say that the film is far better than other movies linked to the iconic horror writer's work.

The film opens with what turns out to be Jack Torrance's car driving through the open expanses of the Colorado wilderness on the way to a job interview for the role of winter caretaker as a secluded hotel. The hotel itself is huge, and along with the accompanying wide open space surrounding it, weather permitting of course, there should be enough to keep the family busy for the next five or six months. Here, you are King of the castle, surveying your kingdom, the world is your oyster. What could possibly go wrong?

Well, to me at least, this film is about the effects of long term seclusion and isolation on the mind. In some respects, I would say the ghosts are irrelevant. Now I say that with a particular fondness for two of the main apparitions, Lloyd the barman and Delbert O'Grady the former caretaker. Both are played to perfection and bring a quiet menace to the film. However, Jack Torrance already has his demons and the isolation slowly starts to allow those demons to play and wreak havoc. The apparitions and evil presence of the Overlook only serve to heighten the tension and drive the story along. However, my sentiments are that ghosts or no ghosts, Jack's isolation from society is taking him down a dark path.

The story now has more of a relevance for many of us after three months of lockdown, with a lack of social interaction causing many people mental health problems. Human beings are social animals and a lack of social interaction, even in the setting of a large hotel in the mountains, and maybe even more so, is going to cause tremendous damage. Yes, Jack is with his wife and son but people need varying social challenges to keep the mind active, making life feel fresh rather than vapid.

As far as the making of the film goes, the performances are excellent all round, especially from the young boy who plays Danny. For a young chap to convey such terror, fear and confusion in his face is nothing short of a miracle. Whether the director used some scary props to stimulate those fears, I don't know. All I know is that I really felt his terror. His pathos, for such a young chap, was exceptional. The scenes between Jack and Wendy on the stairs and in the bathroom are also classics. I'm always gripped, no matter how many times I see them. If some of the scenes did have numerous takes, well then it was worth it. Also the scene where Wendy reads the results of Jack's repetitive typing, which just goes on and on, sends a shiver down your spine as you you shift uncomfortably in your seat more than once. Brilliant stuff although I feel for the poor person who had to type all those pages out.

'The Shining' also handles the tension levels perfectly. It successfully starts with a minor sense of foreboding which gradually increases over time. For a while, we're left thinking that there is a chance that Jack will come through and save the day for himself and his family, but once his mental instability is tipped over the edge, we are treated to a relentless attack on our nerves.

There are many periods of the film without dialogue, sometimes even without any obvious action, and yet this works exceptionally well to ramp up the tension and suspense. So much can be said without words and the actors do a great job of conveying the emotions of the characters. Where there is dialogue, it is of a high quality with no room for any frivolities. The only thing that feels a little superfluous to the story is Halloran coming back to the hotel from his home in Florida, only to be brutally murdered by Jack. Feels a bit pointless and doesn't achieve anything other than a scare and senseless loss. Perhaps that's why it's in the film.

On a more frivolous note, the Shining is always worth a watch for the 70s decor. I wonder if, or when, we'll ever see a return to such strong, bold patterns in our homes.

I'd also be interested to see the original version that hit the American cinemas back in the day in its entirety, before it was so heavily edited by Stanley Kubrick. It appears he edited it for European audiences after the film received poor critical responses and lukewarm box office in the States. However, European audiences handle lengthy films better than US audiences and the original version would make for interesting viewing in my opinion.

Overall, forty years after the film hit cinemas, 'The Shining' still endures as a great horror. It's one of those films that always leaves you thinking about it the day after you watched it, hence this review.