uuilson Reviews

Nelson's Column (1994–1995)

In the times of canned laughter in the office, before The Office came along...

[10/10 · 30 May 2005]

Only two series of Nelson's Column were commissioned. It's a follow-up of sorts to An Actor's Life for Me (1991), also starring John Gordon Sinclair and written by Paul Mayhew-Archer, which centers around an actor's rather than a journalist's frolics and follies.

Gavin Nelson is a journalist who has his own column (hence the meta-humor), in and out of love with his two female co-workers, he has a propensity to bite off more than he can chew on assignments; especially when his larger-than-life and "sluggish" cameraman is involved. Always looking for the easy way out, Nelson's "tall tales" oftentimes come back to haunt him tenfold.

Each episode of this series has a mediocre plot and is predictable in a lot of instances, however it redeems itself in certain areas. For instance, the cast of Sinclair, Thompson, and O'Donnell have a certain chemistry and are fantastic actors, which probably stems from all the time they have spent on stage.

It would be fantastic if this series was eventually released on DVD. It has often received harsh criticism as it wasn't embraced by the British public and actually had the misfortune to make it into the "Worst of" poll on BBC. It aired occasionally on PBS in the States.

Inspector Morse (1987–2000)

Inspector Morse, a Synopsis

[10/10 · 17 October 2001]

Inspector Morse is television at its finest. Based around the Oxford-based characters created by Colin Dexter (some films are based on the novels; some on plot ideas by Dexter; and others, original scripts), the ITV series starring John Thaw and Kevin Whately has endured 33 high-quality episodes, each of which is approximately 104 minutes in length, and made with the same high standards usually reserved for a film with a theatrical release, ultimately resulting in a very arduous-yet-rewarding filming process. The premise of the series, to paraphrase John Thaw, is observing how two disparate men - one of which is a cerebral, Jaguar-driving, beer-drinking, crossword-solving, music-loving, well-educated, pedantic, arrogant, bachelor (Chief Inspector "Endeavour" Morse); the other of which is a northern, subservient, down-to-earth, prudish, humble and publicly-educated, family man (Sergeant "Robbie" Lewis) - proceed through an intricate whodunit and come to the conclusion which they inevitably reach. There is a noticeable father-son relationship between Morse & Lewis; and perhaps more of a brother-brother relationship between Morse & Strange, the Chief Superintendent. Aptly described as "a good detective but a poor policeman," Morse's modus operandi is very unconventional and parallels the way in which he solves his daily crossword puzzle (sometimes resulting in him getting things "arse about face"). His partnership with Lewis, however much as Morse would probably deny it, is vital to the investigation, just as Watson's was to Holmes; a lot of times mere innocent remarks from Lewis will lead Morse to deduce essential pieces of a puzzle, thereby solving the crime. Although Morse's melancholy is a rarely changing factor, Thaw is able to convey the gambit of emotions without having to resort to overacting. Their Christian names are rarely broadcast throughout the series; Morse tends to refer to Sgt. Lewis as just "Lewis," whereas Sgt. Lewis is inclined to address Morse as "Sir." The team who commissioned the Inspector Morse series seem to have elected not to use the same filming/writing crew on more that one episode, resulting in direction and writing styles which differ immensely from one another at different stages in the series. Contributing a lot to the show are the classically-trained backgrounds of many of the guest stars and the talent of the writers and directors, many of whom have gone on to have tremendously successful careers. Another important element of the show's success is the, at times hauntingly beautiful, strikingly apposite music composed by Barrington Pheloung. The characters evolve throughout the series, almost to the point where Lewis metamorphoses into an obtuse version of Morse. In Hitchcockian-style, Colin Dexter makes a cameo appearance in nearly every Inspector Morse film. The deterioration of Morse's health from a nasty combination of both drink and diabetes, and his apathy toward its maintenance were his ultimate downfall; indeed the re"morse"ful day occurred in the final episode (same name, same poem, same pun) wherein Morse succumbed to a heart attack, fittingly on the lawn of an Oxford college. Although it is hard for one to simultaneously predict the future and judge in a contemporary environment, it appears that the series has all the requisites to be regarded as "timeless."

One Foot in the Grave (1990–2001)

"I Don't Believe It!"

[29 August 2001]

With "One Foot in the Grave", David Renwick created a British icon, an ubiquitous catchphrase, as well as possibly the greatest situation comedy of its time. All from unlikely beginnings... Victor Meldrew, played by Richard Wilson (Renwick had him in mind when creating the character, and he was reluctant to play the part at first), can best be described as a grumpy old age pensioner, suddenly made redundant by an electronic piece of equipment, whose everyday actions reap disastrous, albeit hilarious, consequences. Of course the other characters add a lot of flavour to the series. The other main characters in "One Foot in the Grave" are Victor's wife, Margaret, played by Annette Crosby, who cannot be underrated in her role, as well as the ones with less screen presence who pop up from time to time: their neighbours and counterparts, Patrick & Pippa, played by Angus Deayton and Jane Duvitski, respectively; Margaret's friend, Mrs. Warboys; and the altruistic and left-side neigbour, Nick Swainey, all of whom are integral parts of the series; their idiosyncrasies clashing with Meldrew's. Although at first glance the characters in this series can seem rather one-dimensional, they really have a lot of depth to them. It is the only series which ran for so long I can think of whose episodes remain consistently funny, ranging from the various degrees of mildly amusing to absolutely, side-splittingly funny. It may be argued that a lot of the humour derived from this series comes from the way Victor reacts to other people. He doesn't suffer fools gladly! I believe that this series will stand the test of time, despite all the uniquely British references (especially the all-too-common time-sensitive ones, such as the names of contemporary celebrities). Even the theme song (sung & written by Eric Idle of Monty Python fame) is great. The series was broadcast over a 10-year period, from 1990-2000, spanning 6 seasons (36 episodes) plus seven Christmas specials of lengths ranging from 40 minutes to the one feature-length film, "One Foot in the Algarve" (1993). It's a shame the series had to end with both feet in the grave as a result of Victor's demise from a hit-and-run incident, but it certainly didn't overstay its welcome on the BBC.