The news for fans of British telly on DVD is both good and bad. The good is there are more new releases than ever gracing our shelves, the bad news s they're still coming in at a trickle and quality and value are sometimes lacking. Fortunatly many of the series I've mentioned in previous wishlist columns have been, or will soon be, released - Are You Being Seved, Father Ted, Red Dwarf, Brideshead revisited, Hitchhikers Guide etc,. but there are so many titles waiting to take their place it's impossible to whittle them down to a managable handful. Here's the best I could do...
Ace of Wands (cool site alert http://www.aceofwands.freeserve.co.uk/)
Nifty little fantasy show wound round the adventures of a magician named Tarot (Michael Mackenzie) and various companions. Significantly darker than most kids genre telly of the time (70's). Ace of Wands melded magic (illusion and supernatural) and crime years before Bill Bixby (The Magician) or Alan Davies (Jonathan Creek) ever began pulling rabbits out of hats.
Sadly, like all too many shows of it's type and era many episodes of Ace of Wands have been lost and even I have only seen a couple in full. More suited for a collector's oriented DVD set this may be wishful thinking of the most frivolous kind as the series hasn't been broadcast regularly in the UK since the 70's.
The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin:
Available on VHS the Perrin experience is overdue for a DVD makeover. Including the "Legacy" series of a few years back would make a nice extra.
Tenko
The harrowing drama, set in a Japanese POW camp for women, aired originally in the early 80's. Beautifully acted by an exceptionally strong ensemble cast and featuring top notch writing Tenko deserves both a lavish DVD presentation as well as a high profile broadcast run.
Coupling
I keep hearing rumors but this one stays on the list until they come true. And when they do it better be the widescreen versions.
Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)
Both versions. please!
I have created a small but rabid fan base, through shared VHS off the air broadcast recordings sent by generous mates in the UK, that would lap up any release of either the 1969 or 2000 incarnation. All you need to know about this crime-comedy is that one of the detectives is a ghost and that the remake features Mortimer and Reeves, Tom Baker and the mad crowd behind The League of Gentlemen.
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