TV Shows That Really Should Be Out On DVD

[Ben]

Here's my wish list...

Falcon Crest - all for Jane Wyman and her uncanny channelling of Nancy Reagan's cadences and dress sense in this saga of scheming wine country folk.

Flamingo Road - Yes, I want all the 1980's soaps. They do voodoo in this one.

The Colbys - forget Dynasty even with Joan "Older Than Jesus" Collins. This is the hardcore crack cocaine of all 1980's soaps, and probably the most sublimely ridiculous.

Connie - yes, it's Stephanie Beacham again, pouting and snarling her way through much metaphorical 1980's greed is good dialogue - "My spoon is going into the navy. My snout is going into the trough," - amidst the glamour of the rag trade. In The Midlands.

Triangle - Kate O'Mara sunbathing baps side down on the freezing deck of a North Sea ferry.

Grange Hill - The Mr. Bronson & Mrs. McClusky years.

Trainer - Semi-sequel to Howards' Way set in the world of horse-racing. Theme song "More To Life" performed by Cliff Richard.

Cagney And Lacey - I want some Christine and Mary Beth bonding in the NYPD women's bog action. Be nice if they could include the pilot with Loretta Swit and the first series with Meg Foster as Cagney.

The Gentle Touch - Juliet Bravo has been released on DVD, now where's Maggie Forbes??? Oh, and bung in CATS Eyes too.

Maelstrom - Thoroughly strange thriller serial involving Norwegian fjords and dolls.

Making Out - Excellent comedy drama set in an electronics factory. The factory girls were headed by Queenie, played by Margi Clarke.

Emmerdale - let's have some of the very early episodes with round-table discussions about sheepdip and then the plane crash episodes.

Star Fleet - Fantastic Japanese puppet show dubbed into English. Great ships, characters, "story arcs" and Oriental sci-fi strangeness. Much better than Terrahawks.

Manimal - with Simon McCorkindale as a man who can transform into any animal, usually a small choice as per the limited budget.

Batman - The 1960's Adam West version. Why isn't this out? It's probably the most requested TV series on DVD ever and yet it's tied up in legal limbo. Holy litigation, Batman!

The Man From UNCLE - Open Channel D...

Out Of This World - Actually I just want the theme tune: "Would you like to swing on a star?" Carry moonbeams home in a jar..."

Thirtysomething - Loved this with all the characters talking Really Earnest Therapyspeak to each other: "Do you want to... Talk About It??"

[David Hunter]

ben said:

The Gentle Touch - Juliet Bravo has been released on DVD, now where's Maggie Forbes??? Oh, and bung in CATS Eyes too.

Not that I even watch it, but I'd like to petition for Jill Gascoigne to come into EastEnders.

[Ben]

davidhunter said:

ben said:

The Gentle Touch - Juliet Bravo has been released on DVD, now where's Maggie Forbes??? Oh, and bung in CATS Eyes too.

Not that I even watch it, but I'd like to petition for Jill Gascoigne to come into EastEnders.

No chance. Jill lives in LA now with her hubby Alfred Molina. I believe she writes romance novels and does the odd play.

[Ben]

And of course The Animals Of Farthing Wood should get a release too.

[puppydogstail]

Im totally in agreement witht bringing out "Making Out" on dvd. Margi Clarke rules. This series coincided with my sexual awakening. Which makes it instantly erotic to me.

[zaffra]

puppydogstail said:

Im totally in agreement witht bringing out "Making Out" on dvd. Margi Clarke rules. This series coincided with my sexual awakening. Which makes it instantly erotic to me.

Making Out had the best ever music in it too, New Order from when they were really good. I'd like to get the soundtrack.

[audrey notwhatsheusedtobe]

ben said:

Triangle - Kate O'Mara sunbathing baps side down on the freezing deck of a North Sea ferry.

I would love to see this again. I can only just remember it, but I remember thinking it was the most glamorous, mysterious thing ever.

[FeelsLikeKellyCrabtree]

Night & Day without a doubt

[Nicholas]

I really would like the second series of Brass (I think there were only two). "Son, thou hast broken thy m.p.'s heart!"

[David Hunter]

nickjco said:

I really would like the second series of Brass (I think there were only two). "Son, thou hast broken thy m.p.'s heart!"

Bizarrely I've been searching for season one on eBay. It's selling for a ridiculous price on Amazon as it's been deleted already.

[Ben]

davidhunter said:

nickjco said:

I really would like the second series of Brass (I think there were only two). "Son, thou hast broken thy m.p.'s heart!"

Bizarrely I've been searching for season one on eBay. It's selling for a ridiculous price on Amazon as it's been deleted already.

And you just know that when you pick it up at an inflated price, another company will re-issue it on DVD.

I loved Brass too. There were three series - two for ITV in the 1980's and a third made by Channel 4 in 1990. It'd be interesting to see it again, because as a parody I suspect it's aged much better than Soap.

[Ben]

puppydogstail said:

Im totally in agreement witht bringing out "Making Out" on dvd. Margi Clarke rules. This series coincided with my sexual awakening. Which makes it instantly erotic to me.

I'd like to see The Riff Raff Element out on DVD too.

[Nicholas]

ben said:

davidhunter said:

Bizarrely I've been searching for season one on eBay. It's selling for a ridiculous price on Amazon as it's been deleted already.

And you just know that when you pick it up at an inflated price, another company will re-issue it on DVD.

I loved Brass too. There were three series - two for ITV in the 1980's and a third made by Channel 4 in 1990. It'd be interesting to see it again, because as a parody I suspect it's aged much better than Soap.

I have got series one on DVD and although it is clearly very eighties, it is still hilarious, and I don't think it has aged particularly. You probably do need to be aware of all the great eighties dramas (Brideshead, Dynasty et cetera) to get the full picture. but anyone who watches any soap opera will get the joke.

Caroline Blakiston and Barbara Ewing are comedy Gods.

[Golden Meg]

Happy Families.

Happy Families, Happy Families, Happy Families. Where Adrian Edmundson has to track down the remaining members of his family (all played by Jennifer Saunders). Please can we get some kind of petition going?

Also: Lipstick on your Collar. This is Dennis Potter! Highculture indeed! Why isn't it on DVD already?

Tales from Fat Tulip's Garden. From when there used to be kids' telly on at lunchtimes!

[Nick]

1. A Cardiac Arrest DVD release in time for the 60th anniversary of the NHS (please).

2. A completely comprehensive DVD of all the computer graphics / theme music / sponsorship bits / gossip boxes / bits between the songs on The [ITV] Chart Show, to coincide with the 10th anniversary of its demise (same year). If they were REALLY smart they'd arrange it so that viewers could create their own playlist of music videos in advance and arrange the graphics around that.

3. Pat and Margaret, obviously.

[jetsetwilly]

nick said:

3. Pat and Margaret, obviously.

I concur. And I'd like to add The Complete As Seen On TV, instead of a "Best of Victoria Wood", and the Victoria Wood half hour things she did in about 1989 ("My husband's just coming." "Where from? Bangladesh?").

And also My So-Called Life, please. And all 150 odd episodes of Eldorado would be good. And is it utterly redundant to ask for Series 2 of Twin Peaks to finally get a release?

[Ben]

jetsetwilly said:

And is it utterly redundant to ask for Series 2 of Twin Peaks to finally get a release?

TP season 2 is due out in the spring from Paramount. The reason for the delay is that David Lynch has been personally supervising the work on the release and obviously Paramount have had to work around his other commitments.

[Nurse Dunkley]

I'll second the Animals of Farthing Wood request, along with asking for Let Them Eat Cake, which was French & Saunders' French revolution comedy, and was probably rubbish but as younger kid I loved it.

I'd also like some of three "An Audience With..."s to be released: The Spice Girls', Kylie's and Lily Savage's. They've released some of them, so it annoys that these aren't there.

[SweatShop]

Let Them Eat Cake is out on dvd somewhere...

It's either Region 1 or Region 4 though. Most likely 1. There's quite a lot of region 1 French and Saunders compilations that will never see the light of day over here.

I really don't know why.

Edit: Correction, there's some on eBay that are Region 2 and 4.

[Bungle]

Let Them Eat Cake is out in Australia, and has been for some time - but is also out in UK land next month (29th), so fret not.

Issues with clearing the songs is behind the lack of Lipstick on your Collar I believe, although that doesn't explain the lack of Karaoke and Cold Lazarus.

No-one seems to have mentioned Springhill yet, so I shall. Anyone who posts to this messageboard should be required to see it by law. It defines Lowculture.

[Nurse Dunkley]

Oh good news about Let Them Eat Cake, cheers. Serves me right for not checking in a while.

I'd give Springhill a spin if a DVD came out. I Wikiapediad (what's the correct verb for this?) it and it looked pretty kickass.

[David Hunter]

'Terri McIntyre Classy Bitch.'
And 'Having It Off' just for the line, 'If the rivers flowing red, take the dirt track instead' and Lisa Riley with a wooden leg.

[Muinimula]

I'm hoping for the day when they release all the 'Smack The Pony' episodes, rather than the "Best Of", which wasn't nearly substantial enough.

Would you like a little dessert?

[Steven]

muinimula said:

I'm hoping for the day when they release all the 'Smack The Pony' episodes, rather than the "Best Of", which wasn't nearly substantial enough.

Would you like a little dessert?

Fuck yes. I've got about two-thirds of them on video taped off the telly, and I'm buggered if I'm sitting up in the early hours of the morning to see if the E4 repeats are the ones I haven't got.

You'll have to catch me first!

[klee]

jetsetwilly said:

I concur. And I'd like to add The Complete As Seen On TV, instead of a "Best of Victoria Wood", and the Victoria Wood half hour things she did in about 1989 ("My husband's just coming." "Where from? Bangladesh?").

Yes yes yes! Mens Sana in Thingummy Doo Dah.

"This is the first day of the rest of my life!"

"It's the first day of Lewis's sale." Shakes head in disappointment.

The one with the party....

"You don't talk to Filipinos, you hand them your used cutlery!"

The one where she tries to go on holiday....

"Press for ticket, take ticket, park car, catch plane, go on holiday, have sex with a Portugese timeshare salesman. But first, press for ticket."

It's a crime that these haven't turned up on DVD. I demand a Victoria Wood career retrospective.