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DVD The Irish R.M. - Series 1
"Things are different in Ireland." So learns Major Sinclair Yeates, "a fine gentleman from England," who resigns from the military to take a post in rural 1897 Ireland as the Resident Magistrate. Peter Bowles, one of PBS's most valuable players (Rumpole of the Bailey, To the Manor Born) stars in the first series of The Irish R.M., six of Masterpiece Theatre's finest hours. Based on the book by Somerville and Ross, The Irish R.M. is a fish-out-of-water comedy. Think Green Acres and Northern Exposure, only, you know, much more classy. Bowles is pitch-perfect as the well-meaning, but initially confounded Yeates, who finds himself presiding over "improbable" cases. Together with his incredibly tolerant wife, Philippa (Doran Godwin), Yeates finds himself at home among (and frequently at the mercy of) a gallery of eccentric characters, including his formidable housekeeper, Mrs. Cadogan (Beryl Reid), his Puckish landlord, Flurry (Bryan Murray), and Flurry's indomitable grandmother, Lady Knox (Faith Brook). As one character remarks, "It's all devilishly funny, no doubt." --Donald Liebenson
"The Irish R.M." is surely one of the most delightful shows I have happened across. It relies upon absurdity for humor, instead of the coarseness and crudity that have invaded almost every show on television. However, if you are not able to appreciate British humor...please do not waste your time watching this show. It is utterly delightful, but those who are unaccustomed to British humor may not enjoy it. However, my entire family, from my baby-boomer parents to my 11 year old sister love it, in addition to my college roommate. I really hope that seasons 2 & 3 become available on DVD soon. Peter Bowles is fantastic as the poor R.M., but the audience will probably fall in love with Flurry Knox, the R.M.'s rascally landlord.
Celtic Pandemonium
This wonderful comedy, contrasting English reserve with Celtic abandon and imaginative mischief, is a delightful exposition of that culture which was transplanted, in large measure, from the Celtic lands to the southern climes of North America. What we call "Southerners" in the United States are, in their cultural essence, of Celtic origin, and Southerners will recognize themselves in this charming revelation of Celtic (Southern) manners.
While there are major differences between Englishmen and Yankees, nevertheless Southerners will appreciate the difference between Flurry, who represents the Irish temperament, and the Magistrate, who personifies the very proper English way -- although, in the course of the series, the Magistrate begins to see, by stages, the humane logic of the Celtic lifestyle.
I've never seen a more delightful, pointed, and enjoyable exposition of the contrasts between the English and the Irish, or, to stretch the point a bit, between the Yankee and the Southerner.
A Thoroughly Charming & Delightful British Comedy-Drama
Those who enjoy Peter Bowles' roles in the ever-popular Rumpole of the Bailey and To the Manor Born will surely enjoy his role in this lovely series set in Ireland of the late 19th century. Bowles stars as Major Sinclair Yates, a retired English army officer who accepts a position in Ireland as a Resident Magistrate. His role here is reminiscent of Guthrie Featherstone in the Rumpole series, although Yates is a more multi-dimensional character, and his ineptness is due largely to an unfamiliarity with the customs and ways of life of the Irish.
Major Yates is joined by his fiancee/wife, Philippa, who is extremely tolerant both of life in a foreign country and of the comical predicaments in which the Major finds himself. Then there are the servants at Shrilane, the Yateses' less-than-pristine country home: Mrs. Cadogan is the no-nonsense (albeit highly humourous) housekeeper, whose every sentence is laden with the most elaborate of metaphors; Peter, Mrs. Cadogan's simple-minded nephew, is the stable lad; and finally Julia and the inept Bridgit are the two maids.
The real show-stealer in this series is the Major's new landlord, Flurry Knox (Bryan Murray), a clever, quick-witted and jovial young man who constantly rides the finest line between legality and illegality. Flurry is joined by his able albeit permanently inebriated cohort Slipper, played superbly by Niall Toibin (Ballykissangel's Father Macanally). The cast is rounded out by Mrs. Knox, Flurry's strong-willed and eccentric grandmother; Lady Knox, Flurry's pompous aunt; and Sally, Lady Knox's beautiful daughter.
This boxed set contains six 50-minute episodes. The series (at least thus far) is certainly more comedy than drama, and the episodes more often than not involve the Major ending up in an embarrassing and/or compromising situation (usually thanks to Flurry) from which he must somehow extricate himself--with his honour intact, if possible.
In conclusion, this is a warm and thoroughly charming series set in an Ireland that has long since disappeared. Like Ballykissangel, the humour is gentle and suitable for the enjoyment of the entire family. The only thing that takes a little getting used to are the Irish accents, for they are (unlike Ballykissangel) as thick as treacle. But it is well worth the effort, as this really is a most enjoyable series. Highly recommended to anyone who enjoys good British comedy-drama.
Gently humourous and with the richest of Irish accents, this lovely, warm-hearted turn-of-the-century comedy-drama is perfect for anyone looking for quality family viewing.
This, the second series (which once again contains six 50-minute episodes), covers a period of approximately eight or nine years and sees the return of all the familiar characters from the first series (with the exception of Mrs. Knox, Flurry's grandmother). This is, I should just mention, a series that one ought to watch from the beginning (ie. from the first boxed set) as there is a definite air of continuity to the episodes.
If you enjoyed the first series, you'll enjoy this one just as much. Though there is a little more drama in a couple of the episodes (with a couple of potentially serious incidents... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Robert Chetwyn - Roy Ward Baker DVD Release Date: Released the 12 April 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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To the Manor Born is another BBC sitcom from the genre's golden age, one that came to dominate the ratings during its initial three-season run from 1979-80. Providing Penelope Keith with her first major role after The Good Life, the show focuses on a way of life that now appears hard to comprehend, with storylines concerning hunt balls, village committees, and eccentric brigadiers only adding to the dated feel. What provided the program's key interest, however, was not the terribly quaint Little England setting but the burgeoning relationship between Keith's Audrey fforbes-Hamilton and Richard De Vere (Peter Bowles), the new owner of Audrey's old home, Grantleigh Manor. It's all very, very English (the show is set in a village called Cricket St. Thomas) and the continuing... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Penelope Keith DVD Release Date: Released the 15 June 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Originally telecast in the 1970s, Good Neighbors is the wonderful 1970s Britcom about an upper-middle-class couple who relinquish consumerism and turn their cozy suburban London home into a self-sufficient farm. Tom (Richard Briers) and Barbara (Felicity Kendal) Good trade in one version of the good life for an impoverished other--an old tractor instead of a car, a goat instead of a purebred pup--to the continuing consternation of their best friends and executive-salaried neighbors, Jerry (Paul Eddington) and Margot (Penelope Keith) Ledbetter. Among the episodes contained in the first three series are "Pig's Lib," in which Margot covertly seeks help from the local residents' association to stop Tom's plans for keeping pigs; "Just My Bill," in which Tom and Barbara face the rare... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Richard Briers DVD Release Date: Released the 14 June 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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The first two episodes of this BBC miniseries only hint at the delights to come. A lawsuit aimed at church reform in the town of Barchester forces a decent middle-aged clergyman (the august Donald Pleasence, best known in the U.S. for the Halloween movies) into a moral crisis and a conflict with his son-in-law, a pompous archdeacon (Nigel Hawthorne, The Madness of King George). The gracefully written and acted narrative shows glimpses of dry wit--but in episode 3, the arrival of a new bishop (Clive Swift, Keeping Up Appearances), his imperious wife (Geraldine McEwan, The Magdalene Sisters), and his devious chaplain (Alan Rickman, Truly Madly Deeply, the Harry Potter movies) launches The Barchester Chronicles into a satirical power... More Info about this DVD Director(s): David Giles (III) DVD Release Date: Released the 25 January 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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