It's old Mr Grace's ninetieth birthday, and the staff of the Ladies and Gentleman's department come up with a special gift to mark the occasion.
The Christmas special has always been an event, there have been some real classics, and whilst I wouldn't say that Roots is a classic along those lines, it is still a very good episode.
The main cast are terrific, they each show how multi talented they were, the songs and sketches are great, and you clearly see them having lots of fun.
It is so incredibly lovely to see Young Mr Grace, in what would be his final appearance, the poor chap looks so frail. If I'm brutally honest, I didn't care for Old Mr Grace, I never thought Kenneth Waller fitted in with the part, Bennett had such a warmth about him, Waller, a good actor to give him his due, never managed to fill Bennett's shoes.
Mr Spooner finally gets a funny line, the Limerick is a very funny scene.
The title Roots has two possible meanings, a reference to the book by Alex Haley, or the roots of Mr Grace. It's quite noticeable that Wendy doesn't follow suit, it would be interesting to learn why.
The formula of the early episodes works so much better, the later episodes are hit and miss, Roots has its moments, it's a solid episode, but old cast members are much missed. 7/10.
The Christmas special has always been an event, there have been some real classics, and whilst I wouldn't say that Roots is a classic along those lines, it is still a very good episode.
The main cast are terrific, they each show how multi talented they were, the songs and sketches are great, and you clearly see them having lots of fun.
It is so incredibly lovely to see Young Mr Grace, in what would be his final appearance, the poor chap looks so frail. If I'm brutally honest, I didn't care for Old Mr Grace, I never thought Kenneth Waller fitted in with the part, Bennett had such a warmth about him, Waller, a good actor to give him his due, never managed to fill Bennett's shoes.
Mr Spooner finally gets a funny line, the Limerick is a very funny scene.
The title Roots has two possible meanings, a reference to the book by Alex Haley, or the roots of Mr Grace. It's quite noticeable that Wendy doesn't follow suit, it would be interesting to learn why.
The formula of the early episodes works so much better, the later episodes are hit and miss, Roots has its moments, it's a solid episode, but old cast members are much missed. 7/10.