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Reviews
Annika (1984)
Almost perfect TV (contains spoilers)
First, the criticisms. At times, the dialogue is quite lame and could have had more substance or been more profound. In addition, the editing is occasionally quite disjointed; it seems as though a number of scenes had been cut and this results in jumps that the viewer may have to fill in for themselves. For example, near the end of part one when Annika is about to return to Sweden, she asks Pete not to go to the train station because she cannot face saying goodbye. We then see Pete arriving at the station on his motorbike and this sequence would have worked much better if we had a scene in between in which a troubled Pete was perhaps at home, mulling over whether to go to the station or not. Furthermore, Christina Rigner's acting is sometimes terribly wooden, though this could possibly be excused by the character of Annika being quiet, introverted and soft spoken.
Having said all that, this is a terrific mini series and it's a great ride being able to enter the lives of these people for a bewitching love story. There are some montage scenes which capture little moments that generate those magical feelings of how fantastic it is to be with someone you're crazy about. Cynics could dismiss this as romantic nonsense but it's obvious that Pete and Annika are a perfect match and we root for them all the way, especially when circumstances begin to make it difficult for them.
Although the ending is heart-wrenching stuff, it's actually not really bad news. There are some movies (like "The Bridges of Madison County" or "The Remains of the Day") in which the main characters should be together but end up apart, and it can be infuriating! On the other hand, if two people get together at the end of a movie despite numerous obstacles we call it corny and contrived. But with this series an alternative scenario is given. Although Pete returns to England, it's not necessarily the end of his relationship with Annika. The letter he leaves for her indicates that his return is only temporary, to 'sort himself out', and that he aims to 'keep her in the future'. So when we see him riding out of Stockholm and we're tearing our hair out while shouting "Don't be a fool! Go back to her!" at the TV screen, we are provided with a lifeline that suggests he'll be back for her better and stronger than before. This kind of makes sense because his venture to Sweden is done with no preparation at all. He has no work permit, no residence permit and has not bothered to learn any of the language. He rather naively assumes everything will fall into place once he gets there, which of course it doesn't.
Unfortunately, the DVD release has not been remastered and it looks very dated to watch now. But it's superb as a piece of 80's nostalgia and after purchasing it I had planned to watch the episodes in turn over several days. Instead, I watched all three episodes back-to-back and then watched them all again the next day! Sad maybe, but I was hooked, and as I'm from London and have been to the Isle of Wight, I was familiar with some of the locations used. Look out for Don Henderson playing Pete's father. He's only in two scenes but delivers his lines brilliantly, especially in the dinner scene. Very funny!
I can see why Pete falls for Annika because she's gorgeous (at least she is to me) and I was rooting for him. He's an unpretentious, down to earth guy, easy going, and doesn't take life seriously. Having no prospects or qualifications doesn't bother him...until his romance with Annika takes off. Then he realizes his lack of sophistication is a drawback (though not to Annika, who appears to be attracted to his unpretentious, down to earth nature). When he takes her to a chic restaurant he struggles with the menu and looks out of his depth. Later, when he stops at a roadside diner he simply orders egg and chips, so we know where we're at with him. It's genuinely a shame when the odds start to stack up against him because he's a sincere guy and he fits in well with Annika's social circle.
In short, this is the kind of TV drama that only comes along occasionally and it's definitely worth checking out. If anyone has had a whirlwind romance with a foreign girl (my hand is up) there is plenty to identify with here. It's perfect for fans of romance, the 80's and good TV drama.
Hardwicke House (1987)
The Long-Lost Sitcom
Seven episodes of this sitcom were made, but only two were screened before it was unceremoniously yanked from the schedules. It has never been repeated and never been given either a video or DVD release. Sadly, it was never given a fair chance because both its time slot and its advance billing were inappropriate.
Contrary to rumours, the series has never been wiped and is still retained in ITV's archives. I am probably one of the very few people who has seen all seven episodes (and copies do exist; they are hard to find but you can obtain them if you know where to look). I have no idea why ITV refuse to release it on DVD. But I will say this; it definitely cannot be because of the content. There is no way that this show could be considered so offensive that the public can never see it. Not even close. The five unscreened episodes are actually quite tame and there are countless TV series and movies that can easily be deemed far more offensive and which are already available to buy. There is no child brutality or paedaphilia. It essentially comes across as a comic strip from "Beano" come to life.
Here's an example of one of the unseen episodes: episode five is entitled "Old Boys" and features guest stars Rick Mayall as Lenny and Adrian Edmondson as Tiny (real name Arthur). They arrive about ten minutes into the episode driving a green Mini pickup (very rare) and are kind of dressed like undertakers. Tiny is sporting crocodile skin platform boots and they are looking for Mr Fowl, the English teacher. Mr Fowl is feared by most of the children and is a snide, devious disciplinarian. Lenny and Tiny are former pupils of Hardwicke House and Mr Fowl had them sent to a borstal (a reform school). As they prowl the corridors, they confront terrifying school bully Slasher Bates, demanding to know where Mr Fowl is. This is the only time in the series in which Slasher is overpowered and humiliated (they throttle him and grab him by his naughty bits). By the way, Slasher is revealed as being 23 years old in another episode; he keeps failing and having to repeat his final school year. Anyway, shortly afterwards, Lenny and Tiny bump into Miss Crabbe, the French teacher, and are actually quite respectful towards her (they don't exactly fear her - she's not as strict as Mr Fowl - and it seems like they're attracted to her). They tell her that they work for an insurance company as sort of debt collectors (but it seems more likely that they run a protection racket). They tell Miss Crabbe that they have returned to the school to thank Mr Fowl for sending them to a borstal because it taught them a lesson and made them into better citizens. In reality they are there for revenge. Mr Fowl is petrified when he hears that Lenny and Tiny are back in the school and he tries to hide from them by disguising himself as Mr Savage, the PE teacher. But he doesn't get away. Miss Crabbe hates him and cajoles Agnes, the school secretary, to make an announcement over the tannoy system asking Mr Fowl to go to the staff room because a representative from Readers Digest is there with a prize draw gift for him. He falls for it and hurries to the staff room, only to find Lenny and Tiny waiting for him. They move in menacingly with a makeshift flame thrower but Mr Fowl jumps through the window and lands in a bush below. There's nothing horrendous, or disturbing, or unsettling, or controversial in this episode. It's no worse than watching an episode of "Men Behaving Badly".
But is it funny? That is a difficult question to answer because everyone has their own tastes. Obviously, "Hardwicke House" won't appeal to everyone, and that can be said about any programme. However, if you like wacky, silly, slapstick humour then you will probably like "Hardwicke House". Yes, there's some black comedy in it. Yes, there's some vulgarity. And yes, some of it is corny and predictable. But overall, in my own view, I enjoyed it and there were plenty of genuinely laugh-out-loud moments. The characters are exaggerated (a bit like "Spitting Image" puppets) and they are varied, from the utterly useless no-hoper (geography teacher Mr Philpott) to the gruff, almost unintelligable neanderthal (PE teacher Mr Savage).
One of the problems with this programme was its scheduling; it was given a prime-time mid-evening slot and was billed as family viewing. It had the same time slot that would have been given to traditional lame sitcoms such as "Fresh Fields" and "Robin's Nest". But "Hardwicke House" is not a traditional family sitcom. It is zany and over-the-top and came in the wave of so-called "alternative comedy" in the early-to-mid 1980's, and it has no laughter track. It is similar in style to "The Young Ones", which came before it, and "Bottom", which came after it. It should have been given a late-night time slot and if it had, there would likely have been little uproar surrounding it. As often happens with something that is cutting edge, there is a knee-jerk reaction and everything gets blown out of proportion.
It was certainly ahead of its time. If it was shown today it would hardly raise an eyebrow. If there's a problem with the content of "Hardwicke House" then how does something like "Jackass" ever get on the screen? Hopefully, the powers-that-be will see sense and finally give it a long-overdue showing on one of the multitude of satellite channels or release it on DVD. I'd buy it.