I have to first say I have absolutely no idea why this series never continued on for at least another 5 seasons.
The Tales Of Para Handy is an absolutely beautifully made gentle Scottish comedy centring around Neil Munros famous character Peter "Para handy" McFarland, captain of the puffer boat "The Vital Spark" and it's crew.
Those a little older (I myself am 30!) May recall the 1970's version of the stories simply titled "The Vital Spark" with the magnificent Roddy McMillan in the title role. While the old series was wonderful, it was low budget and it showed sometimes with the 70's cars and buildings.
This new series is expertly crafted into a beautiful period piece. All the clothes, streets, and cars are circa 1930's (which the stories are set!) the music is fantastically folky and the tales are just engaging entertainment. The scripts are wonderful and the stories range from heartfelt to side splitting!
Every moment is magical!
The only downside I can think of is that the main cast do not quite live up to their 1970's counterparts who are considered the definitive representations of the characters, but do NOT let that fool you! Gregor Fisher, Rikki Fulton and co. all do an absolutely amazing job of bringing life to the characters in their own way and having a rich script and wonderful stories, it is perfect Sunday night (Or any night!) family entertainment.
It is a crime that production stopped as soon as it did!
Buy it and enjoy!
