Rockface is a nice gentle drama about the fictional Glentannoch mountain rescue team based in Scotland. It was broadcast on BBC 1 on Wednesday evenings between March and April 2002. It was the kind of programme which used to fit into the Sunday slot.
Everything about the series was gorgeous and I don't just mean the Scottish scenery! There were pretty girls, attractive women, good looking boys and handsome men. All of them looked really good in fleeces and waterproof jackets.
When it comes to the rescues their aint no mountain high enough for this group. Some of the rescues seemed quite light hearted, others were quite gruesome.I won't forget the guy covered in blood with maggots crawling out of his head!
In between the rescues we found out about the personal lives of the team. There was Gordon Urquhart (Clive Russel), the team leader and his wife and daughter, young Jamie Doughan ( Rupert Evans),who is not pleased when his mother turns up as a consultant at the local hospital and then there's Ben Craig(Cal Macaninch), who has a secret that he is determined to keep from his brother Peter(James Sieves) and sister-in -law Annie(Zoe Eeles). We also have Mike Bayliss( Richard Graham) who sees himself as one for the ladies.
For me the real hero, who proved himself right to the very end, was the second leader Douglas McLanaghan played by Brendan Coyle. If you were a young lady recovering from shock he was there to give you a reassuring hug and if you were his god daughter he would hug you ,swing you round and lend you twenty quid! He was involved with the 'feisty' Nurse Helen (Kim Vithana). She comes on a bit heavy to poor Doug at times. She says she doesn't want to storm his "inner sanctum" , which she sees as"strictly off limits, no females admitted, totally private". All poor Doug wants is his bathroom kept tidy and a plain "Yes" or "No".
Some of the story lines were predictable e.g. How would Caroline Morrison (Melanie Gutteridge) be able to prove herself worthy of the team? I would have liked to have seen more cliff hangers at the end of each episode! I liked the fact that episodes 5 and 6 were a two part story and probably the most exciting and least predictable.
The BBC announced at the end of the first series that another series is planned. I hope all the original cast are contracted to return. The series also starred Louise Goodall( from My Name is Joe) as the person who took the calls, it would have been nice for her to have had a bigger part in the drama.
On the whole I really enjoyed this series.
