Sorry I'm a Stranger Here Myself

Henry Nunn seeks to escape from television. His wife Sybil has long been obsessed with the thing, so when Henry's Uncle Crispin leaves him a house in the town where he was born, and this coincides with a financial windfall, Henry flees from 'Minder' and 'Crossroads' in Datchet to a non-televisual life in Stackley.

Green (later pink) haired Alex the squatter is already encamped, and Henry slowly begins to learn that modern life can be more vapid and ridiculous than anything on the small screen. Lovable shopkeeper Mumtaz (played by Nadim Sawalha - father of the wonderful 'Press Gang' actress Julia) may not have a great grasp of the English language. But he has a heart of gold. As does yogurt and Argos catalogue-loving next door neighbour Doreen. Tom, the shouty shop steward, Doreen's ever-loving, is not so amenable.

Henry sees a hint of his younger self in Alex and becomes fond of the lad, but his neighbours habit of using his home as an extension of their own drives him potty.

So, back to Datchet and Des O'Connor on the box - or remain in Stackley?

In the end, the one-eyed monster wins in Stackley. It seems almost to come as a relief to Henry when a telly arrives at the house and halts the flow of naff real life chat.

Robin Bailey makes a beautiful job of the dry-witted Henry, and the whole cast is exceptional. The show contains a message about the quality of modern day life which seems more relevant now, in our multi-channel, downloaded world, than it did in the early 1980s.