millennium-4

This series has been standby Netflicks viewing for me when I cannot seem to find anything without violence and crass humor. Having walked through the Dales as long ago as the early sixties I recognize much of the scenery and the characters.

I am like many others who seem to prefer the early series with Carol Drinkwater and Mary Hignett. Replacing Carol must have been a hard process. The later series did one very good thing which was to improve the theme music. The earlier version had a percussion section that must been pasted in later and sounded like a complete tea set and box of cutlery being thrown down a set of stairs.

And speaking of comic relief...the humor provided by Peter Davison as Tristan at times had me wincing. I could not quite believe that such an out an out conniving self absorbed pratt as Tristan could have been accepted either in the practice or in a small Yorkshire town. Davison acts the role perfectly, but I would have watched the series had it not included his scenes. Occasionally I could not quite swallow James's naiveté.

The real stars of this show were the hundreds of local character actors who played walk on parts over the years, not to mention a never ending supply of compliant small animals willing to sit quietly while being examined, poked and fumbled and a never ending supply of cows ready to calve at the directors command.

As for Robert Hardy...whenever I watch Martin Clunes in the excellent Doc Martin I am tempted to say "you were not the first to portray an iconoclastic medical role in a rural setting with colorful locals to play off".

Hardy was superb but seemed tired in later episodes, however without his anchoring role the series would have been too cozy and tedious.

In summary, one of the best TV series ever made. Up there with M.A.S.H., Midsomer Murders, Poirot and Barney Miller

It seems fashionable to produce prequels to popular series of all kinds. Any time soon I expect to be able to review an cinematographic account of James Bonds childhood and the what must have been tumultuous events in his teenage and service life that made him a fictional icon. In 'Endeavor' it is fascinating to note that the production quality is so much superior to the 'Inspector Morse' series it feeds upon. And could Roger Allam be more suggestive of Michael Gambon's 'Maigret' or even the original Rupert Davies version; which we are all still hoping will be found and released. But I did enjoy it. And once again I am struck by the 'raincoat syndrome'. Yes, the raincoat that so many screen detectives seem to wear whatever the climate or venue. Surely there is a series here just waiting to be made. An amalgam of Colombo, Maigret, Endeavour, Frost, celebrating the ubiquitous outer garment.

In the "View from the Villa" agent John Drake pulls up in what looks like an Aston Martin DB4 or DB5, thus beating Sean Connery to the punch by several years. At least on the screen. I think it also appears in a few other episodes, but I am not certain.

I have spent the last few years slowly catching up on this superb series via net flicks. As other reviewers have noted already the plots were nearly always excellent. The understatement and laconic delivery of Mr. McGoohan a foretelling of others who would try the same style and mostly fail, except for the wonderful Le Carre adaptions, and Mr. Caine's superb Ipcress File. The satire of Establishment figures was often very droll.

In the current editions I am getting from Netflicks the music track is provided by a powerful jazz orchestra. What happened to the superb Harpsichord jazz music that I remember from the original UK broadcasts? So much more subtle and intriguing than the blaring band arrangement, although it does have a period flavor I cant deny.

Mr. McGoohan passed away recently. I will remember him and Danger Man as one of the very influential forces in my teenage years.