The Glittering Prizes

One would think that the BBC and ITV would be out to milk every last penny from the great TV programmes of the past. The Glittering Prizes ranked along with such greats as I Claudius, Fall of Eagles and Days of Hope. I doubt that the tapes have been lost or discarded. If the BBC could produce the old blotchy 50's recording of George Orwell's 1984 for its anniversary, they have got this one tucked away in their vaults.

The plot reminded me of the Up series, where a group of children are visited every 7 years to examine how they are faring in life. The Glittering Prizes was a work of fiction, but obviously based on real life characters who attended Cambridge in the 1950's and went on to careers, some successful, some not. I will never forget the scene with Tom Conti in his cheap rooms, with "Oh Mein Papa" playing on the radio, or the young boy when asked what kind of car the family had, replied that they had feet. The evocation of the 50's and 60's brought back so many memories. The script was sparkling, the acting superb and the concept predated all the ensemble films and reality shows.

TV has really gone downhill since programmes like this were made. We may have more channels, but the result in mediocrity. Best of all, they were able to get the message across without resorting to gutter language. Like others, I would like to see this on DVD.

The script's the star of this sprawling six-part series from Frederic Raphael: probing, caustic and matchlessly witty, particularly in the two most successful episodes, the Brideshead-esque 'An Early Life' and the frankly outlandish 'A Past Life', which features Eric Porter as a fascist sympathiser. The acting is variable (Tom Conti's bravura central performance is the obvious standout), the worldview sometimes unsavoury and the penultimate episode has passages that really drag, but it's a work touched with a rare brilliance and the dialogue is simply spectacular. I picked it up after hearing Nigel Havers (who has a small but memorable role) say it was the best script he'd ever read.

None of the British mini-series that found their way across the Atlantic stand as a greater achievement than "The Glittering Prizes." Not "I: Claudius," not "Brideshead Revisited," none of them.

Frederic Raphael's script strikes just the right combination of warmth and acidity with a note of genuineness that we don't always associate with this writer. The performances are uniformly apt. Many of the young cast would go on to solid careers, yet few of them would ever give greater performances than they do here.

Undoubtedly the TV technology of the period may appear quaint, but that certainly hasn't held back "I, Claudius." I have seen this series again since the first American run in 1977, so I'm not relying only on dim memory. The writing and acting still hold up.

So many of these mini-series are really second-rate, sometimes dreary, but that's what average means, average. "The Glittering Prizes" is among a handful of really great pieces of television, and we are waiting impatiently for the BBC to complete excavation of the archives and place this wondrous series before a new generation of viewers.

This must be the last of the quality BBC dramas yet to be released on DVD. I wonder what the problem is? Maybe the BBC has lost the original tapes - I hope not. Assuming that the tapes do exist still, I would expect the demand is enough now to justify its release on DVD. I would certainly be prepared to pay a premium to obtain it. It's one of those productions that do not date, but evokes the atmosphere of the 1950's to the 1970's as I remember living through it. Considering the number of excellent actors in the series you would think there would be a demand just to be able to see them as they were at the beginning of their careers. So come on BBC - at least let us know if we may hope!!!

Totally engrossing series. Excellent cast, with a young Tom Conti particularly outstanding. Many mini-series have since come and gone, but very few match it in quality or in hauntingly evoking an era. A masterpiece.