Scully

Like other reviewers I recall this programme from the heady 80s and bought the DVD when I came across it on Amazon. I was, like Francis Scully himself, 15 years old at the time and trying to figure out a future career path for myself. Football was not an option for me though. Watching all seven espisodes recently, including the extended finale, brought back a few memories for me and some of the scenes, such as the one with the hapless teacher and the Liverpool FC trial I remember clearly from seeing 24 years ago. 1984 was a tough time. Thatcher had won an election the year before, by a landslide, unemployment was about three million and there was a lot of tensions in the country, leading to the year-long Miner's Strike. Scully was an ordinary teen, a daydreamer with ambitions and hopes. Although there are no direct references, it is clear the Thatcherite society provides a backdrop to the series. It's odd that Andrew Schofield was picked to play Scully. He is excellent in the role but he was 22 years old at the time and had actually performed the same role in a Play for Today's Scully's New Year's Eve, also written by Alan Bleasdale, in 1978. It's hard to envisage him as a teenager. Watch out for future stars of another Liverpool programme, Bread, including Jean Boht as Scully's grandmother. On a musical note, I recall watching intently to hear a snippet of Frankie Goes to Hollywood's Relax. The song had been banned by Radio One, and without the internet and Digital TV or so many commercial stations, it wasn't easy to hear.

I watched this when it first came out on Channel 4 and being young it was the first "surreal" programme that i had seen. It is funny but in a real life sort of way and it does depict the realities on living on Merseyside in the 80's very accurately. It was hard a hard time but people still had a laugh, made friends and generally didn't let society get them down. It features cameo's by various players from the mighty Liverpool team on the mid-80's. After seeing the acting performances from Souness and Dalglish its no wonder that they stuck to football. Its a really good little series, it wouldn't have won many Oscar's but it's not a bad programme at all. And recently it has come out on DVD for around £10 so its a "must buy" as far as i am concerned.

Franny Scully is the scouse everyman in the series of the same name shown on Channel 4 in 1984 and was of cult status in Merseyside. Everyone I knew watched it.

It's about Scully who was about to leave school and he wants to play for Liverpool but his form master wants him to concentrate on acting where his crush is acting in the school play of 'Cinderella' but he has no use for a future in acting as all he wants to do is play for Liverpool.

His pals such as snotty dog, mad dog and Mooey make up the gang that get up to mischief and their run in's with the local bobby 'Isiah' make up most of the story.

A very entertaining series based on the book by Alan Bleasdale of the same name, it was a radio series on BBC Merseyside a few years before it became a Channel 4 show and I think Andrew Schofield was the lead in that as well. It's on You Tube and it holds up well in 2025 so give it a go!

Looking through the about to be released titles at an online DVD store, I thought hold on Scully I remember that from when I was a kid and ordered a copy hoping it to be as good and funny as I vaguely remembered (remembering it is 22 years since I last saw the series).

Well I certainly wasn't disappointed, right for the start the laughs are thick and fast and I felt as though I was getting engrossed in the storyline already after the first episode as the characters are very easy to warm to.

As the series goes on there are still plenty of laughs to be had and the storyline is still strong and you really can't get enough of some of the characters.

The real downside is that I can't help feeling cheated that this didn't receive a second series, although I'm sure it never was intended to be the case.

I would have loved to have seen another series picking up the characters lives some 6 - 12 months down the line, given that the ending left it wide open for another series and you are left guessing what was to become of the lead characters.

All in all a series I will watch again and again.

So that's what it was like back then.... funny, down to earth and full of dreamers. We have so much now, but having so little left room for adventure. Only caught one episode, but would really like to seem more. Come on C4, make room for a bit of 4:3 otherwise it is back to repeats of Misfits and The Green Wing.