Lovely Days

The episode that had the tabloid press foaming in the mouth. The Rupert Murdoch owned newspaper had a field day with the sex scenes in this episode. Although it was very tame in comparison with the stuff you get on the Rupert Murdoch owned Sky television nowadays.

Although when Sky do sex scenes, it is edgy and ground breaking. His newspapers keep on mentioning this. (I acknowledge that Murdoch sold his Sky television empire off a few years ago.)

When Dennis Potter got diagnosed of the cancer that would eventually kill him. He called his tumour Rupert!

This episode also had a very funny moment. Marlow's psoriasis is getting better. When Nurse Mills greases him up, he has to think of all the boring things and names to stop himself being aroused.

One of the names being author and broadcaster Ludovic Kennedy. He just happened to have a television review show in the 1980s and had to discuss the episode where his name was called out. Kennedy said his ego took it in good grace.

The episode very much confirms that Marlow's childhood was dominated by his mother's infidelity. Another wound that manifests in the present day and in Marlow's own writings.

Sex is an important part of the story. As a child it disturbed Marlow as he saw his mother flaunt herself. The marriage was disintegrating, his mother does not even wave her husband back as she and Marlow visit her family.

Mr Tomkey the elderly patient next to Marlow boasts of what German women were willing to do for a few cigarettes. Something that horrifies Marlow.

This was a more traditional Potter episode with the old time songs sung by the cast. Potter also mined bits from his previous dramas that concerned his childhood.

There are the school scenes that will have a part to play later on with the horrid schoolteacher.

The best performance was from Jim Carter as the dad. He has an imposing, melancholy presence even though he has few words.

Marlow is in conversation with Doctor Gibbon, he recounts a story from his youth, it's the end of the war, he and his mother set off for a family visit, leaving his dad behind, he poignantly recalls his mother handling another sexual encounter.

Once again it's wonderfully zany, frivolous, revealing, funny and genuinely unique. I can think of no other drama series that does anything similar, it tells various different stories, some are memories, some are from Marlow's imagination.

Every detail is an insight into Marlow's mind, the jigsaw pieces are all being slotted in, will a completed puzzle result in his psoriasis clearing up?

Several great scenes here, I loved that moment where The Young Marlow's teacher revels in the progress of The Allied forces.

The musical interludes are truly wonderful once again, the choices of tracks are perfect.

It's a captivating watch.

9/10.