chopendoz

I was looking forward to this series as I was living in Singapore round about the time the series was set. Not only that, I was living quite close to Serangoon Road so (ike reviewer 'pgmucha') I viewed the series with a hopeful sense of nostalgia. Why is the series called Serangoon Road? It is nothing like it. In reality it was/is a straight, wide street not a narrow winding lane, as depicted. One reviewer stated that it is 'not a documentary' but they should have tried to get the backdrop right at least. This was not the Serangoon Road I remember. The average temperature in Singapore is 25C with 70% humidity. However, our hero runs around and fights – but never raises a sweat . Just walking around in a climate where it is hot and humid all the time, has one dripping with sweat. People walked in the shade, not in the sun. Where are the Indians? Quite close to Serangoon Road is Little India but I could not see any Indians wandering about in this series. Geographical locations have been telescoped it seems. Bugis St is not just round the corner but a kilometer away. (I lived in a rooming house on the same floor as 4 of the 'boys' from Bugis St). Chinatown is at least 3 kilometers away. The acting is not Emmy (or even Logie) material. Joan Chen tries her best to be inscrutable. Her young female sidekick has a somewhat incongruous Oxbridge accent. The hero is suitably heroic, designer stubble and all. Does he ever change his shirt? His romantic interest however, is insipid and the epitome of 'wooden' - hardly the stuff of a a passionate love affair. The other characters are two dimensional at best. The bad guys are very bad. I don't think that in 1964 phrases such as 'pissed me off'and 'forensic accounting' were used. Overall, it was a very average production that barely held my interest A pity that it was not better researched. Yes, I know 'it was not a documentary' but it WAS a 'Hollywood generic' scenario aimed at viewers who have no idea what Singapore was/is like.

I finished my army service in late 1959 - only a few months before the period that 'Privates' was set. Consequently, I was very interested in how the times were portrayed. What a disappointment. Presumably the location was based on Catterick Barracks (nowhere near the sea) the biggest training camp in the north. I was at Catterick in 1957 and remember it well. The writers are obviously not drawing upon personal experience and should really have done some better research into what it was like to be a National Serviceman. This was supposed to have been the last 'call up' of 1960 (November-December) but it did not seem like a north Yorkshire winter. It would have been very cold and wet. I lost count of the anomalies that I saw in the episodes that I have seen so far. Recruits would have been issued with their BD's (battle dress) on their first day - along with a haircut - and the BD's would then go straight to the tailors for a refit. Most recruits looked like a bag of potatoes tied in the middle. So, not only did recruits not have BD's to wear but they would NOT undertake any fatigues, exercise or training in BD's . They would wear 'denims' or 'fatigues' most of the time. Recruits don't run along the beach in BD's - they would wear PT kit. Both the drill sergeant and corporal would have tailored BD's and gleaming boots and be cleanshaven at all times - to set an example. Recruits would not have time to sit around the barracks smoking and chatting as they had many chores to do such as cleaning kit - polishing brass and polishing their boots to a high shine. Recruits in basic training do not take beer back to their barracks! They would not be issued with a rifle and bayonet! Soldiers would line up by height - tallest being the marker, so that there would be no obvious disparity. The tallest soldier would not stand next to the shortest. The unit seems to be lacking officers and NCO's. Their would be a lieutenant and a sergeant major (at least) The captain and the sergeant would not wear their uniform when off duty! The lance corporal who went AWOL, is cooking for the regimental dinner (all by himself). There would be a sergeant cook (at least) - in the Catering Corps. I could on. For me the lack of authenticity detracted from the story line. I suppose that it may seem wonderful to someone who has no idea of what it was like. It is sad that many depictions of the 60's, whether in print or film, were produced by people who simply weren't there - and had no idea. This series was one of them.