They have also been showing Budgie which was from around 1971 and starred Adam Faith and Iain Cuthbertson. Centred largely around Soho, and all that entailed, but seems dated though.
I bought the box set of Budgie some years ago. My old man used to like it, but back then I was a bit too young (around 13) to really follow it properly so had vague memories of it.
Anyway, I don't know about dated, I thought it was shit. Rather than Soho, Charlie Endell's bookshop is so obviously the studio it's untrue. There are barely any outside scenes or much action at all, and the scenes are so long and dialogue heavy it's like a stage play. Four of the episodes are in B&W owing to a strike. It's easy to forget this was a regular occurrence back then.
It's like a tenth rate version of Minder, which although only initially made about seven years after Budgie finished, seems like a different world with the shorter more televisual scenes and outside settings. Surprisingly, considering the alleged pedigree of the writers Budgie is also not very funny.
Adam Faith's performance is brilliant, but the circular arguments with his girlfriend are incredibly tedious and several times he threatens to put her head through the wall!
Not only rather out of character, but incredibly un pc. I bet there was a massive warning about that, as TP seem to put a warning before everything. Even Norman Wisdom.
But then don't they all these days?
