The Biderbeck Tapes

[Gadget]

Just saw a re-run of this on some re-run channel - brilliant. Just love the humor - I was laughing all the way through it.

{just had to share }

[Tiggerbabe]

Cripes - I remember this from *cough* years ago
(Seem to recall thinking it was well funny, then, though )

[David Bailey]

Originally Posted by Tiggerbabe

Cripes - I remember this from *cough* years ago
(Seem to recall thinking it was well funny, then, though )

Totally agree - in my top 10 TV series of all time.

That one show turned me from disliking James Bolam to being a JB groupie.

There were 3 series, as I recall, yes? The books were also superb: "The van was built for yellowness, not speed" is one line that stays with me still

[Tiggerbabe]

Originally Posted by DavidJames

"The van was built for yellowness, not speed" is one line that stays with me still

ah! That'll be why I liked it so much, I had a car built the very same way

[philsmove]

Originally Posted by DavidJames

: "The van was built for yellowness, not speed" is one line that stays with me still

The vans were available in blue and yellow and affectionately known as budgie vans

We could have a dawn swoop. I've always fancied a dawn swoop - they have them all the time in London.
Yes, well the thing I have against dawn swoops is the time of day - I mean, dawn, from all accounts, is *very* early.

[Barry Shnikov]

I caught the re-runs too.

James Bolam is great - the definitive lugubrious role. But mostly I watched it for Barbara Flynn - had a thing for her since 'Family at war'. (Best ever role - sinister doctor with dominatrix tendencies in 'A very peculiar practice'.)


Whaddaya mean, you don't remember that?

[El Salsero Gringo]

Originally Posted by Barry Shnikov

I caught the re-runs too.

James Bolam is great - the definitive lugubrious role. But mostly I watched it for Barbara Flynn - had a thing for her since 'Family at war'. (Best ever role - sinister doctor with dominatrix tendencies in 'A very peculiar practice'.)


Whaddaya mean, you don't remember that?

Wasn't that the one set in a university town? With an episode where they did charts of who was sleeping with who during an outbreak of the clap? (I seem to remember it was all except the physics students, whom they surmised weren't getting any)? And the Polish doctor, played by the Polish actor (no need for his name, there is only one.)

[Barry Shnikov]

Originally Posted by El Salsero Gringo

Wasn't that the one set in a university town? With an episode where they did charts of who was sleeping with who during an outbreak of the clap? (I seem to remember it was all except the physics students, whom they surmised weren't getting any)? And the Polish doctor, played by the Polish actor (no need for his name, there is only one.)

It was actually in the University itself, with Peter Davidson as the naive young doctor getting thrown in at the deep end (as the University surreally struggled to cope with educational reforms of the late 80s Thatcher government) with Barbary Flynn as the temptress, David Troughton as the doctor who should really have been a derivatives salesman, and Graham Crowden as the drunk Scots senior doctor who was smarter than he seemed.

Don't remember a Polish doctor, though PD has a Polish girlfriend (played by Joanna Kanska) who referred to herself as "nasty rude girl".

[David Bailey]

Originally Posted by Barry Shnikov

It was actually in the University itself, with Peter Davidson as the naive young doctor getting thrown in at the deep end (as the University surreally struggled to cope with educational reforms of the late 80s Thatcher government) with Barbary Flynn as the temptress, David Troughton as the doctor who should really have been a derivatives salesman, and Graham Crowden as the drunk Scots senior doctor who was smarter than he seemed.

It was great, wasn't it? Surreal in parts, and some of the satire was OTT, but fantastic series - Andrew Davies wrote it, I think. It ran for 2 series, with a semi-apocalyptic finish at the end.

The book of the second series was good too, it was written from the point of view of the scriptwriter of the TV series. Very interesting...

Originally Posted by Barry Shnikov

Don't remember a Polish doctor, though PD has a Polish girlfriend (played by Joanna Kanska) who referred to herself as "nasty rude girl".

Nasty gorgeous rude girl - the best sort

I think Peter Davidson got off with fit copper woman in series 1 and fit Polish woman in series 2 - it's a tough life.

Great series.

[ducasi]

One thing I particularly liked about A Very Peculiar Practice was the very strong female characters, true equals (or sometimes superiors) to the male roles. Always liked Peter Davidson too. (Plus that Joanna Kanska and Barbara Flynn were well fit. )

The best thing about it for me, of course, was the university setting. I also really enjoyed David Lodge's Changing Places, Small World and Nice Work. The last two of which were adapted for TV.


I saw part of the repeat of The Biderbeck Affair yesterday, found it amusing, but maybe because I had missed the start (and don't like jazz) I just wasn't drawn in.

[Barry Shnikov]

Originally Posted by DavidJames

Nasty gorgeous rude girl - the best sort

I think Peter Davidson got off with fit copper woman in series 1 and fit Polish woman in series 2 - it's a tough life.

It was the way Joanna Kanska used to say "nassty rood girl" - evocative . And the other actress was Amanda Hillwood - only other thing I ever saw her in was Morse where she played the medical examiner for a couple of episodes.