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Post by John Green on Jul 24, 2017 15:33:52 GMT
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Post by timmunton on Jul 27, 2017 16:56:49 GMT
Thanks John - Great news! & only over 5 years since the release on DVD of Series 6!
About 5 years ago I watched unofficial versions of series 7-10 (& saw a large majority of episodes from all 10 series on original transmission).
In my opinion series 7 & 8 were as good - if not better - than anything in the earlier series; mainly becaise of Shelley's interaction with the yuppie couple. It's a shame they didn't continue that situation (though perhaps they felt they'd used all its possibilitys ).
If I recall correctly I thought series 9 was ok (though not nearly as good as 7 & 8) & then series 10 was weak - like they'd run out of steam; even to the point of making Shelley behave sometimes in ways out of keeping with his character as established.
So, I can see why they ceased production at that point. Also I seem to recall in one of those series (9 or 10 probably ) was probably the grimmest Christmas-set episode I've seen in a conventional sitcom! (Not a good episode I think - but noticeable for said grimmness!).
One thing that has puzzled me is the almost deceptive disingenousness of the series tagline description : ie. Philosophical layabout doesn't work/avoids work ( or words to that effect ) :
A bit philosophical ( or musing at least ) yes; but right from series one he's either working or looking quite hard (if a bit reluctantly) for work - & remains in this mode (through various jobs) throughout pretty much all 10 series!
It does refer back to his younger days of unemployment/underemployment but that is all unseen stuff set before (some of it probably only just before ) series one!
And he probably reflects from time to time that he'd rather be more idle - but that's not the same as actually being 'idle'!
Maybe the original premise was more on the lines of him been 'happily'/willfully unemployed - & then the character was changed later to make him more 'sympathetic', ie. to the production team's view of what might be acceptable to a mass audience. Or perhaps the characterization was changed for dramatic reasons. Then maybe just as an oversight the original synopsis was inadvertantly retained.
Slightly strange that all these years later it's still usually presented with that somewhat misleading series synopsis!
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Post by timmunton on Jul 27, 2017 17:14:13 GMT
I suppose a more accurate brief series synopsis would be; reflective ex-'layabout' has to deal with working at various jobs/consistently actively looking for work ( among other themes )...
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Post by John Green on Jul 27, 2017 18:17:52 GMT
I watched Shelley yonks ago, and have seen one or two of the DVDs. Hadn't thought in terms of it really being like Charlie Drake's The Worker. As a (ahem) then-socialist, I didn't like what seemed to be the anti working-class outlook of The Worker. As a workshy youngster, I wasn't keen on Shelley voicing my own attitude-it wasn't very acceptable back then.
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Post by Richard Marple on Jul 27, 2017 20:52:33 GMT
It's show I've heard a fair bit about but never seen. Being a rare decent sitcom on ITV but in the mid 1980s it nearly moved on Channel 4 IIRC.
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Post by John Green on Jul 27, 2017 21:20:59 GMT
I bet some people were under the impression that it was about Percy Bysshe!
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Post by timmunton on Jul 28, 2017 21:53:52 GMT
I haven't seen 'The Worker' John, but Shelley certainly didn't come across as anti-working class but more as liberal/left. Most of the time the tone of the programme,as you probably remember, is fairly sympathetic to the (slightly stream-of-consciousness of ) Shelley's musings & moanings (while gently mocking him at times too).
With the yuppie couple in series 7 & 8 it is clear that the programme agrees with Shelley's view of them as rather ridiculous & over the top in their attitudes & ways. The wife is a sort of - probably not explicitly stated - committed Thatcherite, the husband a bit posh, mainly sort of well meaning but not very bright.
One of the best scenes is when the husband naively ( but still very insultingly in effect ) tells an incredulous - & then more than justifiably irate - unemployed working class bloke who has spent months or years desperately searching for work, that it's easy to get a job! (It is clear whose side the programme is on ).
Then in series 9 ( & probably 10 ) Shelley trys to help/is sympathetic to the main supporting character in those series (probably called Ted I think ) who is up against developers who want him to move out & knock his house down. Again the programme is clearly against the developers.
Shelley almost certainly isn't a 'great' sitcom/programme but it is reasonably entertaining in a mainly fairly lowkey, & slightly lackadaisical sort of way.
And it is firmly in the sitcom tradition of the lead character having a good old moan (here often a justified moan - though sometimes not).
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Post by timmunton on Jul 28, 2017 22:19:58 GMT
I watched Shelley yonks ago, and have seen one or two of the DVDs. Hadn't thought in terms of it really being like Charlie Drake's The Worker. As a (ahem) then-socialist, I didn't like what seemed to be the anti working-class outlook of The Worker. As a workshy youngster, I wasn't keen on Shelley voicing my own attitude-it wasn't very acceptable back then. I guess I was fortunate that in the work-resisting periods of my youth (1980 +, - & I haven't always been that active since some of the time, for various reasons ) the vast majority of people I knew (some of whom - though by no means all - were similarly inclined ) were quite accepting of 'the right not to work' as I believe Ali G called it many years later! Though as you say society in general was - & generally is - quite scathing about these things.
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Post by John Green on Jul 28, 2017 23:42:56 GMT
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Post by timmunton on Jul 29, 2017 0:28:34 GMT
That's a fair & reasonable price for people who don't have the 1st 6 releases.
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Post by John Green on Nov 10, 2017 16:55:06 GMT
Shifted back a week to 20th November.
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Post by John Green on Nov 19, 2017 15:39:18 GMT
Out now, from some distributors.
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