The River (1988)

What is it with me and sit-coms? I promise more dramas soon, but for now, another BBC comedy from the late 80's.

'The River' defines the phrase 'gentle comedy'. It could also take the tag line 'rom-com' in it's stride too without missing a beat. It only ran for one series of 6 episodes, and was a vehicle for 70's heart-throb David Essex to try his hand at acting...

...OK, he'd already made a few films back in the 70's, but this was his first foray into television.

David played an Essex boy who has moved to a quiet countryside village to work as a lock-keeper. He spends his days bird-watching, bug hunting fishing etc and lying in the long grass contemplating life, the universe and everything. He lives with his fierce auntie who is a card carrying Socialist and works alongside a typical country bumpkin (who ends up in the canal in EVERY episode). To break up the tranquil setting, along comes a fiesty scottish woman on a narrowboat who ends up stranded when her propeller gets fouled by a rope. She stays at the cottage and ends up falling for Mr Essex's charms.

So lets break it down and see if it's any good. David can't really act, although just by playing himself he pulls off the lock-keeper character very well. All he has to do is act dreamy, talk softly and twinkle his eyes at all the right moments. Katy Murphy as Sarah, the love interest is fine, but the script just requires her to fight back everytime someone speaks to her, speak all her dialogue in a raised tone and assume everyone is out to get her.

The country bumpkin, Tom is played by Shaun Scott. One of those faces where you spend half the day trying to remember where you've seen him before (I'll put you out of your misery, it was The Bill). Again, he's a great actor, but all he has to do is act stupid, put his foot in it at least once an episode and fall (or get pushed) into the canal as often as possible.

You might be spotting a trend. There is nothing wrong with the actors, nothing wrong with the concept of the beautiful setting, not even anything wrong with plot...but the script is dreadful. So full of cliches and corn. Does that mean I hate it? No.

It gets a thumbs up, as it has stood the test of time, and it the perfect Sunday evening telly for the whole family. I think it works better watching an episode a week, rather than back to back, just so you don't notice the repeated 'jokes' as much. It could never be viewed as a classic, far from it, but does it have to be?