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As Time Goes By - Series One & Two

BBC/Roadshow Entertainment . R4 . COLOR . 364 mins . G . PAL

  Feature
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Jean (Judi Dench) and Lionel (Geoffrey Palmer) were lovers during the Korean War, but lost touch with each other, both creating separate lives. Lionel had been a soldier and Jean a nurse, but Lionel had never received that final letter that Jean had sent, making him think their romance was over. 38 years later their paths cross yet again, they are now both single and begin to rekindle their past romance. Jean is now widowed and the owner of a secretarial agency and Lionel, now divorced, is a writer. Jean’s daughter Judith (Moira Brooker) works for her along with assistant Sandy (Jenny Funnell). Add Lionel’s smooth talking and trendy publisher Alastair (Philip Bretherton) to the mix and the basis of this fine British series is set.

Series one introduces the mostly cantankerous characters and gives us their history. It shows how even the more mature singles struggle to deal with their feelings toward each other. The two main characters skirt around each other trying to decide whether they should be friends or attempt to pick up where they left off all those years before. The biggest issue for these two is whether they want to bother with all that young romance stuff or continue their planned and inevitable retirements.

Alastair has taken a liking to both Jean’s daughter Judith and her assistant Sandy. He is extremely smooth and loves to play the field and live the life of a bachelor. Jean’s business is taking up far too much of her time and Lionel is working hard on his memoirs.

Series two sees Lionel’s memoirs written and ready to be published. The title of the book is My Life in Kenya and he prepares for the book launch. Most writers would be keen for this day to come, but not Lionel. The book is finally released and sells well, mainly because Jean has bought several copies herself.

This is a fine British BBC comedy series that contains wonderful humour and a touching look at romance between more mature people. There are no fancy sets or gimmicks here, as this is a purely character-driven show. Thankfully the characters are both endearing and extremely humorous. A superb cast led by the delightful Judi Dench and very proper Geoffrey Palmer make this series what it is, a quality production with excellent writing.

Australia is a little behind with releasing this series as the UK already has series five available on DVD. The simple fact for this would be the show’s popularity in the UK and although the series has been aired on the ABC in this country, it has perhaps not built up the following it so richly deserves. Since its first screening in the UK in 1992, it has won the hearts of many and shown the class and talent of Judi Dench. Not everyone’s cup of tea and certainly not for younger viewers, but for lovers of fine British character-driven comedy, this is one of the better series around.

Contained on this three disc set are a total of 13 episodes, six for series one and seven for series two. The bonus here is getting two series in one release, great value for fans.

  Video
Contract

Made in 1992, this series does show signs of age. Presented in full frame and therefore not 16:9 enhanced, it still offers a decent quality transfer. Colours are a little faded, but are generally true. Picture is mostly sharp, with only a slight loss of detail in some areas. There is some grain and aliasing, but these shouldn’t interfere too much with your viewing pleasure. There really is no need for stunning picture quality for this type of show and this transfer is more than adequate. Subtitles are supplied in English and are extremely accurate.

  Audio
Contract

Audio comes to us in English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo and while being nothing spectacular, it does all that it needs to do. Being a dialogue-driven series, the need is for crystal clear dialogue and this is never a problem. Synch is also spot on and the small amount of music used is well suited and at a nice balanced level.

  Extras
Contract

There are no extras supplied with release.

  Overall  
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Overall this is a fine British comedy series and although it is a little dated, it's still well worth a look. The talented cast and skilful writing make it a compelling series that looks at love and romance for our more mature friends. The video and audio do all they need to do and are adequate and although there are no extras, one wonders what could have been added in that respect. Putting two series on one release is great value so if you are a fan, this is well worth reliving, if not, this is at least worth a rental.


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      And I quote...
    "This delightful BBC series is a show that although aged is still of high quality."
    - Adrian Turvey
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