Review for Turtle's Progress: The Complete Series

Turtle's Progress is a British television series broadcast between 1979 and 1980. Which might explain why I didn't see it when it aired. I was a student at the time and portable TV's were a luxury few of us could afford back then. Watching Turtle's Progress makes it feel like a very long time ago indeed.


Just six months before 'Minder' launched, the similarities between this and that are plenty. 'Minder' must already have been in pre-production by the time this aired so you can only assume that there was something in the air that made the time feel right for a comedy drama featuring a street-wise impresario with a heavyweight side-kick.


Having said that, 'Turtle's Progress' was a spin-off from a 1975 thriller serial, 'The Hanged Man' which introduced us to Turtle, a likable but devoted small-time criminal.


The general conceit of this series is perfect for wrapping up a self-contained story into its 50 minutes air-time each week. In cahoots with an old chum, 'Razor Eddie', a giant of a man with a scar on one cheek seeking to build himself a better life, they nick a van which it turns out contains a number of safety deposit boxes left there after a bungled bank robbery. The news report suggests that they could be worth up to £6 million, a lot of money now and worth a whole lot more then.


Each episode starts with the duo opening up a deposit box, and then, neatly and methodically working out how best to profit from the contents, building up a business empire along the way.


This means that they need to stay out of the way of other crooks, many of who are after the contents of their own boxes, and of course the long-arm of the law which is generally just behind them. But with Turtle's street-wise chutzpah (the brains) and Razor Eddie's muscle (the brawn) they make a formidable and entertaining pair.


Supposedly set in Fulham (which was not a particularly Chi-Chi location back then) much of the action takes place in Turtle's local, 'The Robin Hood' where his Aunt Ethel works as barmaid. Alan Price wrote the theme song which, apparently, came out as a single, though didn't get into the charts. Not surprising. It's one of the most irritating I have ever heard, and always a relief to get it out the way and get on to the next fabulous tale.


Of course, like 'Minder', the episodes are variable though some are quite excellent. One of the best is when the pair open a box to discover the 'books' of a protection racket gang. So Turtle and razor Eddie figure the gang will lie low (for fear of getting pinched by the police) so they go out to collect themselves. Another episode sees them negotiating with various beneficiaries of the will of a retired military man, who seems to have far more money than could have been legitimately gathered in his lifetime. Again and again, the pair's sense of utter fair-play endears them to the more deserving as they re-unite people with the goods of their boxes, often with a handsome profit themselves.


Picture quality is actually very good throughout and fans of the series will be absolutely delighted with this marginal release - more evidence of the one company crusade to make available surviving content from televisions more remote archives. If you remember and liked the series, do the right thing and support the cause by buying a copy.