Review of Goodnight Sweetheart: Series 2

Introduction

After the unmitigated success of Nicholas Lyndhurst`s decade long role as Rodney in `Only Fools and Horses`, there would have been a good argument to suggest that he should have kept away from all things situation comedy and tried a few `straight` roles. After all, surely anything following the Peckham favourite could only be a let down in the eyes of the viewing public? Yet, whilst David Jason was playing the role of Inspector Jack Frost in ITV`s mega-popular drama `A Touch of Frost`, Lyndhurst donned a similar mackintosh and went boldly where no man had gone before … the past.

Following the trials and tribulations of an extra-marital affair conducted over the space time continuum, `Goodnight Sweetheart` is one of the mid nineties sitcoms which have genuinely stood the test of time (travel). The second series sees Gary trying desperately to make a decision between Phoebe (in Blitz-torn 1940s London) and the ever-nagging wife Yvonne back home in the 1990s - whilst dividing his time neatly between the two. Luckily for him, best friend Ron (Bread`s Victor McGuire) manages to hold fort, albeit becoming estranged from his wife and feeling the wrath of Yvonne in the process!

That the series was such a big hit when it was first shown could hardly come as a surprise. Flowing from the Pens of Maurice Gran and Laurence Marks (`The New statesman`, `Birds of a feather`), and featuring a strong cast headed by Lyndhurst and Kirwan, it was pretty much guaranteed a big audience. By the time the second series hit the screens in 1995, the first series had already been repeated - picking up a loyal army of viewers. Thankfully, for those who remembered the wartime era so cleverly depicted on screen, there was no rationing of quality, and the second series took the show onwards and upwards.

Video

The 4:3 aspect ratio, whilst not for the film fanatics, is the best way to view sitcoms i.e. It`s the way they were originally presented on TV. Whilst the picture quality could theoretically be better, the transfer itself seems pretty much spot on.

Needless to say, the actual sets and costumes are fantastically realistic and manage to capture the spirit of the era remarkably well. For the most part, you can smell the mothballs and feel the imminent onslaught of the Luftwaffe. Not the most pleasing of feelings - but proof that good TV can (or at least could) produce such an effect.

Audio

The quality of the audio is as you would expect - much better than transmission quality, but hardly of the standard you would find on a movie disc. Yet this surely begs the question - how good do you need it to be? As long as the speech is clear and what music there is manages to present itself well, there is no need for the 5.1 Surround sound works for a sitcom.

Features

First, the bad news - all there appears to be on the disc is an interview Chris Ettridge (Reg Deadman) and two episode commentaries.

However, this is nowhere as thrifty as it may appear. If you consider that most licensed BBC shows don`t come with any real extras, then Goodnight Sweetheart can be seen as a real improvement. For once, the interview featured is genuinely incisive and over 30 minutes profiles the entire career of Ettridge, rather than just his time spent on the series itself - including plenty of anecdotes and praise for the genius of both the writers and Lyndhurst.

Conclusion

Unlike its peers, `Goodnight Sweetheart` occupies a place in the sitcom back catalogue which has never been successfully attempted since - mixing an almost science fiction premise with realism, great acting, superb writing and enough nostalgia to fill your Grandma`s collection of neatly folded carrier bags!

In fact, rarely has a situation comedy housed such a broad appeal. Much of its original success and subsequent appeal owes a great deal to its mixture of modern England and the London which was savagely beaten (but never BEATEN) by furious bombing during the Second World War, and in the process drawing in those with first hand experience of both.

`Goodnight sweetheart` is also unique in the fact that it is one of those few comedy shows that digs a little bit deeper than the immediately present surface humour. In reflecting the sometimes sombre mood of the War-torn surroundings, the writers have produced something genuinely affecting and memorable, and how many programs can honestly say that?

However, this is not to detract from its status as -primarily - a comedy show. Using a mixture of clever references and obvious jokes, `Goodnight Sweetheart` manages to entertain on all fronts. Whether it is Gary`s name-checking and performing pop songs from the latter part of the twentieth century as if they were his own, or knowing comments about what was to happen throughout the rest of the war, the humour is always delivered expertly.

Throughout all ten episodes, you`ll be begging for the next instalment - right up until the end. In fact, some sort of time travel device would be handy to get back the hours and hours that you`ll lose engrossed in Mr Sparrow`s adulterous ways, but not that you`ll hold that against him. If you`re after a DVD to frequently entertain in half-hour pieces, you`ll be happy to know that it`s available right here in 2005.