I've discovered that the first six months of Bowman's reign (the Crossroads Motel era) are more or less intact on YouTube. I know his period is divisive among some fans but I've always liked what I've seen of Nicola Freeman, one of his most notable character introductions, so I've decided to give it a look.
I've started with Bowman's first episode as producer from March 1985. Obviously you're dropping into the middle of a transition period so there's storylines ongoing but they're pretty easy to pick up on. David Hunter is sneaking around trying to track down the woman who is pregnant with his child while wife Barbara is getting suspicious. Glenda & Kevin are facing unemployment after returning home from Canada. Kath is lusting after a salesman called John while her niece Iris is trying to deal with her flatmate (and possibly boyfriend?) Pete Maguire's drug addiction. It's not exactly Jimmy McGovern scripted Brookside of the same era but it's all perfectly watchable. There's also a hint of the new era looming as Jill and Adam dictate a written response to an enquiry from Major International Hotels.......
This helpful pointer that there was a big "chunk" available (and at a revamp point) tickled all my geeky soap loving senses so I followed suit and dived in from March 1985. My knowledge of the show is really limited to clips, Noele Gordon, popular commentary and the revival so I had low expectations...and you know what? I really enjoyed it! I've been whizzing through episodes and when I got to September and realised I'd reached the end, I was quite sad that I wouldn't be following it any more.
Taking it as a teatime soap (applying the same part of my brain I'd use to watch
Sons and Daughters), it's a breezy, undemanding watch and what really struck me was it has a "warmth" to it. Looking at fairly ordinary characters like Kath, you would never get that sort of everyday realism now. I enjoyed her nattering to her friends about missing buses in her drably decorated sitting room and adapting to life alone after Glenda/Kevin left for Canada.
There is plenty of corniness and loads of coded or tongue in cheek stories - I mean at least three male characters are gay including those allegedly irresistible to women. I had no interest in the garage or a lot of the new staff that were shipped in, particularly Anne Marie whose acting is more, shall we say, effective memorisation. I'll also be presumably quite controversial in that I don't really understand the point of Jill as a character. She moves around the sets doing "business" with lever arch folders and makes proclamations at the end of scenes that she'll "sort things out" but never...does? It seems to end in embarrassment or her having a tantrum and I don't really understand who she is from a character motivation standpoint.
Gabrielle Drake is fun as Nicola and the character is surprisingly layered (albeit not subtly) given I assume they wanted some Alexis-esque glamour adding to the series.
Technically, I was really surprised at how well the show compares to the other ITV soaps of the era given how much a of a reputation it has. It's certainly far more evolved in production than Corrie from late 1986 when I started watching those reruns.
I think I'll lightly trot over some of the remaining 1986-88 episodes out of curiosity but it's been a great little visit to King's Oak.