Howards’ Way

[Carrie Fairchild]

That's always the first scene I think of whenever we discuss Howards' Way, even though the water-related accidents are a little bit on the nose for a series about boats.

I’ve lost count of the number of aquatic catastrophes that have befallen them and I’m only two series in. My main takeaway is that Lynne should really just stay away from the water.

He could be a frustrating character sometimes. Everybody is eager to get in that eighties-power mode and he just keeps on drinking and complaining.

His drinking is a funny one. In the first series, he basically nearly drank himself to death and ended up in rehab. But I think the writers then realised that “Drunk Jack” was better fun than “Grumpy Jack”, so they’ve kind of ignored the rehab stint and have him back on the bottle as needed. It’s kind of the HW version of ignoring the fact that Ray & Lucy used to be a thing or that Blake raped Krystle.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Enjoying a bit of downtime before his big show, Claude goes waterskiing with Lynne, only to be struck by another speedboat while in the water. Poor Claude dies in hospital, making Madame Lynne Dupont, the second watery widow in as many episodes.

I still find some of the imagery around this quite shocking. Mainly it's Lynne in shock with her blood-covered clothes at the hospital, which always just makes me think of that footage of Jackie Kennedy in the aftermath of her husband's assassination.

The final scene is one of the best of the series so far. A crane shot pans across the remnants of Jan & Claude’s fashion show, clothes and celebratory bouquets strewn across the floor, before closing in on a distraught Leo and Jan, sat on the floor amidst the designer debris. As it closes in on Jan, a single tear rolls down her cheek, which Jan Harvey should be applauded for considering the crane shot is unbroken, so her timing was spot on.

That's always the first scene I think of whenever we discuss Howards' Way

The execution of these final scenes is why this is probably my favourite season finale of the entire run.

The HW DVD has an audio commentary for this episode. As I recall, Stephen Yardley actually asks Jan Harvey how she managed to squeeze out the single tear right on cue, but her response is rather coy. I think she says something like "Ahhh - actors' tricks".

I’m taking an enforced Howards’ Way break now as I try to get my hands on series three.

A pox on the powers that are keeping you from enjoying the follow-up and us from enjoying your reviews. It's very annoying when this happens. I think I was in a similar situation when watching A Place To Call Home and ended up investing in the DVD set (which I was quickly very glad about).

Hope you find a way to continue watching before too long.

 

[Carrie Fairchild]

For anyone who has already watched Howards’ Way, this is a nice trip down memory lane. For anyone who hasn’t, it’s a good overview but approach with caution, as it contains many spoilers.

 

[Willie Oleson]

The execution of these final scenes is why this is probably my favourite season finale of the entire run.

I think it was my feeling of confusion that has made that very last scene so memorable.
We know what Leo told her, but who had died the most? Claude, or her daughter's husband or her fashion designer? The way it's staged, like a clothes disaster movie, adds to the feeling of chaos. It had an almost Knotsian ambiguity before I even knew what that was.

Ah, Relton Marine. Roll on the luncheon appointments.

A pox on the powers that are keeping you from enjoying the follow-up and us from enjoying your reviews

I don't know how Carrie feels about investing in soaps-on-DVD, but I've noticed that a much cheaper and repacked complete box set was released last year.

 

[Carrie Fairchild]

The way it's staged, like a clothes disaster movie, adds to the feeling of chaos. It had an almost Knotsian ambiguity before I even knew what that was.

I love that description!

I don't know how Carrie feels about investing in soaps-on-DVD, but I've noticed that a much cheaper and repacked complete box set was released last year.

There’s a second hand / trade in chain here where they do the boxsets at very reasonable prices (the complete collection sells for €32). They only have series 4 in stock at the minute, so I’m going to keep my eyes peeled for when/if series 3 shows up on their website.

On the general subject of soaps on DVD, I’m not averse to it. It’s just that we don’t use the DVD player that often, so I have the Dynasty boxset gathering dust somewhere while I stopped watching my Footballers Wives DVD’s and started watching it on streaming when it became available on ITVX.

 

[Carrie Fairchild]

A few other odds and ends from the show’s heyday.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

The way it's staged, like a clothes disaster movie, adds to the feeling of chaos. It had an almost Knotsian ambiguity before I even knew what that was.

I love that description!

Oh God, so do I. Between the two of you, my love for that finale has been elevated even further.

I've noticed that a much cheaper and repacked complete box set was released last year.

Yes, and while I'm sure it's largely because it's cheaper to produce, the much slimmer case certainly appeals to me.

On the general subject of soaps on DVD, I’m not averse to it. It’s just that we don’t use the DVD player that often, so I have the Dynasty boxset gathering dust somewhere while I stopped watching my Footballers Wives DVD’s and started watching it on streaming when it became available on ITVX.

I forget that there are some of us who've made it into the 21st Century.

A few other odds and ends from the show’s heyday.

Oh my.

One nervous breakdown. One illegitimate child. Four love affairs. Seven marriages sunk without trace... A real-life drama of love and hate the scriptwriters couldn't even begin to match.

And all revealed by that voice of reason and truth: the DM.

 

[Carrie Fairchild]

This randomly popped up on my Twitter feed today, courtesy of @russty_russ, a UK nostalgia account that I follow that posts TV stuff. Having enjoyed Nicholas Clay in Evil Under the Sun, I looked up the series featured here - Gentlemen and Players. And I may be wrong, but just from the synopsis alone, this sounds like ITV’s attempt at a Howards’ Way type middle class Sunday night soap. The first series even went out in the same timeslot (7.45pm) that HW would have vacated a few months prior. The bulk of the first series is available to watch, so I’ll give it a go and report back. The thrust of the action appears to follow financier Bo Beaufort, who comes from upper class old money and his rivalry with Mike Savage, an old foe and self made millionaire, who returns from Africa following a coup and moves in next door to Bo. The Guardian described it as “a kind of Dallas in Hampshire”.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

I may be wrong, but just from the synopsis alone, this sounds like ITV’s attempt at a Howards’ Way type middle class Sunday night soap. The first series even went out in the same timeslot (7.45pm) that HW would have vacated a few months prior. The bulk of the first series is available to watch, so I’ll give it a go and report back.

I must have been aware of this at the time. I'm sure I used to read the TV Times regularly at this point, and something this soapy-looking would certainly have grabbed my attention. Weirdly, though, it only rings the vaguest of bells.

It will be interesting to see what you make of it.

The Guardian described it as “a kind of Dallas in Hampshire”.

Oh - they even used the same county as HW.

 

[Carrie Fairchild]

Gentlemen and Players

It will be interesting to see what you make of it.

I’ve watched episode one and it’s not great. The budget was clearly high, as the production values are good and they have location shooting on the streets of Lisbon, on English country estates and at sunny cricket clubs in Hampshire (the opening scenes set in the fictional African country of Gimbala look like they may have been shot among the sand dunes of a British beach).

The issue is the writing. It’s not very good. The main social scene seems to be set around the local cricket club, so there’s lots of cricket metaphors flying about. The nautical metaphors in Howards’ Way add to its charm, whereas the cricket ones just sound pretentious here. We open on Mike Savage (Nicholas Clay) being chased towards the border of the aforementioned Gimbala. Basically, Mike spends the first half of the episode being chased around Africa and Lisbon, stopping occasionally to talk bonds and paperwork with accomplices or by phone with his wife Sandy (Claire Oberman). She’s already back in the UK and is trying to buy Hill House, which as mentioned before, neighbours the country pile of Mile “Bo” Beaufort (Brian Protheroe). Bo just happens to be in a relationship with the estate agent selling the house, Jane (Edita Brychta) and upon hearing from her that Mike Savage is moving in next door, is stopped in his tracks. Herein lies the problem with the show. The central premise is supposed to centre on the rivalry between these two men but after the first episode, I’m still none the wiser about why they dislike each other. As soon as Bo hears Mike is coming back, he springs into action in “the City” to stop him. From doing what exactly, I’m not sure. And when Mike does show up, they’re actually quite cordial to each other bar a few cricket metaphor barbs. Bo’s posh mother Eleanor (Faith Brook) remembers Mike from their time in Africa and recalls him being quite pleasant, if a bit rough. Clunky exposition like “you really don’t like each other, do you?” doesn’t help the cause either. Not that you expect everything to be revealed in episode one but while you’re doling out exposition, you may as well give a bit of context to the supposed rivalry.

There’s a few familiar faces hanging around the sidelines, which is always part of the fun of watching these older series. Sadie Frost, who would have been 22 or 23 making this, unconvincingly plays a much younger teen while Bunny from Eldorado and Jeff Healy from EE play Bo’s cricket pals. Six out the seven episodes from series one are available to watch as well as a few from series two, which shifted from Sunday evenings to Friday nights, for what would be its final series. I won’t be returning to the action as there wasn’t one character that I liked and as I mentioned, there’s an air of pretentiousness to the writing that I just can’t get on board with.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

The issue is the writing. It’s not very good. The main social scene seems to be set around the local cricket club, so there’s lots of cricket metaphors flying about. The nautical metaphors in Howards’ Way add to its charm, whereas the cricket ones just sound pretentious here.

Oh dear. Yes , I can imagine cricket is very much more limited than sailing in its options for allusions. Surely only so much one can do with it before stooping to Carry On type innuendo about balls and sticky wickets.

The central premise is supposed to centre on the rivalry between these two men but after the first episode, I’m still none the wiser about why they dislike each other.

As you described this, my mind went to the premise of Never The Twain, the sitcom about two rival antique dealers who are next door neighbours (and whose kids end up falling in love with one another). When you said about Bo being stopped in his tracks, I could see Donald Sinden, eyes bulging for all he's worth.

I won’t be returning to the action as there wasn’t one character that I liked and as I mentioned, there’s an air of pretentiousness to the writing that I just can’t get on board with.

Well, my hat is off to you for giving it a whirl with an open mind and without any hesitation.

 

[Carrie Fairchild]

The HW DVD has an audio commentary for this episode. As I recall, Stephen Yardley actually asks Jan Harvey how she managed to squeeze out the single tear right on cue, but her response is rather coy. I think she says something like "Ahhh - actors' tricks".

There’s a great Howards’ Way watch along podcast called Always There, where the host and a different guest discuss an episode per podcast. For the second season finale, the guest is none other than Jan Harvey, who shares all sorts of great tidbits about the show including how the above scene was shot and some great memories of Dulcie Gray and the remarkable life she led.

S2 E13: JAN HARVEY

A climactic finale to Season Two as Julia is joined by the actual Jan Harvey, who played Jan Howard in the series! Gasp! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

play.acast.com