Boys From The Blackstuff

[tommye]

I spend 4 nights a week in yer mar's stinkin cave of a rat .

put the lid back on the box when you're done mate, stops the flies getting in.

 

[Kurt.]

put the lid back on the box when you're done mate, stops the flies getting in.

It's the bats that worry me !!

 

[tommye]

It's the bats that worry me !!

bats keep the grave robbers out

 

[Deleted member 28206]

Remind me of this.


Never watched the boys from the black stuff

 

[Pat's Van]

It's the bats that worry me !!

bats keep the grave robbers out

boys from the bat muff

 

[tommye]

Remind me of this.


Never watched the boys from the black stuff

No Bryan.


and get it watched, you'll love it.

 

[Togger Blue]

He was funny

Widely believed to be based on a real character & a hard bloke ... Andy Shacklady.

 

[Groucho]

Never got chance to watch this the first time it was broadcast - seeing as though I wasn't even a twinkle in my father's eye back in 1982. Recently, I've been bang into the 1980's though as I reckon it must be some kind of aching nostalgia thing...

Anyway, I thought I'd give this series a watch and found the full set on YouTube. I am absolutely stunned by it; cracking work. It's a little terrifying how much it echoes with the sentiments of today however, and how we can make the same mistakes and fall down the same holes yet again. Obviously, the economy and unemployment is not even comparable, but the crushing feelings about helplessness, etc really seem pertinent.

It really deserved to be very highly acclaimed. The sheer power of the depiction of the desperation that festers in working guys through high unemployment is really quite emotional - the lack of governmental support is tragic and provokes a lot of anger in me. To see that mirrored now, even to a lesser extent, is quite saddening.

I know I am probably preaching to the choir here; many of you will have seen this series during its actual broadcast (you old set of beggars) and no doubt you had an even greater emotional bond with it than I do now. I simply wanted to make note of it and see what others thought.

Was it a fair representation of 80's Liverpool and the struggles of working class guys? Was it over-egged?

I find the political edge to a lot of the dialogue to be wonderfully biting and inspiring at times, but was that the overarching feeling of the working man in the day?

I've only watched the first two episodes, by the way. I'm watching the others tonight. Found the first to be the more pertinent for me - evoked memories of my father when I was a small child...

Jesus CHRIST I feel old now

 

[SailorBlue]

Anyone remember other scouse Play for Todays - Our Day Out where a coach load of schoolkids go to North Wales? or
The Muscle Market. Written by Bleasdale and/orWilly Russel. They were great too.

 

[AndyC]

Great actor Bernard Hill who plays Yosser also plays Paul Bettanys dad in Wimbledon and was in the last Lord of the Rings film

The scene where Yosser confronts Sammy Lee and Souness in the Adelphi was so powerful that Sammy Lee was genuinely terrified that Benny was gonna smack him.

 

[SailorBlue]

The scene where Yosser confronts Sammy Lee and Souness in the Adelphi was so powerful that Sammy Lee was genuinely terrified that Benny was gonna smack him.

Probably one of the best portrayals of someone from Liverpool by a non scouse actor I have seen. I believe Bernard is a Manc

 

[AndyC]

Probably one of the best portrayals of someone from Liverpool by a non scouse actor I have seen. I believe Bernard is a Manc

Benny is indeed from Manchester, and was once upon a time a rabid ManU fan, but my brother and me worked hard to try and wean him off them and to the Blues. He's a top bloke, and a terrific actor who spent many years at the Everyman on Hope Street including portraying John Lennon in Willy Russells' "John, Paul, George, Ringo... and Bert" and a terrific role in a show called "Oh when the Reds" - a show based loosely around Anfield legend Billy Liddell.