Lost and forgotten dramas

[Floogal]

A few weeks ago I started a thread about hard to find documentaries. A few people brought up Cathy Comes Home and Play for today. They're a bit before my time but I remember things like Screen One and Two in late 80s to mid 90s. Like the documentaries, they are difficult to find on YouTube and has no DVD release (as far as I know).
The ones I remember are:

1. Alive and Kicking (1991) where Lenny Henry plays a reformed yardie who forms a football team for recovering drug addicts with the help of tough social worker played by Robbie Coltrane (similar to his Cracker character). Apparently it's based on a true story. I specifically remember this one as they showed it to us in social studies at school.
2. Somewhere to run (1989) about two teenage runaways. Stars the lady who plays Simon's mum in Inbetweeners.
3. On the 8 ball (1998). Also about Yardies.
4. On the edge of the razor blade (1998- I think that's what it was called). About these two women who hide in a public toilet to get away from rapacious drug dealers. There's a bit when one turns on the other because she was left to be assaulted while the other one was too high. It was on a gay film season on channel 4.
5. Dancing in the dark. Set in Liverpool. A woman bumps into her ex boyfriend on her hen do
6. Letter to Breshnev. Sometime in the 80s. Also set in Liverpool where this girl falls in love with a Russian sailor and tries to join him in the USSR.

Does anyone else remember these. Or where to find them, or do you remember any hard to find dramas?

Ha! I bet you had no idea how the thread would run when you started it
And the amount of WTAF Ken's SnakeHip Seduction would muster .
I watched Howards Way back in the day when it first aired (madly envious of Lynn with her hair and the suave rich Charles Frere in the beautiful water- front setting she lived in )
But looking back now I think Jeez what a brat !

And I had to watch the Dance Episode then spend hours wailing My eyes ..my beautiful eyes

I’ve got Howard’s way recorded. Had a teenage crush on Leo ( and considered it for eldest son until Tony Blair named his son Leo - slight name regret now).

Just remembered No Child of mine (1997) with Brooke Kinsella (before she was in EastEnders). Very harrowing. I remember kids at school talking about it. Plucked up courage to watch it on YouTube few years ago.

There was this one off drama in 2010-12 on channel 4. Most of it was a woman doing a monologue, with some regular film bits. She plays a woman who has been called home from work by her parents. Then she finds out her brother has been stabbed to death. Some of her anger is towards people who virtue signalling by singing at the murder site or her colleague crying (for no real reason). Normally I find monologues pretentious but it was captivating. I just can't remember what it was called.

I remember this one in 1988 on CBBC about petrol bombing in Northern Ireland. Also the Tide Race and Dramarama. A lot of kids dramas in the 80s and 90s were pretty heavy looking back.

Placemarking because I want to be able to find this thread,

Ones that I remember: -

Hot Money (2001) - A group of cleaners steal old banknotes that have been taken out of circulation (to be destroyed).

Seeing Red (2000) - About a woman trying to set up a children's home for disturbed children.

Angel Cake (2006) - About a woman who makes some rock cakes that end up looking like the Virgin Mary.

Servants - A BBC series that was a bit like Upstairs Downstairs. I would love to see this again.

Anybody's Nightmare (2001) - Woman is accused of killing an elderly relation. Based on a true story.

Torn (2007) - About a missing little girl. This was criticised at the time because it came out when Madeleine McCann went missing. The little Girl's brother was also called Sean.

Half-Broken Things (2007) - Stars Penelope Wilton. A story about a house-sitter. Is really good (quite dark in parts). I don't want to give anything away.

Ballykissangel and Down to Earth tv series are never shown anywhere

Big Deal about a gambler

PP mentioned Casanova a few pages back, it wasn’t Frank Finlay, it was Peter OToole, with a blond blue eyed David Tennant in the title role. Very good, funny, raunchy…I loved it. 2005. Might be on I Player if anyone fancies a historical Rivals type romp.
The original Bouquet of Barbed Wire was amazing, the remake with Trevor Eve was rubbish in comparison. Though I have fond memories of him in Shoestring!

There was a 1971 version of Casanova with Frank Finlay written by Dennis Potter.

Our Friends in the North (1996) - Daniel Craig - bad wigs/great story.
I still show Cathy Come Home to my students - stands the test of time.
Bouquet of Barbed Wire - Frank Finlay version.
Shabby Tiger - 1973

Oh, thank you, that looks interesting.

Sleepers- Nigel Havers and Warren Clark as Russian spies who had been sent deep undercover and forgotten about.

now completely British, with British families living in the uk- until Russia remembers them…

utterly brilliant. Must find and rewatch.

Brought up on another thread: The Lives and Loves of a She Devil

Talking Pictures TV on:

Virgin 445
Freeview 82
Sky channel 328
Freesat 306
Youview 82

Contact:

01923 290555

[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]

Can you watch Shoestring anywhere

I watched Sleepers recently, wasn't as great as I had remembered sadly.

Anyone remember Maireen Lipman as an agony aunt, in Agony?

RepublicOfPirates - I don't remember that, but I do like Maureen Lipman.

Oof Con O'Neill is mesmerising

Letter to Brezhnev is still there because I watched it quite recently. The Russian sailor was played by Peter Firth (Harry from Spooks) and he and the actress who played the main character are now married IRL.

No Surrender was hilarious.

I loved "The Riff Raff Element" back in the day. I find people who recall it are few and far between. (It's on YouTube, so did least i know it did exist!!)

Now (so less so lost and forgotten) I enjoy "Nothing Trivial". Not been able to find Season 4 though and I NEED to know what's happened!!

Features (briefly) a young Stephen Graham too.

Editing to add, I think i actually learnt this fact in this very thread when it first started.

Lipstick on your collar 1993 early Ewan mcgrergor

Take 3 Girls ..69-71.

Between The Lines - very dated now but I do like to re watch (Series 1+2 , I think it went a bit meh in series 3 )
It first showed 1992

Was going to say the Riff Raff element!

I also liked the dramatisation of Adrian Mole, the Rotters Club, and a series called In a Land of Plenty. Based on a book by Tim Pears, must have been early 90s it was on.

One Summer
Soldier and Me
The Duchess of Duke Street
Pennies From Heaven
The Mallens
How Green Was My Valley,
Sam
Edward and Mrs Simpson
Rich Man, Poor Man