1980s affair drama Take Me Home BBC Four

[JenniferBooth]

All 3 episodes are being shown tonight on BBC Four. Keith Barron Annette Crosbie Maggie O Neill and Reece Dinsdale are the main cast.

I remember watching this with DM i was 15 almost 16 at the time it was originally shown.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Take_Me_Home_(TV_series)

Just finished watching all 3 episodes. I thought it was very well acted. Poor Liz when she screamed after Tom “you’re the one who’s supposed to be sorry”.

@PrincessofEuphrania @JenniferBooth @CherryogDog
I have just finished episode 3 - oh my god!
After a slow start in episode 1 that was pretty confronting.

Tom’s sheer middle-aged delusion has been seen on many a Mumsnet DH affair thread. His daughter doesn’t mince her words and even Ray tries his best to bring him around. But of course it’s Liz who gets through in the end.

I read that the director Tony Marchant wanted it to be more about eighties alienation, but of course everyone focused on the sex. But the slightly dystopian shopping centre, the tinny music, Tom collapsing at the cashpoint… it all adds to the feeling of impending breakdown. Not to mention the slightly sinister scene with the surveillance tape at Infocorp.

Did anyone else notice the biblical allusions? Kathy is literally stoned by her husband. Tom re-baptises himself under the fountain, followed by a moment of hope where they start making plans for a new life. Then there are three betrayals in the final episode, Liz of her friend (why?), Collin (a Judas if there ever was one!) of Martin and finally Tom’s ultimate betrayal of Kathy.

I think that it worked out ok for Kathy though, back in London.

Some excellent points Tony Marchant did a 15 minite monologue just before this was shown on BBC Four two weeks ago He said he wanted to flip the younger woman with older man for his money trope so gave Kathy the better well paid job.
Last night i started watching The Feud on Channel 5 (its a completely different story) and it was just crap compared to Take Me Home and compared with the acting in Take Me Home the quality was no match for this

Aaah!! I’m planning on watching The Feud. Am I going to be disappointed? Watching Take Me Home made me feel very nostalgic for the 80’s (I was a teenager). I was fascinated by Kathy’s shoes as she had to do a lot of running in what I would say were most unsuitable footwear! I can remember wearing such shoes and not thinking much of it at the time!

Just watched Tony Marchant talking about it - thanks, really interesting. Plus he looks pretty young to have directed it at the time!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0029lzb/remembers-tony-marchant-remembers-take-me-home

Yes, the below knee skirts, baggy cardigans and low-heel court shoes struck a chord with me too!

I think some form of heel was just ‘what women wore’ in those days.

I did like the peplum blouse Kathy wore for the dinner party.

@JenniferBooth thank you so much - I loved this before and forgot about it, does anyone know the filming location please?

Sorry….just looked it up, filmed in Telford

@BadSkiingMum that's a very interesting perspective!
I was in my early twenties when this was filmed.
The shopping centre was very like the one I'd go to meet my fiance in after work, it was featured on one of those abandoned buildings Facebook page and made me feel very old!

If anyone's interested the original Bouquet of Barbed Wire is on YouTube as is A Sense of Guilt.

@JenniferBooth I started the Feud last night. Not exactly thought provoking other than I've never seen Peter Barlow act in anything other than Corrie, and how different Rupert PJ looks from his Whitechapel days.

I’m definitely going to watch Bouquet of Barbed Wire. I vaguely remember my Mum watching this but can’t recall if I did. Thanks for the link to the interview with Tony Marchand.

I want to watch Our Friends in the North. Ive only ever seen clips of it

I was 13 when original Bouquet of Barbed Wire came out and it was verboten as "unsuitable" (I'd already read Lady Chatterley by this point, snuck off bookshelf, they missed a trick there) As my parents controlled the only telly there was no way round it, haven't see it to this day. I think Mum wanted to lust after Frank Finlay in peace, TBH😂

Take Me Home I remember as being brilliant, must rewatch.

I think that is on BritBox Jennifer

Thanks OP. It was brilliant. I wouldn’t have known about it if I hadn’t seen your post.

Martin (reece d) had some searingly cruel lines in his script, awful. And hard to comprehend why Kathy would think that Toms deranged stalker behaviour was acceptable. Very much of its time.

Ooh loved A Sense of Guilt

Tom’s house was filmed at 15 Copper Beech Rd, Telford. I love trying to find locations on Google street view. Very sad to see that the well kept garden is no more 😢

@VanillaImpulse I sometimes pause programs to work out which other program has used a certain location, a house, flyover, underpass.
I'm off to Google 15 Copper Beech Rd!

@VanillaImpulse me too ! I have SV’d the shopping centre now, looks a lot better they have covered that red metal neon apex roof

Glad it’s not just me! I always find it interesting seeing how places have changed over the years, especially now you can view different dates on street view. I found the red bridge that Tom was standing on at the end over the train station and Kathy pushed her trolley over it. It was still the red colour in 2017 but was neutral by 2021 (yes I have no life! 🤣) It’s called Silver Swallow bridge for anyone interested 😊

An IMDB review described Tom as clinging to that window like an Eighties stick-on Garfield! 😂

Although the greatest act of cruelty is probably him driving away with Kathy literally on his boot, crying through the rear window.

And 8, Upper Wood, The Rock, Telford. TF3. (Not far from the retail parks and shopping centre) was Kathy's house.

@SabreIsMyFave all nicely landscaped now I expect . Wonder if there’s a memorial plaque to ‘Tom the Taxi Driver’ where he got a battering by the pile of builders sand

@VanillaImpulse Letter to Brezhnev is on iplayer.

Just watched this. Incredible quality, very fine acting.

I watched it in ‘89 as a teen and remembered some scenes. Annette in the babydoll nightdress and heavy makeup being one.