Boys from the Blackstuff

[Mallard]

An '80's classic. I bought in on DVD for my Uncle and have rewatched it myself as I only saw it the first time round and missed the original Play For Today. It's a great period piece and Yossers kids being taken away is still powerful. Can't help thinking the DSS Fraud lot are a bit overdone though. Still got 1 episode to watch. Did any other Social Realism stuff in the '80's top it?

 

[Flashman]

Probably not. You should watch Edge of Darkness though, from the same era and just as political but in a different way.

I very rarely evangelise about anything but this is the greatest thing I have ever seen on television bar none.

 

[han]

It's absolutely brilliant! A classic, one of the best TV dramas I've ever seen.

That reminds me - PieDub still have our copy.

 

[Urbanblues]

The original play, ‘The Black Stuff’, I think it was a pilot, sees Yosser, Dixie, Chrissie et al, a gang of tarmac layers, being ripped off by a subbie. This initial betrayal, at around the time of the first Thatcher recession, sets the scene for what’s to come; the lads, their friends and families are overtaken by the misery and cruelty of mass unemployment, social security grasses, starvation ‘lump’ wages and a general descent into Tory hell.

The ‘Boys from the Blackstuff’ is as good as TV drama gets. The humour got darker and darker as the series progressed; until we get to Yosser Hughs’ story. Yosser’s a single parent, unemployed and only tenuously holding onto his sanity; while all around his way of life and values are attacked by the forces of the state. Close to the end of his tether; Yosser turns to Mother Church for succour.

In the dark of the confession box, he tells a priest “I’m desperate Father!” to which the priest, softly says “My son, call me Dan”. A slight pause is interrupted by one of the most poignant, yet hilarious lines in TV dialogue, as Yosser cries “I’m desperate Dan!” before nutting the dividing screen between himself and the clueless priest.

Finally, social services arrive at Yosser’s home, with filth as back up. In the house, stripped of furniture and fitting, are Yosser and his kids – this is all Yosser has left; he’s jobless, skint and divest of dignity. A sad scene ensues, where the police kick the living shit out of Yosser, who has decided, armed with a baseball bat to fight for the only thing he has left – his young family.

As Yosser lies beaten, again, bloody on the floor in the house, social services begin to ferry the kids into a van. The children are also losing all they have, a demented dad – demented maybe, but still their dad. One child, being held in the arms of a social worker, attempts to plead with her captor. “But, but…” she begins, before being sharply told “No Buts!” But of course, there were; as the little girl demonstrates by nutting her tormentor square on the nose.

Very very funny; yet, achingly sad.

 

[butchersapron]

The original play, ‘The Black Stuff’, I think it was a pilot,

A Play for Today.

 

[Backatcha Bandit]

Yosser Hughes headbutt montage:



I had a 7" single 'Yosser Hughes - Gis a job'... the B-side was called 'Maggies Economic Policies' (Basically, the same as the A-side, but without Yosser saying 'Gis a job, g'wan, gis it, I can do that...' all the way through).

 

[Urbanblues]

A Play for Today.

Thank you.

 

[soulman]

.

 

[chainsaw cat]

Probably not. You should watch Edge of Darkness though, from the same era and just as political but in a different way.

I very rarely evangelise about anything but this is the greatest thing I have ever seen on television bar none.

Edge of Darkness - what a brilliant piece of TV - even the best ever as you say? Especialy in the context of the time - 1984/5 was it? Eric Clapton soundtrack was one of the best things he's done. I have the scripts somewhere - BBC published them briefly in the late 80s - and they are just as powerful on the page as the screen. The author (sorry, cant remember who) gives lots of nuance in various explanatory notes that didn't come through on screen, like links between Teutonic knights of mediaeval times v. eastern hordes, and 70's/80's cold war thinking.


Good stuff.

My tattoo is a black flower, never thought of it 'til now, wonder if there was a thought link there?

 

[butchersapron]

Edge of Darkness - what a brilliant piece of TV - even the best ever as you say? Especialy in the context of the time - 1984/5 was it? Eric Clapton soundtrack was one of the best things he's done. I have the scripts somewhere - BBC published them briefly in the late 80s - and they are just as powerful on the page as the screen. The author (sorry, cant remember who) gives lots of nuance in various explanatory notes that didn't come through on screen, like links between Teutonic knights of mediaeval times v. eastern hordes, and 70's/80's cold war thinking.

Troy Kennedy-Martin, long time script-writer who could swing from complex involved and heavy stuff like EOD to The Italian Job and Kelly's Heroes with ease.

 

[phildwyer]

Did any other Social Realism stuff in the '80's top it?

Mike Leigh's 'Riff Raff.'

 

[butchersapron]

Ken Loach's...

 

[Dirty Martini]

The Slab Boys. We watched that at school c. 1980. I think it was done as a play for today or something, but imdb only lists the film version from a few years back

Boys from Blackstuff was fantastic, as was Edge of Darkness. I saw the latter for the first time in years recently, and was amazed to see how fresh it still looked. Bob Peck's performance was one of the greatest in TV history imo. He is very badly missed.

 

[Mallard]

Mike Leigh's 'Riff Raff.'

That is class. I've seen it. Will try to hunt down 'Edge of Darkness'

 

[madzone]

Did any other Social Realism stuff in the '80's top it?

Dunno if it topped it but for social realism it's worth looking at Ken Loach

eta - beaten to it by butchers

 

[ViolentPanda]

Alan Clarke's "Made in Britain" was a good'un of the time.

 

[sorearm]

blackstuff is pure class, d/l'd it as I'd been looking for it for ages a while ago and started watching them again, like the OP last time saw them on telly I was a nipper.

social realism at it's most gritty. The pilot episode is just jaw dropping, yosser's rant after he realises they've been ripped off for everything "I'm alive, I wanna feel" etc ... the intensity ...

 

[Mallard]

Alan Clarke's "Made in Britain" was a good'un of the time.

Got that and enjoyed the whole lot The Firm, Road et al

 

[treelover]

I can't watch BFTB, makes me sad, many people particularly in the north and Liverpool, etc have never had the chance to grieve for the lost times in their lives, or are dead: awhile back an Observer magazine journalist went back twenty years later to the Birkenhead council estate where he has interviewed a young gang in the early eighties, most of them were now dead of drug overdoses, except for one who had made a pile running private drug rehab centres!



Georges Last Ride, the most moving...

 

[Mallard]

I can't watch BFTB, makes me sad, many people particularly in the north and Liverpool, etc have never had the chance to grieve for the lost times in their lives, or are dead: awhile back an Observer magazine journalist went back twenty years later to the Birkenhead council estate where he has interviewed a young gang in the early eighties, most of them were now dead of drug overdoses, except for one who had made a pile running private drug rehab centres!



Georges Last Ride, the most moving...

That's what I'm watching tonight

 

[Mallard]

Georges Last Ride, the most moving...

It's a tearjerker and probably the best one. Ricky Tomlinson looks young in it.

 

[redsquirrel]

Michael Angelis dead aged 76,

Michael Angelis, best known as the narrator of Thomas the Tank Engine series Thomas and Friends, has died at the age of 76.

The actor died suddenly while at home with his wife on Saturday, his agent said.

 

[Sprocket.]

Michael Angelis dead aged 76,

Brilliant character actor. The Blackstuff and Boys From the Blackstuff were brilliant. As Chrissie trying to be reasonable and accepting before losing it completely still resonates with me all these years later.

 

[Helen Back]

I didn't know he took over from Ringo to do Thomas. Yellow Submarine could have been his audition for that.

 

[oryx]

Bump.

This is on iPlayer for another three weeks. I wouldn't have known this if another urb hadn't alerted me to this on the iPlayer thread.

I didn't have a TV in 1982 when it was made and have been meaning to watch it ever since. I'm glad I did. It's one of the most important, political, bleak yet entertaining dramas ever made. I can now fully understand why it's been talked about for decades, has become a classic, why I have been meaning to watch it since 1982.

It raised two questions for me.

How have things changed, or not changed?

Would a hard-hitting drama like this (subversive and full of class politics) be made now?

Anyway, SHAKE HANDS! (You need to see it...).

 

[Helen Back]

When it came out, everyone was going round saying "Gissa job!"

Only they weren't just saying it because it was a catchphrase.

We have Thatcher to thank for this series. Thank goodness no-one wants to go back to her policies, eh? Phew!

 

[kalidarkone]

I had a crush on Michael Angelis, loved his voice. First noticed him in the 70's when he played Lucien the eccentric, hippy rabbit lover in the ' Liver Birds'

I'm now watching on YouTube

 

[Helen Back]

Yosser did well for himself, didn't he.

Got a job. Worked his way up. Became King of Rohan. Lovely!

 

[oryx]

First noticed him in the 70's when he played Lucien the eccentric, hippy rabbit lover in the ' Liver Birds'

I remember that! He was one of the Liver Bird's brother IIRC.

 

[stavros]

I wasn't born when it first showed, but I finished watching it yesterday. The Yosser episode is especially moving.