Review of Shelley: The Complete First Series

Introduction

Most sitcoms are a product of their time, either in the case of `Keeping Up Appearances` or `Til Death Us Do Part` reflecting class or race tensions, or in the case of `Friends` or `Sex and the City`, the zeitgeist of boredom in an affluent society. First screened in 1979, `Shelley` coincided with the election victory of the Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher and was almost ahead of it`s time, with the main character signing on for a living!

Although marketed as `The Complete First Series`, this DVD actually contains the four episodes of series one, broadcast in the summer of 1979 and three from series two, broadcast in spring the following year.

The episodes are:

1. Moving In
2. The Nelson Touch
3. Gainfully Employed
4. The Distaff Side
5. May The Best Man Win
6. Elders and Betters
7. Nowt So Queer

Video

Presented in 4:3 fullscreen and in broadcast quality, it looks exactly as I imagine it did in 1979. The colours are defined well enough to cope with the gaudy fashions and outrageous wallpaper!

The DVD looks like it`s been recorded straight from television (minus the commercials), as it contains the small commercial break indicator at the top right of the screen and, midway through each episode, the screen freezes, the logo appears, the audience applauds, music plays and then the second half of the episode begins.

Audio

The mono soundtrack is perfectly adequate for this, as there is absolutely no call for surrounds in this dialogue driven show.

There are no subtitles.

Features

None

Conclusion

So often in sitcoms, people will say lines, quip and display comic timing that in no way their character is clever enough to produce. `Shelley`, on the other hand, has the main character as a well educated and intelligent man, so when he runs verbal rings around people and uses sarcasm to great effect, it is believable.

In the role of James Shelley, Hywel Bennett looks and sounds the part and is a fine comic actor, playing well against his girlfriend Fran (Belinda Sinclair) and landlady Mrs. H, played by sitcom stalwart Josephine Tewson. There are also small roles for Gillian Taylforth, who played a cashier in the first episode, and a very young Alan Rickman(!) as a dinner party guest in the episode `Nowt So Queer`.

This was the first I`d ever seen or heard of `Shelley` - it had seemingly never appeared on a `best of` type show, unlike `Rising Damp`, `Til Death Us Do Part` or `Steptoe and Son`. Considering these episodes were screened before I was born, I found them very funny and, although it has understandably aged, the racism and sexism elements were never truly offensive and are indicative of the period, so do not detract from the show. I have given Network some stick for releasing films that there was really no demand for and the same criticism could be levelled at the almost forgotten `Shelley`, but this is a show that deserves to see the light of day.

If you`re a fan of `Shelley`, or even just sitcoms from the late 1970s/early 1980s, you will be disappointed that there are no extras, as interviews with the show`s creator Peter Tilbury, actors Hywel Bennet, Belinda Sinclair or Josephine Tewson would be an interesting and welcome addition, and probably the only thing that will put you off buying the DVD.