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Casualty - Series 1 [1986]


RRP: £29.99
Our Price: £10.88 (subject to change)

Sexy Nurses!
Review date: 2008-04-26 Rating: 8 out of 10

The best thing about this series is seeing very attractive actresses such as Brenda Fricker,Cathy Shipton,and Belinda Davison in sexy nurses uniforms. I can't wait till the gorgeous Maureen Beattie joins as Staff Nurse Sandra Nicholl. She's a real stunner.

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Reviews


The base for 21 years of brilliance
Review date: 2007-02-11 Rating: 10 out of 10

I did not start watching Casualty until i was old enough to understand what it was all about, and even then, as a kid i wasn't in for medical dramas, i wanted sci fi and action. So when i started watching Casualty, one of the BBC's best saturday nighter ever, it must have been, ohhh i don't know, mid 90s. And from then till the early 00s i only watched it patchily. Now i watch it consistently and therefore the first season on DVD was clearly a need-to-buy. Of course i was dubious, i mean, this began in 1986, surely there must be some change in quality since then.

Not so. Not so at all. In fact the shivers down my spine at the opening theme really got me going. The series has changed very little in 21 years - back then it was topical, blunt, patchily good-humoured and patchily dark and gritty, laden with both comedy stories/characters and deeply dramatic plots and twists.

Showing the medical profession as people and not superheroes (although several of them are inherently superheroes in their own right...Go Charlie!)was a brave move back then, but an idea worth a round of applause.

The characters, so three dimensional, are all so varied. We have the daft, eccentric and polish Kuba; the witty yet troubled King; the weary but all knowing Ewart (the original Harry Harper); the stunning but mysterious Baz; the brilliant double act Paramedics; and of course, let us not forget, the workhouse of the lot...the not-really-that-good-an-actor Charlie Fairhead (sorry Mr Thompson, but honestly, i don't care - you're brilliant!!) who has lost none of his charisma in the recent series. He is quite often the source of much amusement, but at the same time, the driver of real drama.

This DVD release is one of many so brilliantly, when you're sitting there enjoying the theme rolling on at the end, you're thinking...i have 20 odd more seasons to go. And we haven't met Ash or Sam or Maddox or Josh or...pick one. You'll all have one person you remember, or one event. Casualty is so brilliant and so British that it'll last forever. And DVDs like these simply reinforce that...long live Casualty!


Edited episode
Review date: 2006-05-21 Rating: 10 out of 10

Just thought I'd let readers know that the 'edits' mentioned on the packaging and talekd about here refer to the episode 'Teeny Poppers'. When originally broadcast, it featured a storyline about a man trying to impress his girlfriend by dressing as Spiderman. The BBC couldn't get the appropriate rights to use the Spiderman 'image' on DVD so had to edit the entire storyline out of the episode. It nows runs 43 minutes 52 seconds rather than approximately 49 minutes 30 seconds.

Casualty 1st Series
Review date: 2006-05-05 Rating: 10 out of 10

I ordered the Casualty first series DVD and received it this morning. Obviously not managed to watch it all yet, but I've had a quick look at a couple of the DVDs......looks really good. Looking forward to start watching it!

Matt O'Malley asked on a previous review if the programmes are edited or complete episodes.....well on the back of the box it says in very small writing "Due to clearance and contractual reasons, certain edits have been made!". However, don't let this put anyone off.....I don't think much has been edited, perhaps only a couple of minutes over the entire series.....the four DVD's total 12 hours and 11 minutes. So thats just over 48 minutes per episode!!!

When I read Matts question I was a bit dubious about buying the DVD....but I'm pleased I did order it......can't wait to watch it all! (I hope this is of some help to you Matt!)

Quality undiminished
Review date: 2006-04-30 Rating: 10 out of 10

I can highly recommend Casualty Series 1. These are the full episodes. I have to add however there isn't much in the way of extras. Episode 1 has an audio commentary with Charlie Fairhead (Derek Thompson) giving a commentary on episodes 11 & 15 along with the medical advisor to the shows.

I was struck at how clear the DVD reproduction was. Usually BBC series from the mid 80s transfer quite badly onto DVD or have that 'Miss Marple' grainy quality but Casualty is sharp, crisp and extremely well shot.

The stories themselves were excellent and filled with 80s memorablia (Ford Cortina's a plenty) but the key ingredient was the strong ensemble cast headed up by the excellent Bernard Gallagher playing Ewert Plimmer. Add to that team some very well written melodrama and you have successful ingredients.

Today, Casualty of course has spawned so many spin offs that some of the original freshness has disappeared or become subsumed by a desire to look slick or Hollywood-esque.

Of course there might be one or two episodes that would never conclude in the same nonchalent way today but that seems a small criticism compared to the enjoyment I gleaned from this 4 disc DVD set. At 15 episodes (about 12 and a quarter hours in all) its sound value for money and there really isn't a bad episode among them.

A good solid British drama-well worth a look.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Geoffrey Leesley
William Gaminara
Belinda Davison
Ian Bleasdale
Tam Hoskyns

Creators:
Geoffrey Leesley (Primary Contributor)
William Gaminara (Primary Contributor)

Director(s):

Recording label: Cinema Club
Manufacturer: Cinema Club
EAN: 5014138302719
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 4
Format: PAL,
Release date: 2006-04-10
Audience rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
Region code: 2
Theatrical release date: 1986-09-06
Language: English (Original Language)

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