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Hadleigh - Series 1 - Complete [1969]
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RRP: £29.99
Our Price: £11.99 (subject to change)
Hadleigh - Not Badly
Review date: 2008-01-13 Rating: 6 out of 10
This was a programme that was clearly successful as it ran for four series and yet it has been somewhat overlooked; probably because as good as it was when it was originally broadcast it was deemed average compared with other dramas being broadcast at the time. Even Adam Adamant Lives, the programme that made Gerald Harper a household name, gets talked about while Hadleigh has virtually been forgotten.
On watching the first series, I found it most enjoyable. Gerald Harper is resplendent in his role as Lord of the Manor, Man of The People and all round Good Egg. His character is far from believable of course, but TV has always had fantastical larger than life characters which were accepted as long as they entertained and Hadleigh does just this.
It has a jazzy theme tune, some fine supporting performances and a diverse range of well written scripts. There are occasions where reality is temporarily suspended, such as Hadleigh choosing to become a navvy in order to convince his down to earth fiancée that he could rough it. But these contrived moments are balanced with some intriguing moments, none more than when he tries to infiltrate a scam being pulled by a selection of local antique dealers.
Considering that this was produced by Yorkshire TV, who had a fraction of the resources of their London counterparts at Thames and LWT, the only blemishes on what is a quite polished presentation is the sight of some minor wobbling of sets, some split second sightings of some overhanging microphones in a few scenes and the test cards looking like well worn beer mats. But this adds to the charm of the era, and it is a nice nostalgic touch that each episode on the DVD has the full sequence from the intro from Yorkshire TV to the slides prior to and after each commercial break before culminating in the Yorkshire TV logo at the end.
It's not a classic by any means, but it is still fun and with more to offer than the mediocrity that passes for family TV drama today. It's definitely worth a look, especially if you're a nostalgia freak like me. Should the remaining series be released on DVD, I for one would be interested in acquiring them.
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Reviews
Classy Hadleigh
Review date: 2007-02-16 Rating: 6 out of 10
There were 53 episodes of Hadleigh made between 1969 and 1975 tracking the life of the rich squire of the manor James Hadleigh. Here the first 13 contain some really good episodes with varied plot lines but the series suffers from two poor ones (10 and 11) before returning to quality at the end. Gerald Harper was a highly underated actor and unlike most multiple series programmes Hadleigh improved with each run. The third and fourth series were by far the best. The first eight episodes are in black and white and the rest in colour but it is well worth seeing even if the title music dates it. Can't wait for series 3 & 4 but somehow I doubt they will be produced as there probably aren't sufficient fans to make this a big seller.
Product Details/Specifications
Actor(s):
Gerald Harper
Wanda Ventham
Jenny Twigge
Gillian Wray
Bill Fraser
Creators:
Gerald Harper (Primary Contributor)
Gillian Wray (Primary Contributor)
Director(s):
Recording label: Infinity
Manufacturer: Infinity
EAN: 5060098702779
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 4
Format: Black & White, Colour, PAL,
Release date: 2006-09-25
Audience rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 650 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1969
Language: English (Original Language)