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Home To Roost - Series 1-4 - Complete
RRP: £39.99
Our Price: £24.89 (subject to change)
An underrated comedy
Review date: 2008-11-21 Rating: 8 out of 10
I have always felt that this is an underrated comedy.This box set contains all four series and the relationship between John Thaw and Reece Dinsdale is extremely watchable and quite often pretty funny.
You might be pleasantly surprised at how good the comic timing of John Thaw actually was and he seems a natural for comedy.As Henry he is generally pompous and bad tempered but he has a heart of gold buried quite deep.I think this series is much better than many that are raved about and I have no problem in recommending it.The price for this box set is very reasonable too.
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Reviews
Consider Yourself - At Home
Review date: 2008-08-13 Rating: 6 out of 10
John Thaw and Reece Dinsdale star in this father-and-son comedy, with Henry (John Thaw) mainly having fun trying to keep Matthew (Reece Dinsdale) out of trouble. At the same time, there's good comedic moments, and an underlying moral to the story too.
Anyway Matthew has fell out with his mother, and wants to live with dad, but Henry has different ideas, he's settling for himself in his old age, and doesn't want the hassle or nuisance of having to put up with a teenager in the house. Matthew soon breaks down Henry and a friendship, as well as a father-son bond occurs.
This is every episode ever made, so nothing is missing here, like some box sets these days claim they have everything, then they're missing Christmas specials, this box does not do that. Some of the best moments include the episode where Matthew invites friends back to play a romantic game, and one of the girls is quite smitten with Henry; the ghost on the platform of an old railway station, where Henry scares a ghosthunter into hospital and the episode where Henry is sure Matthew is using narcotics, when in fact it's the son next door who everyone worships.
This is quite simply a funny show, definitely aged over time, I was even sure it dates from the 70s with the synthetic theme tune and the décor in Henry's house. The comedy might be simplistic, but it's still classic stuff and I count this as one of Eric Chappel's finest moments, alongside Only When I Laugh and Rising Damp. The show can feel repetitive so you might find yourself watching this in chunks, but it's still a good watch and reminds me of good days.
Only problem is this didn't play very well in Windows Media Centre in Windows Vista, but once I put it through PowerDVD 7, things were working perfectly, so I'm not sure if it's protection getting in the way, or whether it's just a bad copy. So I suggest renting this before buying if you want to use this on Media Centre. Also the picture quality isn't that good, it's rather discoloured and spotty. I'm surprised Network didn't put this through a clean-up, but still it's good for classic viewing. I think it would have been spoilt with a stereo soundtrack and remastered video, but still would have been nice on some episodes where it's particularly dark.
Still, worth watching if you like Eric Chappel - also John Thaw fans. Would rent before I buy though, as there's no extras; and it's easy to forget if the show really is good in different times.
Product Details/Specifications
Actor(s):
John Thaw
Reece Dinsdale
Creators:
John Thaw (Primary Contributor)
Reece Dinsdale (Primary Contributor)
Recording label: Network
Manufacturer: Network
EAN: 5027626273743
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 5
Format: Box set, PAL,
Release date: 2007-09-17
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Audience rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 675 minutes
Language: English (Unknown)
Language: English (Original Language)