Class Act – The Complete Series (1994 – 1995/Network U.K./PAL Region Two/2/DVD
Import Set)
Picture:
C+ Sound: C+ Extras: D
Episodes: B-
PLEASE
NOTE: This DVD set can only be operated on machines capable of playing back
DVDs that can handle Region Two/2 PAL format software and can be ordered from
our friends at Network U.K. at the website addresses provided at the end of the
review.
Playing
on her early success with Absolutely
Fabulous, major British comedy star Joanna Lumley teamed up with producer
Verity Lambert (Doctor Who, Adam Adamant Lives!) to create an
hour-long comedy series and the mixed result was Class Act, which only lasted 14 episodes over two short
seasons. Besides the occasional drama,
Lumley had left her action days (The New
Avengers, Sapphire & Steel)
behind and her comic skills are on display here as Kate Swift, her husband has
disappeared and left her in trouble, which leads to a jail stint.
There she
meets the street-wise, obnoxious Gloria (Nadine Garner) and they do not get
along well at first, but with a goofy, alcoholic journalist (John Bowe) who
helped put her away in the first place also not going away, she becomes
reluctant allies with both and tries to rebuild her crazy life, but she has
plenty of enemies and plenty of people who simply want to get back at her
and/or her husband for many reasons.
A wacky
idea that only a savvy producer like Lambert would have tried, the situations
just became too unreal and the teleplays uneven. Lumley saves more than a few scenes, while
stealing others, though her co-stars are not bad, no real chemistry ever
develops. The search for her husband
seems pointless and the show has missed opportunities all over the place. Richard Vernon also stars.
The 1.33
X 1 image seems to have originated on film, then finished on analog PAL video,
so there are small flaws like aliasing errors throughout, but it looks good
otherwise form show to show considering its age. The Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo is basic and not
bad, but has some slight edge to it.
There are no extras.
As noted
above, you can order this DVD import set exclusively from Network U.K. at:
http://www.networkdvd.net/
or
www.networkdvd.co.uk
- Nicholas Sheffo
