The Show:
The late sixties and early seventies saw somewhat of an explosion of comedy on British television, from the likes of the infamous On The Buses to Man About The House. A lot of the successful shows were originally shown on ITV, somewhat hard to believe these days as they no longer produce quality comedy in any way, shape or form. To follow on from the many successful shows, we also had a massive influx of movies spin-offs for everything from The Likely Lads to (again) On The Buses, which spawned more than one film. Even the lesser known ITV sitcoms got movie spin-off's and Nearest And Dearest was no exception, getting a movie before this final seventh series.
The show focuses on Eli Pledge (Jimmy Jewel - The Krays) and Nellie Pledge (Hylda Baker - Oliver!) who are brother and sister. Eli is unmarried and living the single life with a way for the ladies whilst Nellie is the opposite. When their Father dies, leaving them his pickle factory, they must come to terms with each other aswell as their staff as they encounter many humourous problems.
The show is your average ITV comedy from the era, and whilst it doesn't provide us with belly laughs one after the other, it certainly chucks up a few giggles keeping a nice pace and keeping the story progressing. The acting is also pretty standard fare and whilst we don't get Emmy award winning performances, it certainly isn't wooden. If you're a fan of British comedy this should be added to your collection, but don't go expecting anything new. Here is a brief episode guide as provided by Network:
Cindernellie - Eli invests the Christmas Club money collected at the factory in a local pantomime; the cast walk out and Nellie and Eli are left performing it themselves. Originally aired 21st December 1972.
Good Time Girl - Eli takes a lodger for a few nights, local Don Juan Harry Hampton. When people think he is having an affair with Nellie, she suddenly becomes very popular. Originally aired 28th December 1972.
The French Disconnection - A visiting Frenchman discovers Pledge's Pickles and persuades Nellie and Eli to go to Paris to sell them to an important grocer. Orginally aired 11th January 1973.
Get Out Of That - Nellie, Eli and Co go to a health farm for a week's holiday. Originally aired 18th January 1973.
The One That Got Away - A German who met the Pledges in 1946 returns to England to visit Nellie and Eli. He is seeking the woman he fell in love with. Nellie is in for a disappointment... Originally aired 24th January 1973.
The Visit - Nellie and Eli, believing that the pickle factory is due for a royal visit, launch a frantic clean-up. Originally aired 31st January 1973.
Far From The Madding Pong - Nellie, Eli, Lily and Walter spend a weekend in a lonely moorside cottage. They are not welcomed by a local sheep farmer who does his best to drive them away. Originally aired 7th February 1973.
Picture:
Network have provided the show in it's original aspect ratio of 4:3. It doesn't appear to have had any restoration work done to it and the opening titles look considerably poor with a few scratches. When the show actually starts however, the scratches pretty much disappear to and the print is adequate. Contrast is a little poor and we get a little grain, but I've seen much worse.
Audio:
Network have provided the show with it's original English Dolby Digital Mono track which has been dual encoded. Dialogue is clear throughout and volume levels were consistent. As seems to be quite normal with some of Networks releases there was a little background noise (hiss) but other than that, it was as adequate as the picture. No subtitles have provided.
Extras:
The first extra on the disc is an interview with stars Jimmy Jewel and Hylda Baker which was filmed after they made the movie for local news. Whilst they are interesting enough telling us about filming, it is far too short at under three minutes.
The other extra included is an episode of spin-off show Not On Your Nellie, Nellie Comes To Town, in which Nellie (Hylda Baker) uproots to a pub in London. The funny factor is at about the same level as Nearest And Dearest.
