Region: 2
Country of Release: United Kingdom
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Distributor: Network
Pros:
- Prostitutes are an interesting group of people to base a drama series around.
- The cast collected for the show are excellent and include many British stars who have played some big roles in some big films.
- Presented in the original aspect ratio of 4:3, the picture quality is very good with only a minor amount of grain and colour bleeding to contend with which is only noticeable if you look for it.
- Sound is more than adequate.
Cons:
- It does feel seriously outdated at times.
- No extras.
The Show:
Band Of Gold is the critically acclaimed ITV drama that follows the dark and seedy underworld of prostitution in Bradford and the north of England. Written by Kay Mellor (Playing The Field, Fanny And Elvis, Fat Friends), Band Of Gold boasts a phenomenal cast including Geraldine James (The Jewel In The Crown, The Sins, Gandhi, Calendar Girls), Cathy Tyson (Mona Lisa, Hannah And Her Sisters), Samantha Morton (Sweet And Lowdown, I America) and Barbara Dickson (Former Scottish folk musician). This boxset released by Network contains all 3 series of the gripping show spread across 6 discs (3 episodes per disc). An excellent show that everybody should own and if you're not sure about it, here are some episode guides:
Series 1, Episode 1 - Gina Dixon, who is estranged from her violent husband and a mother of three, is running out of options to keep a loan shark from her door. She soon meets another single mother who has no financial troubles, so asks her what her secret. That secret is prostitution. Gina starts a friendship with this single mother (Carol) and Gina joins the parade of the loyal prostitutes on Bradford's streets. However, things take a turn for the worse, when a Gina is found dead in their area.
Series 1, Episode 2 - The hunt is on for Gina's killer and everyone is a suspect, from her family, to her closest friends. Gina's death brings a new struggle for her friends as they must decide whether they should admit their connection with her and unveil Gina's life of shame on the streets, as well as the chance that the police may take the murder less seriously.
Series 1, Episode 3 - Gina's estranged husband is struggling to come to terms with Gina's death, aswell as her secret life as a prostitute. In an attempt to understand what Gina was doing, Steve goes on the hunt for her friends. Tracy turns up in intenive care and another battered body is found in the area, again, with something familiar about the victim.
Series 1, Episode 4 - Tracy screams herself out of a coma after having various bad dreams, and she is finally allowed to go home. However she feels uncomfortable and goes straight back to live with her violent pimp. Anita is pushed to the edge when her boyfriend asks her to confirm his alibi's for the two murders and Carol takes out her anger on her best, and genuinely concerned punter, Curly.
Series 1, Episode 5 - Carol is in a psychiatric ward after attacking Curly, Anita is living on her own after she thinks her boyfriend George may have killed the two prostitutes and Rose and Tracy have both turned their backs on prostitution and started studying. Tracy is still on the game but has moved up the ranks and is now an escort going for rich punters in London, but Carol decides to give up life on the street aswell.
Series 1, Episode 6 - Carol agrees to babysit Gina's children whilst their Grandma goes to work, but Carol receives a sinister gift that makes her believe that Gina's killer has her firmly in her sights. A burglary in the neighbourhood, leads police to find a shrine of dedication to the murders, complete with video footage of the next victim, Carol. But will police race to her home in time to save her?
Series 2, Episode 1 - The girls have started a cleaning co-operative but are struggling to turn their backs on prostitution aswell as struggling to pay the bills. Anita is now living with Carol, whilst Tracy is still on the game and continuing to live with Rose. Rose has found out that Tracy and Colette have started to run a massage parlour from her home. Joyce is now looking after Gina's children and also struggling to survive.
Series 2, Episode 2 - Anita is run over but nobody knows what happened to her in the aftermath, whilst Rose has fallen out with Tracy and Collette is having trouble with her new job in a leisure centre after it is revealed she used to be a prostitute. Carol arranges to meet Curly for dinner, and gets more than he had originally bargained for.
Series 2, Episode 3 - Curly is murdered and trying times lie ahead for the girls. Rose and Carol try to get rid of any evidence that will link them as the murderers and Tracy goes to see Anita in hospital. Carol is taken into the police station for questioning when it is discovered that Curly had changed his will, leaving Curly's nephew fuming.
Series 2, Episode 4 - George is found murdered in an identical way to how Curly was found leaving the police to believe that a serial killer is at largewhilst Rose goes to Manchester in an effort to find her daughter. Curly's nephew Vinnie confronts Carol after he finds out that she is to inherit all of Curly's £4million estate and kidnaps Carol's daughter.
Series 2, Episode 5 - Dez, Tracy's former pimp, has been released from prison and she brings him to her house and sleeps with him. Rose finds out that her daughter is not in Manchester but in Sheffield and to Rose's horror, her daughter is on the game. Colette is beaten up by a violent punter and left for dead and Tracy lures Dez into a dungeon where she is plotting revenge on him.
Series 2, Episode 6 - Tracy fails to realize what she has done, despite Colette's persistence in trying to tell her, leaving Colette no choice but to tell Rose. DCI Newell tries to persuade Carol that they could have a great life together but Carol doesn't agree.
Series 3, Episode 1 - Carol and Rose have stopped working in The Lane and Rose gets a job as a community liason officer where she works with the police to try and clean up the darker side of life on the street. Rose's first case is Paula who is being held for attempted murder and Carol's inheritence is threatened when a private investigator tries to prove she is still on the game.
Series 3, Episode 2 - DC Mace is murdered and Paula consequently disappears, so Rose is called upon to assist the police. Rose finds Paula and takes her to Carol's house whilst Paula's ex-husband appears and confesses to the murders. He then takes Paula home, shoots her and then turns the gun onto himself.
Series 3, Episode 3 - Carol accuses Vinnie of spending the money from the factory nd arranges for him to get a kicking. Rose continues her work as community liason officer, despite the jobs pitfalls. The girls working in the new tolerance zone are attacked and transexual prostitute Sherrie recognizes the attacker as a worker from the factory.
Series 3, Episode 4 - Sherrie gets raped by Ed Smithson and tells Rose, but, when the police become involved, Sherrie suddenly retracts her statement. When Rose accuses Smithson of bribing Sherrie, she lose her job but is soon reinstated by Inspector Henryson.
Series 3, Episode 5 - Carol's half sister Lisa moves in whilst their mother is in hospital but leaves to move in with Charlie after she calls Carol a whore. Police find another body, this time of a black woman called Marva, and Raymond is questioned by the police. Raymond blames Rose and when he is released, he attacks her with a gun whilst Carol finally sacks Vinnie from the factory.
Series 3, Episode 6 - Raymond kidnaps Rose who tells him that it was Shaun that killed Marva. When Shaun dies howver, Carol and Rose realise the real killer is Charlie. Vinnie takes revenge on Carol by setting the factory on fire unaware that there is anyone inside. Who survives?
As I said, Band Of Gold is a great series and shouldn't be missed by anybody!
The DVD:
Video:
Network have provided us with the OAR of 4:3. As the show is only ten years old, the print is near perfect as should be expected. There were occasional scenes with slight grain and the occasional colour bleeding, but overall, the release has a solid picture. Once again, Network have forgotten to add subtitles though which is a major shame.
Audio:
The original English track in Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo is provided here, and it's pretty good. The dialogue is clear and the music levels consistent. A 2.0 Surround track would've been a lot nicer to give the show just that little bit more atmosphere, but a 5.1 track would be unnessesary and rather pointless, as there aren't that many instances for it to be used.
Extras:
None.
